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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

flyzipper

Rollerblading along the road
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Even the outrageously expensive 600 dollar ones are pathetic. Those "macaw" cages are cockatiel cages. I'm building my own.
Two things I'll encourage you to think about in this statement.

First, I don't fault you for thinking about cages, because that's what many are focused on at the beginning. That said, with the type of bird you're considering (and this applies to the smallest birds as well), to provide them with the best possible captive life, you'll want to focus on allocating space and building an appropriate environment. Their cage is but a single aspect of that, or if done safely and securely, you may not even need a cage at all.

Second, I'll point out the potential mismatch in your expectations around expenses. $600 for a cage is not expensive; quite the contrary, it's incredibly cheap. My conure's sleep cage was more expensive than that, and I regularly spend $600 every 3-4 months on toys that get destroyed and need replacing.

Will this fan work? Turn it on, and you have a wind tunnel in the comfort of your own home! ... It's a giant outtake fan. I'm pretty sure this thing will get dander out.
Read about the concept of make-up air. When you exhaust air with a unit like that, it creates a pressure imbalance (depressurizing your space), and that lost air will need to be replaced from somewhere. If that's not done in a controlled manner (as it would in an HRV/ERV), it's being pulled from anywhere. It can be drawn through drafty windows, through walls, from the kitchen, and even from the garage if it's not properly separated/sealed from the house (worst case would be creating a backdraft in vented gas appliances, causing their combustion gases to spill into the space). The point is, that incoming make-up air, if not controlled, is not purified, so that fan doesn't address your bird's air purification needs at all (and may even create a danger).
 
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The_Mayor

Sprinting down the street
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This is totally a "consider doing as I say rather than I actually did" because pretty much my total bird experience before I got mine was that I used to go to Parakeet Pointe at the NOLA aquarium quite often and I was pretty good at getting the birds to perch on my honeyed-junk food sticks. That turns out not to be a transferable life skill. So, I wasn't nearly as prepared as I should have been to take responsibility for two lives.

All that said, you're in some ways at a perfect time in your life to see if you can get an apprenticeship with a reputable bird-trainer, or spend a summer volunteering with a bird rescue, and then maybe see if a local rescue will take you on as a short-term fosterer for a bird that needs a transitional space. Even see if there are any local breeders who need someone to help socialize (and probably clean the cages for) their birds.

That isn't to discourage you from getting your own bird. It's so that you've already developed your knowledge and skills when your bird comes to live with you.
 

HEXN3T

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Josh
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.
I'm just saying this isn't exactly a place known for break ins. If someone does break in, I have karambits, baseball bats, random heavy objects from old PCs, and, of course, firearms. I doubt the Zip .22 will be any help, though.

I don't want to cause a parrot to go deaf, but, well, I think survival is more important.

If a home break in happens, quite frankly, I'm pretty sure it'll be the last house they ever enter. I can't just avoid getting a parrot because a break-in could be more likely to happen. At that point, I may as well not buy anything of value or importance. It's not something that should dictate life. Break ins can happen at any point in any condition, so at the most risky points, I'll make sure the important things are secure somewhere else.

Now, I'm just saying, this is a nice, friendly neighbourhood, not Detroit.
 

Zara

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I'm just saying this isn't exactly a place known for break ins. If someone does break in, I have karambits, baseball bats, random heavy objects from old PCs, and, of course, firearms. I doubt the Zip .22 will be any help, though.

I don't want to cause a parrot to go deaf, but, well, I think survival is more important.
And when no one is home?

. I can't just avoid getting a parrot because a break-in could be more likely to happen. At that point, I may as well not buy anything of value or importance. It's not something that should dictate life.
I agree!
Just something to keep in mind and have something in place :)

Now, I'm just saying, this is a nice, friendly neighbourhood, not Detroit.
When I was a kid we lived in a really freindly neighbourhood, everyone knew everyone, and someone still broke into our home and stole my mums Dyson and her laptop.
 

