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Is a red-tailed black cockatoo possible for a beginner to succeed with?

Is this species too difficult for a first?

  • No matter how much research has been done, yes.

    Votes: 8 42.1%
  • For most people, yes.

    Votes: 4 21.1%
  • With adequate knowledge of what you're getting in to, no.

    Votes: 7 36.8%

  • Total voters
    19

FiatLux

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First of all--- WELCOME to the Avenue! They are a BUNCH of Bird-Loving, thoughtful, considerate [that includes our feathered 'persons'], and COMPASSIONATE people...

@flyzippers comment faced the reality of ... REALITY!!! No Where NEAR Super-Hostile... Those were not the ramblings of an inconsiderate person or were attempting to demean you-- Instead, AS WE ALL MUST/ SHOULD DO... we put our birds FIRST-- We are THEIR caretakers-- those who cage innocent living beings. Though they might eventually be in charge of our lives!

Q-- Have you been around Cockatoos in a home environment? I don't know if the Black C.'s personality is similar to our Umbrella's... but ours is a BABY! Complete w/ 'selfish' needs. Or thinks she needs. They are FILLED w/ emotions! And memory. I used to tell people BEFORE they bought a Cockatoo--- expect to 'chain yourself' to their cage! ie-- they are NOT a once a day 'blow 'em a kiss' and feed them...

I truly respect the interest and research you have clearly attempted and accomplished! Proud to have you in the bird parent flock [or soon to be]...
Just to clarify, especially as many of @flyzipper ’s posts make my day, that I was citing him as an example of a kind and knowledgeable forum participant with expertise.
 

Kenzie

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You've received some pretty sound advice here.

You reasoning list is all over the place. Because they stand out against your furniture? I've got to say that is the oddest reasoning I've ever seen lol! I can see the appeal, maybe?
There is more to "looks good against my furniture, can see pin feathers, adequate size." What about the noise? Are you aware how ear blasting these birds can be?

You mention they are "slow moving," but I am assuming you have never seen a peeved off cockatoo who decided he did not get his way and was NOT happy about that. Are the black toos said to be more docile? Yes, so we've all heard. But does that make them any less dangerous or ticking time bombs of a gnarly bite at some point? Heck no! I would not recommend getting into owning such a parrot and assuming X, Y, Z about them. There are certainly general stereotypes around species, and you may have met individuals with these stereotypes, but you must be prepared for the chance you get the polar opposite.

Stereotypes are just that - what we assume something will be like when in reality it's not black and white. You may get yourself your dream black Too only for it's personality to begin to set in and all of a sudden you have a feather terrorist living in your home.
One of these birds (or any bird for that matter) at a Parrot Mountain-esque facility is going to have all it's needs met and more (though it appears many on display are clipped which is a no-go from me). They get endless amounts of social interaction, natural sunshine, and I would hope? proper diet EVERY single day and that helps keep many behavioral issues at bay that stem from lack of proper care. In a home, in a cage, while you're at school, work - that is a totally different ballgame. No sunlight for Vitamin-D, no stimulation of seeing the outdoors - sights, sounds. I mean it is night and day with these facility birds and a pet bird at home. It's not the same.

Do more research while you think more on it. Do research on how your life may change, as well. What are your goals and ambitions? If you don't have any, how will you manage to afford this luxury-priced parrot? How will you manage to keep that LARGE beak at bay. Did you know a Cockatoo of this size can shred a $50 wooden toy within 1-2 days? Did you know their dander will need to be maintained with proper ventilation, air purifiers? Did you know that their dander is harmful to you in the long run? Are you aware that these kinds of parrots thrive on and indoor and outdoor aviary? A "macaw" cage won't cut it. Any cage in the US that is marketed for "large macaws" "large cockatoos" are never enough. They are incorrectly marketed.

Think about all the variables that go with this, everything that can and will go wrong. What if you get a personality type that you dislike? What if this bird likes you at first but as it matures (or if it's older, as it becomes comfortable), you're suddenly losing your new bestie to your mom, dad, brother, sister, that random guy who visits once a week?

It's a lot for a young adult. I could not have done it, I know that much.

Think about it!
 
