First time

Hello all,

Me and my girlfriend are looking at getting a Cockatoo to be our new family member!

We have just moved into a studio apartment which is about 32 metre squared and has big floor to ceiling windows. We both work 9-5. Will this be an okay size of place for them? Obviously it will be in their cage.

It gets rather warm in here when the sun is shining on the windows, can they take the temperature well?

Is there any sort of tips you could give us?

Thanks in advance.

Do you have any bird experience so far? Is there a species of cockatoo youre thinking of? And have you read up on the particular issues relating to caring for a cockatoo? Although they're beautiful animals and a well adjusted one can be a great companion, they're a lot of work and the larger species are amongst the most challenging birds to handle. If you can give us some more details on what your background and expectations are I'm sure we can come up with some good advice.

Hi Jayyj, thanks for the reply.

Neither of us have any bird experience, other than looking after standard Budgies. Other family members have had Cockatiels etc.

We both like the look of the yellow-crested cockatoo's.

I have been reading up on caring for them for a few weeks now.

Thanks!

Cockatoo in an apartment? Might want to reconsider that. Even the normal screams in the morning and evening would be enough to make lots of enemies, especially in a new place..

Read this site before proceeding further with a Cockatoo!!!! All About Cockatoos - MyToos.com

MikeyTN, I am doing that right now, thanks!

As a brand new Too parent (with some previous experience, but this is my first time owning and caring for my own U2) I have been reading until I can't see straight to find out all I can about these birds. So even though new, I feel I can safely say that this doesn't sound like the best situation for a big Too- living in an apartment, I assume you have close neighbors- Too's can be way too loud for apartment living. Bothering your neighbors may even have your landlord asking you to leave your new place. And as for you and your gf working all day- this is not the best scenario. I'm sure there are some Too's who handle it just fine, but from what I read, most wouldn't, as they need much more interaction with you then many birds. Bored or unhappy birds (because you aren't there all day to be with them, and they are just stuck in their cage by themselves) are trouble. They could start plucking all their feathers out from boredom and unhappiness, and/or scream- possibly for hours! And of course you won't know if the Too you get is one who can entertain themselves for hours, or one who will scream for hours, until you get them into your home. I recommend you google cockatoo screaming to hear how loud they can be.

I guess I would ask myself- what if the bird I get screams all day? What if my landlord then says I can't have the bird? What if my bird starts plucking all it's feathers because it is miserable being left home alone all day by itself? What would I do in each of these scenarios...

They are amazing creatures, beautiful, and so sweet.... but the amount of care they need is daunting even for myself, who works from home, in a decent sized owned home in a rural setting where neighbors won't be bothered. Having already had an issue with my first adopted Too, who wound up being very aggressive and I wound up having to return him to his owners and adopt a different bird (who is a doll, but still a LOT of work to keep happy!) I'd hate to see anyone else make my same mistakes, as it's the bird who suffers the most. It was heartbreaking for me to have to make that decision, as I know how hard it can be on the bird for everything to change like that, going from one home and owners to the next. Deciding to adopt the 2nd bird I had to make the decision that no matter WHAT happened with this new bird, she was here to stay and I was committed to do everything necessary to keep her happy.

If you're still set on a big Too, my best recommendation would be to go out and meet as many as you can, spend time with them, get an idea of their different personalities and needs. And know that just because they seem sweet and perfect when you meet them does NOT mean they will be that way when you bring them home. You need to be absolutely committed to doing everything this bird needs to adjust into your family and be a happy well-adjusted bird- the bird may come with issues that the previous owner never mentioned (or never had, but now does because of the new environment) and you now need to work through them, with training, and patience for weeks or months before it becomes the bird you thought you were getting. And you need to be prepared for breeding seasons, where your bird may change a LOT in response to hormones- perhaps being louder, more destructive, and even aggressive. So there is a lot to think about.

GL I hope you find the right bird for you.

