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sveta
Flutterer
Joined: 11 Jan 2007
Posts: 196
Location: Canada, British Columbia |
| Please give me ALL u know about cockatoos |
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Hello,
I would like to get a sulpher crested too. However i hardly know anything about
or i know a lot about them but am not sure whether a too is a good pet for a first time large bird owner. I currantly own an adorrable green parakeet named Cookie.
I voluteer at my local pet store to get more knolege on large bird and be more confidant handaling animals. Could you please givemethe average price of the bird toys cage ect.
I have found a breeder near my neighborhood I think i night adopt there. |
Friday March 30, 2007 2:41 am |
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Cheeta
Moderator
Joined: 06 Apr 2005
Posts: 7972
Location: Australia |
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hi Sveta.
First of all, welcome to Fluffies. goodt o have you here with us.
Secondly, I just want to say how impress I am that you're asking question first before commiting your life to a big bird like that.
Sulphur crested, by that I am assuming you meant the Greater sulphur crested, and not the lesser sulphur crested. The great sulfur is a big big bird... I think it is the biggest in the white cockatoo kingdom. they can reach over 1kg in weight, and they can scream your house down!
I now have three cockatoos... one western longbill corella - Apollo (bigger version of the Bare eyed too), and two major mitchells - Achilles and Athena...
I am going to sound really hypercritical when i say that Cockatoos aren't good first large bird for anyone since they do require a lot of attentions and require a whole lot of time and love and care... they are more needy than other parrots. greater sulfur can be velcro bird, but also can be taught to be independent so you don't get all the behavioural problem that comes with being raised incorrectly. They can be pluckers, but not as bad as other cockatoos such as the Umbrellas or the mollocans.
if you could, i'd probably recommend other parrots rather than cockatoo as your first big bird, but if you're set on only having one bird and it has to be a cockatoo, i'd say go for the smaller ones such as the rosebreasted, or the goffins, or even the bare eyed cockatoos.... i personally just love the bare eyes.. they are just the clown! Rosebreasted and goffins are great little cockatoos too, both are clownish, and they are great for first timers, and also not as much of a screamer as their larger counterparts.
Good luck with your search for your next bird..
if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask... more than happy to help out where i can.  |
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Friday March 30, 2007 5:31 am |
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shirin
Moderator
Joined: 27 Apr 2005
Posts: 7405
Location: Canada, Toronto |
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I think Bih has given you some good advice.
One question I have is, what type of lifestyle do you have? Meaning how old are you, what type of place do you live in (house or apartment)? Are you in school? Do you work full time? Do you have a big social life, or are you more of a homebody?
Also, are you willing to love your bird and give it a forever home if it should happen to pluck itself bald and is no longer "cute" and cuddly?
Can you put up with loud screaming? I don't just mean screaming in the sense of bad behaviour. Cockatoos also scream as part of their natural vocalization, and it's not something you can stop.
These are all questions you should consider before deciding to bring home a cockatoo. Some say having a cockatoo is like having a 2 year old child for the rest of your life. They can be extremely difficult if not raised properly, and even if they are raised properly, they are still the most difficult type of bird to have. Are you ready to have a "child" right now?
Also, don't look at the baby cockatos and think that they're so sweet and cuddly and they're going to stay like that for the rest of their lives. They may be like that as babies, but once they reach sexual maturity and their hormones kick in, they often become very aggressive and unpredictable, and can do the type of damage where you will need to get stitches.
Please do A LOT of research, and find out both the good and the bad about cockatoo ownership before you make your decision. |
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Friday March 30, 2007 3:02 pm |
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sveta
Flutterer
Joined: 11 Jan 2007
Posts: 196
Location: Canada, British Columbia |
Thank you both for your suggestions. I am going to say that I am close to twelve years old and I understand that cockatoos are very very very demanding pets!!! I have worked out a plan that I will spend at least 2 and a half hours a day working with my budgie to try and get her well tamed. If I can hadle that I will after consider the idea of a cockatoo 100%. If not, I will pick a different parrot. If I do consider a cockatoo I will give Cookie (my budgie) to my sister when she is old enough and after I will get the too.
tell me what you think of my plan |
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Friday March 30, 2007 7:35 pm |
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Sue
Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 10102
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Sveta, welcome to fluffies!
