Considering a Little Corella: Need Advice!

AshMGon

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This thread is for the purpose of getting advice and hearing experiences from little corella owners. Anything is appreciated!

(NOTE: I am extremely well-researched on parrot species and am very much aware of the amount and kind of attention cockatoos require. So I do not approach this lightly by any means.)

With that aside, after doing years of my own research and owning two smaller parrots over my childhood, I am considering a bare-eyed (little corella) for my life-time companion when I settle into my first home (making plans, it will be a couple of years still).

Here are my main concerns:

1. I have read that Little Corellas [LCs] in particular become aggressive at sexual maturity. Is this true, and has anyone had firsthand experience with it? How do you handle this?

2. While I don't plan on making my bird's life a roller-coaster ride, I understand that parrots have issues with changes in their environment. Since changes will be inevitable in my life, and routines will change occasionally, how do I prepare my bird for said changes and encourage independence?

3. While it is not at all my main concern, how often and how well do corellas talk? I love training parrots and it would be a great plus in our relationship if I could work/train with the bird to teach it to communicate in a larger variety of ways.

Overall, would you recommend a little corella [bare-eyed] cockatoo? Why or why not?

Sorry for the essay!

AND THANK YOU!
 

Kiwibird

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My dad got his goffin (a related species to the corollas) as an unweaned baby 40 years ago. He doesn't talk, but he does scream like a banshee. He's moved (with the family) numerous times, adapted to many many "life" changes over the years and has never had any kind of behavioral problems like plucking. He was apparently a very sweet bird as a juvenile, but he did become a 100% one person bird after becoming sexually mature. My dad is the only one who can handle him without gloves. He has a NASTY bite, like a gila monster with a parrots beak (clamps down and won't let go). That said, my dad can do whatever he wants to Alfie and the bird just adores him. He is one of the most bonded birds I've ever seen, just very one-personed. He's also highly intelligent and a little houdini too.

Personally, I wouldn't ever want a cockatoo, I prefer a more independent bird. In a broader sense, they are GREAT birds for the right kind of person. As well researched as you are, I assume you know the drawbacks to cockatoos along with the positives, so you may be one of those people who would do very well with a cockatoo! They can definitely be lifelong companions too;)
 
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AshMGon

AshMGon

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Thank you so much!

And I also value independence, but I also value when a parrot asks to cuddled. I thought the smaller toos would have somewhat of a balance.

Anyway, I was thinking between a timneh and a corella for a long time, and I had to choose between more independence (less cuddles) or less independence (more cuddles). Based on experience and my personality, I had to choose the latter!
 

Kiwibird

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Alfie is very cuddly with my dad for sure. He'll even crawl up his shirt and also lays on his back with his feet in the air like a baby to have his belly petted. He likes to burrow under blankets as well. And he is pretty independent, seeing as he cannot come out during the day with the other birds (he harasses the amazons and attacks my mom) while my dad is at work. He is great at self entertaining during the day. Obviously, he gets toys/activities he enjoys to occupy him, doesn't just 'sit there';), just doesn't come out. Alfie is actually one of the most well adjusted cockatoos I've ever heard of (every parrot has their 'naughty' points). They are really prone to behavioral issues, even the small ones. They need a lot of attention, and while they can absolutely learn to self entertain for when you're at work, you have to make up for it in the mornings, evenings and weekends. They do not do so well in homes where the preferred human travels a lot or isn't willing to make changes to their social life to spend time with their bird during the mornings/evenings/weekends. They LEARN your schedule and KNOW when you're suppose to be home, thus EXPECT you to be there with them. It's not just cockatoos though, in general parrots put a damper on your social life and number of vacations you take. They are a major commitment and require a lot of sacrifices for an animal. Also to keep in mind, every parrot is a unique individual. Even if a trait is 'typical' of the species, your individual bird could be the exception.
 

RavensGryf

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I always love hearing about Alfie! :) That's a well adjusted Too, but still would be "Too" much for me personally!

I hope Victoria (Riddick07) sees this, she has a rescue BE2 that was a challenge, and she's done so well with him. Then her mom also has one.

Scott here has several different types of Toos too!
 

Scott

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I hope you gain insight into the behaviors of the Little Corella, but I can offer you my experiences with the closely related Goffins!