Mizzely

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If I can't be confident now, I doubt I'd be confident at 30 years old.
On the contrary I feel like most young adults are very confident, even to a fault. I know I was ;)
 

Hankmacaw

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BTW @HEXN3T. I have macaws and that is all I've had for the last 24 years. I have a stainless steel Animal Environments cage. That cage cost $2,000 22 years ago and now costs $4,090. When I got my female GW macaw it was just not enough room for the two of them (they are the second largest macaws). My solution was to build a 10' x 7' room onto my house - it has worked out well.

Your red tailed black cockatoo weighs an average of 725 grams while GWs average about 1,250gm, so you won't be faced with the space requirement is was, but I guarantee you that $600 won't get you anything adequate for the bird. In fact, I would say that the cage I bought is adequate (not roomy) for a 725gm bird.

1623275373608.png
 

HEXN3T

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Two things I'll encourage you to think about in this statement.

First, I don't fault you for thinking about cages, because that's what many are focused on at the beginning. That said, with the type of bird you're considering (and this applies to the smallest birds as well), to provide them with the best possible captive life, you'll want to focus on allocating space and building an appropriate environment. Their cage is but a single aspect of that, or if done safely and securely, you may not even need a cage at all.

Second, I'll point out the potential mismatch in your expectations around expenses. $600 for a cage is not expensive; quite the contrary, it's incredibly cheap. My conure's sleep cage was more expensive than that, and I regularly spend $600 every 3-4 months on toys that get destroyed and need replacing.



Read about the concept of make-up air. When you exhaust air with a unit like that, it creates a pressure imbalance (depressurizing your space), and that lost air will need to be replaced from somewhere. If that's not done in a controlled manner (as it would in an HRV/ERV), it's being pulled from anywhere. It can be drawn through drafty windows, through walls, from the kitchen, and even from the garage if it's not properly separated/sealed from the house (worst case would be creating a backdraft in vented gas appliances, causing their combustion gases to spill into the space). The point is, that incoming make-up air, if not controlled, is not purified, so that fan doesn't address your bird's air purification needs at all (and may even create a danger).
We have absolutely no gas pipe. Literally nothing. I don't even think any of my neighbours have gas lines. Air quality is adequate for outdoor air to work. I'd say outdoor air is way healthier in nearly any circumstance, anyway.

I'm getting air purifiers, regardless. We've needed those to clear up some dust.

I've decided to make a room instead of a cage. I think it would be cheaper to do. I have a room with two windows which is also farthest from the kitchen. The sun just happens to rise from one of those windows, too.

Our living space is super open. From our upstairs living room to the downstairs living room is a giant open gap. There's a huge space above the stairs. I could definitely make a cool play area out of that. Plenty of outdoor lighting there, too.

I can definitely afford wood logs, blocks and extra decorative stuff like bamboo. I have a creative enough mind to work a cool design out. It wouldn't be in the way, either. I could definitely do a cool play area, running from all the way upstairs to downstairs.

Well, that leaves me with the lack of a training area. There's nothing in this house that isn't distracting. That's problematic. I'll need to clear a space in my bedroom.

Expect a whole building post some time. It'll be my first big project in a long time.
 

Sparkles99

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I can't just avoid getting a parrot because a break-in could be more likely to happen. At that point, I may as well not buy anything of value or importance.
Actually, my choice of species was influenced by many things. One of them was price. Any pet could get stolen, but some have more resale value than others. I'd rather lose all my stuff than a single pet. Having a rare pet makes it more likely this tragedy will befall you.
 

