1 year old cockatoo not speaking

Hello,
So I purchased a yellow crested cockatoo two months ago before returning him and bringing home 8 month old Panbe instead(the first one was extremely smart and talkative but was destructive and kept screaming). I've had Panbe for two months now and he's pretty sweet and cute, stepping up whenever i ask him and offering his head for me to scratch etc.
The only problem is that he doesn't speak, he might make a little noise when he wants me to pet him but there's no mimicking or singing. I put on an mp3 of me saying his name and "hello" once every minute in hopes of him catching on but no such luck

My question is: when do cockatoos usually start speaking (not sure if he's too young to learn now) and is it possible that he may never speak?
Thanks in advance

Maybe examine your reasons for wanting a parrot. I must ask, do you still have the Alexandrine, your very first parrot?

http://www.parrotforums.com/alexandrines/68581-my-alexandrine-won-t-talk.html

Cockatoos are very loud and very destructive, it’s in their nature. It’s not often we have a member tell us they returned a parrot in exchange for a better one. Please tell us more about you and your newest Too. Where on the planet are you? What kind of diet are you feeding your Too? What kind of cage set up does he have? Are you providing toys, toos need exercise and enriching activities.

You mentioned your new Too is sweet and cute, the only problem is he doesn’t speak. If audio is that important to you maybe consider electronics rather than a sentient being. As you were told in the above link in your only other post, many parrots never speak, most owners would tell you there’s lots more to parrots than speaking ability. Please focus on building trust and a bond with your bird and try to give him the loving home he deserves. If you can accept him for what he is, an incredible creature with a very long lifespan maybe he can accept you too.

Are you sure it's a male? DNA tested? Depending on gender one can be quieter then the other. Besides that, there really is no guarantee your cockatoo will talk, they aren't really known for being the best talkers out there (Amazons and Greys are much clearer talkers) and cockatoos do more of the screaming toddler speak.

If you look up 'Gotcha the Cockatoo' on youtube, he speaks but not the clearest. More like mumbling. But it is going to be different with each individual bird.

Please don't return him because he doesn't talk.

so you got rid of one Cockatoo because they screamed and were destructive... Welcome to Cockatoos. There's a reason they're not your common garden pet.

As you were informed with your Alexandrine (what happened to them?), some birds don't talk. It's not in their normal speech for them to talk it's a rare occurrence. I think you need to take a serious think about what you're after. Do you want a pet with the intelligence of a 6 year old human child who can scream like a jet engine and has a can opener on their face? Have a bird. Do you want something to repeat words at you? Get a tape recorder. Sorry if I come across as harsh but you need to decide what you want now and I mean truly decide because they're going to be alive until their 60's easily if you keep them healthy and sitting sitting them with a recording of you saying 'hello' going off every minute is cruel. there's no other word, imagine you were placed with a recording saying hello every 60 seconds. You'd literally go insane over time. So even if you decide to keep them don't do that.

I get that some places on earth have different ideas of what goes on in animal brains but realistically think about this bird's life and not just about what you want.

Our umbrella 'too can only say one word clearly, "Hello." He says lots of things but we have no real idea what they are and it's lots of fun pretending he's saying stuff that he probably isn't. 'Toos just aren't talkers as a rule. Communication between a human and a bird isn't dependent on talking, anyway. It's just a fun bonus if the parrot happens to feel like learning to talk. And yes, 'toos are LOUD. They're destructive. It's just, as we say at my house, too-toos doing what too-toos do.

Where to start? This is going to come off as harsh, but is the point.

My advise is to re-home him, or return him, before you end up getting hurt, or Cockatoo get neglected, or hurt as well. You don't buy a parrot for those reasons you stated above and sure have done the research first? You don't return a bird because it screams and is destructive? Yes Cockatoos like to scream and can be quite destructive. Welcome to owning a Cockatoo. Plus you have to build a trust and a bond with your bird and a lot of training involve. Cockatoos are not for beginners and require a very experience dedicated person to handle them. They can be quite dangerous, even bite harder then a most Macaws. Only bird that may actually maybe removing a finger if they choose to is a Hy and GW Macaw.