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aooratrix

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Age doesn't preclude that your first bird be a large parrot. However, it could certainly impact your ability to provide constants for a bird. When my friends are out drinking and socializing, I'm home with 4 large macaws in my living room. Parrots do not understand when their time with you changes, especially if the "newness" wears off, and you find yourself committing less time to the bird. That can cause neurotic behaviors like incessant screaming and plucking.

If your research doesn't include lots of hands-on with a parrot, then you've only completed half of the equation. You have to take internet research with a grain of salt. There are a lot of keyboard warriors who speak as experts but have little to no real knowledge/experience. No matter what the internet or someone says about red tailed blacks, it's anecdotal info at best.

Most parrot lovers are going to find your color scheme talk and color preference to be offensive and superficial. You like black, red, and gold, great. However, color is not the reason you adopt an animal.

The way you talk about your dog, defensively, suggests that you're going to trust the dog implicitly and/or proceed as if nothing will ever happen. We've all heard horrific stories of family dogs that got along with or ignored the companion bird only to kill it in the future. You can never trust a carnivore completely when interacting with a potential prey item. I taught obedience years ago, and my dog is well-trained AND well-behaved. However, I never put her in a situation to have make decisions about how she interacts with the flock. That's my job. Unless you're willing to vigilant 100% of the time, you have no business bringing a bird into your home.

To my knowledge, you don't have to have a special permit in the US to own a red tailed black 'too. However, as others have mentioned, the price tag is prohibitive for most people. Also, you'll need a HUGE cage that's probably going to cost 4 figures along with at least one play gym.
 

HEXN3T

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This isn't a good reason. I think all of the black cockatoos are on the CITES lists, so if you managed to get one, you'd be stuck not being able to move with your bird.



All dogs have predator in them. I'd plan on keeping them in separate areas of the home.

Edited to add that having one would also make you & your family a target for thieves.
A home break-in in my neighbourhood, as far as I know, has never happened. All of the neighbours I know are incredibly kind. We're always looking out for each other. Kentucky is a pretty nice place. A robbery could only happen if I got doxxed or hacked, and at that point, way more precautions will be made.

Vanta will absolutely be separated from any parrot initially. I don't take risks, ever. That's why I've not bought a parrot yet. I'll slowly get them in the same room, but never leave them alone together, even when Vanta is in a kennel, or the parrot in a cage. I still highly doubt he would attack. The major concern is saliva. I'll still take actions to prevent attacks, though. Not doing that would be really irresponsible. Regardless, I still can't seperate them permanently. An accident where a door is left open would be chaos. If one of them slipped through quick enough when I'm exiting or entering a room, again, chaos. They need to be familiar with each other.

And about the colour, maybe I'm being concerned over nothing. A white parrot will probably be perfectly visible, but it's still too hard to think about stepping on a parrot accidentally because I didn't see it. I have no visual impairments, yet it's still scary. I guess I need to relax sometimes.
 

sunnysmom

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A home break-in in my neighbourhood, as far as I know, has never happened. All of the neighbours I know are incredibly kind. We're always looking out for each other. Kentucky is a pretty nice place. A robbery could only happen if I got doxxed or hacked, and at that point, way more precautions will be made.

Vanta will absolutely be separated from any parrot initially. I don't take risks, ever. That's why I've not bought a parrot yet. I'll slowly get them in the same room, but never leave them alone together, even when Vanta is in a kennel, or the parrot in a cage. I still highly doubt he would attack. The major concern is saliva. I'll still take actions to prevent attacks, though. Not doing that would be really irresponsible. Regardless, I still can't seperate them permanently. An accident where a door is left open would be chaos. If one of them slipped through quick enough when I'm exiting or entering a room, again, chaos. They need to be familiar with each other.