I have five Goffins; two wild-caught parents and three hand-raised offspring. They are extremely charming, attentive, intelligent, and affectionate - by far my favorite parrots!! Goffins (and presumably Little Corellas) are known to be more independent and less neurotic than other cockatoos. None of mine are "one person birds" and are inquisitive socially, yet enjoy their time without people. A caveat to my experience, however, is that four of the five freely interact* with themselves, a Citron, Moluccan, and Timneh Grey. They live in a large bedroom and have safely coexisted unsupervised for several hours daily for many years. It is a magnificent experience to enter the room, have one or two fly to my shoulders, pick up another, stroke two with free hands, and bask in the shared love!

For a solitary Goffin, (or Little Corella) it might be wise to set very generous times for interaction, and have an atypically large cage filled with all sorts of challenging and chew toys to keep busy.


*The adult "father" male is kept alone in a large flight cage for the safety of others. Some of the flock do not like Gabby, the first-born and sweetest of the bunch. Therefore there is some rotation of the 4 Goffins to keep the peace. Frankly, it is likely a jealousy issue as Gabby will never refuse to cuddle and actively seeks the most interaction. If I'm in the room, there is aggression if he's out with the others, but on occasion he has escaped the cage and seems to get along until a person enters!
 

strudel

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I don't have a corella, but I've met a few as they are very common pets here. In answer to your 2nd and 3rd questions, I think it depends on the individual, and what experiences you give them. I was concerned when I adopted my galah that she'd have trouble adjusting to a new home. She couldn't care less, she just moved straight in. (EDIT, oh and she also had to be boarded when I was in hospital. She was ok with it although she apparently didn't like one of the people.) If you adopted an older, closely-bonded bird like Alfie, I think you'd have issues, but in a young bird given a lot of socialisation, I don't think it would be a huge issue. We used to talk to everybody's cockies on the way home from school and they didn't have a problem with strange children.

Corellas can certainly talk, again I think it depends on the individual, and on training.

Check out the video of Jack the Corella when he was on the tv show "Burke's Backyard" (I posted it on here somewhere). To some extent, Jack may be "special" because of his personality, but I suspect most of it is just training and experience. If you work with your bird a lot, I think they can do and handle lots of things, but there are no guarantees and if you get somebody who has nervous or aggressive tendencies it might be harder.

I think corellas can be quite "bossy" and assertive. My galah is quite outgoing, but I think corellas up that level to a "here's what's going to happen, human!". It isn't just the bird's personality, but your own you need to consider. If you've got plenty of energy, time and motivation, it could turn out great.
 
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Mekaisto

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Honestly, I've never considered the corellas to be very similar to other cockatoos. The ones I've dealt with haven't been particularly independant, but never screamed for attention. Of course, they love being the centre of attention whenever they can.

A long-billed corella I knew (very similar in personality to the little corella) was an absolute sweetheart, he loved scratches and would let everyone scratch him (he 'worked' at a petshop). They are incredibly intelligent, very good talkers, and are absolute clowns. If trained improperly they can bite though, so be aware of that, and yes, they do have a rough time during adolescence.

Adolescence is dealt with in the same way you would for any parrot - give them space, but maintain training, touching and treats.

If you get the bird from a breeder, make sure it is well socialised. That means the bird should be handled by lots of different people, it should experience a range of environments and situations - a well socialised parrot shouldn't have too many problems with change, as long as big changes are introduced fairly slowly.

They are amazing talkers - the long-billed corella mentioned above loved to sing 'A whole new world' from Aladdin, and would constantly ask for scratches.
 

strudel

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A long-billed corella I knew (very similar in personality to the little corella) was an absolute sweetheart, he loved scratches and would let everyone scratch him (he 'worked' at a petshop). They are incredibly intelligent, very good talkers, and are absolute clowns. If trained improperly they can bite though,
Lots of public places/businesses have a resident cocky over here. Corellas are usually very friendly and will always talk to you, even if there's a warning not to stick your finger in (could be because it's a biter, could just be liability fears in case it happened one day). They seem to love an "audience". I think they "go crazy" and display problems if they don't get the attention they deserve and want.
 

