Macaw or Red tailed black cocky?

[noodles123]

Here is what I was able to find on red tailed black cockatoos: These birds are noisy and conspicuous and generally socialise in family groups. The Black Cockatoo has a need for attention that far outweighs any of the other cockatoo species, making this an extremely high maintenance bird and one that is generally not suitable as a pet. A properly cared for Red-tailed Black Cockatoo can live from 50 to a 100 years, which makes them a lifelong commitment and a companion for more than one family generation.

thats really weird ive heard them and they are quiet for a cockatoo and very placid

In terms of what you have read, people who haven't had large cockatoos or those who are promoting them tend to focus on their "pet like" qualities (e.g., cuddly, bonded, docile, "velcro bird" etc---these are the "facts" that often come up first when you start "researching"). These things are true than some extent, but they also negate the fact that these tendencies come with a ton of other baggage...as in, these birds get very easily overindulged and sexually attached to people (because people want to treat them like lap dogs)....and these same tendencies can turn to self destruction and aggression the second you have a life
if overindulged (and most people can't easily draw that line between the screaming, cuddles etc)...On paper, these traits seem like positives, but they really are not (not for you and not for the bird). Cockatoos are to their person, as crack cocaine is to a "crack head". Excuse the analogy, but it is true...It can be mitigated some, but it's always like living with an addict. People say, "omg I want one" when they meet Noodles, but they have NOOOOOO idea how much of a performer she is and how much work it took to get her and keep her where she is. She is my best friend, but she is so much more work than a kid..and I work with kids with serious behavior problems for a living. Without that background or mindset, I would be in over my head.

Hearing or seeing a wild cockatoo or another person's cockatoo is not the same as how they act in your home. They are true attention wh*.....seekers.... and they will put on quite a show for anyone who cares to watch. They also are much happier when free to be their crazy, flocked, flying, foraging selves...You can't mimic that in a home perfectly, even if you try. They are unique, because unlike other parrots (for the most part) they pick a mate for life but also stay with the flock. This means that you are filling the shoes of like....100 other parrots, minus the 40 miles of flight, foraging and destruction in the average cockatoo's day.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FE4GxzZ4Sr4"]Cockatoos destroy homes, wreak havoc on town | A Current Affair - YouTube[/ame]

The before and after of the "cubby" is THE BEST LOLLLLLL! --AND THESE AREN'T EVENT THE MOST NOTORIOUS!

I love them-- I think it's awful that anyone would kill them, ...but you can see..
AGAIN- I THINK A CULL IS TERRRRRIBLE...I am just trying to show you what a milder variety can do in the wild...now imagine it in your home.


This is a fairly HAPPY cockatoo and it's nearly impossible to capture the true volume:

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOig9adHblw"]Gotcha having a mega Cockatoo Meltdown!! Warning!: LOUD lol - YouTube[/ame]

when the big ones get mad, it is 10x worse than this..and this is a well-adjusted bird....sounds SOOOO much quieter than in reality..this bird is running less than 25% of potential noise level...(with volume turned up as high as it goes)

This one is just for fun lol:
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWmg3utBh58"]Cockatoo Attempts To Order Farts Off Of Alexa - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Noahs_Birds]

Red tailed blacks are an interesting bird to keep, but in my opinion are not suited for pet purposes and do better off in a large outdoor aviary where they can interact with other members of the species. One thing for sure is that they can end up very sick very quickly without even knowing, and can have a pretty rocky start after they have been weaned as they take FOREVER to hand rear.

Along with all other black cockatoos, they do require a fairly high fat diet but it needs to be carefully measured so that they don't end up with some horrible dietary problem.

If you are extremely keen on a cockatoo and understand you can provide everything they need, Gang Gang cockatoos even though they are very pricey are very sociable birds, and do very well with other family members from what I've seen. Otherwise, maybe a mini macaw of some description like Yellow collar's or Hahns (even though Hahn's are extremely noisy, they are pretty bullet proof little macaws to have) might be the best option and then gradually make your way up the size ladder to then something like a Blue and Gold and so on.

 

[Betrisher]

Dear noodles123,

Can I just ask you to read back over this thread and take a look at the massive volume of DON'T DO IT posts you've made to the OP?

The guy is interested in acquiring another parrot and came here for information, not a faceful of dire warnings. He has said he already has some experience with parrots and might acquire something more challenging.

