Please help

[Saravp]

I am a minor and have loved birds since i can remember. I spent my entire childhood researching birds so i know quite a bit about them. Finally mum has agreed to let me have a pet bird and we plan on letting this bird free fly obviously only after alot of recall and free flight training. I was looking through Gumtree birds when i came across this Major Mitchell cockatoo. It's in a tiny rusty cage with absolutely no space to move. It breaks my heart to think of that cockatoo and not doing anything about it. What should i do? I've had lorikeets and budgies and as i mentioned before years and years worth of research. Would it be reckless and irresponsible of me to buy it? I've read that Major Mitchells can be bitey birds. I don't know what to do but it breaks my heart seeing those photos. Please help.

 

[sunnysmom]

I would first have your parents look into it. Major Mitchells, at least in the United States, are expensive, hard to find, birds. What are they selling the bird for? I would be careful this isn't some type of scam. I completely understand your desire to help this bird and I think it's admirable. We have had young people on here with cockatoos that are excellent bird owners. However, a cockatoo is a big responsibility. Are your parents on board and committed to its care? Any parrot is really a family bird. Since you've had birds before, I am assuming that your family has already made the necessary changes to the household - no teflon, no candles, no febreeze etc. A cockatoo can live 50+ years. So depending on the age of this bird, you could be a senior citizen and still have him. Are you ready for that? Do you want to go to college, travel, etc? Are you parents willing to take care of your bird while you do these things? And cockatoos are expensive to care for. They need a very large cage, lots of toys, proper food and vet care. Again, is this something your parents are willing to do? And knowing nothing about this bird, he might not be handable. With proper training, I think any parrot can become "tame" but you don't know where you're starting with this bird. I, of course, want this poor cockatoo to have a wonderful home but I want you to think things through WITH your parents. I don't know that Major Mitchells are any more bitey than any other cockatoo. I will say in general, with any cockatoo, at some point you're going to get bit. I have scars on my hands from cockatoos. It can be daunting once you've been bitten to go back and handle a bird. But you have to try to stay calm and then figure out why you got the bite. I feel it's almost always "our" fault that we got bit and not the birds's.

 

[Shezbug]

You will need to check if you need a licence to own a MM2 where you are and what those requirements are, if considering a cocky I think you’d also benefit from checking your council bylaws and regulations on large or loud birds before thinking any more about this bird. It is a huge responsibility for someone as young as you so you definitely don’t want to be the main care giver unless you have someone who’s willing to cover the bills for cages, toys, food and more importantly the vet bills as they get extremely high very fast. Taking on a large bird is basically like becoming a full time parent of a child with serious behaviour and heath issues- it’s really not a decision to take lightly.

 

[Emma&pico]

Are you in uk ? If so be very careful with gumtree there’s a lot of scammers on there

 

[Saravp]

I would first have your parents look into it. Major Mitchells, at least in the United States, are expensive, hard to find, birds. What are they selling the bird for? I would be careful this isn't some type of scam. I completely understand your desire to help this bird and I think it's admirable. We have had young people on here with cockatoos that are excellent bird owners. However, a cockatoo is a big responsibility. Are your parents on board and committed to its care? Any parrot is really a family bird. Since you've had birds before, I am assuming that your family has already made the necessary changes to the household - no teflon, no candles, no febreeze etc. A cockatoo can live 50+ years. So depending on the age of this bird, you could be a senior citizen and still have him. Are you ready for that? Do you want to go to college, travel, etc? Are you parents willing to take care of your bird while you do these things? And cockatoos are expensive to care for. They need a very large cage, lots of toys, proper food and vet care. Again, is this something your parents are willing to do? And knowing nothing about this bird, he might not be handable. With proper training, I think any parrot can become "tame" but you don't know where you're starting with this bird. I, of course, want this poor cockatoo to have a wonderful home but I want you to think things through WITH your parents. I don't know that Major Mitchells are any more bitey than any other cockatoo. I will say in general, with any cockatoo, at some point you're going to get bit. I have scars on my hands from cockatoos. It can be daunting once you've been bitten to go back and handle a bird. But you have to try to stay calm and then figure out why you got the bite. I feel it's almost always "our" fault that we got bit and not the birds's.

