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Pictures Rehoming my 1 year old Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo, Sydney Australia

vaporised

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Shannon
*Sydney, NSW Australia*

Hey everyone, it is absolutely heartbreaking to have to write this, but I’m looking to find a forever home for my female MM2 Dusty.

This was not an easy decision and has been causing me much anguish, being my greatest source of stress for many months. I have tried so hard to make things better but, in the end, I’ve decided this is the best decision for the both of us.

IMG_2490.jpg

Why?
I have been dealing with mental health issues for a while now and am struggling to give her the attention she needs. I make sure she is happy but I know I can’t keep this up for much longer, especially with her making my condition deteriorate further. Now that I am going into my honours year at university, I’ll have even more on my plate very soon. I want the very best for her and I realise that I am not the person who can give her the life I want her to have. I'd like to entrust her to someone who can promise her a wonderful life full of cuddles and fun. It hurts me so much to have to do this but it has taken me so long already to muster the courage to type this all out.

What's she like?
Dusty is an energetic and affectionate bird bursting with personality (too much sometimes :laugh:). She is DNA-sexed female. I make sure she has fresh water, toys, and hours of attention every day. She was raised on pellets and does not eat seeds besides sunflower seeds as treats. I bought her from a breeder before she was weaned and hand-raised her till now. She loves to play and is very talkative, and accompanies me everywhere I go in the house. She is fully flighted and loves to make a few rounds around the house every morning. Dusty is a talker and is always babbling nonsense or asking “What’re you doing?”. She will even attempt to join conversations by talking over you with her gibberish. She’s very smart, is (somewhat) recall trained and knows some tricks (pooping on command!). She turns into a big pink fluffball when she gets her head scratches and will beg for them all the time :). She’s been on a family road trip up the NSW coast for a weekend away, so she has also been to lots of beaches and restaurants (miss worldwide :cool: ummm NSW-wide?).

However I’m not going to sugar coat the fact that she is a VERY difficult bird (as all cockatoo owners would know). She has severe separation anxiety and will scream endlessly if she cannot see you. Even leaving the room to get a drink means she will scream nonstop. It’s rare that she is content playing with her toys in her cage and she will usually nag you for direct attention. I often sit at my computer and she will climb up my leg to sit on me quietly while I do my work. She likes to take naps in the afternoon where she will be happy alone for a few hours. She also has favourite people and will scream for them even if you are there with her. Her favourite person currently is my mum, and when she is away, Dusty will sometimes refuse to do anything except call out for her. She is terrified of new people and new areas. She is also very resistant to harnesses. I have tried to harness train her slowly since she was a few months old but she hates them. She doesn’t like fruit or vegetables but will occasionally eat apples or carrots. She is unfamiliar with other birds and is very scared when wild birds approach her cage when we are outside, though she can get used to it as she is still young and I would prefer her to be familiar with other birds. She does not bite unless you aggravate her, and does not have any plucking issues.

While she is very attention seeking, she is also a very sweet bird that loves to cuddle and sit with you quietly, but I want to avoid any surprises so I am detailing all of her bad traits.

This is only a snapshot of the information I can give on her. I have a document with everything which I will provide once I’ve found someone.

What I'm looking for
I’m looking for someone who has experience with cockatoos/larger birds. I’ve realised that no amount of research can prepare someone for cockatoo ownership, and I want myself to be her only owner that fell victim to this. I want to be updated regularly so I can know how she is settling in (I won’t be demanding weekly home visits, don't worry). She needs to have plenty of out of cage time and attention given to her. She needs to stay flighted. No smokers and no young children.

You also need to prove to me that you will be the perfect home for her (a home visit, vet references, etc). You should be willing to visit her several times to see if she is a good fit for you. You MUST be sure that you want her and acknowledge how difficult it is to keep a cockatoo, I cannot stress how much I need her to be in a stable caring home. To have her given up because she was ‘too loud’ or ‘too attention seeking’ is unacceptable. I have made clear that she is loud and needs a lot of attention every day.

You need a license (NSW Companion Bird Keeper License, $50 for 5 years) to keep her as she is a protected species.

I will rehome her for $600. She will come with her cage, travel cage, toys, food, a stand, harnesses, accessories, and everything else I have for her.

Dusty is microchipped and the details will be updated accordingly.

Unfortunately my local parrot rescue won’t take her because of the license requirements, and Facebook seems like a disgusting place full of flippers so I’d like to avoid it as much as I can. This forum seems like my best bet to find reputable and reliable people.

If anyone knows someone in the Sydney area who fits this and might be interested please let them know, I want her to go to the best home possible because she absolutely deserves it.
 

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April

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She's absolutely gorgeous. I'm so terribly sorry that you've found yourself in this position my heart breaks for you because it's so easy to see how much you love her and only want what's best for her. I'll tag some other Aussie members to see if they know anyone who maybe interested in adopting her.
@Shezbug @AussieBird
 

sunnysmom

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She is beautiful. I am sorry you have to rehome her. If we lived closer, I would jump to adopt her. Best wishes in finding her a new home.
 

Shezbug

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She's absolutely gorgeous. I'm so terribly sorry that you've found yourself in this position my heart breaks for you because it's so easy to see how much you love her and only want what's best for her. I'll tag some other Aussie members to see if they know anyone who maybe interested in adopting her.
@Shezbug @AussieBird
Sorry for the late acknowledgment here April, I didn’t get a notification that you’d tagged me for some reason.

I don’t really know of a lot of people in NSW and the few bird people I do know of in that state are too far away from Sydney to meet the requirements stated in the original post. I don’t believe I’ll be of any help here unfortunately.
 

April

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Sorry for the late acknowledgment here April, I didn’t get a notification that you’d tagged me for some reason.

I don’t really know of a lot of people in NSW and the few bird people I do know of in that state are too far away from Sydney to meet the requirements stated in the original post. I don’t believe I’ll be of any help here unfortunately.
No worries! Thanks for checking in pity about the extra difficulty in possibly finding folks to adopt because of the requirements.
 

Pixiebeak

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You obviously love your baby so much ..I'm sorry you are having to part ways. I'm sending every good thought, prayer, energy, thst you find the most amazing home .
Hugs to you
 

AussieBird

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I'm of no help either unfortunately. I don't know many bird people in person and not anyone near Sydney.
I hope you can find the perfect home for her, she's beautiful :heart:
 

Shezbug

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Cynth

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Its too bad we cant get her here tp the US. I have been looking and looking for one.
 
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