Betrisher

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Yes, we have the same over here on the east coast, strudel. Corellas are really popular because, like Galahs, they have outrageously hilarious personalities (I'd even go so far as to say Corellas are more clownish than Galahs are). All the best talkers I've heard have been Corellas and they are far more likely to be kept in pubs, clubs, local shops etc as crowd pleasers. There's nothing funnier to watch than a flock of Corellas playing together: they're so acrobatic and audience-conscious! LOL!

PS. This evening, we decided to grab some take-away for tea and go for a drive out of town. Round about Mulbring (few kms away) we passed a flock of 200+ Long-Billed Corellas drinking at a dam in a paddock. They carpeted the ground and made the most incredible din (as cockies do when they're socialising). Hubby tried to get photos, but the sun had just popped below the horizon and it was too dark for the pics to show up very well. :(
 
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AshMGon

AshMGon

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Thanks for the responses everyone!

And that aggressive adolescence stage seems like it is existent in most or all parrots. But one source even suggested that corellas in particular (males especially) were unsuitable as pets after sexual maturity.

I truly wonder if that is misplaced.

And yes, I plan to construct both an indoor and outdoor aviary when I move in. Provide plenty of toys and going to make plenty of trips to the dollar store for toy supplies. My major is marine biology (unpredictable job), so I plan on working extensively with my bird.

I worked with rabies control at an animal shelter for a while and saw firsthand the tragedy of unwanted parrots. I have endured the screams, the biting, the bruises, and the attacks. Needless to say, toos pack quite a punch.
 
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strudel

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I truly wonder if that is misplaced.
People have opinions and opinions can be formed on limited information. We decide things on our own experiences. Some people might have got a cocky thinking it'd be a barrel of laughs and then been unable to cope with the hormonal stage. You really don't know the basis for an opinion, and even if somebody had a jekyll and hyde, unless it comes from the university or somewhere authoritative and they say "corellas go horrible after puberty, don't keep a male after that time" (ie it's official and it's across the board) your own experiences might turn out very different to someone else's.

I've got a dog with "issues". If I'd got him as my first dog instead of later on, my opinion about dogs might have been different, but because I had other dogs, and I'd learnt training and wasn't just lumped into "problems" which I didn't know how to deal with, it's ok for me. Wouldn't be ok for a family with kids or somebody who hadn't learnt a bit of training.....

Even the same "nightmare" pet may not be a nightmare with somebody different. My sister got a red heeler and couldn't control him. She gave him to a male friend and he was a terrific dog after that. There are sides to a relationship, I'd never just go by opinions.
 

Scott

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IMHO "Nature vs Nurture" is operative. While hormonal activity is certainly a powerful determinant of behavior, I believe well socialized hand-fed parrots can somewhat overcome the worst tendencies. As with people, they have individual personalities, and the other variable chemistry with humans in their lives.
 
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AshMGon

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I was thinking the same thing, that it can be dependent on an individual's first impressions of a little corella through its hormonal stage.

And I also thought that a well-socialized bird could overcome its worst hormonal tendencies, but then again every bird is different. It is impossible to know exactly what you are going to get with animals, let alone parrots.

Galahs are another consideration of mine by the way. It IS very hard to decide.
 
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RavensGryf

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While the "tendency" is there in certain species and can't be denied IMO, whether or not it is LATENT or more at the surface would depend highly on the individual (as well as training and environmental factors).
Many breeders breed specifically for temperament too, as with any living creature intelligent enough to show a personality, there are variables within a species, breed, race, etc of course. Some breeders who breed for temperament look for indivuduals with a particularly stable or easier going demeanor.

Your interest in Galahs - Generally speaking, and from what has been posted on this forum many times... It seems that Rose Breasted Toos (Galahs) might be 'just a bit' easier all around than any of the white Too species. Although they're still cockatoos, so not "easy" per se :)

Scott, I think you really have some great birds :) and Gabby is about the "cutest" cockatoo with his particular baby face as you've mentioned before. Funny, they all do look a little different lol.
 
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strudel

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Are you considering adoption? When you adopt an adult, you don't have to deal with puberty and the personality of the bird is evident. If it's come from a good home and its upbringing has turned out a "nice" bird, you don't really need to worry about how it will turn out. Some people prefer to raise their own "kids", but taking in an adult is an option. (Don't know where you live or how available the birds you are looking at are, but over here, cockies get rehomed for all sorts of reasons other than that they are terrorising their owners. People die, have to move into old people's homes, that sort of thing.)
 
