# Cockatoo



## Sarahhampson (Oct 19, 2010)

Hi my mum has had many birds in her life and she wants to look into getting a cockatoo we have got books and are going to visit afew but I was just wondering if people could give us some personal experiences with cockatoos thankyou


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## white (May 16, 2009)

they are extremely noisey and very distructive.


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## carlycharlie (Jan 16, 2008)

I cant stay in a room with cockatoos for very long because their feather dander makes my eyes stream!!! I dont react to ANY of my own parrots & tend not to have any allergies other than this.

Plus as already stated, they are loud & destructive (but so can many other parrots)

Very prone to plucking & over bonding with one person, males are pretty ruthless when it comes to sexual maturity & breeding time - they have been known to kill the hens quite regularly (its happend to a few of my friends)

check out www.mytoos.com a great site for any prospective cockatoo owner.


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## Zoo-Man (Apr 12, 2008)

carlycharlie said:


> I cant stay in a room with cockatoos for very long because their feather dander makes my eyes stream!!! I dont react to ANY of my own parrots & tend not to have any allergies other than this.
> 
> Plus as already stated, they are loud & destructive (but so can many other parrots)
> 
> ...


I second what Ken has already said, & recommend the MyToos website.

Most of the parrot buffs recommend parent-reared Cockatoos over hand-reared, if a Cockatoo is definately to be had.


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## Sarahhampson (Oct 19, 2010)

thanks  i will have a look at that website i know they are very noisey and destructive i no its not something to just jump into but why does nobody like to tell people the good things about parrots


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## Zoo-Man (Apr 12, 2008)

Sarahhampson said:


> thanks  i will have a look at that website i know they are very noisey and destructive i no its not something to just jump into but why does nobody like to tell people the good things about parrots


Because these amazing birds are higly susceptible to being bought by morons who want a talking commodity, or a colourful 'ornament'. Of course there are good points to owning parrots, but Cockatoos are the most demanding group of parrots, so any potential owners should be warned profusely before they decide to take the plunge.


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## carlycharlie (Jan 16, 2008)

Zoo-Man said:


> Because these amazing birds are higly susceptible to being bought by morons who want a talking commodity, or a colourful 'ornament'. Of course there are good points to owning parrots, but Cockatoos are the most demanding group of parrots, so any potential owners should be warned profusely before they decide to take the plunge.


Agreed

Plus there are so many cockatoos in rescues due to their downfalls like noise, plucking, agression etc and are often hard to rehome.

On the plus side they are very funny doing their little dances & they can be very loving (which can turn into a negative if they bond with only 1 fmaily member & end up attacking the others).

Maybe a Galah would be an option as these are slightly more balanced (he says tongue in cheek eh Colin :whistling2 although I have always found female Galahs to be more nippy & unpredictable than the males. Oh & parent reared Galahs make just as good pets as parent reared if got when newly weaned. My breeding pair were tamer than some friends hand reared ones :lol2:


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## Zoo-Man (Apr 12, 2008)

carlycharlie said:


> Agreed
> 
> Plus there are so many cockatoos in rescues due to their downfalls like noise, plucking, agression etc and are often hard to rehome.
> 
> ...


Oh yes, Galahs do tend to be the exception when it comes to Cockatoos :2thumb:


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## Sarahhampson (Oct 19, 2010)

i know what you mean about stupid people just buying them on a whim i certanly wouldnt get one i like quite lol my cockateil is enough for me but my mum and dad have alot more experience with animals than i do and they have never got an animal then got rid of it because it was hard work  i showed them that website am just curious for someone who is new to parrots what parrot ould be sutible (ISh i no there all hard work ) for beginners


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## Arcadiajohn (Jan 30, 2011)

I think that there are fores and against, i have sold hundreds of cockies over the years and yes they are noisy, they do generate a lot of dust and like to chew stuff up, but they can be very, very loyal. If it's a companion bird she wants and has space in the house with not too many neighbours it can be done. The little goffins are my fav.

Failing that the best medium sized parrot in my opinion for placid nature, gentle and quiet call and general good humour is the jardines parrot, it is a large species from Africa closely related too but looking nothing like the Senegal and meyers parrot. They have a sort of burbling call, like plenty of cuddles and are bright green with red patches depending on locality. Plenty of captive bred available and priced a lot lower than cockies now. 

John courteney-smith. Arcadia products "light for life"


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