What's wrong with that? Why have you written such a massive amount of text, ostensibly trying to dissuade the OP from his course of action? Y'know, other people are allowed to own cockatoos and macaws. In fact, anyone has a perfect right to toddle down the street and buy whatever bird takes his fancy. And guess what? Some people do just fine, even raw beginners!

Our function in all this is to offer information to the prospective buyer so he begins well and has a good grounding in how to proceed. It is NOT our function to put people off or to assure them that there is nothing but doom in their future if they purchase a cockatoo or a macaw! That's overweening and downright unkind. Why did you trawl YouTube for videos of disastrous outcomes with cockatoos if not to put the OP off his intended purchase? D'you think it's our place to decide what he will and won't do?

Surely you've made some mistakes with your own cockatoo? Surely every newbie is bound to make mistakes? However, if he has access to good information (given in small, digestible amounts), there is no reason a newbie might not succeed. Why do you continually try to deter people from acquiring a new bird instead of being supportive and helping them out?

If a parrot owner wants to buy a book on parrot care, he'll buy one: he doesn't need to read yours! If he asks a specific question (red-tailed black or macaw?), perhaps we should just answer that instead of providing seventeen foolscap pages' worth of DON'T DO IT?

Please think before you post to new members and please try to remember that what you do post is only your opinion. There can often be many different solutions to a problem.

Best wishes,
Betrisher

 

[noodles123]

Dear noodles123,

Can I just ask you to read back over this thread and take a look at the massive volume of DON'T DO IT posts you've made to the OP?

The guy is interested in acquiring another parrot and came here for information, not a faceful of dire warnings. He has said he already has some experience with parrots and might acquire something more challenging.

What's wrong with that? Why have you written such a massive amount of text, ostensibly trying to dissuade the OP from his course of action? Y'know, other people are allowed to own cockatoos and macaws. In fact, anyone has a perfect right to toddle down the street and buy whatever bird takes his fancy. And guess what? Some people do just fine, even raw beginners!

Our function in all this is to offer information to the prospective buyer so he begins well and has a good grounding in how to proceed. It is NOT our function to put people off or to assure them that there is nothing but doom in their future if they purchase a cockatoo or a macaw! That's overweening and downright unkind. Why did you trawl YouTube for videos of disastrous outcomes with cockatoos if not to put the OP off his intended purchase? D'you think it's our place to decide what he will and won't do?

Surely you've made some mistakes with your own cockatoo? Surely every newbie is bound to make mistakes? However, if he has access to good information (given in small, digestible amounts), there is no reason a newbie might not succeed. Why do you continually try to deter people from acquiring a new bird instead of being supportive and helping them out?

If a parrot owner wants to buy a book on parrot care, he'll buy one: he doesn't need to read yours! If he asks a specific question (red-tailed black or macaw?), perhaps we should just answer that instead of providing seventeen foolscap pages' worth of DON'T DO IT?

Please think before you post to new members and please try to remember that what you do post is only your opinion. There can often be many different solutions to a problem.

Best wishes,
Betrisher

Correct, that is my stance. A red-tailed cockatoo is a poor choice for a pet...Even more so than an Umbrella due to additional concerns/complications.

I have said it before and will say it again- the statistics on cockatoos speak for themselves (it's not like I manipulated or somehow created the rehoming rates to prove my point).

If someone had a well- over 50% chance of crashing of they got in a plane, would you encourage them to travel due to the fun they COULD have at their destination just because you survived the trip and enjoyed it, or would you tell them flat out that the plane has a 50+% chance of crashing and burning based on the numbers? No one wanted the plane to crash and everyone really wanted to take the trip (after all they got on the plane) but this had no impact on the plane's ability to stay airborne.
There are tons of positives to travel too, but if more than half the people who took the same trip weren't ever reaching their destination, I'd sure as heck spread the word. The stats on cockatoos (especially the larger varieties) make the crashing plane sound like a success.
I'm not telling people the can't get on the plane, or that they will NEVER reach their destination, but I'm not going to talk about "islands", "straw hats", and "warm breezes" with the re-homing and neglect statistics are far less optimistic than the odds given in the "plane" scenario.

Those interested in cockatoo ownership already KNOW the nice/good/fun things or they wouldn't be considering getting one. No one wants a pet they don't think they can handle.