MR. Mango

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I’m going to throw some questions and statements at you, don’t feel attacked, Kay?
- how much do you think you’ll spend on the parrot just the cost of the bird nothing else?
- how much monthly on toys?
-how much monthly on food?
-how much on the initial cage, or aviary, or room setup?
- what will u do if ur plans don’t workout and u don’t end up a successful musician? How will you afford these costs?
-imagine if u didn’t have ur parents money, what would you do? Or when u move out?
-are your parents even willing to contribute that much money? And how much are they willing to give?
-what if ur parents don’t like the bird?
-what r ur further education plans
- what if a future partner or spouse doesn’t like the cockatoo? Or ur future kids don’t?
- frankly, what if the cockatoo ends up not liking you?
- how bout vet care? How much are you able to spend on a spur of a moment?
 

Kenzie

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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!
So it seems you don't understand one aspect of parrot owning and that is getting a baby (or in some cases, an "unsure" adult). You can do everything in this birds favor - most delicious food, greatest toys, most exciting time with you but you can never control who they love, who they prefer. Take a look at various posts here and in other parrot-owning communities. You will see that many do everything for their parrot, certain their relationship will last or blossom more into extravagant.

At the end of the day, once a parrot has hit sexual maturity and has decided "Hey. I don't think my parent is an ideal partner." or "This person is great, but not what I am looking for in a partner." And THAT is what you're signing up for. I find it questionable that you said that you would rehome for that "issue." There is not "another major problem," it's just a parrot deciding you're not the one and looking at other avenues for a relationship. A mature parrots goal is finding a partner - it's natural, it's expected. It's unfortunate for us parrot owners. It's even more unfortunate for us parrot owners who have parrots that have decided we are not the one. If you would rehome a parrot because it no longer prefers you and has googly eyes for someone else in your household, I would most certainly reconsider.

I wish you luck on your Youtube endeviours. It is hard to make it in YouTube. Even harder to make it in Youtube using music. I don't want to discourage you, but it's more of a mixture of luck and skill than just having the talent.
 

SeñorBirb

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I'm just saying this isn't exactly a place known for break ins. If someone does break in, I have karambits, baseball bats, random heavy objects from old PCs, and, of course, firearms. I doubt the Zip .22 will be any help, though.

I don't want to cause a parrot to go deaf, but, well, I think survival is more important.

If a home break in happens, quite frankly, I'm pretty sure it'll be the last house they ever enter. I can't just avoid getting a parrot because a break-in could be more likely to happen. At that point, I may as well not buy anything of value or importance. It's not something that should dictate life. Break ins can happen at any point in any condition, so at the most risky points, I'll make sure the important things are secure somewhere else.

Now, I'm just saying, this is a nice, friendly neighbourhood, not Detroit.
You do realize that you might not always live in your parent's house/neighborhood, right?

I used to go to Parakeet Pointe at the NOLA aquarium
I used to go there all the time when I lived in NOLA
 

birdy.929

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I think you have a long way to go until you are ready to bring home any type of parrot. Even the smallest of parrots have a long lifespan and need a lot of time, money, and commitment gone into them. I think you need to do more research into parrot behavior and look more into what it’s like to own birds. holding a bird at a sanctuary is MUCH different than living with one in many different ways. it’s a dramatic shift of schedule and it’s important to understand that your life is going to change for the next 70+ years.
 

Pat H

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I certainly wish you well as you contemplate different directions for your search... I am pleased that you seem to consider the vocalized aspects from numerous people. Here's a couple more:

A short story I've heard-- "When 'John' was a teenager he felt his fathers advice was 'old fashioned' and that he knew better... "You are a smart young man" the father told him. "The things you know would fill a book." When John agreed, the father then continued- "But the things you DON'T KNOW will fill volumes!"

In regards to a break-in-- While we were on vacation, we often stop at the areas local diner and talk to new people. One man explained his dispair with his living situation: "I moved up onto the mountain for privacy. Just a few somewhat near neighbors... but when I'm gone [for a meal, etc]... someone comes onto the property and 'borrows' things". He pointed in the direction of his house, only a mile away...

So, please continue in your search... I appreciate your inputs... :pinksmile:
 
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