Adding a cockatoo to a household with a macaw, cockatiel and conure

[macawww]

I've been fostering a sulphur crested cockatoo, she's doing really well and has stopped plucking since staying here. She's very timid and loves the macaw. Is it stupid to consider adopting her? I have the space (extra room in the house which can be converted to a 2nd bird room since my daughter has moved into an apartment and stopped using it for storage) and since I work from home I have the time, but even with a HEPA filter I'm a bit worried about dust.

 

[aooratrix]

To my knowledge, you cannot prevent pulmonary hypersensitivity with an air filter. People have had macaws and 'toos at opposite ends of the house, and some macaws still were afflicted. We don't know enough about PH, but we do know that if a New World bird gets it, they will eventually die.

 

[tka]

I wouldn't do it unless the cockatoo was living in a completely different airspace i.e. in an outdoor aviary. I believe @Shezbug has this setup for her too.

I have New World parrots and I just don't want to take the risk of pulmonary hypersensitivity. It's a horrible disease with no cure, and I owe it to my existing birds to not put their lives at risk.

 

[macawww]

I wouldn't do it unless the cockatoo was living in a completely different airspace i.e. in an outdoor aviary. I believe @Shezbug has this setup for her too.

I have New World parrots and I just don't want to take the risk of pulmonary hypersensitivity. It's a horrible disease with no cure, and I owe it to my existing birds to not put their lives at risk.

Hmm, I do think it may be possible to convert the garage? We don't have a car and it's used for storage. If we decide to keep her, I'll definitely keep her outside. The garage connects to the house and it would be a ton of room for her.

 

[Shezbug]

I wouldn't do it unless the cockatoo was living in a completely different airspace i.e. in an outdoor aviary. I believe @Shezbug has this setup for her too.

I have New World parrots and I just don't want to take the risk of pulmonary hypersensitivity. It's a horrible disease with no cure, and I owe it to my existing birds to not put their lives at risk.

I would not even allow Birdie inside in another room- if it is freezing or dangerously stormy I put him in the shed which is insulated somewhat, his dust is like a little constant bird snow storm and it affects me even out in the open, I sweep his aviary mostly every single day and it still bothers my respiratory system as piles of dust is made airborne, everything is covered in white dust film within minutes of cleaning it - I can not even begin to imagine how it would affect Burt's system even if it was just a day.
They are too dusty to have indoors even with a door between them and a macaw.
I honestly worry about if Birdie ever got sick and needed more sheltered temp controlled area for recovery because even then I would not allow him inside so I would need to find someone who would be willing to take him on for a bit- he is just too dusty to even spend a night inside- he moves and I can see all the dust in the air around him.

 

[Shezbug]

I've been fostering a sulphur crested cockatoo, she's doing really well and has stopped plucking since staying here. She's very timid and loves the macaw. Is it stupid to consider adopting her? I have the space (extra room in the house which can be converted to a 2nd bird room since my daughter has moved into an apartment and stopped using it for storage) and since I work from home I have the time, but even with a HEPA filter I'm a bit worried about dust.

Oh gosh, I answered tka but had not read your post...

Please do not let the SC2 anywhere near your macaw!

Just this past week alone I saw three different stories of people loosing their macs to the dust from old world birds- not all were exposed long term to the dust but all died while fighting for breath from an attack that came on suddenly.
One was only around the dust for a very short timeframe (like a few weeks) and had a breathing attack like an asthma attack- omg the video of it was heartbreaking and even though they made it to the vets they came home with a dead mac.

 

[macawww]

Oh gosh, I answered tka but had not read your post...

Please do not let the SC2 anywhere near your macaw!

Just this past week alone I saw three different stories of people loosing their macs to the dust from old world birds- not all were exposed long term to the dust but all died while fighting for breath from an attack that came on suddenly.
One was only around the dust for a very short timeframe (like a few weeks) and had a breathing attack like an asthma attack- omg the video of it was heartbreaking and even though they made it to the vets they came home with a dead mac.

I feel sort of angry the rescue I Foster birds from didn't warn me about this....

 

[Mizzely]

This thread still makes me cry. A red front macaw was kept in the same home as an African grey with two air purifiers. And she still died. Zoe was well beloved by all of us, and it is partly because of her story many of us veterans are so deadset about mixing certain species.

https://forums.avianavenue.com/inde...rs-needed-for-zoe.145993/page-10#post-2079910

 

[Shezbug]

I feel sort of angry the rescue I Foster birds from didn't warn me about this....

So many people are either ignorant or simply just do not know and then there are some who insist is isn't a thing or that it can be monitored and worked around. I am sure the people who have constantly suffering and struggling for breath macs or dead macs from cockatoo/cockatiel/grey dust will tell you otherwise.

I am often shocked at the people who I see mixing old and new world birds and refusing to believe it is a serious health hazard for the new world birds. One of the stories I saw this last week had said they had heard about it but were told by so many others it was not a fact so they carried on ignoring the dangers, they had hepa filters but in the end they did not save their bird.

I warned one rescue (I won't mention names) and I got a reply back letting me know they were aware it can be a problem but in their case it would not be as they had good cleaning habits and good filters and good vets.... so did the other people who lost their birds- seems no one can say which birds will be affected and die and which can survive without any signs of damage.

 

[macawww]

So many people are either ignorant or simply just do not know and then there are some who insist is isn't a thing or that it can be monitored and worked around. I am sure the people who have constantly suffering and struggling for breath macs or dead macs from cockatoo/cockatiel/grey dust will tell you otherwise.

I am often shocked at the people who I see mixing old and new world birds and refusing to believe it is a serious health hazard for the new world birds. One of the stories I saw this last week had said they had heard about it but were told by so many others it was not a fact so they carried on ignoring the dangers, they had hepa filters but in the end they did not save their bird.

I warned one rescue (I won't mention names) and I got a reply back letting me know they were aware it can be a problem but in their case it would not be as they had good cleaning habits and good filters and good vets.... so did the other people who lost their birds- seems no one can say which birds will be affected and die and which can survive without any signs of damage.

Oh wow

Just wondering now if my cockatiel produces enough dust for HER to be a problem, too, let alone the cockatoo. Not really sure what to do now or what's best for my flock

 

[Shezbug]

Oh wow

Just wondering now if my cockatiel produces enough dust for HER to be a problem, too, let alone the cockatoo. Not really sure what to do now or what's best for my flock

Your tiel will be a potential health problem for your conure (I am sure I just read you also had a conure?) and your mac.

 

[April]

This thread still makes me cry. A red front macaw was kept in the same home as an African grey with two air purifiers. And she still died. Zoe was well beloved by all of us, and it is partly because of her story many of us veterans are so deadset about mixing certain species.

https://forums.avianavenue.com/index.php?threads/sad-udate-post-61-good-thoughts-and-prayers-needed-for-zoe.145993/page-10#post-2079910

I still think about Zoe and Elvis from time to time and it makes me so very sad.