I have seen that Shirin & Cheeta have given you excellent advice, yet I tend to disagree with Cheeta because I think toos are more difficult than other birds in general.  I wouldn't go for a smaller too as well!
Cockatoos aren't for everyone. Let's put it this way: I wouldn't recommend anyone to get one. Even though I live with one myself.
He's such a handful, he plucks, and manipulates. I have visited an avian behaviorist many times (VERY COSTLY!!!) but it doesn't help.
He's also very panicky. 
Sulphurs can scream, their screams are louder than my cockatoo, a mm2.
I think giving away your budgie in order to get another pet is irresponsible. I'm sorry to say that. It's YOUR budgie, you probably wanted it and I think you should take care of it. Birds aren't disposable animals.
I don't know the price, but I'd go for a large cage, preferably stainless steel as those sulphurs are hardy chewers: Count on 1000 dollars for a reasonable cage. The bird would probably cost 1500 dollars. Then toys.. (A lot! They chew a lot! But you can also get branches from safe trees if you want to)
Have you thought of vet expenses? They can be very high! Up to 1000 of dollars, I think Shirin can tell you that! |
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Friday March 30, 2007 8:04 pm |
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shirin
Moderator
Joined: 27 Apr 2005
Posts: 7405
Location: Canada, Toronto |
quote:
Originally posted by Fluffy Sue
Have you thought of vet expenses? They can be very high! Up to 1000 of dollars, I think Shirin can tell you that!
Yes, vet costs can be very expensive! One of my birds recently had an accident, and I ended up spending over a thousand dollars in a matter of 2 weeks, and I still have to go back to the vet next week, which will cost likely another $100 or so. How will you be able to afford these costs if you don't even have a job?
I see you live in Canada, right? You should expect to pay about $2000 for a good size stainless streel cage.
I'm also concerned about you giving your budgie away. What if after you get a cockatoo, another bird or animal catches your eye, will you want to give away your cockatoo as well? |
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Friday March 30, 2007 8:13 pm |
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jletaz
Experienced flier
Joined: 28 Feb 2007
Posts: 1286
Location: CA, USA |
quote:
Originally posted by Cheeta
i personally just love the bare eyes.. they are just the clown! Rosebreasted and goffins are great little cockatoos too, both are clownish, and they are great for first timers, and also not as much of a screamer as their larger counterparts.
I just wanted to add... I know someone who had a rehomed adult Goffin's male who mangled her ear without being provoked or without warning  He also terrorized the whole family until they were seriously afraid of him. He also screamed a lot at the top of his lungs and she said it was LOUD!! I've also heard Goffin's could have some nippy tendencies. Of course that's not saying they're all that way, but that they're capable of being a terror even at that small size.
I have personally always heard more positive things about the Bare Eyed Toos, Corellas, and Rose Breasted than other Cockatoos. They seem to be more even tempered?
Julie |
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Friday March 30, 2007 9:45 pm |
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jletaz
Experienced flier
Joined: 28 Feb 2007
Posts: 1286
Location: CA, USA |
I would not recommend any Cockatoo or most larger birds to a child... Even though you sound very mature for your age, if you are near 12, in my opinion that is just too young for a large, manipulative, potentially unpredictable animal. ...and I mean that as nicely as I can put it
Also, be fair to yourself! Do you really want a "child" right now even before your teen years! You will of course have to experience social life as a teenager and young adult, and how about school in your future? You will be very busy. In my opinion, get a little more settled into life before committing to a "child" either human or animal. You have a lot of years ahead of you 
Julie |
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Friday March 30, 2007 9:57 pm |
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Cheeta
Moderator
Joined: 06 Apr 2005
Posts: 7972
Location: Australia |
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quote:
Originally posted by jletaz
quote:
Originally posted by Cheeta
i personally just love the bare eyes.. they are just the clown! Rosebreasted and goffins are great little cockatoos too, both are clownish, and they are great for first timers, and also not as much of a screamer as their larger counterparts.