And about the colour, maybe I'm being concerned over nothing. A white parrot will probably be perfectly visible, but it's still too hard to think about stepping on a parrot accidentally because I didn't see it. I have no visual impairments, yet it's still scary. I guess I need to relax sometimes.
I go back to are you ready to have a toddler for the next 40 some years? A cockatoo is a big commitment. And you may be ready. I just want to make sure you're really thinking about that aspect of it. We do have some young members with cockatoos who have been great with them. But it's something to seriously think about. Cockatoos get passed around to way too many homes. My goffin lived in 5 different places in the 2 years before I adopted him. And I only know his history for those two years. Who knows how many homes he had before that. I am not trying to discourage you because there certainly are so many birds out there in need of good homes. I just know there is no way I could have taken on a cockatoo as a teenager. And not even just because of hanging out with friends but because of college, etc. When you do get one, just make sure it's the right time. :)
 

HEXN3T

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You've received some pretty sound advice here.

You reasoning list is all over the place. Because they stand out against your furniture? I've got to say that is the oddest reasoning I've ever seen lol! I can see the appeal, maybe?
There is more to "looks good against my furniture, can see pin feathers, adequate size." What about the noise? Are you aware how ear blasting these birds can be?

You mention they are "slow moving," but I am assuming you have never seen a peeved off cockatoo who decided he did not get his way and was NOT happy about that. Are the black toos said to be more docile? Yes, so we've all heard. But does that make them any less dangerous or ticking time bombs of a gnarly bite at some point? Heck no! I would not recommend getting into owning such a parrot and assuming X, Y, Z about them. There are certainly general stereotypes around species, and you may have met individuals with these stereotypes, but you must be prepared for the chance you get the polar opposite.

Stereotypes are just that - what we assume something will be like when in reality it's not black and white. You may get yourself your dream black Too only for it's personality to begin to set in and all of a sudden you have a feather terrorist living in your home.
One of these birds (or any bird for that matter) at a Parrot Mountain-esque facility is going to have all it's needs met and more (though it appears many on display are clipped which is a no-go from me). They get endless amounts of social interaction, natural sunshine, and I would hope? proper diet EVERY single day and that helps keep many behavioral issues at bay that stem from lack of proper care. In a home, in a cage, while you're at school, work - that is a totally different ballgame. No sunlight for Vitamin-D, no stimulation of seeing the outdoors - sights, sounds. I mean it is night and day with these facility birds and a pet bird at home. It's not the same.

Do more research while you think more on it. Do research on how your life may change, as well. What are your goals and ambitions? If you don't have any, how will you manage to afford this luxury-priced parrot? How will you manage to keep that LARGE beak at bay. Did you know a Cockatoo of this size can shred a $50 wooden toy within 1-2 days? Did you know their dander will need to be maintained with proper ventilation, air purifiers? Did you know that their dander is harmful to you in the long run? Are you aware that these kinds of parrots thrive on and indoor and outdoor aviary? A "macaw" cage won't cut it. Any cage in the US that is marketed for "large macaws" "large cockatoos" are never enough. They are incorrectly marketed.

Think about all the variables that go with this, everything that can and will go wrong. What if you get a personality type that you dislike? What if this bird likes you at first but as it matures (or if it's older, as it becomes comfortable), you're suddenly losing your new bestie to your mom, dad, brother, sister, that random guy who visits once a week?

It's a lot for a young adult. I could not have done it, I know that much.

Think about it!
I've seen angry cockatoos before. I surprisingly didn't find the noise too bad. I'm a gamer, I scream myself. I'm not afraid to admit it. Well, however, my father is a different story. He's usually outside, though. I don't think it'll be a problem. Regardless, I always have a pair of AirPods Pro on me.

Yes, I'm aware of the need for purifiers. I've already worked on removing stuff like non-stick pans, too. Those things suck, anyway. I know about toy destruction too, and I've decided to hand-make my own to cut down on cost, most of the time. Of course, a wood block alone will be entertaining enough. Vanta destroys toys way more than I was expecting, and I'm fine with that. He destroyed one of Stella's (his girlfriend) toys that she had since the first week, in just 10 minutes.

Sunlight? Planned for that. I chose a room with two windows and a lot of outdoor visibility. I very quickly chose to skip out on UV lamps. There's nothing I can do about the occasional storm, though.

It's carpet though. This entire house is carpet, except for the main downstairs room. That's all hard floor. The downstairs is also almost completely underground. Too cold and dark down there, even though it would work better otherwise.

No, my garage is not carpeted.