Don't forget there are a number of smaller toos, such as Galahs and Goffins, that have a very big personality but a little less of a handful. Even they are a challenge as a first time bird, but my Galah was/is my first bird and we're coping. Noise may still be an issue depending on the bird, so spending some time around them and assessing whether your neighbours will be able to cope would be a must!

Gavb8 said:

Will this be an okay size of place for them? Obviously it will be in their cage.

Click to expand...

I'm assuming you don't mean its just going to be in a cage continually? Cockatoo's need HOURS of interaction, this can be as little as letting him sit on top of his cage and see/watch you, or playing with toys with him.

Whenever i'm home, the top of the cage for my cockatoo's is generally open for them to come/go as they please, this means if they choose to, they can follow me around the house and interact, or if they wish, you can happily sit on their play branch/tree or cage.

Gonna be brutally honest. You shouldn't have a cockatoo, especially a large one, if you both work that many hours. Cockatoos are terrible in apartments. They tend to get separation anxiety easily. Cockatoos are smart. I mean, really smart. They are probably the most intelligent animal you can have as a pet aside from certain other birds and primates.

The large 'toos are very emotionally dependent and demanding. Even in the wild, parents are known to continue feeding their young years after that baby has left the nest and had its own children.

Its an incredibly bad idea to bring a cockatoo into an apartment. You'll not only get angry neighbors but you'll most likely get kicked out. These birds love to scream. In fact, most parrots love to scream.

Please do not get a 'too unless you have a house and hours during the day to spend with them. We don't need any more poor, innocent cockatoos in rescues...

Cockatoos are very, very challenging birds. I would not put one in an apartment. In fact, many apartments don't allow them because of the EXTREME noise. In a studio apartment you will have nowhere to go to even leave the room when your birds starts screaming, which they do several times a day as part of their normal vocalizations. Even if your current landlord allows one, when it comes time to move you must find a new landlord who will allow one because dumping your bird when you move is horrible. If you get a cockatoo, you will have him for the rest of your life and he must be considered in all decisions that you ever make.

As others have said, cockatoos need a LOT of time out of their cages. Hours every day. To keep one occupied while you are at work, you will need to be very proactive in providing lots of toys, which can be very expensive if you are going to buy them and will get demolished in a few days. Even then, there is no guarantee that he won't get bored and scream his head off for hours at a time, which your neighbors will love.

Another concern in a studio apartment is the dust. You will have cockatoo dust on every single item you own. You will be constantly breathing it. You must get a really, really good air filter.

Cockatoos are not really beginner birds. They are very challenging, can provide a very serious bite, are very messy, and are like having a 3 year old child for the rest of your life.

To put things in perspective: I am middle aged, own my own house far from any neighbors, have 25 years of experience with multiple types of parrots including smaller cockatoos, expendable income, and only recently did I feel like I can potentially provide for a large cockatoo. And, I took in a rescue with great trepidation.

I'd really suggest a different type of bird, or at least volunteer at a rescue for a while so you get a sense of what a cockatoo is really like.

It's a BIG mis-conception that Cockatoos needs countless hours of interaction. That actually brings out more issues for them then you would think. They need to learn to entertain themselves and learn to play alone without constant interaction. Dixie learned to play by herself, she's not needy nor a velcro bird! When I had Java, he was taught to play alone too with his toys and foraging toys. So he's entertained! He'll crawl around to the top of his cage and play around, he wouldn't do a play stand for some reason. But the only main thing I had to re-home him is due to him being unpredictable and dangerous towards everyone else and the other animals. I was the only one that can handle him even though he scares me a bit since he's so unpredictable, he doesn't take no very well. But he can be sweet and gentle when he wants to be, like laying in my lap sleeping like a baby. They both came to me with problems with plucking and such. Dixie barbers a bit but no longer plucks and Java stopped plucking period and no barber. But they are definitely NOT apartment birds!!!