• Welcome to Avian Avenue! To view our forum with less advertisments please register with us.
    Memberships are free and it will just take a moment. Click here

Where to get baby Cockatoo

barbs0nly

Walking the driveway
Joined
5/8/21
Messages
234
Real Name
lilly
don’t get a baby, you’ll be miserable the bird will be miserable and anyone you interact with will in fact be miserable, get a grown (rescue preferably) thats able to connect with you on a buddy level, rather than have a parent and baby relationship. parent and baby sounds like it would form a stronger bond, when in fact it doesn’t. when hormones kick in (toos are notoriously like this) they will hate you, they don’t want mom anymore they want a partner or someone they don’t see as their parent. ive never met a person with a too that hasn’t dealt with hormones. if you buy any cockatoo get a species that can’t be found in a rescue (rules out 99% of them) white cockatoos can always be found in rescues, gallahs and majors can as well, almost any too that you’d want is available in a rescue. not all of them are “damaged goods” a lot of them have dead owners whos family couldn’t deal with a toddler bird. (which is something you’ll have to imagine if you get this baby bird, they live 80+ years) also, at two months you’d still have to hand feed, another horrible idea. unless you have hand feeding experience and an avian vet on site then i’ll stand corrected :p i don’t mean to sound up on my high horse but felt like you should hear the opinion.
 

Pilot-101

Moving in
Joined
9/14/21
Messages
6
If your looking to get a baby you should have experience in birds as baby birds are just like actually babies, they still have baby minds and are a hand full. And its best to start with a small bird such as a cockatiel if you haven't had birds before, as bigger birds have a strong bite! Make sure you research a lot before getting what ever type of bird you are getting. The problem we had with my bird as a baby was she was still on baby bird formula and would starve her self and throw fts if we didn't give her the formula. By fits I mean just like a child she would scream her head off and throw what ever she could off the table The process from changing from formula to seeds, then to a diet of pellets, then finally to a diet of seeds,pellets,veggies, and fruit take a while too. It better to get birds people are re-homing so you can provide them the home they need/deserve.
B2BDED93-C6BC-4567-9322-77641D4EDBCE.jpeg
 

Lucy Brown

Moving in
Joined
9/14/21
Messages
11
If your looking to get a baby you should have experience in birds as baby birds are just like actually babies, they still have baby minds and are a hand full. And its best to start with a small bird such as a cockatiel if you haven't had birds before, as bigger birds have a strong bite! Make sure you research a lot before getting what ever type of bird you are getting. The problem we had with my bird as a baby was she was still on baby bird formula and would starve her self and throw fts if we didn't give her the formula. By fits I mean just like a child she would scream her head off and throw what ever she could off the table The process from changing from formula to seeds, then to a diet of pellets, then finally to a diet of seeds,pellets,veggies, and fruit take a while too. It better to get birds people are re-homing so you can provide them the home they need/deserve.
View attachment 392843
I have had cockatiels before, a senior conure, and some parakeets.
 

JLcribber

@cockatoojohn
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Shutterbugs' Best
Avenue Concierge
Joined
10/16/09
Messages
22,620
Location
Alberta, Canada
Real Name
John
don’t get a baby, you’ll be miserable the bird will be miserable and anyone you interact with will in fact be miserable, get a grown (rescue preferably) thats able to connect with you on a buddy level, rather than have a parent and baby relationship. parent and baby sounds like it would form a stronger bond, when in fact it doesn’t. when hormones kick in (toos are notoriously like this) they will hate you, they don’t want mom anymore they want a partner or someone they don’t see as their parent. ive never met a person with a too that hasn’t dealt with hormones. if you buy any cockatoo get a species that can’t be found in a rescue (rules out 99% of them) white cockatoos can always be found in rescues, gallahs and majors can as well, almost any too that you’d want is available in a rescue. not all of them are “damaged goods” a lot of them have dead owners whos family couldn’t deal with a toddler bird. (which is something you’ll have to imagine if you get this baby bird, they live 80+ years) also, at two months you’d still have to hand feed, another horrible idea. unless you have hand feeding experience and an avian vet on site then i’ll stand corrected :p i don’t mean to sound up on my high horse but felt like you should hear the opinion.
I will second this post. You’re in for a lot of heartache and most likely regret. Please don’t get a baby. You just don’t know what you don’t know.

If you are serious about such a complicated demanding bird, go and volunteer at a rescue that has cockatoos and gain some invaluable insight about the reality of looking after one of these birds for the rest of your natural life.
 

Lucy Brown

Moving in
Joined
9/14/21
Messages
11
I will second this post. You’re in for a lot of heartache and most likely regret. Please don’t get a baby. You just don’t know what you don’t know.