Oh, and for the dander, well, heh.

image.jpg
Will this fan work? Turn it on, and you have a wind tunnel in the comfort of your own home! Well, at least it *was* comfortable. And quiet.

It's a giant outtake fan. I'm pretty sure this thing will get dander out. This puppy makes an angry cockatoo sound like its on mute! Boy, is this thing loud. You can hear that electricity running in when you turn it on initially.

I wanted to build my own cage. The cages I see on Amazon are both too small and too vertical. Parrots don't fly up, they fly forward. Even the outrageously expensive 600 dollar ones are pathetic. Those "macaw" cages are cockatiel cages. I'm building my own.

I have access to healthy foods. We could easily afford a good parrot diet. Both of my parents have great jobs, my Dad will have direct government benefits by the end of this decade, and I myself show a lot of potential for work. We're doing extremely well.

Personality? Well, I'm going to work to make sure this parrot likes everyone. I don't want it to only like me. One major thing that I read about cockatoos is that they can grow too attached to their owners and attack strangers. I want to surround it with as many good people as possible, and raise it from a young age. If it stops liking me? Well, even though I doubt that would happen, I've had plenty of people stop liking me before. At that point, there may be some other major problem, and rehoming might be something I consider.

I don't dislike any personality type as long as it isn't aggressive. Randomly energetic, cuddly, lazy? I can live with it. I love animals regardless. I just don't want to cause injury to people or other animals. They need a good soul to be raised, and I'm fairly confident that I have that good soul. Raising parrots is all about the wide variety of personality. I go by stereotypes for a general direction, but I'm prepared for actual results to be dramatically detached from expectation. I'd say I'm flexible enough to manage it. I still won't bite more than I can chew. If a major problem occurs, I won't ignore rehoming.

I've worked to make my future as stable as possible. This is the most important thing that I considered. I want to be self employed. I want to make YouTube videos documenting this journey, and make music. I want to be directly supported by the audience through Patreon and Guilded instead of taking sponsorship money and ad revenue. I just need to keep on my toes. If I don't find success there, well, I'm graduating from a STEM high school, of course I'm getting a good job. Walmart!

All this stuff has been considered. I didn't mention this knowledge because, well, I didn't want to have to type it all out for the 50th time. I'm new to this forum, so I guess I should have just did it once more. People here have been way nicer than the other one I have found, though.

Well, thanks for the concern. I don't want to leave anyone scared.
 

HEXN3T

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I go back to are you ready to have a toddler for the next 40 some years? A cockatoo is a big commitment. And you may be ready. I just want to make sure you're really thinking about that aspect of it. We do have some young members with cockatoos who have been great with them. But it's something to seriously think about. Cockatoos get passed around to way too many homes. My goffin lived in 5 different places in the 2 years before I adopted him. And I only know his history for those two years. Who knows how many homes he had before that. I am not trying to discourage you because there certainly are so many birds out there in need of good homes. I just know there is no way I could have taken on a cockatoo as a teenager. And not even just because of hanging out with friends but because of college, etc. When you do get one, just make sure it's the right time. :)
I love animals, of course I'll do anything for it. I've been complimented by staff at Parrot Mountain for the way I handled some of those parrots, and my understanding of them. My parents have also been impressed with the effort I have put in to planning. The world's life is my passion.

I already came up with a name for a black cockatoo, Venice. The reflection of the city's golden lights fade into the water, like the gold on their feathers which gradually fade away as you go down the body. That is, unless it is a male, which is purely black with a red splash on the tail. Vermillion would be better for one like that.

See a name pattern?

The whole reason I'm here is so that I don't get a cockatoo and have it passed to another home. I want a happy 70ish years. "Flashy" parrots are a particular target because people often only get them for beauty. They end up bald in a year. It's a future I want to prevent. It happens with every species, and, well, I can't buy and maintain tens of thousands of parrots.

A little documentation about a species with less than average information is always good, too, you know. If someone else wants to try this species, I would like to be able to tell them a story about one.

For finance, I'm well set. I have skipped out on getting a car for the cars price itself, maintaining it, and insurance. My parents both have great jobs and I show potential myself. If I can't be confident now, I doubt I'd be confident at 30 years old.