Yes Cockatoos can talk, some better then others. Like my little corella Frankie can speak full sentences at time and speak better then most African grey I come across do. My umbrella cockatoos n the other hand can say a few words but tend to mumble words. Don't use a tape recorder to repeat words, it is cruel? How would you like to hear someone repeat same thing over and over again day in and out? They will learn once they are bonded to you and start mimicking you in time. Now Prevue does sell a recording device that repeats every so often and delays the time, so it not to much.

Get yourself a furby, not a bird


All Too's are destructive, it genetically build into them.
The only reason your recent Too is not that annoying is because it is still a baby...but unless it dies it will grow up -> into an annoying, loud, destructive but oh zo adorable little fellow.
And unless you are prepared to deal with that and try to channel all those behaviours into 'acceptable' expressions of being a parrot ( and probably failing a LOT/ because everybody else does as well, usually it is the owner that adapts, not the birds) this bird (and any other you will buy) will not have a future with you.



Welcome to parrots



(once again?)

If you insist on having a cockatoo... get a better cage too. The cage in the image appears to be WAY too small. Honestly my cockatiel's cage is probably 4x it's size. Definitely NOT suitable for a cockatoo. Probably why the first one scream so much, it's BORED. They need LOTS of room to play and LOTS of toys to have fun with. Imagine a toddler on steroids who drank 10 energy drinks. That's a cockatoo for you.

I don't want to be rude or harsh to you, but your post is extremely frustrating because you've already been told that there is no way to guarantee that ANY PARROT is going to ever speak/talk, regardless of their species...The Congo African Gray is the best talking parrot species in the world, and many of them never say a word...You just shouldn't buy a parrot because you want a pet who talks.

I don't have a clue what your motivation for buying any pet bird at this point is, as you've somehow been able to re-home multiple birds already that you've had for at least months...The Alexandrines, the Sulfur Cockatoo, etc. Now you're not satisfied with this Cockatoo either because it doesn't talk either...It's beyond me how you can take in a baby parrot of any kind and just "take it back" like you're trading-in a used car or something...You don't get a pet parrot because you want a neat pet that can talk and you can show-off to your friend. You get a pet parrot because you want an intelligent, affectionate, loving companion to add to your family and that you can love and have a bond with for decades...If you want something that talks and mimics you then the answer is not buying continual birds until you get one that talks, because you may NEVER get one that speaks...

And honestly, it's very obvious that you haven't done ANY RESEARCH AT ALL prior to buying these birds, because #1) Your complaint about the sulfur Cockatoo was that "he was destructive and he screamed all the time...Are you serious? You had a Cockatoo with the intelligence of a 4 year-old human toddler locked inside a cage too small for a Cockatiel, bored to tears, with an owner that only cares about whether or not he can mimic his speech. Why do you think he was screaming? Cockatoos are known for being extremely neurotic, destructive, and screaming non-stop if you don't provide them with hours and hours each day of love, affection and give them non-stop foraging activities and jobs to do to keep their brains occupied...And that includes the one you have now. If you had done any research at all you would have known this...and then #2) Cockatoos are not really known in-general to be great talkers...

I'm not trying to be mean to you, but you seemingly have no idea what you're doing, and you're treating living, breathing birds with the IQ's of small children like they are some inanimate objects that you can take back to the store if you decide you don't want them anymore...And I certainly hope that your Alexandrines and the Sulfur Cockatoo (and any other birds you've done this with) were all re-homed to loving, responsible homes or Avian Rescues and not killed or just set-free into the wild...

I realize that I don't know where you're from in the world, and you may have different cultural beliefs and ideas of what "pets" are, but the reason you're such an odd case is that all you care about is whether they talk or not...I don't get that. I'll say it one more time just to make myself feel better...There is absolutely no way to know if ANY parrot you buy is going to EVER talk. It doesn't matter what species of parrot you buy,
what gender, etc. You can play a recording of yourself saying "hi" every minute of every day, but that bird may never say a word...So if this is truly the ONLY REASON that you want a pet bird, then you just shouldn't have a pet bird...

