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Do Galahs (Rose Breasted Cockatoo) make good pets?

luna.vv

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Hey everyone!
I’m thinking about getting another bird, and i was wondering if hand raised Galahs make good pets.
Thank you
 

Gokha

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They’re hilarious, very sweet,smart,unique personality, smell nice :D
But, very very nippy and moody. Momo gives me the most unexpected bites, just because she wants to. My fingers are very messed up right now :) I can’t share a lot of experience with Galahs cause I’ve had Momo only for about a month. They’re definitely not an easy bird. If you’re not scared, patient and willing to work with the bird, then go for it. But for sure RB2s are not for everyone, at one point I even questioned myself if they were for me. Things got better now and Momo started adapting, so we get along better (still bites every single day multiple times a day, trying to work on that, but i don’t know how much better it’s gonna get). She can be asking for head scratches one minute, and then another minute would just suddenly turn and start “chewing” the fingers :D I really hope it gets better with time.
I suggest you to read the thread “the good, the bad, and the ugly about small cockatoos”
 

luna.vv

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Do their bites hurt a lot? I’ve heard from some people that they’re not that bad, but some people say they hurt alot
 

Gokha

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Do their bites hurt a lot? I’ve heard from some people that they’re not that bad, but some people say they hurt alot
It hurts like any other bite :D regardless whether they break the skin or not, it still hurts. The difference is that if the skin is broken (blood/no blood), it’ll hurt until it heals, it gets a little swollen.
What I also noticed, Momo bites, chews on the skin and then goes for areas around, so sometimes I end up with couple of bites in one “attack”. My ringneck never does that, if he chose to bite (usually my fault here), he’ll just grab and place and then let go of it
 

Tanya

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I'd say a Galah bite stings more than aches. They are good at having opinions and being bossy, so if your ok with setting boundaries and being consistent you'll have a fine time with a Galah. If you're a "pushover" type, you may be in for a very rough time indeed.
 

luna.vv

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Do they need a lot of exercise like free flying or going out on a harness? Or are they fine with just flying in the house?
 

Shezbug

ASK ME FOR PICTURES OF MY MACAW!
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It will depend on how big your house is I guess but I would personally say that they should be able to stay reasonably healthy with only being able to fly in your house.
My bird is only able to fly inside my house as there are too many birds of prey where I live for him to be outside on his harness and he is much bigger than a galah, the vet said at his last visit she was more than happy with how healthy he is.
 

zoo mom

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My Galah Russell earned himself the sir name of Boogertoo. So his full name Russell Peck Boogertoo. He can be very sweet and he can be a screaming biting lunatic. He is not food motivated but will do almost anything for a kiss.
 

keirieski17

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4C99A1A9-3120-4F92-9307-5E7793CEB095.jpeg
Galah bites are no joke. My favorite parrot at the sanctuary I volunteer at is a Galah and I love her to bits, but she is volatile. Every interaction with her is measured. She is jealous of other birds and bites suddenly, usually with very little warning. Over-excitement can easily be as dangerous as fear or anger with her.
Because of the above picture and some other facial incidents I have tried to train her out of being a shoulder bird, but she is stubborn and will bite when she doesn’t get her way.
She’s also incredibly loving and loyal, funny and playful. I adore her, but her personality is challenging.
 

Nancy B

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Mine is! :roflmao::roflmao: but I'm biased! From the day he started roaming the house we taught him where he couldn't chew and what he could chew. We have birdie furniture in every room he hangs out in and we put a table top perch on top of his carrier cage, he seems to like that. He doesn't touch the furniture AT ALL and hasn't in about a year. The trick is to direct to something he CAN have instead of saying no to everything. Just like a toddler, they can be taught. I got him a non shedding fleece blanket and he will sit wherever that blanket is, he knows it is HIS. And believe me, he will let you know if you are on his blanket! :roflmao: I consider Fred to be very easy now, but it took us 2 years to get there!! Be patient, its worth it! We love him to pieces, he's spoiled rotten and he knows it! They are extremely smart and they absolutely can be trained. Fred does pack a good bite but so do my lovebirds. Fred has only bitten my fiancee twice and me not at all. The first phrase we taught was NO BITE. With a time out. So now when we say NO BITE he puts himself in his cage! Since he knows why he's there I don't shut the door, he comes back out after he calms down. He's perfect, and that's my very biased opinion! :laugh:
 
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