 

[Betrisher]

Well, then, by your own logic you should get rid of your own cockatoo because the statistics imply you and he will eventually implode. What have statistics about plane travel have to do with bird ownership? Considering the new knowledge we have today, the plight of companion birds is much better than it ever was. Why is it that you are allowed to keep a cocky but no one else is?

One of our most successful owners (Tab) got her macaw when she was a young teenager. She has proven time and again that a very young and inexperienced owner can indeed make a great life for a 'problem' species. What are your qualifications for knowing who can and who can't keep difficult birds???

Driving newbies away isn't likely to help their birds. Keeping them here where they can get ongoing help is far more likely to result in a happy life for their companions.

But hey! You like being the bird police: feel free. I suspect you'll find it a thankless task...

 

[noodles123]

Statistics imply that I will get rid of her. I don't plan to, but I chose to get on the plane knowing that it was probably going to crash. It hasn't yet, but we hit a flock of geese, and there has been some turbulence lol. I don't think people should assume that they will be an exception to the majority...It's a numbers game. I got one (yes) but at the time, I didn't know what I know now about how often these birds get re-homed and neglected...and it's not like most people don't try to make it work.

Remember, in my analogy, some people do make it to the destination. The majority do not. Some people will get on the plane and be okay, but most are not. Is it a bit stupid to get on that plane? YES-- did I? Yes-- but I had been around other planes before and had never heard that this particular plane was much more likely to crash.

I don't recall telling him to to get a macaw...?

 

[Betrisher]

So, then, considering all your dire statistics, why did you join a group that fosters bird ownership in spite of the stats and is supposed to support owners, not bring them down?

Just imagine for a moment that every new cockatoo owner actually read the slabs of text you put up and took your advice? Wouldn't that bode better for their birds than driving the owners away with your one-woman campaign of doom?

All you need to do is tone it down a few notches and be kind to the people instead of hurling all your text at them. FWIW, I disagree with some of what you say and I have (successfully) kept several cockatoos in my lifetime. Just because you're more vocal and post more content doesn't make you absolutely correct.

As I said before, there can be a number of solutions to any problem. I'm afraid your knowledge wouldn't necessarily translate here in Australia where a lot of the cockatoos originated. I'm not being rude, honestly, just trying to point out that there are other points of view than yours and it's entirely possible that they're just as correct as yours.

Anyway, that's all I wanted to say. Clearly, you need to do you.

 

[itzjbean]

Hello, i am looking to get one of these amazing birds but ild like to know what one has a better temperament and is easier to care for. Thanks!

Welcome!

umm..neither...is easy...at all...BUT NOT A COCKATOO.. my goodness....have you had a parrot before? Cockatoos are literally the most challenging parrot--- and the large ones are re-homed disproportionally to any other parrot- period.

I really really hope you know how much work you are about to take on with a macaw...or anything else...It's like a very very complicated 4 year old that lives forever, has a chainsaw and special needs, plus a megaphone, plus severe allergies to everything ….

There is a possibility that you can be happy and own a cockatoo! While challenging, it can be done with enough patience, dedication, love and understanding of their maturity and needs.

 

[saxguy64]

Okay ladies, the mod team wishes to thank you for the lively discussion. Points are made, and opinions are welcome here, but let us move on please.

This forum exists first and foremost for the well being of our birds. It is a positive place where people can come seeking the latest information and experiences of others, to help them to better care for their feathered friends, present or future, or share the perils of those past. We all have things to learn about these magnificent animals

With that said, I respectfully ask that the OP be awarded the courtesy of said helpful information they came here to find.

 

[noodles123]

So, then, considering all your dire statistics, why did you join a group that fosters bird ownership in spite of the stats and is supposed to support owners, not bring them down?

Just imagine for a moment that every new cockatoo owner actually read the slabs of text you put up and took your advice? Wouldn't that bode better for their birds than driving the owners away with your one-woman campaign of doom?

All you need to do is tone it down a few notches and be kind to the people instead of hurling all your text at them. FWIW, I disagree with some of what you say and I have (successfully) kept several cockatoos in my lifetime. Just because you're more vocal and post more content doesn't make you absolutely correct.

As I said before, there can be a number of solutions to any problem. I'm afraid your knowledge wouldn't necessarily translate here in Australia where a lot of the cockatoos originated. I'm not being rude, honestly, just trying to point out that there are other points of view than yours and it's entirely possible that they're just as correct as yours.