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AshMGon

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Are you considering adoption? When you adopt an adult, you don't have to deal with puberty and the personality of the bird is evident. If it's come from a good home and its upbringing has turned out a "nice" bird, you don't really need to worry about how it will turn out. Some people prefer to raise their own "kids", but taking in an adult is an option. (Don't know where you live or how available the birds you are looking at are, but over here, cockies get rehomed for all sorts of reasons other than that they are terrorising their owners. People die, have to move into old people's homes, that sort of thing.)

I am definitely considering adoption, though the bird cannot be too old, because i plan to own the bird most of my life (I want a lifetime companion, I am the kind of person who only has one pet at a time for as long as he/she is alive). I am very loyal to my 'pets' (who am I kidding, they're family)

I like either adoption or raising. I would love to adopt a little corella as long as the background is decent. While I am very patient and good with all kinds of animals, I have doubts about being able to handle a cockatoo with really extreme behavior issues. I can deal with the typical behavior problems, even if plucking were to come up, I would handle that.

I define really extreme as a bird that is totally and completely unpredictable in every way. I can deal with occasional biting, marks, screaming (however incessant), but only if the bird is VERY violent, that is where I find someone else who is a professional. I worked with rabies control at the animal shelter and was the one they called to help all kinds of birds (from pigeons to parrots to raptors)...and the biggest challenge of any animal I ever dealt with was a particularly 'violent' U2. That was where I completely sat down dumbfounded. I was so beat up by the time I was done with it...the bruises were the size of apples..all down my arm. I had semi-permanent nerve damage in my fingers...I ached for two weeks.

That guy was sent to a professional rescue, where he has turned around a bit and is living a better life. They said he was a real challenge.

Sorry for the late response, I just found where I could look at my subscribed threads and saw your response!
 
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AshMGon

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While the "tendency" is there in certain species and can't be denied IMO, whether or not it is LATENT or more at the surface would depend highly on the individual (as well as training and environmental factors).
Many breeders breed specifically for temperament too, as with any living creature intelligent enough to show a personality, there are variables within a species, breed, race, etc of course. Some breeders who breed for temperament look for indivuduals with a particularly stable or easier going demeanor.

Your interest in Galahs - Generally speaking, and from what has been posted on this forum many times... It seems that Rose Breasted Toos (Galahs) might be 'just a bit' easier all around than any of the white Too species. Although they're still cockatoos, so not "easy" per se :)

Scott, I think you really have some great birds :) and Gabby is about the "cutest" cockatoo with his particular baby face as you've mentioned before. Funny, they all do look a little different lol.

The galah is also a consideration of mine, though I have heard of their tendency to be nippy, and not as foregoing with new tricks and abilities as the corellas (though please correct me if I'm wrong...really!)

I love training, so even if the bird is headstrong, if the bird shows an ability to perform learned behaviors and take on new abilities, it's a big, big plus for me. I love, love training. It's like the ultimate key to bonding with a parrot in particular. Affection only goes so far, after all, but training takes it the extra mile.

Eclectus were a consideration, but their sensitivity concerns me. I am the type of person who would take her bird for (safe) bike-rides, outings, and drives...to meet new people and see new things. So outgoing-ness is vital. Eclectus are too sensitive for my lifestyle.

Thanks so much for your help!
 

strudel

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Well, keep your eyes out for somebody looking for a home, baby or adult. I wasn't looking for a galah, I just came across my girl up for adoption when I was browsing the pet section. I'd sort of wanted a weiro, but I wasn't looking for one specifically when I saw mine up for adoption. At least you have in mind what you might like.

Que sera sera, I reckon. When it seems right, it will be.
 
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AshMGon

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Well, keep your eyes out for somebody looking for a home, baby or adult. I wasn't looking for a galah, I just came across my girl up for adoption when I was browsing the pet section. I'd sort of wanted a weiro, but I wasn't looking for one specifically when I saw mine up for adoption. At least you have in mind what you might like.

Que sera sera, I reckon. When it seems right, it will be.

So true. Some of the best parrot love stories started with the parrot choosing the owner, and then you 'just know'. I've been there, too. it's amazing.
 

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