****I'm going to try to be very honest with you and try to help you here now by giving you some really good advice, simply for the sake of that poor Cockatoo you have trapped in that tiny little cage...So please listen and take this seriously and to heart...No parrot, least of all a Cockatoo with the intelligence and needs of a 4 year-old human child, is going to say a word for you if they are not happy and healthy. And the way to have a happy, healthy parrot is to provide them with an adequately-sized cage that they can move around it, that you can hang between 6-10 different types of toys in at any given time and still have room to open their wings up the entire way and not touch the bars, and most-importantly to provide them with at least 5-6 hours each and every single day of out-of-cage-time where you are their "flock-mate", you give them love and attention, you read to them, you play with them, you do puzzles with them,
you cuddle with them, etc. Your bird is inside of a cage that is smaller than the cage I have for any of my very small parrots, including a Green Cheek Conure and a Cockatiel...You need a cage that is at least 5 to 6 times that cage or larger for that Cockatoo to be remotely healthy and happy...And ALL species of Cockatoos, Macaws, African Grays, and every other parrot need tons of toys, foraging activities, and love and attention to stay happy and healthy...Otherwise they aren't going to make any sounds except for screaming, as you've already found out...

I wish you the best, but I feel so sorry for your poor Cockatoo. That bird deserves love, affection, and adequate care, whether he/she EVER says a word or not. Parrots are not like any other type of "pet"; they are not dogs or cats, or reptiles, or rodents...They are the equivalent of having a "pet" Primate, like a Monkey, a Lemur, etc. That's how intelligent they are, and how much attention and work it takes to keep them happy and healthy...It's also the reason why most Cockatoos, Macaws, Grays, Amazons, etc. end-up Plucking themselves bald and Self-Mutilating...

I highly suggest that you either fully, 100% commit yourself to this current Cockatoo that you have, meaning that you love this bird with all your heart, you make it a member of your family, you spend the money to get it what it needs to stay happy and healthy including a much, much, much larger cage, lots and lots of different toys and foraging activities, an adequate, healthy, low-fat daily diet, and Avian Vet care, and most of all you spend the time with it every single day outside of it's cage that it needs to stay healthy and happy, just like a child needs, because that's what it is, it's a child. And you do all of this regardless of whether it ever speaks a word...And you realize that you're going to have to do this for decades and decades!!! And if you cannot commit to doing all of these things regardless of whether it speaks a single word ever, then you need to find he/she a new, responsible, loving home that will...And then PLEASE do not go out and buy another bird ever again!!! And once more...The only way you're EVER going to get a bird that is guaranteed to talk is if you adopt an adult parrot that is already taking...And even if you do that, you would still need to keep-on providing the bird with the same love, affection, time, diet, space, toys and activities, etc. that it's former owner did, because if you don't and you just lock it inside of a tiny cage with nothing to do all day, it won't continue to keep talking, it will become depressed, unhealthy, and start to scream and pluck itself...

Being as nice as I can be to you, the bottom-line is that you have been trying to buy a pet parrot for entirely the WRONG REASON, and obviously, you have to agree that it's not working out for you at all...And most of all it's not been working out for the multiple birds you've already abandoned...

Owlet said:

If you insist on having a cockatoo... get a better cage too. The cage in the image appears to be WAY too small. Honestly my cockatiel's cage is probably 4x it's size. Definitely NOT suitable for a cockatoo. Probably why the first one scream so much, it's BORED. They need LOTS of room to play and LOTS of toys to have fun with. Imagine a toddler on steroids who drank 10 energy drinks. That's a cockatoo for you.

Click to expand...

I was also going to say the cage is small. The perches are small. For a big bird with big feet you need big perches. Plunty if things to chew and destroy to. You can find lists of parrot safe wood, taken from places with no pesticides, and cleaned, and baked to remove bacteria, and viruses, instructions on the web about wood. You have a very beautiful bird, who when grows up may scream a lot, and certainly will be destructive. Having a close bond and trust with you, motivates the ones who want to speak to speak. Because they are closely bonded to you and want to be part of the flock.

