advice

[angie012]

Hello, I'm new to this board and I'm seeking some advice.My aunt raises birds and currently has an amazon,McCaw,cockatoo, and some smaller house birds...along with other animals like horses,cats,dogs.I recently asked her for her advice because I was looking into getting a something like a cockatoo (I've only had cockatiels and budgies) and to my surprise she suggested giving me her cockatoo because in the past 6 months my aunt has had alot of health problems,recently had surgery, and is starting to have some vision problems and didn't feel she was able to give her cockatoo the attention he was used to or needed anymore and she does not want it to get to the point that he starts plucking feathers.My aunt is a VERY responsible pet owner and I know she wouldn't have offered me one of her beloved birds unless she really felt she couldn't care for it anymore.The bird she wants to give me is 2 years old,very tame and good with kids(otherwise she wouldn't let me have this bird being that I have two kids of my own)...and knows I have the time to give the bird the attention he needs.I'm a little nervous because my aunt has had 20+ years experience with birds and I don't want to let her down because I'm so new to this. She's taught me alot about birds and I know I am capable and responsible enough to take on this but I guess I'm a little caught off guard because I wasn't thinking about getting a bird for another year at least when I called to ask her for advice about what type of bird to get.I'm one of those people that hates not knowing what I'm getting myself into...I have a dog,2 cats, and a rabbit and I probably have a million how to books and such because I need to know everything about them from behavior to care because I don't want to be a bad pet owner...and it shows in my pets because I worked very hard to train and stabilize my house so we can all live in peace.I guess the advice I need from you guys is 1-How to introduce the bird into my house so that I don't stress him out more then he probably already will be leaving my aunts place? 2-what can I do to get him to trust me? And any other suggestions/advice you might have for me is welcomed. I know I can call my aunt anytime for advice but I don't want to call her every 2 minutes and worry her....when all she needs right now is to focus on her health. I really REALLY appreciate anyone who takes the time to read this...I am going to try my best to be a good bird owner and learn as much as I can in the next month before I go pick up her bird (I'll be spending a few days at my aunt house so she can see how the bird interacts with me and teach me his routines,what kind of food he eats and how to handle him before I bring him down to my place) Thank you everyone!

[savagem13]

What type of cockatoo is it?

[Tom Lawless]

I preface my comments by telling you I am not an expert on any of this.

Before doing anything I would visit the bird and see how the two of you get along. You may see it feels right or wrong right off the bat. Because the bird is with your aunt it is not imperative you take the bird tomorrow. If you hadn't called your aunt I doubt she would have been actively rehoming within a matter of days. It sounds like she has been thinking about it and sees in you qualities she trusts to take care of one of her beloved pets. That speaks highly of you. That having been said, ask your aunt for another month or two to do a little more research and preparation for his arrival. I will say that I've learned a lot more from talking to different people than I have from many of the books I've read. You can great advice from books and articles but I find they can be a little abstract or idealistic and not really grounded in the real world. 'Bird Talk' magazine had a nice article on Cockatoos in its June edition. I thought it gave a good introduction to this type of bird (I no longer have my copy or I would offer it to you). If I were to give advice (and I guess I am), I would visit the bird and see how the introduction goes and if it feels right do a little research and then bring him over. The fact you can use your aunt as a resource will be a great help. Good luck.

[sweetpeaches]

Tom's advice is very good. Reading forums like these are very helpful also...not only do you get to read the great stories about owning one of these birds, but you will also read about some of the challenges of owning a cockatoo.

[AndreaSctlnd]

I agree with what Tom has to say. I know that from the little I have read about too's and the interaction I have had with a couple of them, they are the biggest cuddle bugs in the world. I don't blame you for being hesitant about bringing in an animal to your house with out knowing all the facts.

I think the best thing is to just chill out with the bird for awhile and see how it goes from there.

Good Luck, keep us posted.

[angie012]

Thank you for all the replies! I'm not 100% positive but I believe he is an umbrella cockatoo, I'll double check with my aunt tomorrow. I won't be getting him for a month and I will be staying with her for 3 or 4 days so my aunt can monitor how we will get along before she lets me take him.My aunt is in no rush to place him and if it doesn't work out between me and her bird she would still be VERY VERY VERY picky about to whom and where her bird would go.I'm trying to aborb as much info as I can for the time being.I checked out the mytoo.com,wikipedia,and a bunch of breeder sites about care,ect.If you have any other good informative sites please let me know!!! I'm doing my homework, because just in the last few days I've become aware of the rapid numbers of cockatoo's that are rehomed,abandoned due to people who don't educate themselves before bringing home one of these magnificent birds home, and I don't want to be one of them! My pets are with me for life!

[Tom Lawless]

The more I read your posts the more I hope it works out for you and the Cockatoo. If something were to happen to me I hope my two would go to people who were as thoughtful and committed as you. You will know the right thing to do but in the mean time I will pray it works out!

[savagem13]

It sounds like you are doing your homework, which is especially good if it's an umbrella too. I asked what type, because in my opinion the Goffins and the little corella are a completely different "animal" from the Umbrella and the M2. Both the M2 and the U2 are bigger, and thus can inflict a more serious bite. So I'd be more concerned about having one around children than I would a G2 or a little corella. The U2 also tends to be more demanding and dependent than the smaller toos, and thus more likely to scream if not provided sufficient attention. As far as potential for plucking, I'm not sure if one variety of cockatoo is more prone than another.

You said that this bird is 2 years old, which means that its personality now will not necessarily be its personality once it hits maturity. But you probably know all of this already from your research. So as long as you're informed and prepared for possible personality changes in the future, you're good to go. Meet the bird and spend some time with it and see how you feel after you've gotten to know it.