Cockatoos?

[Drtgirl]

I have a wonderful Triton Cockatoo. We were cockatiel owners and wanted to expand our flock. She is a great bird (other too owners tell me this all the time) but she can be a royal PAIN! She screams a lot but we just deal with it. Whenever we go overnight somewhere we have to take Daisy to the "bird sitter"...she can't be left alone for more than a day. No one told me about all the issues birds have- illness (and vet bills!), egg laying, raging hormones, plucking, etc. Despite all this I can't imagine life without one!

I agree with the above posts- they are not for the unexperienced! I would recommend a smaller bird to start- maybe a little Senegal or Conure.

I can't resist posting a pic of Daisy!

[sundial]

Drtgirl, your Daisy is so pretty. I don't know why I'm drawn to these birds but I am. Every one that I've encountered was very social and did not display the temper tantrums that they are known for. I guess that's why I didn't think they would be as high maintenance.

When they have the hormonal episodes......can birds be altered like cats and dogs if you don't plan on breeding them? Would it help their mood swings? I am only familiar with furry pets and birds are new territory for me. I didn't know how very structured they are and how they will raise holy heck if you are late with their meals, the blanket, and social hour.

Bambu, I like your suggestion of the rescue. Interestingly enough, I am active in gsd rescue and adopted my youngest gsd through a rescue. I live in Arkansas and I don't know of any bird rescues off hand. I don't even know if there's a vet that specializes in aviary medicine in my neck of the woods. Maybe in Memphis....

I'd love to see more pics of birds if you care to share. And thanks for the information and stories of your feathered friends.

[Boise Birder]

a parrot/cockatoo by this video, but I had to post it. Remember, the person who now has Snowball does rescue, and knows these birds. If you go to her website, you can see getting Snowball to where he is now takes lots of work, time, patience, and effort.

Ok, I still had to post. This was the rage of internet for a while.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1j_fxs8mUcQ

I laughed, and danced along!

[Drtgirl]

Most cockatoos that go out in public are very gentle and well-behaved. I take Daisy to work and she sits on the back of my chair all day. She is very sweet and quiet, and my co-workers don't believe me when I say she is a nut job at home. I call Daisy a "squawkatoo".

You can't spay/neuter birds, but sometimes their hormonal outbursts can be controlled with injections administered at the vet's office. I would only do that as an absolute last resort.

I think that a lot of 'toos live in several homes throughout their lifetime. They are very sweet for maybe 5 years then they mature and their personalities can be radically different, thus ending up on craigslist or in a rescue facility. They are very social by nature and will resort to pulling out their feathers or worse if they are left alone all day every day.

There are many breeds of 'toos and all of them have unique personality traits. Some are louder than others, some demand more attention, and some are more affectionate. Definitely do your research...somehow we ended up with the loudest and most needy breed!

One more unique 'Too thing that wasn't mentioned- they have a type of dust that covers and protects their feathers. If you have asthma or allergies then this could be a real problem- I don't think it's good to breathe this stuff in constantly. Our one bird generates enough fluff that I end up dusting the entire house once a week. You have to buy at least one really good air filter and give the bird regular showers to keep the dust at bay.

PM me if you need any more info!

Here's a link to more photos of Fuzz Beak.

[sundial]

I just looked at the photos. Awwwww.

Boise birder, that video brought a smile.

Your Daisy sounds just like Lemondrop, a 'too that I met. She loved to search pockets and gave lots of little kisses.

I just read a little about the conures and the poisephalus. Maybe those birds are more appropriate for our family. And the budgie too.

[snapdragen]

Snowball is awesome - a head banger cockatoo!

A hairdresser I used to go to kept birds, and did rescue work. He had one poor girl cockatoo that had been abused; she plucked all of her feathers out of her chest. She would come to the salon with him and hang out. She finally got to the point where I could pet her, but it took a while. She also did a great rubber chicken impression -- even more so because of her naked front.

[snapdragen]

sundial - I've had two budgies - they're very sweet, funny birds. Both of mine talked a bit -- Mickey barked like a dog too!

[Tuckervill]

My friends have a budgie. I went over for dinner, and about halfway through, I heard very low, like it was in the back of my head, an NPR voice, speaking very well. It totally creeped me out because I couldn't figure out where it came from and I thought I was the only one hearing it, and it felt like someone whispering in my ear.

It was the budgie. When they left the house they'd turn on NPR for it to listen to, and all its bird calls were Steve Inskeep's voice.

Karen

[sundial]

When they left the house they'd turn on NPR for it to listen to, and all its bird calls were Steve Inskeep's voice.

Is he the story teller?

I thought about the budgies all day today and and had moments where I wanted to head over to the pet shop to *rescue* the birdies before the store closes on the 2nd. Oh why did I start this thead??