My GCC took five years to speak, and only says a few words, and not very clearly. I consider it a bonus that she speaks at all, I never expected her to. Our bond and love isn't about speaking. We also recently went through a lit of biting, from mistake I was making..

whoever wants to can be mad at me for saying this, but getting a parrot JUST because it can be tought to speak is completelly stupid... also not all parrots can talk and even those that are talkers are not always going to talk... now if you really did buy that bird just because it might talk some day, please find it another, better home and go buy yourself a plushie one with an integrated speaker...

I am by no means an expert, but a parrot is a very special pet and needs special care, it is in no way meant to just sit in a small empty cage looking pretty and possibly entertaining your guests with some words you tought it... you do not buy a pet just so you can say you have a pet and can brag about it even though it leads a miserable life...

I usually don’t respond to posts like these because they’re too upsetting and downright disheartening to me. You don’t buy a bird just because you want a pretty pet that will talk. There’s no guarantee that will happen anyway. I can only echo what most people here have already said, that you have an animal on your hands with all the intelligence and emotional needs of a human child and you need to treat him as such. I understand that this is not common practice in some parts of the world but it’s true nonetheless. Parrots are not casual playthings to be locked in a cage all day with no mental stimulation or emotional connection. If you are not capable due to school commitments or whatever else of giving this parrot a decent life then I’m sorry but you need to rethink having one at all regardless of species.

Cockatoos are extremely intelligent, so I can't imagine returning one due to the trauma it would cause the bird.
I hope you didn't get cockatoo expecting a talker...no parrot is guaranteed to talk (not even African Greys)...and cockatoos are fairly poor talkers, despite their intelligence.

Also, baby cockatoos are EASY and sweet, but I hope you know that between 3 and 6 years of age, your world will be rocked. If you aren't in it with your whole heart and soul, then you will struggle and your bird will bare the brunt of it....I hope that you have a very strong knowledge of parrots and their hormones/puberty etc....I am worried about what is going to happen if this bird doesn't talk and then hits puberty...Cockatoos are re-homed more than any other bird species in the world, so if screaming etc was a concern, why did you choose cockatoos? All parrots need to be treated with the attention you would provide a young child, but cockatoos take that to a new level with their need for attention etc...So very concerned...
A loud, destructive cockatoo is happy/healthy....

SO, I'm beginning to think this guy is just a troll? He posts a topic that will insight most and than nothing all day. Maybe he is just stirring the pot to get a rise out of us? Just a thought .... 🤔

Tami2 said:

SO, I'm beginning to think this guy is just a troll? He posts a topic that will insight most and than nothing all day. Maybe he is just stirring the pot to get a rise out of us? Just a thought .... 🤔

Click to expand...

Sadly, having looked back at posts, I have my doubts...I think there is a lot of confusion about birds and with enough money and misinformation, many people view them as disposable sources of amusement.

I don't think he a troll as he has pictures with same cage with different birds. Sadly you have have people like this with enough money that buy pets just to have them to show off to friends and little to no knowledge, based on misinformation someone told them. I run across this a lot at rescues I worked at when they dump them as they get bored of them and realize to much work.

You can tell he put no effort into this as cage is way to small, even for a cockatiel, let alone a Cockatoo. My cockatiel cage is much bigger then that crap. Perches are for a small bird as well, don't see any wood toys which a cockatoo would love. Shame on the person that sold him this bird.

Hi Ramanez,
It is hard to give a time frame for a yellow crested cockatoo, but I can tell you it is achievable but will require more time bonding through training. I would consider looking into a book about training parrots with a clicker. I would like to emphasise that they have a high cognitive ability and need to be kept busy learning. The more time given to caring for the cockatoo the better chance of keeping on top of destructiveness and the higher chance of teaching talk.

Books I recommend:
1. https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Started-Clicker-Training-Birds/dp/1890948152
2. https://www.amazon.com/Perfectly-Tr...t+training&dpPl=1&dpID=51opM2MvJtL&ref=plSrch
3. https://www.amazon.com/Cockatoos-Co...atoo+guide&dpPl=1&dpID=51116wGdTZL&ref=plSrch

That poor darling bird. I hope he finds a real parent soon


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk