Cant keep my Cockatoo

cranvo9

New member
Feb 11, 2021
3
0
This is very sad for me to write. I have a sulphur crested cockatoo that I have had for 7 years. She was a rescue bird who plucked and screamed so much. The first word I taught her was I love you. Her name was Oscar when I first got her, but then I found out it was a female and I renamed her to Oscaretta. Unfortunately my life has changed from 7 yrs ago and I have to part with her. She is amazing with people and animals. She doesn't bite and will run around the house chasing the dog.
I was wondering if there is anyone here who is knowledgable about how to go about doing this? I don't want to give her to a pet store nor do I want to give her to someone that is clueless about big birds, especially cockatoos and their very needy and mischievous ways. I have given her an amazing 7 years and would love to see her go somewhere beautiful.
 

Littleredbeak

Well-known member
May 27, 2020
622
870
I adopted a OWA from this forum. Love her to pieces. You can post in here and then there is rescues.org and adoptapet.com Facebook groups too!. Personally I am pro adoption fee- even if it is small. Ask lots of questions and go with your gut. Some people do collect parrots so If you can do a home visit or video chat of where the bird will be going. Just because someone has bird experience doesnā€™t mean they take the best care of them. I also adopted a bird from Craigslist- I posted what I was looking for and someone replied.

Iā€™d ask what the daily routine would be and what they expect from the bird if they adopted her. How long would the parrot be able to be out. What would they be feeding the bird. What happens to their past parrot. Ask if theyā€™d be willing to update you and what their course of action would be if they could no longer care for the bird or if the bird outlives them.


I am sorry youā€™re having to part with Oscar and am wishing you the best of luck.
 
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cranvo9

New member
Feb 11, 2021
3
0
  • Thread Starter
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Thank You for your information......didnt think anything of this. I figured here at a place like parrot forums, would be better the Craigslist.
 

ALRAINBOW

Member
Mar 27, 2020
45
8
I would look up a local parrot rescue , they will find a home and get a donation from new owner . I had a large malookan cockatoo , please excuse my spelling. I raised from a chick with pin feathers. while getting divorced the bird was at my ex wifeā€™s house while I bought a house and did some work . My older kids took care of him that later I found out was a she . when seen her a few times a week she seemed fine . So now 3 months later my new girl goes to touch the bird. Boom she tears 8nto her. This bird was sweet to male and emails . In fact she preferred females . both wife and myself fed her many times a day . Point is exw8fe abused her when I left . so she now hated and I mean hated woman . Like clime down the cage walk across them to go after my new girl . so I call a parrot rescue to find her a home . they sent a gay couple , really nice couple . my concern was would the one person of the couple get bit ?/. sounds stupid I know and swear I mean no offense to anyone. All went well they both touched the bird all well . when they leaving I ex0lained why I was giving the bird away . I had the bird 10 years. I did not make the assumption of one man being a female to the bird. about 2 or three weeks later I received a phone Asking to go into more details of what happened to the lol. I donā€™t gave to more do I . Iā€™m sure Iā€™m ignorant and Iā€™m not a caveman in fact I hate when people put labels on stuff. but I feel thus is a good place for me to learn a little.
 

Scott

Supporting Member
Aug 21, 2010
32,673
9,789
San Diego, California USA, Earth, Milky Way Galaxy
Parrots
Goffins: Gabby, Abby, Squeaky, Peanut, Popcorn / Citron: Alice / Eclectus: Angel /Timneh Grey: ET / Blue Fronted Amazon: Gonzo /

RIP Gandalf and Big Bird, you are missed.
So sad you must part with Oscaretta. Some excellent ideas above, she needs a loving and understanding home to continue thriving. I hope you can keep her long enough to find the very best hand-off she deserves.
 

noodles123

Well-known member
Jul 11, 2018
8,145
472
Parrots
Umbrella Cockatoo- 15? years old..I think?
I'm sorry you are going through this. I would STRONGLY advise that you re-home her to someone with cockatoo experience. As you probably know, they get re-homed more than any other parrot because of their unique tendencies/personalities...So if someone isn't well acquainted with them (even if they have had other birds) it would be a no-go for me (just because this transition is going to be hard for your bird, and for it to happen again is a risk I wouldn't want to take).
So, again, just emphasizing the fact that many people THINK they are prepared to have one because they have had other birds etc, but in order to prevent another re-homing situation, your best bet would be someone with cockatoo experience or a rescue/sanctuary (especially because there are so many cockatoos in rescues, that they are used to them)


I probably would not trust re-homing your cockatoo to an individual online unless I was 500% certain of them because cockatoos are so unique and if you pick the right rescue, they have their own methods for screening and often have policies on re-homing after adoption, do home-visits etc. Not all rescues are equal, but a good one could be a sort of safety net.


If you do decide to re-home to an individual, here are some things to consider (it's a copy and paste from another recent post):

There are MANY very excellent bird owners on here and lots of really knowledgeable people, be really careful when setting up a re-home online ***it sounds like you already are--- but just wanted to highlight a few things ***. There are people out there in the world who hoard them, flip them or farm them. I'd probably avoid CraigsList unless you are prepared to be a SUPER detective (that is a hot-bed for scams)....Most active members with a decent post history are here without pretense,but for the sake of your bird, you need to do lots of research (even then) on the person taking them, find out if they have other birds (as there is disease and behavioral risk), if they have an avian vet near them, whether they use teflon/ptfe/pfoas/pfcs in the home...what they do to clean (as 99% of cleaning chemicals are not safe for them and can cause cumulative damage) , if they have had parrots, if they have ever re-homed a parrot and why etc etc etc.

There have even been flippers on this forum (and this is a great place) but if someone ONLY ever posts looking for birds, or if their first post is asking about your bird, I would be skeptical. I would be VERY careful. I am not saying a new member is automatically bad (we were all new once) but most of the time, members do not make their first post: "I am looking for a cockatoo...conure whatever"...Again, not saying someone who does this is bad, but you really need to make sure you take a lot of care, as this bird is in your care, and didn't choose this situation...Best to make sure he/she goes to a knowledgeable home with a person who KNOWS PARROTS---- so many people who have never had birds want them, only to re-home again (and that is really hard on the bird)...also-- if someone lives in an apartment, that is another risk for your bird (not only because they can get re-homed due to noise and damage, but also because in apartments, smoking neighbors and teflon etc can be out of the owner's control).

Also, if someone sends you pictures of "their" setup, cage, "other birds" etc, I would ask for a video of them holding a sign that says a unique phrase (as many flippers will post pictures of other people's birds/cages in an effort to collect more for a profit or inhumane breeding efforts...and hoarding is a mental disorder (so those people often do the same).

Someone in the business of collecting, flipping etc will try to provide "proof" that they are a "great " candidate (because they want your bird and do this often), but you must dig deeper to confirm this..Don't trust a few pictures etc etc
 
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noodles123

Well-known member
Jul 11, 2018
8,145
472
Parrots
Umbrella Cockatoo- 15? years old..I think?
If you are willing to drive a ways (depending on where you are in NY) I would also look at neighboring state's rescues. Like I said before though, so research the rescue carefully too.
 
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