bringing cockatoo into garage with me

Hey guys!...long time no see. Have a couple of questions just wondering others opinions on. I recently took in a Moluccan Cockatoo named Bahama. She is a great bird, but 100% much different to care for than my Grey.

Is there anything wrong with bringing my cockatoo out into the garage with me while i work/oraganize things/just do general garage stuff? Of course i would have a proper playstand and perches out there for her.

She is not flighty or anything like that, i an confident she would stay on her perch if it was somewhat near where i was working.

I guess my concern would be about any potential fumes in the garage? I am not sure. Of course i wouldn't have my car running or anything. But you know how garages kinda smell different? Would there be any respiratory concerns just having her in the garage with me for a period of time?

Thanks for any thoughts and opinions!

I have no idea how bad the gasseous situation in your garage is, but most people here wil agree that chemical fumes and parrots should not ever be together.

Is there a way for your bird to see you but not really be there?
(The other side of a window, away from the chemicals,)

I understand the too is probably very needy when it comes to contact with you.
Maybe you can install a baby-monitorsystem garage <=> cageroom (maybe even a twoway audio - so you can 'talk' to each other)?
People here sucesfully skype with their pets, this would be something similar ...

The average garage, according the near all Fire Departments, are one error away from a fire or physical /chemical harm to an Adult. Children and Pets of any kind are just not safe in a Garage.

Depends on what kinds of fumes are hanging out in there (gas, paint, oil etc..and even saw-dust)
Plus, the temperature...
As well as, where he/she will be posted (contained or not)


I would say no, just given the average garage.

noodles123 said:

Depends on what kinds of fumes are hanging out in there (gas, paint, oil etc..and even saw-dust)
Plus, the temperature...
As well as, where he/she will be posted (contained or not)


I would say no, just given the average garage.

Click to expand...

Ya this was the side i was leaning also. Just seems to be so many hazards in a garage it is probably not worth it.

She is a pretty great bird, the previous owner though was not good on training. She (previous owner) never taught the bird to step up on command. She would just let the bird step up sometimes if she felt like it, then the rest of the time roll her playstand near her cage and then she would crawl herself into her cage.

It was a challenge, but we put an end to little miss spoiled cockatoo being so spoiled in her life. Great bird just SUPER spoiled....and has been this way with 1 owner for the last 20 years.

She is stepping up 100% consistently now on command. Which is awesome. Like when i went to meet and pick up the bird...the owner couldn't even get her to step up for HER...and of course she wouldn't step up for me either at that time.

Another thing the previous owner did is when the bird would do her flock call, she would come right away and give her whatever she wanted. This is what we are working on now. Screaming birdie doesn't get what she wants.

Oh yes..Velcro bird is no understatement (and stubborn too) lol.
ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) works really well with them (and other birds) but definitely cockatoos.

If you are trying to break old behaviors and encourage new....
Actually, there is a guy on You-tube who does a lot with ABA and cockatoos (He is a bit eccentric, but he does a fairly good job with explaining it all- Chloe Sanctuary is his semi-"crazy" organization lol), so I will spare you my page-long ABA summary lol.

I would avoid the typical garage with parked cars and storage facility for paint, solvents, etc.

If she is fully-flighted and you're planning on having the garage-door open, and she isn't going to be on a harness/lead/leash, then the answer is a resounding "NO" before you even get to the question of fumes/safety in the garage...I know you said that you're "sure" she'll stay on her stand and not fly away, but those are the famous last words for so many parrot owners that it should be a no-brainer that you should NEVER take a flighted bird outside without them being on a harness and lead of some kind (and I'm sure you know that even birds with their wings clipped can typically take-off and fly for miles just by gliding with the wind, this also happens all the time)...But if she is flighted and you're taking her outside freely with you, you need to stop, regardless of how bonded she is to you, that never matters...There are many, many, many Free-Flight trained birds that have taken-off and never come back, and that's after years of Free-Flight and Recall Training...So if the garage door is going to be open to outside and the bird is going to be free and not on some type of harness/leash, then that makes it a NO right off the bat...period. No exceptions, as this NEVER ends well.

As far as having any bird/parrot in your garage with you, the answer to that is going to depend on each individual garage. I have a workshop in my garage where I restore and repair guitars, and yes, I have several PVC bird stands in the garage and I bring my birds out with me all the time...However: #1) They are ALWAYS wearing their Aviator Harnesses with extension-leads that are securely attached to large, metal hooks I have firmly drilled and attached into the studs in the back wall of my garage. So they are not going anywhere even if they want to, #2) I only take them in the garage/shop with me during warm weather because I always have the garage door open at all times, even though I'm not using any types of chemicals or anything inside of the garage, I still want fresh air for them and for me at all times, so in the cold weather, even though I have propane heaters, the birds don't come out with me, and #3) My garage hasn't EVER been used to house a vehicle, no gas, no chemicals at all, nothing inside the garage/shop as far as fumes....I converted it to a workshop in 2011-2012, and I don't house any types of chemicals, oil, and when I'm using the propane heaters the birds are not there...

The only stuff that i use that is fume-emitting are a few cleaners, polishes, and lemon oil, and they are not in the garage when I'm going to be using anything like this, not ever. And I make sure that if I need to use something like "Goo-Gone" to remove adhesive backing or something like that, they aren't with me, and even so I still use it outside and not inside the garage...If there is any question about what I'll be using on a certain day then they don't come out with me...

Keep in-mind though that my garage is actually built under my house and is actually a part of the walk-out level of my house, so it's not really a typical garage. But the bottom-line is that this has to be looked at on a case-by-case basis, and if there is any question at all then the answer is NO...And again, if your bird can fly and the garage door is open, then she needs to either be on a harness and leash, or not out there in the first place, because all it takes is something falling over and the noise scaring her,
or a barking dog, etc., and she's gone, out the open garage door and you'll never see her again...Just ask Mark about the sound of a falling-ladder and how it's what caused him to lose Maggie, who was free-flight trained