I just wanted to add... I know someone who had a rehomed adult Goffin's male who mangled her ear without being provoked or without warning He also terrorized the whole family until they were seriously afraid of him. He also screamed a lot at the top of his lungs and she said it was LOUD!! I've also heard Goffin's could have some nippy tendencies. Of course that's not saying they're all that way, but that they're capable of being a terror even at that small size.
I have personally always heard more positive things about the Bare Eyed Toos, Corellas, and Rose Breasted than other Cockatoos. They seem to be more even tempered?
Julie
Well that's true for ANY cockatoo... you can never know what a 'rehomed' bird would be like until you're worked with it. Because there are very limited amount of choices here in Western Australia in terms of cockatoos wise, most people have 'the same' kinda of cockatoos, usually bare eyes or galahs. I can tell you that I've heard of really bad experiences for the both of them, but I also take into accounts of those that are good, and generally the good come out on top... and that's the same as Goffins.. I haven't had any contact with Goffins, but of the ones I've heard stories of, I've heard way more good that bad stories. I think a lot of it is to do with the way they are raised from the beginning which sets them apart from others whether good or bad. |
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Saturday March 31, 2007 5:07 am |
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Cheeta
Moderator
Joined: 06 Apr 2005
Posts: 7972
Location: Australia |
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quote:
Originally posted by sveta
Thank you both for your suggestions. I am going to say that I am close to twelve years old and I understand that cockatoos are very very very demanding pets!!! I have worked out a plan that I will spend at least 2 and a half hours a day working with my budgie to try and get her well tamed. If I can hadle that I will after consider the idea of a cockatoo 100%. If not, I will pick a different parrot. If I do consider a cockatoo I will give Cookie (my budgie) to my sister when she is old enough and after I will get the too.
tell me what you think of my plan
Sveta,
to be honest, I didn't realise that you are so young... and you've got so much life left to enjoy, like going out partying, meeting new friends, and all that.... I had a budgie when I was 14, he was my first bird... I found him to be a nuisance at times because I have to take care of it,. adn I couldn't do a lot of stuff and going out at night when I was older and stuff. Do you take care of your birds alone? or do your parents help you with feeding and cleaning and all that? a bigger birds, not just cockatoos, come with a lot more of that in comparison to your little Cookie, now with high school and all that still to come, you don't know if you'll have enough time for that.. even if you can handle training a little parakeet, I still don't know if you are able to handle a cockatoo! And when they bite, it hurts! I know, I have three of them. not all bites, but they do bite, and they are very unpredictable.
And on top of that...like everyone else says... cockatoo comes with a high price tags, not only to actually get the too itself, but also the cages you'll need, food, pellets, fresh veggies, toys, and lots of it since they do tend to destroy a lot more and at a quicker pace than a small parakeet would do. I love my budgies, but with 25 budgies, I don't spend hardly any money on toys in comparison to my cockatoos... they eat a lot, and they destroy a lot.
I would strongly recommend that if you really do want something else, think about getting a cockatiel, and even then, I think you should wait a little longer.. and I think giving Cookie to your sister is not a good idea. Birds bond strongest with the person that handle them most, and it will stress the bird out a bit if you are to give it to someone else to take care of it. I think it'll be best for Cookie if you are to take care of her for the rest of her life. she'll return your love a million folds. I hope you understand what we're all trying to tell you... |
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Saturday March 31, 2007 5:15 am |
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jletaz
Experienced flier
Joined: 28 Feb 2007
Posts: 1286
Location: CA, USA |
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quote:
Originally posted by Cheeta
Well that's true for ANY cockatoo... you can never know what a 'rehomed' bird would be like until you're worked with it. Because there are very limited amount of choices here in Western Australia in terms of cockatoos wise, most people have 'the same' kinda of cockatoos, usually bare eyes or galahs. I can tell you that I've heard of really bad experiences for the both of them, but I also take into accounts of those that are good, and generally the good come out on top... and that's the same as Goffins.. I haven't had any contact with Goffins, but of the ones I've heard stories of, I've heard way more good that bad stories. I think a lot of it is to do with the way they are raised from the beginning which sets them apart from others whether good or bad.
Yeah, I guess you're right about all Cockatoos! I can tell they can be hard to handle and even unpredictable at times, some more than others.