Anyway, that's all I wanted to say. Clearly, you need to do you.

I am happy with mine (love her more than anything in this world. Maybe more than anyone), but the plight of large cockatoos in the pet trade is very serious and disproportionate to the successes. I have been "successful" with mine too, but that doesn't help the 80% of u2s who are re-homed in a revolving-door fashion.

In order to be the kind of long-term home these birds need, a potential owner needs to accept the good and bad (ready to restructure everything, for better or for worse), and if the bad scares them, it should, but if it scares them off, then that means they probably weren't ready for a large cockatoo (the 80%)... Large cockatoos demand a lot and require a ton more than the average home can provide long-term.. Perhaps the problem is less severe in Australia. It's very bad here and if less than 20% of u2s stay in the same home for more than a few years, then think about the rest, and think about how this hot-potato rehoming impacts their psyches. I'd rather a bird stay in a rescue or sanctuary where it has semi-proper care than be bounced around again just as it forms a bond, and I'd rather breeders stop breeding these amazing creatures as well. Unlike adopting a child, getting a large cockatoo from a breeder requires nothing but money, and even though the best rescues screen adopters, they still get returns all of the time (often from seasoned parrot owners etc). Its scary and upsetting to me because it absolutely breaks my heart..kills me... I'm not mean or even negative--I just hate the overwhelmingly harmful trends that predominate this arena.

OP- this is not directed at you (although I strongly recommend volunteering long-term at a sanctuary etc before taking the plunge). Research is good, but nothing is comparable to long-term, hands-on experience when it comes to making a decision about something that should last a lifetime.

I'm done now. I will not say anything else about it in this thread- promise..

 

[Laurasea]

We are passionate about helping parrots and people for sure.

Its so easy to find pro parrot information for every species. I think its good we talk some about the hard stuff about having parrots too. And some species are harder and do get passed around and luckier ( usually larger species) end up in rescues.

I can see the point of condensed info, it can be harder to read and comprehend longer posts. Maybe Noodles you can create a thread under cockatoo about difficulty and challenges of this species, then you can link your thread when questions come up. I do think its valuable information.

I love quakers, and they are prone to screaming, plucking, mutilation, and because they are small and cheap and often a first pet parrot, they get passed around or stuck in garages or outside in heartbreaking situations.. rarely making it to a parrot rescue...the things I've seen.....and i find its important to talk about that too

 

[chris-md]

I’m hardly fan of noodles rather...pedantic, often oxygen-sucking style, but I see and understand where she’s coming from here, and to a degree share the sentiments. It’s too easy to find happy parrot experiences on YouTube and Instagram. What you dont hear enough about is how that’s often 50-75% of the time, compared to the 98% of the time owning a dog. The other 50% of the time owners are pulling their hair out unable to take the stress of living with a parrot.

People truly dont know what they are getting into, leading to the rehoming issue, which does disproportionately affect certain species. That fact can’t be ignored or denied, and should bear on the potential owner. And when you start talking about something as controversial as a black tailed cockatoo, that really deserves extra scrutiny.

Perhaps there are better ways to express oneself in this regard, but there is some valuable information to be gleaned for the OP in the warnings being expressed.

 

[riddick07]

I’ve dealt with & helped care for one red tailed black cockatoo. He was 100 times easier to deal with than all the white cockatoos. He did love attention but that’s a bird for you. They don’t scream like regular white cockatoos. They have this annoying loud enough high pitched croaky like call that makes you want to stab your eardrums lol. I don’t deal well with the higher pitched bird calls they drive me crazy. So that’s very up to you to know if you can deal with it or not. The diet that he was on was pretty easy & nothing compared to say the diet of an ekkie or lory or toucan. He got a small handful of pellets, a bunch of high quality seed, some nuts & daily fresh foods. They eat much more seed than other parrots but it can’t be a cheap crap mix.

Macaws really aren’t that difficult. Read birdmans posts if they are still around & you are all set for behavior/training. Need more nuts than some other birds but that’s not hard to do. Most macaws are bold boundary pushers, so don’t let them bully you lol. A macaw that is head over heels in love with you is definitely a unique bond!

So Id pick the macaw if it was me...

 

[Sunparrayeet]

I went for a day and... uh yeahh alight... also im getting a major mitchell now and will get a black in the future