looking to adopt a cockatoo

hi im samantha,
ive had birds all my life, im looking for a cockatoo, i will pay a rehoming fee or adoption fee, im located in north carolina ... id love to have a cockatoo but if anyone has an indian ringneck im in love with them too!!! please help, ive been on my laptop searching for months and the only ones i can find seem like scams... thanks:

Cockatoos are the most re-homed of ALL bird species- mollucans and umbrellas especially. They are TOUGH...even for people with parrot experience. I would seriously think long and hard before adopting one, but kudos on adopting instead of shopping. Living with one is totally different than one in small-does. Volunteer at a cockatoo rescue for a few months before taking the next step. Parrots in general get re-homed a lot, but cockatoos are so far above the average rates.
There are entire websites devoted to the problem (e.g., mytoos.com) and they tend to focus on the negative aspects of ownership, but you have to hope for the best but be prepared for the worst (in my opinion).
There are plenty of good things too, but cockatoos are quite unique and it's easy to underestimate the level of difficulty that cockatoo ownership often entails.

I highly recommend you do all the research you can! Take months to think about it, if your family can adjust and can has enough finances available for the bird, cage, food, vet visits, etc. It adds up super quick. Cockatoos in general are not for the faint of heart and as stated above, are the most rehomed (and misunderstood) parrots.

Think of it as living with a toddler for 50 years straight -- tantrums, jealously, neurotic behavior and a soul in need of constant reassurance from its owner.

Birdbreeders.com is a great place ot look.

honestly i just wanna help and open up my home to a baby in need so if you guys know anyone that needs to rehome a quaker, indian ringneck or any others that size or up please let me know. ive been wanting another bird for some time now and i would def rather adopt or help one in need. and thanks soo much for the advice thats honestly why i wanted a cockatoo because i know there are so many that need another chance

I'm a bit surprised you're grouping cockatoos, indian ringnecks, and quakers all into one acceptable group.

All there are VERY different. Very different communication methods, very different needs, very different types of interaction. They are not interchangeable at all.


Perhaps you could share what you hope to gain in a flighted companion? If you want the personality and neediness of a cockatoo, you definitely won't find that in an indian ringneck...

Cockatoos are the most complex and demanding birds to take care of, even compared to a large Macaw. Reason why they are one of the most re-homed birds. If you don't mind something as loud as a fog horn, or jet turbine at times and that needs the attention of a toddler and with the power of large tin snips? Then a cockatoo will be suitable. For sane people I don't recommend. Don't get me wrong I love mines and is rewarding as I consider them more of a companion and not a pet and they are quite intelligent and free flight train and go to store with me and etc. I am not consider sane pretty much.

As far as mixing smaller species of bird with cockatoos, not recommended as cockatoos are quite powerful and can serious injury a smaller bird. If you do get a couple of cockatiels as they are consider by most smaller cockatoos and part of same group and tend to get along fine. No quaker, indian ringneck and other bird species.

i said quakers and irn because thats what ive had the most experience with i was in no way saying they were alike. ive done alot of research on cockatoos and i used to volunteer with cockatoos at a local aviary thats how i fell in love with them

ssamfay89 said:

i said quakers and irn because thats what ive had the most experience with i was in no way saying they were alike. ive done alot of research on cockatoos and i used to volunteer with cockatoos at a local aviary thats how i fell in love with them

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It just seem like you are looking to adopt all those different species together and those 3 species don't really get along with each other. It not just behavior expectations? If you dealt with Cockatoos, you know that they need 3 hours plus of attention & out of cage time, pretty much daily? If you are looking to get another bird, you would want to get one that will likely, "not guaranteed" to get along with each other. So in time you can let out at the same time, giving all birds equal amounts of attention & out of cage time. No one here wants to set you up for failure. I recommend start off with one bird first, then maybe look to add another bird down the road. I also worked at several wildlife sanctuary and rescues and worked with parrots and raptors over the years.

i wasnt saying i wanted to adopt all three. i meant one of the three

and i do have a bird, i have a three year old quaker that i handfed myself.... ive had birds all my life.

I would not get a cockatoo if you already have another smaller bird. That is a dangerous pairing and cockatoos are notoriously difficult already (it is a larger than necessary risk when you would be okay with other species). If you would be happy with any of the 3, look into the other 2 option you mentioned. Even if you get the same species, you may end up with more problems than anticipated, but at least they would be matched physically in the event of aggression and behaviors. Plus, if you want a baby, the overflow of cockatoos are adolescents, young adults and adults (not technically babies) as the average cockatoo has been re-homed over 4 times by the time they are 5. That increases even further when their real behaviors begin to emerge at the age of 6-7 (sexual maturity). If you had cockatoo experience specifically and didn't currently own other birds, I wouldn't discourage so much, but bringing in any new bird when you already have ones is super risky---especially a cockatoo and a quaker. Parrot experience in general is very different from cockatoo experience. That having been said, 2 same-species birds could still inflict life-threatening injury on their fellow birds....but it's significantly less hazardous in terms of a 1-bite and done scenario.

We want to find our birds a good home together. Babybird, the cockatoo, is about 7 and has been around Mad Max, the yna, all her life.