So, you say Bare Eyed and Rose Breasted are the most common pets where you are...interesting. I'd have to say Umbrellas are by far the most common Toos here!
Julie |
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Saturday March 31, 2007 5:27 am |
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sveta
Flutterer
Joined: 11 Jan 2007
Posts: 196
Location: Canada, British Columbia |
I would like to say that I'm NOT giving my budgie away. I talked tp my mom and she told me that I shoud get more expirience at the pet shop befoer gatting a large bird. I would give Cookie to my sister over time after I'll know that she knows how to hadle everything to do with her. And yes, I fo EVERYTHING by myself. I did some reaserch I found out that African Greys make good first time large birds (there caracteristics also seem to fit my life style) I will do some more reaserch let me know what you think. |
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Sunday April 1, 2007 6:52 am |
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shirin
Moderator
Joined: 27 Apr 2005
Posts: 7405
Location: Canada, Toronto |
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Speaking from personal experinece (I have a grey), they
do not make good "first time large birds".
They are very sensitive, some might say neurotic, very prone to plucking and feather chewing, and usually very anti-social with other birds, or other family members. Of course there are the exceptions, but the majority are this way. They have a tendency to strongly bond to one person and hate everyone else. And there's no gaurantee that that one person will be you. You could get one, and the bird could fall in love with your mom for example and will bite your fingers off if you go near it. I think Greys are very complex, because they're so intelligent, and anyone who gets one should have a lot of experience with larger parrots, and be able to understand their behaviour and know how to deal with it.
Another problem with Greys is that they require
a lot
of time and mental stimulation. I'm a university student and I highly regret not having waited to finish school before I got such a demading and needy bird. She is just like a child. I find that I'm not able to hang out with my friends, or travel, or do a lot of other things that I used to love doing, because I have to stay home with her. It really is like having a child. She also gets in the way of my studies. For example I find that I can't stay at school, or go to the library because I need to get home to her. I definitely don't recommend a Grey to someone who is in school, and certainly not to someone who doesn't have any experience with larger birds. And working at a petstore and handling birds will not make you ready for a parrot in your home. The birds at the petstore are all babies, they like being held and cuddled. But these birds can live to be 80 years old, and 90% of the birds life will be nothing like it is when it's a baby. Remember what I told you, when parrots reach the age of sexual maturity, which is around4-5 years old in most, they become very hormonal and aggressive, and while they let you hug and kiss them one day, the next day they will turn around and bite you so hard that you will need to go to the hospital and get stitches.
Look at this: http://www.parrotsr4ever.org/Casey_kISS1.JPG and that's just a small parrot bite. They can do A LOT more damage than that.
And don't trust the people at the petstore, they will not tell you the truth about what parrot ownership is really like. They don't care about the future of their parrots, nor do they care about you. What they care about is making a sale and making money, so they will tell you all sorts of lies, like how Greys are good for first time owners, and that cockatoos are really friendly and cuddly with everyone, just to get your money. Be smart, don't fall for it. I used to work at a petstore (Super Pet) I know exactly how they operate, and all the kinds of lies they tell the customers just to make a sale. And the bigger the bird they sell, the more comission the make off the sale, so it's in their best interest to push the big birds on you. |
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Sunday April 1, 2007 3:03 pm |
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fionam
Moderator
Joined: 29 Mar 2005
Posts: 1757
Location: Surrey, UK |
Hi Sveta
I have read through this topic and I agree with all that Shirin, Cheeta and Fluffy Sue have said..
At your age I did not have a pet of my own and I only got a bird at 42! So I would think VERY carefully about commiting your self to a bird at your age for at least 60 to 80 YEARS.
Please listen to reason, you have so many years to go through school and boyfriends and having fun with your mates that you will do a bird no good if you cannot give it enough time and attention.
Regards
Fi |
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Sunday April 1, 2007 4:56 pm |
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sveta
Flutterer
Joined: 11 Jan 2007
Posts: 196
Location: Canada, British Columbia |
Ok so I REALLY not expirienced enough for a cockatoo or a grey. But maby after a year or two I coulg get a senegal I've heard they don't mind being left alone while I'm in scool. |
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Sunday April 1, 2007 7:35 pm |
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