If you are serious about such a complicated demanding bird, go and volunteer at a rescue that has cockatoos and gain some invaluable insight about the reality of looking after one of these birds for the rest of your natural life.
Thanks for the info, can you point me in the right direction on where to start looking for some adult cockatoos? I have been looking for a long time and came across this website. I looking into adopting some but they did not ship internationally. There was also a goffins cockatoo on petfinder but it had special needs.
 

barbs0nly

Walking the driveway
Joined
5/8/21
Messages
234
Real Name
lilly
Thanks for the info, can you point me in the right direction on where to start looking for some adult cockatoos? I have been looking for a long time and came across this website. I looking into adopting some but they did not ship internationally. There was also a goffins cockatoo on petfinder but it had special needs.
google search “parrot rescues near me” and allow google to use your location, you’ll see possible places there!! :) i wouldn’t trust anyone selling baby toos. there’s not a lot of parrot people and toos are a niche in a niche, i see breeding toos (ESPECIALLY umbrella mollucan citron, rare toos are a different story for a different day) as taking away homes for potential adoptees. wouldn’t be such a big deal if there were anywhere near enough suitable homes for them yk? :(
 

Lucy Brown

Moving in
Joined
9/14/21
Messages
11
google search “parrot rescues near me” and allow google to use your location, you’ll see possible places there!! :) i wouldn’t trust anyone selling baby toos. there’s not a lot of parrot people and toos are a niche in a niche, i see breeding toos (ESPECIALLY umbrella mollucan citron, rare toos are a different story for a different day) as taking away homes for potential adoptees. wouldn’t be such a big deal if there were anywhere near enough suitable homes for them yk? :(
Yes I have done that already, but all the search results are exotic pet stores and websites...
 

barbs0nly

Walking the driveway
Joined
5/8/21
Messages
234
Real Name
lilly
Yes I have done that already, but all the search results are exotic pet stores and websites...
hm maybe “parrot rescues in california” ? i’m nowhere near there so i have no clue, maybe other members located where you are will chime in soon!
 

sunnysmom

Ripping up the road
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
9/16/13
Messages
28,803
Location
Pennsylvania
Real Name
Michelle
Many rescues list their birds on Petfinder.com. Although many have distance requirements, I have found that with Covid some are expanding their geographic area. So if there's one that you're interested in, it may be worth contacting the rescue even if it's outside your area. (By a little- not if it's multiple states away.) I am glad that you're open to adoption. There are usually lots of cockatoos in rescues. They are loud, demanding and destructive. They are also smart, funny and playful. So you have to be prepared for the good and the bad. I have an adopted goffin. He's such a clown and makes me laugh everyday. There is definitely a learning curve that comes with a cockatoo though. Not to scare you, but be prepared for some bites along the way. I have learned to read his behavior and can now avoid situations where I might get bit but it took awhile to get there. I would read up too on training, etc. Barbara Heidenreich and Pamela Clark are two great resources.
 

Lucy Brown

Moving in
Joined
9/14/21
Messages
11
Many rescues list their birds on Petfinder.com. Although many have distance requirements, I have found that with Covid some are expanding their geographic area. So if there's one that you're interested in, it may be worth contacting the rescue even if it's outside your area. (By a little- not if it's multiple states away.) I am glad that you're open to adoption. There are usually lots of cockatoos in rescues. They are loud, demanding and destructive. They are also smart, funny and playful. So you have to be prepared for the good and the bad. I have an adopted goffin. He's such a clown and makes me laugh everyday. There is definitely a learning curve that comes with a cockatoo though. Not to scare you, but be prepared for some bites along the way. I have learned to read his behavior and can now avoid situations where I might get bit but it took awhile to get there. I would read up too on training, etc. Barbara Heidenreich and Pamela Clark are two great resources.
Yes there is one cockatoo that is up for adoption, but it requires to be around only females.
 

Lucy Brown

Moving in
Joined
9/14/21
Messages
11
If you guys don't mind me asking, were did you get all your cockatoos from?
 

barbs0nly

Walking the driveway
Joined
5/8/21
Messages
234
Real Name
lilly
If you guys don't mind me asking, were did you get all your cockatoos from?
idk about anyone else but i haven’t gotten mine yet! just be prepared for it to take awhile, i currently have my eye on a craigslist too :p maybe you could look there but be careful about it
 

sunnysmom

Ripping up the road
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
9/16/13
Messages
28,803
Location
Pennsylvania
Real Name
Michelle
If you guys don't mind me asking, were did you get all your cockatoos from?
I adopted my goffin cockatoo from our local rescue. Actually, all my birds right now are from the rescue.
 

Shezbug

ASK ME FOR PICTURES OF MY MACAW!
Super Moderator
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
4/28/18
Messages
25,837
Location
Vic, Australia
Real Name
Shez
If you guys don't mind me asking, were did you get all your cockatoos from?
I took on the care of one when the owner could no longer care for it after 14 years due to their own ill health.
 

JLcribber

@cockatoojohn
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Shutterbugs' Best
Avenue Concierge
Joined
10/16/09
Messages
22,620
Location
Alberta, Canada
Real Name
John
From people who really wanted a cockatoo. Got a cockatoo without realizing just how whoppingly big the demands an nd commitment is. They try for a few years. About 5-7 years in this bird changes and takes it to a whole new level. The last straw. The bird is relegated to a dungeon or gotten rid of. Hopefully to a rescue. 80% of cockatoos are given up between 5 and 7 years old.

The only bird I have ever bought was the first one (40 years ago) and that was a mistake. The rest have always just found their way here.
 
Top