The Good, the Bad and the Ugly about Small Cockatoos

[Mare]

Sassy is not the picky eater around here, that would be Amigo! The Sassy girl has to be right in on everything we eat and everything she has in her food bowl! Your Sugar sounds so sweet, Katherine but timid, huh? Sassy is the opposite, no fear, she thinks she is bigger than she is. I guess they can all be different, personality wise.

 

[KatherineI]

Sassy is not the picky eater around here, that would be Amigo! The Sassy girl has to be right in on everything we eat and everything she has in her food bowl! Your Sugar sounds so sweet, Katherine but timid, huh? Sassy is the opposite, no fear, she thinks she is bigger than she is. I guess they can all be different, personality wise.

I can only imagine what her previous family was like to make her so petrified of everything

 

[theresahall]

Re: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly about Small Cockatoos: I have a 2 year old Galah I've named "Cheerio". I've had her since she was 6 weeks old-(I have lots of experience hand feeding and weaning parrots of different kinds.)
The Good: She is very sweet. She will step up for anybody. She likes to be "scritched" by anyone and will give kisses, which makes her popular with my vet, the staff and anyone in the clinic who's willing to hold her. She's quite an acrobat, despite having two deformed toes on one of her feet. She does her silly galah playing, when she is lying on her back on the bottom of her cage, waving her legs and shrieking loudly. It's hilarious to watch. She can say her name and has quite the repertoire of pretty whistles. Cheerio will follow me around the house if I let her. She is game to eat any vegetable or fruit. She loves a lot of attention, even if my dogs don't want anything to do with her. She's that lovely shade of PINK and getting even
The Bad: She can be dusty but not as bad as my Ducorps. She despises having her toe nails cut and those things are SHARP. Sometimes play time gets really LOUD, but it's still not bad. She loves a lot of attention.
The Ugly: Besides the usual mess any parrot makes, I truly don't think there's anything ugly about having Cheerio in my life.

 

[danadear]

I don't know how I missed this thread..so much fun reading! And I don't think I can add a thing...my Willow (RB2) sounds just like all the silly, mischievous, nippy sometimes , playful, shrieking, messy galahs mentioned here. And my Peaches (G2) sounds just like Sugar, although maybe not quite as scared of things. She might be scared of the dark though..I hadn't considered that might be why she squawks at bedtime.

 

[Katster]

I can't believe that I am just now seeing this thread !!!


... the only especies I have first hand experience with through the one and only Dante we have. Therefore, my knowledge is based on Dante only.


I met him for the first time at home in April 2011. wow! I am just realising that two years has passed since he joined the family; time does fly.


Good: the Pinkster is playful, active, has a CUTE voice, reminds me of a cotton candy, considers himself as a real family member of ours and is VERY social (he joins us when we eat even if he was in his cage, he sings with us, dances with us, follows us everywhere just like a loyal puppy, makes us laugh, and basically involves himself in anything we do. He doesn't like to be left out), he is good at talking (in fact he is more into talking words and making sound effects than screaming, he isn't a screamer constantly), he has some cute and crazy dance moves, he is really good with strangers and would step up for them most of the time, he is funny (such a goofy clown)....


Here is one instance of him goofing around while clearing the table and then giggling at his own action...
[video=youtube_share;QrHudCbZ-bQ]http://youtu.be/QrHudCbZ-bQ?t=5s[/video]


He acts goofy in front of his own reflection.
[video=youtube;8v-Wg1wh024]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8v-Wg1wh024&feature=plcp&context=C485a9efVDvjVQa1PpcF NUHvTO5M2DYdrfs1FcnSzFHc6Kfp526so%3D[/video]

Though he is fully flighted, he still prefers to use his legs when reaching my sholder.

Did I mention that he is a people bird? Not very independant. He does need 1 to 1 time with you. The more you give him, the more bonded to you he becomes and also the better pet parrot he becomes.


He prefers to be as close as possible to you....which is nice at times as he is close to the person (me, my bro or mom...etc) 70% of the time. Did I say Close to? it mostly is "on you" Occasionlly (like about 30% of the time), you can find him busy with something else other than you. i guess I can put it under the good side section of having Dante because I personally do like it when I am with him. The only time I don't is when I wanna complete a task while being close to him, and him working very hard at distructing me; this includes destroying whatever is on my hand and/or flying and landing on my head, flipping his head upside down to look at my face and then suddenly grabs my glasses ...it does annoy when u are seriously busy.