They're selling it for $550 which is a reasonable price considering that if it's been living in that cage it probably isn't tame. I'm not sure about Major Mitchells specifically but cockatoos are very common here in Australia because they are native. Yeah I've never liked travel and i don't plan on going to college so i would be able to care for it for a very long time i think. The money I'm a bit worried about. I think we could get insurance so that would cover vet bills but the cage might take me a while to save up for. Food won't be a problem though as mum would never feed anything but the best to any animal. I'm not sure if i could tame it. I've tamed budgies before but i know cockatoos are a whole new level of difficulty and intelligence. I don't mind getting bit, what I'm worried about is if it bites someone else mum might not let me keep him. And I've heard that they tend to be one person birds. If he bonds only to me and bites anyone else that would be a big problem. And i agree it's our fault for missing the signs.

 

[Saravp]

You will need to check if you need a licence to own a MM2 where you are and what those requirements are, if considering a cocky I think you’d also benefit from checking your council bylaws and regulations on large or loud birds before thinking any more about this bird. It is a huge responsibility for someone as young as you so you definitely don’t want to be the main care giver unless you have someone who’s willing to cover the bills for cages, toys, food and more importantly the vet bills as they get extremely high very fast. Taking on a large bird is basically like becoming a full time parent of a child with serious behaviour and heath issues- it’s really not a decision to take lightly.

Yeah im pretty sure it's all legal but I'll have another look
I would be the main carer of the bird as i know most about birds out of my family. I would have to buy the cage but mum or dad would cover the vet costs probably with insurance

 

[Shezbug]

You are likely being scammed or sold a stolen or sick bird for that price I would think (hot tip... steer clear of Gumtree and other junk sales sites and find yourself a reputable breeder) - MM2 are no where near as common as galahs, SC2s and corellas so I would be very sus about a MM2 being sold for that price.
I would think it would greatly benefit you to check into pet insurance and under what conditions they will pay out and how much- people here have spent 1000's of dollars for ill birds- they cost much more to vet than dogs and cats do. Your basic vet appointment with the correct vet for a bird (avian vet) which is most likely going to be a great distance away from you as we do not have many AV's is going to be approx $500 and that is just for simple health check up- any injury or illness is going to incur much larger bills and many of them.

I am yet to meet or talk to anyone with birds (including the really expensive ones) who have insurance- most will tell you it is pretty much worthless.

Do you have any idea what kind of cost a cage suitable for a cockatoo will set you back?

 

[Saravp]

You are likely being scammed or sold a stolen or sick bird for that price I would think (hot tip... steer clear of Gumtree and other junk sales sites and find yourself a reputable breeder) - MM2 are no where near as common as galahs, SC2s and corellas so I would be very sus about a MM2 being sold for that price.
I would think it would greatly benefit you to check into pet insurance and under what conditions they will pay out and how much- people here have spent 1000's of dollars for ill birds- they cost much more to vet than dogs and cats do. Your basic vet appointment with the correct vet for a bird (avian vet) which is most likely going to be a great distance away from you as we do not have many AV's is going to be approx $500 and that is just for simple health check up- any injury or illness is going to incur much larger bills and many of them.

I am yet to meet or talk to anyone with birds (including the really expensive ones) who have insurance- most will tell you it is pretty much worthless.

Do you have any idea what kind of cost a cage suitable for a cockatoo will set you back?

Honestly i don't really mind if its sick as at least i might be able to care for it and if its stolen then it'll have a better chance of finding it's owner. Tho only reason i would get this cockatoo is for it's own benefit. I know that it can be worthless but it'll be easier to convince my parents to pay insurance than to pay $10000 straight up. And don't worry i know how expensive they are but there are occasionally nice cages on gumtree and marketplace for good prices

 

[Xoetix]

Honestly i don't really mind if its sick as at least i might be able to care for it and if its stolen then it'll have a better chance of finding it's owner. Tho only reason i would get this cockatoo is for it's own benefit. I know that it can be worthless but it'll be easier to convince my parents to pay insurance than to pay $10000 straight up. And don't worry i know how expensive they are but there are occasionally nice cages on gumtree and marketplace for good prices

I think what everyone is trying to tell you is there is a very high likelihood that this cockatoo doesn’t actually exist for that price. Unless you and your parents went to see the bird in person with cash in hand, I would absolutely steer clear of this because it sounds like a scam.

 

[Saravp]

I think what everyone is trying to tell you is there is a very high likelihood that this cockatoo doesn’t actually exist for that price. Unless you and your parents went to see the bird in person with cash in hand, I would absolutely steer clear of this because it sounds like a scam.

Of course i don't know how Gumtree works where you are but here is always you go see the bird and bit and take home from there is never an online thing