The good, bad, and ugly - From a new owner.
I'm sitting here with Isadora in my lap and figured, hey, it's been a year. So, I wanted to add in what I've learned in a year of having a cockatoo. Obviously, your mileage may vary, and this is all from adopting a 15 year old (so already adult) triton SC2.
The Good:
I've never had an animal bring me such joy. She's wildly intelligent, sassy, funny, and sweet. I am her person that she's bonded to, and while she'll tolerate others, I am her safe space, and there's nothing quite like feeling that trust. I can cup both hands around her face, check every feather on her, manipulate her wings, play with her beak and toes - She allows me all of this, which is a feeling of wonder. Likewise I can trust her to preen my eyelashes, hold my fingers in her beak without worry of pain, and let her hang on my shoulder and play with my earrings. Most of this she didn't allow or do with her previous owners, who had her from 12 weeks old until I got her at 15 years, which is so mind blowing. She's emotionally intelligent as well, and empathetic. She knows when I'm having a bad day, she knows when I need to laugh. Watching her being purposely goofy because I laugh is amazing, and then she'll mimic my laugh which just makes me laugh harder. She likes puzzles, and watching her work through a toy is crazy. I stop probably stop there, I could go on forever.
The Bad:
- Are you sad? Anxious? Angry? Any "negative" emotion? THEY KNOW. They're sensitive, and while sometimes that's great, holy crap can it be insane. Particularly anxiety - and I have general anxiety disorder. She knows when it's bad, because her feather barbering gets worse. All birds are sensitive, but I swear cockatoos are 13 year old girls in both the intensity of emotion, and the speed with which they can swing from one extreme to the other (and I say that with having been that 13 year old girl once upon a time).
- Another thing to consider: The Dander. Oh my gosh. She shakes and it's like a snow storm some days. She gets regular baths to mitigate it, and it does help, but there's no way to stop it. If you have asthma or other breathing conditions, be super aware. I have two air filters in the bird room and they have to get vacuumed out once a week (admittedly there are also two cockatiels and two budgies as well). Cockatoos produce A LOT of dust. If you wear a lot of black, prepare to look like you've been in a flour fight.
- Everything is expensive. Big bird? Big cage? Big toys? Big bag of food? BIG. MONEY.
- A cockatoo will destroy anything and everything. Furniture, clothing, plastic stuff, things you really thought it couldn't reach.
- Poop. It's really big poop. Like REALLY big poop. Biiiiiiig poop.
The Ugly:
- The more people I talk to people who want a cockatoo, the more I realize they only know cockatoos can be "noisy." While her noise doesn't necessarily bother me - it's not grating to me like a conure's pitch - It's L O U D. I can hear Isadora across the street and behind the neighbors house. That's 100ft+/- with a house as an obstacle in between me and her. I can hear her over a lawn mower. I can hear her over the crappy Honda Civic with an exhaust tip that lives two doors down (if you know, you know). She's not screaming constantly, but if I'm not in the room? Oh man.
- Which brings me to a connected point - Separation anxiety. She's insane about being "alone," and by alone, I mean being wherever I am not. She's with me rougly 7 hours a day, but if I have to do something and she can't come with me? Immediate screaming.
- Jealousy. I cannot have my son near her. We've gotten to a point that they can be in the same room, but if he's in reach, she's lunging for him. On bad days, she'll actually climb down to the floor to chase him. On good days she ignores him entirely. Will they ever get to a point where he can hold her? Will it be better in ten years? Twenty? No telling, but I'm not betting on it.
To add a neutral point:
She is going to live a loooooong time. She's only 16 now, average lifespan is anywhere from 40 to 80 years, but some SC2s have lived even longer. I don't consider this a bad thing, I'm thrilled she's going to be with me the rest of my life, *however* I am very aware that a contingency plan has to be in place in case she out lives me.
Honestly, to me, the good outweighs the bad and ugly. BUT, that said, I've also wanted a cockatoo since I was wee, so I knew a lot of this beforehand. I wouldn't trade her for the world.