What is also good about Dante is that he's smart at learning tricks. Also, loves the attention and cuddles.
He plays dead in this video..
[video=youtube;PETqVnG_lFo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PETqVnG_lFo&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/video]
Pink Bird Plays Dead - YouTube


Face scritches are his favorite

He sure us a cuddle bug unless he was in a bad mood (which does happen every once in a while).

The bad thing about Dante: he is destructive. BIG time. No matter how many toys you put, he will still go after what he is not supposed to go after. No matter how valuable the subject is, Dante beak will destroy and will destroy bad. I had to change phones, keyboard and even eye glasses. My mum's leather seat was ruined by Dante. My dad missed reading the news paper many mornings because Dante beak reached it first. My mum's sofa leg looks funny now because Dante chewed off the hard wood...the things that he destroyed are countless. Another fact - he is dusty, so for people with allergy, it can be a problem.


The Ugly : I can't really think of one. Overall, Dante is awesome. Really is. We are blessed with such a good friend. Despite the destruction, he is my good and fun buddy who you can rely on to wake me up in some mornings...much better than an alarm clock because following waking up, fun play time begins :-D

i just LoVE him SO much!!!

 

[Katster]

I forgot these two..

He performs a couple other tricks and gets some cuddlees.

oh and he looooves water. I find this good about Dante because it means that shower time is enjoyed by him. Here is his first water splash video.

 

[Bokkapooh]

I may respond later talking about Pinky and share some pics I thought I posted in here long ago.

 

[danadear]

I just love your videos Kat..you and Dante are just the best of friends aren't you? Heartwarming!

 

[Katster]

I just love your videos Kat..you and Dante are just the best of friends aren't you? Heartwarming!

Glad that you love the videos Dana

He sure is a very good friend of mine

 

[Mikniknar]

What a great informative article , thank you

 

[skwirt]

A galah is my dream bird. I am not in the right situation to have one at this time, but one day I will be.

 

[Callista15]

I'm writing this about Sara, my LSC2.
The good:
Sara is extremely quiet. She likes to mutter when she's content, and will yell "Hi!" or "Step up!" when she wants your attention, or - very rarely - she will get overloaded and hang off the side of the cage and shriek, flapping her wings. Other than that, you're more likely to be bothered by the cockatiels noise than hers. She is friendly with anyone who feeds her, and loves face scritches. Although she is very jealous, she won't express it by biting or dive bombing the offender, and instead ignores them. Sara definitely isn't a picky eater, and has no problem keeping on good weight. She isn't cage territorial even when she is hormonal. All in all, she's a joy, and is my favorite of all the parrots I've been around(Shh, don't tell them.).
The bad:
Sara is extremely manipulative. She is also jealous, I don't really mind, but she will express her distress by ripping out yet another feather. This is why she got kicked out of her previous home. Sara hates men with a passion, and will throw herself on the floor trying to get away. She also likes to try to "mug" guests who she knows are afraid of her, stealing food or other objects she wants. She also stalks overnight guests for days, until they slip, then she steals pens, clothing, and other articles they want to keep, and hoards them away. She also has a habit of going after the dogs and trying to "snip" ears and tails.
The ugly:
Pretty much nothing.

 

[solo]

is there anyone who can give me the good the bad and the ugly on bare eyed toos ?

 

[lckyforme]

What bar spacing do these guys get? Their feet look pretty small to me, but when I searched everything I saw said 1".

 

[Bokkapooh]

1"-1.5" bar spacing. Its the head size that matters when it comes to bar spwcing. And their toes may be skinny but they're long toes

 

[Liva]

Hey, All: This is a great thread. I'm considering a Goffin's. Have been a long-time previous owner of budgie's (very different, I know!). Am wondering how you
all manage your Goffin's when you're not at home or at work all day? Are they okay to be in their cage for most of the work day? Also, should I expect to take some time
off to be with the bird when he first comes home? Or will that set up a false expectation? Thanks for any info or advice

 

[amarniel]

i took care of my hairdresser's four galahs for three months while she was doing a homestay in china absolutely gorgeous lil things


good:
galahs are nowhere as loud as the big toos! they're also super cuddly and sweet without being a ridiculously velcro bird - saying this, compared to macaws and african greys, they are definitely cuddle-seekers, which is fantastic if you like that kind of bird! - and they are quite happy to play amongst themselves too. they also like to hang around on the floor, and it's fun to watch them toddle around it's easy to lose track of them when they wander into rooms, but they always come back to play around your feet. they're also incredibly easy to entertain. i had tied up a bit of rope when i couldn't go out to get toys, and they were swinging on it for hours they have playful little nips that they do, which i know some people hate, but they honestly aren't bad at all. galahs are also outdoorsy birds. they want to come to the shops with you and they like to come hiking and walking! get an aviator harness and they love to perch on your shoulder and take a walk around the bush. they're also very easy to feed! having been around macaws most of the time, these little kids were simple as anything!

bad:
super messy! dusty, dusty birdies. i had them outside on good days and the wind would carry away the dust, but it still built up on the corner of the aviary. galahs also attract other galahs, so if you're not okay with a flock of three hundred galahs hanging around your house trying to see who the newcomers are, probably get a non-native species instead

the ugly:
i cannot for the life of me think of anything.


i do not recommend galahs for a family with kids. they think they are watchdogs and anything that poses a threat, they will lunge at. this is a good thing if you're in the city and tourists are trying to touch your bird while you're in a ticket line! galahs are not shy birds, and love to be around people. they just don't take kindly to being grabbed at by strangers
if you're an outdoorsy person who needs an affectionate, high-energy bird that can also entertain itself - get galahs i know i will be!

(note: because of their energy levels, they need a massive cage and at least four or five hours out of it daily.)

 

[JLOCKHART29]

is there anyone who can give me the good the bad and the ugly on bare eyed toos ?

Mine was partly parent raise, properly weaned and fully fledged when I picked her up. With a back ground in animal training and degree in animal science I immediately started exposing her to everything under the sun in a controlled manner. Car rides, forging in the grass (with harness on), moving her cage to different rooms, ect. Even today almost 4 years later I still new muskiedine vines every month at least and completely changer her large cage up. As such I have had no phobic problems out of her. I have also made her fearless of anything which is not all ways good. She is free flighted and there is absolutely no way to let her out unless you give her your complete attention as she is into everything. I wrote this on another forum but just the other day I let her out and sat down in my recliner. I knew better....after a few minutes playing with me and some string she got board, took off and snatched a magnet off the frig in mid flight, swooped over my Schutzhund trained German Shepherd and bombed him with the magnet, circled around and grabbed the charging corder that was still attached to my S5 smartphone and tried to drag the whole mess off to the floor.....all before I could get out of the recliner!! I knew not to set down!lol She has never tried to bite anyone. She is nippy and must be reminded to be gentle from time to time. Loves to take a shower with me and throws a screaming fit if I leave her in cage and take one with out her. Crank some music up in the shower and the party is on with her dancing on top of the stall then flying down to get wet under the shower. In reality I only let her actually get soaked once a week as afraid of chills and it takes about 20 minutes to towel her off then blow dry. The other days she jus gets misted. Differently a man lover as she will take up with any man who walks in. Will put up with a woman but that's about it. I think it has to do with how I put up with her A.D.D more than my wife and Aerial knows this. My wife let's her out but after about 10 minutes she has gotten board and really getting into things so back to her pen she has to go. Not what I would call a cuddly bird as she starts squirming to get free but almost impossible to dislodge from your shoulder or arm. Velcro to you in that respect. Know "come, pen, go poo poo (trained to go bathroom on her portable perch on command), nine (no)". Sas a few words "come hear, Oh O Aerial, Oh Oh O toody". Will talk gibberish when you set next to cage begging to get out bobbing while fluttering her wings. I work shift work and have since I got her. Was warned baby Too's need sleep and set schedule but since she has never had a set schedule it's not a problem. She just as soon take a shower at 4am when I get home as 4pm when I leave. Stay up till 1am when I work onto graveyards or sleep till 1pm. No problem. Really blessed as she fights her sleep for a few minutes when we go to bed but not a sound till we get out of bed even if it's noon.
There you have it pretty much. Have been around U2s alittle. Seems to me the BE's are more stable but way more active and hyper. Hope this helps.

 

[BigMacWonder]

my galah Elmo just moved in less than a month, he has shown his too nastiness or trying his boundaries...... he bit me in several occasions because i let the macaw out not him, in short story he hold grudges.

 

[Smbrds]

Love the posts. Love the bare-eyed pics.

If I were to get a cockatoo in the future, it'd have to be either a rose breasted or lesser sulphur. Speaking in general it seems they're identical in personalities (varies by birds which is why I said general). What are thoughts on deciding between the two? (no pun intended)