Baby Cockatoos

[Kitty]

Hi Everyone.

After doing lots of consideration, research, visiting bird sanctuaries and getting advice about cockatoos from a few of you on this forum I've decided to start looking for a baby cockatoo.

Today I went to see a breeder who had two male baby citron crested cockatoos that will be for sale in about 6 weeks time. The breeder seemed like a nice guy and the living conditions of his birds seemed pretty clean. His birds come closed rung, fully weaned, DNA sexed and with a hatch certificate and guarantee. How does that sound?

The baby cockatoos are being hand reared, not parent reared and both the babies seem in good health...The only problem I came across was the fact that I don't really know how a baby cockatoo should act because I've only ever been around adult ones!!

Both the babies raised their crests, hissed and growled when approached. The breeder said it's normal behaviour and it's just their call for food, which sounds likely but I couldn't help but feel that the babies looked almost frightened and like they were warning people not to get too close. Am I being ridiculous? Was that simply a call for food? Do all baby cockatoos behave like that?

Perhaps I'm looking too hard for a potential problem or something. I just want to make sure I get everything right! What do you guys think about it all?

 

[GiosMom]

That is normal behavior for babies that are only a few weeks old. Baby birds are very vulnerable in the wild and are prey for many larger species of birds so they frighten easily....as they get more confident and older, can stand on a perch, eat on their own, fly, etc. They then appreciate the cuddles. How old are they?? They usually get playful and more interested around 7-8 weeks. Younger then that they are very easily frightened and some breeders won't even let you handle them or see them.

 

[KatherineI]

That is normal behavior for babies that are only a few weeks old. Baby birds are very vulnerable in the wild and are prey for many larger species of birds so they frighten easily....as they get more confident and older, can stand on a perch, eat on their own, fly, etc. They then appreciate the cuddles. How old are they?? They usually get playful and more interested around 7-8 weeks. Younger then that they are very easily frightened and some breeders won't even let you handle them or see them.

From what I've researched, this is pretty much dead on. I've never encountered babies (unless you count my own but she was almost a year old when I met her), only adults, but my own Sugar will raise her crest and hiss occasionally at me if I've come in too fast to the room or I've startled her somehow. As she's adjusted to the environment and the "rhythm" of our home, this happens very rarely now.

 

[Kitty]

Phew!

Thank you both so much for answering that for me! The birds are about 4-5 weeks old at the moment, I'm so glad they're behaiving normally!

I've never seen a baby cockatoo before (in real life anyway!) The noise they make is crazy...They sounded like a loud, untuned TV! They were super cute too!

Owning a cockatoo is a huge responsibility, they live for a long time and cost a lot of money...I just want to be sure I'm picking the right one.

Do either of you have any other tips about how to pick the right Too?

Thanks again!

 

[oled]

The one you love is the right too. Or have patiance in front of them Some of the will chose you...

 

[KatherineI]

Do either of you have any other tips about how to pick the right Too?

Thanks again!

The one you love is the right too. Or have patiance in front of them Some of the will chose you...

What oled said! Seriously, I had no intentions of owning a bird any time in the near future, but I kept being "drawn" to Loki (GCC). Hubs is the one who suggested we look into seeing if he'd allow me to handle him (our Grey's HATED me which sucked, because I was their caretaker) and if the potential was there for him to bond to me. He came home in October.

Then in March, we had gone to a great store where they do boarding, sales and even consignments. We looked at an M2 and we were shocked at how sweet she was - she even let our 7yo touch her with no issues! Our daughter can't go near Loki or he freaks out (she scared him and he now fears her, sadly). When we went back to put a deposit on her, we discovered she had been adopted already. However... I heard this very shy "hi" behind me (I was standing in front of the M2's cage) and turned around to see the sweetest, shyest looking Goffin. I hadn't seen a Goffin in over 5 years (now they seem to be everywhere, funny how that happens) and I melted. But I knew that if she didn't like me, there was no point. With permission, we got her out and started to play with her and over the next couple of weeks it became very apparently that she had picked me just as much as I had picked her. Now that she's home with us, while she likes and enjoys the company of everyone in the family (the Humans, anyway) and she'll let any of the three of us pick her up, play with her, etc, she is most definitely my bird. I'm her chosen person and I really wouldn't want it any other way.

Giosmom has a similar story about how Chico chose her.

 

[Kitty]

Thanks again guys,

I've been in touch with the breeder and he says I can come back again in three weeks time when the babies are 7-8weeks old! I'm really looking forward to it!