Trust me, I'm not asking because I'm thinking of getting one of these birds. I was just curious as to what it is like having one.
We met a large, but beautiful Cockatoo in a pet store one time. He wasn't caged, and was just hanging out on his play stand. He seemed well bahaved. He was just staying in his area and had toys to keep him busy. He also liked humans, and would step up on our arms and sit there. He didn't bite either, but kept playing with parts of my mother's jacket. They also had a few Macaws, which pretty much acted the same. Anyways, my older brother fell in love with the Cockatoo and wanted to take him home, but my parents, of course said no, luckily. I'm glad they did, as my brother knew nothing about Cockatoos and still doesn't and the poor bird probably would've ended up being rehomed immediately due to their expensive needs, demanding personalities, and extremely loud voices. Plus, this is my brother we're talking about, the one who is constantly complaining about how loud my Budgies are. I got to admit, they can get loud at times, and it isn't pleasant to the ears, but it is not nearly as bad as the screams of a Cockatoo. My brother still talks about this specific Cockatoo we met in the pet store, and still says how he wishes he had brought it home. Whenever he does I remind him that if he can't handle the occasional loud squawks of 2 Budgie parrots, there is NO WAY he would've been able to handle a Cockatoo's screams!
Anyways, that's about the only time I've spent time with and played with a Cockatoo before (the Cockatoo actually seemed well cared for considering he was at a pet store called Pet Land). He was a sweet bird, but I wouldn't be able to handle a Cockatoo. So, what's it like living full-time with these beautiful, but demanding parrots?