Are african greys a lot different than umbrella cockatoos when it comes to demands on time and affection? I know all birds need time and affection, but the umbrella cockatoo is extremely demanding isnt it?

Hi there.
I am the guardian of an African Grey. Mishka is not a demanding bird at all.
At night she sits on my lap for about an hour, I train her, chatting and playing with her.
She thrives on routine. EG: when it is 5pm her dinner time, she begins to make the sounds of the microwave oven, telling me come on come on.
After dinner, she sits on her playpen, waiting for her yogurt, if I not give it to her immediately she lets me know and how !!!
Any bird requires love and attention, no matter what species, demands I would say most birds have certain demands, just like us humans !!!!
Not familiar with the umbrella cockatoos.
Browsed the internet, found a link which might assist you.
All About Cockatoos - MyToos.com

Take care, and that of our feathered friends !!!!

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Yes I'm aware that all pet birds need caring and attention. We adopted this umbrella cockatoo last May and had NO IDEA just how much, though. If we dont spend 4 hours a day adoring him, he becomes very demanding and even nasty. And when he's out, it's like having to babysit a 2 year old, he wont just sit on a shoulder and get the occasional pet, he wants to chew up and destroy the whole house, if allowed to. He's the most destructive animal we've ever seen. He's chewed up computer cables, keyboards, furniture etc., just from taking out eyes off him for 20-30 seconds!

We wanted a pet, not a destructive brat. That's why I was wondering if CAGs were the same way, or could be more of a pet like we originally wanted and need.

Hi there, it saddens me to hear you had no idea, about being a guardian to a bird. Perhaps you should have done some research before adopting.
How old is the bird? No matter what their age, they can be trained.
Surely having had the bird since May last year, there should be some kind of set rules. When he is out the cage, walking towards something he might destroy, he should be reprimanded. Mishka my African Grey, tried her luck believe me, BUT before she could destroy anything I said STOP IT DON'T DO THAT. Now when she goes towards an object, she knows not to chew it, she says STOP IT DON'T DO THAT.
It took hours of training her.
Whenever a bird is outside the cage, someone should be supervising the bird, at all times.
Having a bird is like having a child 24/7. You constantly have to keep an eye on them. Letting the bird sit on your shoulder with the occasional pat, is just not enough. I have yet to come across someone who has to spend 4 hours a day, giving constant attention to a bird. Mishka is with me most of they day, but spends the majority of time in her cage. They love human interaction constantly. When he's in the cage, do you spend time sitting nearby, talking to the bird, bonding with him?.
It's natural for a bird to chew anything in site. They are inquisitive creatures always exploring and learning. Does he have enough toys in his cage, ones he can chew and destroy?.
In my previous post I attached a most informative link, from A - Z, all about umbrella cockatoo's, have you read through it?
You mentioned you wanted a pet, not a destructive brat ??????
Perhaps you have chosen the incorrect type of pet.
Take care, and that of our feathered friends !!!!

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well, it sounds like you did do some research, it just so happens that sometimes even good research doesn't always prepare you for the real thing. Parrots are destructive and can be a handful, and some are definately more so than others.
If you are wondering if a CAG would be a bit less overwhelming, I would say for the most part, probably yes.... but again, its an individual thing too, and some CAGs will demand more than others. Being they are so smart and social, all parrots have a tendency to be overwhelming and become bratty, but they do need training, patience, and gentle guidance to learn what is proper behavior and what is not.
If you find yourself not having the time to put the training into a parrot, maybe finding another pet is a good idea. If you do have the time, I'd say it is best to give your umbrella a little more time to learn. She should only be out if you can watch over her all the time, teachign her right from wrong, etc. I know it is hard seeing things get destroyed....but it is up to you to be sure she does not have the opportunity to do so. ALL PARROTS will destroy something if given the chance to. If this is really more than you are willing to deal with, I'd suggest a new type of pet that will suit you better. However, you do already have this great little umbrella cockatoo .... instead of rehoming her, it would be more fair to give her more time to learn better house manners. It is ultimately your decision, and we are here to help you.

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A parrot is more than just color and a pretty face. They are our closest friends.
Holly Misty

All pets need training and parrots are easily as smart as pretty much any dog. They're going to test you. You mentioned that you have a "brat", well, only parents can rehabilitate a brat. It takes time and lots of patience.