I do a lot of financial thinking. that's a whole other discussion, everyone will just need to believe that I'm being careful about it.

I'm about ready. I'll be speaking to professionals online soon. If they say I can't handle it, I'll be okay with other parrots. If you know anyone I can speak to, that would be cool. I've picked BirdTricks for discussion right now. Maybe there's someone better? I wouldn't know.

Thanks for kind words and support, I've been needing it lately.
 

sunnysmom

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I love animals, of course I'll do anything for it. I've been complimented by staff at Parrot Mountain for the way I handled some of those parrots, and my understanding of them. My parents have also been impressed with the effort I have put in to planning. The world's life is my passion.

I already came up with a name for a black cockatoo, Venice. The reflection of the city's golden lights fade into the water, like the gold on their feathers which gradually fade away as you go down the body. That is, unless it is a male, which is purely black with a red splash on the tail. Vermillion would be better for one like that.

See a name pattern?

The whole reason I'm here is so that I don't get a cockatoo and have it passed to another home. I want a happy 70ish years. "Flashy" parrots are a particular target because people often only get them for beauty. They end up bald in a year. It's a future I want to prevent. It happens with every species, and, well, I can't buy and maintain tens of thousands of parrots.

A little documentation about a species with less than average information is always good, too, you know. If someone else wants to try this species, I would like to be able to tell them a story about one.

For finance, I'm well set. I have skipped out on getting a car for the cars price itself, maintaining it, and insurance. My parents both have great jobs and I show potential myself. If I can't be confident now, I doubt I'd be confident at 30 years old.

I do a lot of financial thinking. that's a whole other discussion, everyone will just need to believe that I'm being careful about it.

I'm about ready. I'll be speaking to professionals online soon. If they say I can't handle it, I'll be okay with other parrots. If you know anyone I can speak to, that would be cool. I've picked BirdTricks for discussion right now. Maybe there's someone better? I wouldn't know.

Thanks for kind words and support, I've been needing it lately.
If you do a search on here, you'll see that BirdTricks is a bit controversial. I would read up on people like Pamela Clarke or Barbra Heidenreich instead. I believe they can be contacted online too for consulting.
 

HEXN3T

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Age doesn't preclude that your first bird be a large parrot. However, it could certainly impact your ability to provide constants for a bird. When my friends are out drinking and socializing, I'm home with 4 large macaws in my living room. Parrots do not understand when their time with you changes, especially if the "newness" wears off, and you find yourself committing less time to the bird. That can cause neurotic behaviors like incessant screaming and plucking.

If your research doesn't include lots of hands-on with a parrot, then you've only completed half of the equation. You have to take internet research with a grain of salt. There are a lot of keyboard warriors who speak as experts but have little to no real knowledge/experience. No matter what the internet or someone says about red tailed blacks, it's anecdotal info at best.

Most parrot lovers are going to find your color scheme talk and color preference to be offensive and superficial. You like black, red, and gold, great. However, color is not the reason you adopt an animal.

The way you talk about your dog, defensively, suggests that you're going to trust the dog implicitly and/or proceed as if nothing will ever happen. We've all heard horrific stories of family dogs that got along with or ignored the companion bird only to kill it in the future. You can never trust a carnivore completely when interacting with a potential prey item. I taught obedience years ago, and my dog is well-trained AND well-behaved. However, I never put her in a situation to have make decisions about how she interacts with the flock. That's my job. Unless you're willing to vigilant 100% of the time, you have no business bringing a bird into your home.

To my knowledge, you don't have to have a special permit in the US to own a red tailed black 'too. However, as others have mentioned, the price tag is prohibitive for most people. Also, you'll need a HUGE cage that's probably going to cost 4 figures along with at least one play gym.
Animals are my passion. I'd never leave one in danger or ignore one. My research and finding discussion is supposed to do as much as possible to prevent bad from happening. I don't want to sound defensive about my dog either. They will be introduced to each other slowly, and never be left alone together. I just don't want to keep them permanently separated because in the event that one gets loose, the chance of attacks will be way lower. Vanta will definitely be kept on a leash for the first year, though.

I want to build my own cage and play area. It will almost definitely be far cheaper and more personalised. We have all sorts of tools around the street from neighbours. Building a cage from scratch is something I could definitely do. I don't trust online listings, anyway, and a custom cage will be way more fun.

We have good enough income to cover initial costs and the constant costs. We have access to good food as well, and we're a family of cooks. We have pretty good vets nearby. A neighbour takes his blue throated macaw to the vet once yearly. The parrot looks to be in fantastic shape and he says the vet experience is pretty good. Health will definitely be maintainable.

I won't be out with friends either. We like to lounge around, and well be at each others houses instead of at restaurants. They like my mothers cooking, anyway. Separation between a parrot and me will be quite rare. Vanta is borderline always with someone. If he is alone, it's for an hour at most. We have only been forced to bring him to another place for a single weekend. I really do my best to be with pets as much as possible. If I leave them behind all the time, what's the point in a pet? They're part of my life, not decoration.

These parrots seem to be virtually identical to other cockatoos in terms of behaviour, so it's basically like choosing a colour for your new phone. I don't even know why I mentioned the colour in the first place, anyway. Vanta is extremely unusual looking, and that's not why I chose him. I think I wanted to prevent a "are you getting this just because it looks cool" argument, but it appears I have caused what I was trying to prevent.

I'm rubbish at communication, probably.

I don't want to sound irresponsible. I try to prevent sounding like that, but I always fail at it. This has been a careful and well thought out process. I don't think I can definitely prove it. I just know what I know.

Thanks for showing concern. I'm trying to improve, but I'm always going to suck at talking. I've thought about as many different effects of a parrot purchase as possible. That alone has been really difficult, but I've managed, and that's an accomplishment itself. I would never have considered this if I knew it would definitely go wrong. I don't want to leave anyone in the dark.
 

HEXN3T

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If you do a search on here, you'll see that BirdTricks is a bit controversial. I would read up on people like Pamela Clarke or Barbra Heidenreich instead. I believe they can be contacted online too for consulting.
Welp, dang. First, people recommend me BirdTricks because the Parrot Wizard is controversial (I randomly stumbled upon a video where he pet Hyacinth Macaws on the back on video, so, yeah, probably) and now I've got another one. I will try them out, thanks!
 

Mizzely

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Are you planning on living with your parents the entire life of the parrot? Because that's how it is sounding. Nothing wrong with that, just want you to be honest with yourself about the money situation and your life from this point onward.
 

Hankmacaw

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@HEXN3T

LOL - "a bit controversial" they are well know and well documented charlatans and scammers. Read this is you want to know what the majority of people think of birdtrickers.

And read this for a pretty comprehensive list of well certified and well respected professional in the bird business.

 

flyzipper

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And read this for a pretty comprehensive list of well certified and well respected professional in the bird business.
I'll add that Hillary Hankey from Avian Behavior International has a pair of black Palm Cockatoos, in addition to being a well respected resource.
They're not the red-tailed black cockatoo that the @HEXN3T is interested in, but perhaps they're close (disclaimer: I have no experience with either species, so maybe the only characteristic they share is their blackness).
In any event, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Hillary as I've had good experience with her Avian Behavior Lab.
 

tka

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I myself show a lot of potential for work. We're doing extremely well

I've worked to make my future as stable as possible. This is the most important thing that I considered. I want to be self employed. I want to make YouTube videos documenting this journey, and make music. I want to be directly supported by the audience through Patreon and Guilded instead of taking sponsorship money and ad revenue. I just need to keep on my toes. If I don't find success there, well, I'm graduating from a STEM high school, of course I'm getting a good job. Walmart!
Your posts make it sound like you will be living with your parents for decades. You won't be. Your parents won't be around to pay for your parrot's food and veterinary care and cover costs forever. The standard of living you're talking about is your parents' standard of living: it's what they can provide. It is in no way what you will be able to provide as an independent adult.