Yeah, I'm an idiot...

We had two lovebirds and two cockatiels before this and thought birds were birds. We thought if they were friendly and would go on our shoulder, they should be fine. He was friendly. We had no idea about the unusual demands of that species ( male umbrella cockatoos in particular ).

11 years.

He's like a 1000 lb gorilla to us. He bites me hard about 2 times a week, enough to cause painful bruising and breaking of skin.

In warmer weather, I did train him to put on the aviator harness and go out for walks on my shoulder, which he really enjoys, but with winter here in Denver, we've had few days that were warm enough for that. We need at least 50 degrees and sunny.

He ignores it. You have to physically restrain him, which means watching him every moment. He's destroyed the front of Jennifer's dresser, her office chair, the computer desk in there, her ethernet cable from her computer, two of her keyboard cables, the phone cable in her office, one of the cordless phones and the charger it was on...

She either falls asleep in there sometimes or needs to do something on her computer and the next thing she knows, he's destroyed things. We have no idea how to train him out of it.

Here: Index of /photos/Oz damage

Oh, and he's also trashed maybe a dozen of Jennifer's shirts. He cozies up to her side while she's using her computer and the next thing she knows, her shirts are shredded on that side.

It occurred to us, after we adopted him from a married couple, who just happened to be getting a divorce, that HE may have caused the divorce.

If ONLY it was THAT easy.


Supervising is one thing, we understand this, but he needs hands-on babysitting at all times, or he does the kind of damage shown above. I always watch him hands-on in my office, but answered a phone call a couple of days ago, and within 10 seconds my keyboard was upside down on the floor!

If we dont, we suffer from it. And I've come to resent feeling extorted, like we have to do this or we WILL suffer because we dont. It takes the fun out of having a "pet" bird and makes it more like a job. Do it or else...

No, we have a dedicated bird room and the cage he came in was too small.
http://lakewoodcolorado.net/photos/OZ/Oz%201.JPG
So we spent ( on the credit card and are still paying it ) $850 on a nice aviary for him.
http://lakewoodcolorado.net/photos/O...-18-09%202.jpg

But we started a business here and it's been growing and if we're to pay the bills, I cant spend all day with him.

Yes, absolutely. In fact he just decided to destroy the $130 net that we gave him, which he enjoyed for a few months, then started chewing it to pieces. It was a 4'x8' heavy rope net.

http://lakewoodcolorado.net/photos/O...%2011-3-09.jpg

Here's part of what's left of it now:
http://lakewoodcolorado.net/photos/O...e/DSCN5450.JPG
http://lakewoodcolorado.net/photos/O...e/DSCN5451.JPG

We're far from rich, barely paying the bills actually, and cant afford $130 nets every few months, for him to shred.

Previous post in this thread?

That's why I was wondering if a CAG was a bit more tame and less destructive. We love this guy but so did his last family, and I'm not sure how much more of this I can take. I'm feeling pretty heartbroken at this point, but I'm also sick of being badly bitten several times a week, for no reason at all.

I came across that link a few months after we got him, but by then it was too late, here he was. We've loved him and done the best for him that we can, and it seems like all I get repaid with, are bleeding bites.

I've been beginning to wonder if umbrella cockatoos should even be owned by humans, or if they'd be better off in the jungles only, where they can destroy all they want.

That link only made me think that more.

That's why I was asking if CAGs were tamer and more mellow, less likely to bite me. I'm sick of it.

Thanks Natalie. The whole reason we got into birds, was because I was always allergic to dogs and cats and other mammals. If I even pet them, I get all itchy. One day we were walking by a Petco and stopped in to look and the woman in there had a sun conure on her shoulder and let us take it. I didn't get itchy. That was when we decided to look for a bird.

Georgie was our first one, around September 2006:
George the Lovebird's Very Own Little Web Page - George the Lovebird - George Lovebird

Since then, we wound up adopting two tiels and another lovebird, then Oz last May. At least the smaller birds can be controlled. Georgie can sit on my shoulder for a couple of hours a day, or play nearby, without trashing the house.

That was why I was wondering if maybe a CAG would be better, and we might find someone with a nice one, who would be interested in cross-adopting.

We love this little guy, but I'm not sure how much more of the biting and trashing of the house I can take.