Being able to support yourself full-time as a musician is vanishingly rare. I know a number of musicians - mostly rock, alternative, classical and opera - and every single one of them has more than one job. One works for a music charity, some work as session musicians, a few work as teachers both for private lessons and in schools, and a few others have day jobs that are nothing to do with their music. It is a tough, tough industry to break into; if you were among the first to use Patreon and/or Guilded then you would have had less competition and perhaps more chance of being noticed, but now there are hundreds of thousands of artists using these platforms. Most have a relatively small following and do not make enough to make a living out of it. I know exactly one person who makes a decent living out of Patreon and she's an internationally recognised writer and journalist who had already written five or six books when she started her Patreon. She had a track record of producing material that people wanted to read and already had supporters - she didn't have to build up her fanbase from scratch.

Self-employment is TOUGH. You need to have skills that people want to pay for. I know self-employed people working as jewellers, therapists, interior decorators, carpenters, SEO consultants, technical writers and editors. The really key thing is that they worked hard to gain these skills, often gaining qualifications through formal education and often working as an apprentice or junior employee in a more senior team to learn and hone their skills before starting their own business. Self-employment has no set hours, which means that you will often be working all hours of the day and simply won't have time for a large demanding parrot.

You're graduating from high school. Depending on what you want to do with your life, you will have several years of education, an apprenticeship or otherwise learning and gaining skills ahead of you. Admittedly I chose a career that is notoriously hard to get into but it took me until my mid-30s for me to have a stable, permanent income. I had about ten years of education (while also working) then a succession of temporary contracts lasting 9-12 months befor landing this job. I too was a smart teenager, but it took a hell of a lot of time and experience to get into a position where I can afford to give my human and avian family a good life.

If you don't want to listen to me - and sure, I am a random stranger on the internet so why should you - then I strongly suggest that you talk to your parents, teachers or careers advisor about your long term plans.
 

HEXN3T

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I'll add that Hillary Hankey from Avian Behavior International has a pair of black Palm Cockatoos, in addition to being a well respected resource.
They're not the red-tailed black cockatoo that the @HEXN3T is interested in, but perhaps they're close (disclaimer: I have no experience with either species, so maybe the only characteristic they share is their blackness).
In any event, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Hillary as I've had good experience with her Avian Behavior Lab.
Palm cockatoos? I heard they aren't exactly the friendliest. Super interesting looking though. They look like the evil twin to the hyacinth macaw. If they actually are good pet parrots, then cool, but I heard that they aren't very good pets. I may be wrong, though.
 

Mizzely

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Palm cockatoos? I heard they aren't exactly the friendliest. Super interesting looking though. They look like the evil twin to the hyacinth macaw. If they actually are good pet parrots, then cool, but I heard that they aren't very good pets. I may be wrong, though.
I've heard the opposite and that they are awesome pets. Everything is anecdotal though.
 

Zara

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A home break-in in my neighbourhood, as far as I know, has never happened. All of the neighbours I know are incredibly kind. We're always looking out for each other. Kentucky is a pretty nice place. A robbery could only happen if I got doxxed or hacked, and at that point, way more precautions will be made.
Oh, you live in Disneyland?

Everywhere has potential to fall victim to theft. Especially if you have an exotic animal worth thousands of dollars.
Don´t dismiss it like it could never happen. It could happen in the richest of rich neighbourhoods or in the poorest of poor neighbourhoods.
 

Greylady1966

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And to think I was concerned when the guy stopped and said he heard I had a macaw for sale. I'm in the middle of nowhere on a gravel road with no neighborhoods and someone still knew I had a macaw. If I was going to rob someone I certainly would pick a better house than we have. Lol if you do get one people will find out. I wish you luck with your plans.
 

Tazlima

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And to think I was concerned when the guy stopped and said he heard I had a macaw for sale. I'm in the middle of nowhere on a gravel road with no neighborhoods and someone still knew I had a macaw. If I was going to rob someone I certainly would pick a better house than we have. Lol if you do get one people will find out. I wish you luck with your plans.
There's a house in my neighborhood that used to have a pair of macaws. I never once met, or even saw, the homeowners. However, most afternoons the birds would get to calling. They were loud enough to hear from blocks away, even over the relatively loud traffic noise in the area, and I often enjoyed listening to them when I was out walking.

Don't know if they moved away, or if the birds were sold or stolen, but everyone knew the parrots were there, and everyone knew when they stopped being there.

Parrots certainly don't hide their presence.
 
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