Where can I find Palm Cockatoos (preferably in the UK)?

[erlabella]

Hi everyone!

I was wondering if anyone could help me locate a palm cockatoo breeder in the UK. I know they are very rare to stumble upon and extremely expensive, but I honestly think it’s worth it. Palm ‘toos are my dream birds. How do I find a palm cockatoo breeder in the UK, if there even are any? Palm cockatoos are listed on the CITES 1 appendix. How does that work? Is it legal to import CITES 1 animals? Do I need a special type of certification to have one or what? I’m not very experienced in importing/exporting parrots as you can tell.. Anyways, I’m not thinking about getting one until I practically know everything about this stuff. I’m still very young, so I figured I’d start my research as early as I can If anyone could answer these questions, I’d be grateful. Thank you

 

[itzjbean]

Hi everyone!

I was wondering if anyone could help me locate a palm cockatoo breeder in the UK. I know they are very rare to stumble upon and extremely expensive, but I honestly think it’s worth it. Palm ‘toos are my dream birds. How do I find a palm cockatoo breeder in the UK, if there even are any? Palm cockatoos are listed on the CITES 1 appendix. How does that work? Is it legal to import CITES 1 animals? Do I need a special type of certification to have one or what? I’m not very experienced in importing/exporting parrots as you can tell.. Anyways, I’m not thinking about getting one until I practically know everything about this stuff. I’m still very young, so I figured I’d start my research as early as I can If anyone could answer these questions, I’d be grateful. Thank you

I too, love the Black Palm Cockatoo and would absolutely splurge one day if I had the money. I follow one on Instagram (Nude the BP) and he is just so unique.

You're looking at around $15,000 (€12,700+) for the initial bird, with and they are not cheap to own. They are not for anyone on a budget of any kind and will likely cost you around $300+ a month (€254+) on just food and toys (for 40+ years!). They are big nut eaters too and like eating the expensive nuts that can be hard to find, especially in the UK.

I only know of one breeder here in the US but I'm afraid I'll be of no help on the CITES / UK /importing questions. I'm sorry!

 

[Kiwibird]

You say you're very young and list your current parrots as 2 budgies. Are you actually looking to buy this bird in the foreseeable future or just dreaming for now? Because laws change so much so quickly, what is valid today regarding purchase, papers, transport, import etc... will probably bear no relevance in, say, 5 or 10 years when you're in the position to actually buy one.

If you're actually looking to buy one soon-ish (like say, within a year), what experience do you have with large parrots, or more specifically, large cockatoos? They are, arguably, the most challenging of ALL parrots, with the rarer species often proving even more challenging. Cockatoos are extremely loud, destructive, have notoriously bad hormonal issues and require a significantly larger enclosure than similarly sized parrots of other species due to their high activity levels. They can also inflict bites necessitating reconstructive surgery and are prone to mental health issues such as plucking and self mutilation. If you have no prior large parrot experience, it would be extremely unwise to make the jump from budgies to any large cockatoo species. I would suggest volunteering at an avian rescue to gain further experience with larger parrot species and cockatoos (there's plenty of them at any shelter, they do tend to be passed around more than other birds due to their noise, mental health issues and bites). You may also consider joining a local exotic bird club or seeing if your local zoo needs volunteers for their parrots. Once you get some hands on experience (including experiencing what it feels like to be bit by a large parrot), then re-evaluate whether or not this is a worthwhile goal to pursue! You may find you love cockatoos and are willing to put up with the challenges of ownership or may find you prefer smaller/medium parrots or even fall in love with a species you never considered! Experience is the best way to learn about parrots and which parrot is really right for you

 

[EllenD]

I totally agree with Kiwi...Instead of worrying about finding a Palm Cockatoo breeder right now, when you're what, a teenager probably, what you need to do is start off by finding an Avian Rescue or a breeder of another species of large parrot, like African Greys, Macaws, or a more common species of Cockatoo, and either start volunteering at the Rescue, or find a breeder an ask if they will mentor you. Do this for a few years to gain the experience with large parrots, specifically Cockatoos, as they are a species of parrot that is absolutely the equivalent of having a human toddler with a very violent weapon attached to their face...

You need some large parrot experience, not just researching online or reading about these birds. If your only parrot experience is with Budgies, Cockatiels, Conures, etc., then the best thing you can do is start early, now while you're young, working with large parrots and other Cockatoos, and then years from now when you're working, have a home that you can keep a large parrot in, and are financially able to afford a $15,000 bird (or any Cockatoo for that matter, they're all extremely expensive to own, it's not just about how much they cost to initially buy), you'll already have the hands-on experience handling and interacting with Cockatoos. Then you can make a much more informed-decision. And as already mentioned, by the time you're able to actually buy and own/care for a large parrot, the laws will have changed, and any breeders that exist right now will most likely not be breeding anymore.

 

[erlabella]

You say you're very young and list your current parrots as 2 budgies. Are you actually looking to buy this bird in the foreseeable future or just dreaming for now? Because laws change so much so quickly, what is valid today regarding purchase, papers, transport, import etc... will probably bear no relevance in, say, 5 or 10 years when you're in the position to actually buy one.

If you're actually looking to buy one soon-ish (like say, within a year), what experience do you have with large parrots, or more specifically, large cockatoos? They are, arguably, the most challenging of ALL parrots, with the rarer species often proving even more challenging. Cockatoos are extremely loud, destructive, have notoriously bad hormonal issues and require a significantly larger enclosure than similarly sized parrots of other species due to their high activity levels. They can also inflict bites necessitating reconstructive surgery and are prone to mental health issues such as plucking and self mutilation. If you have no prior large parrot experience, it would be extremely unwise to make the jump from budgies to any large cockatoo species. I would suggest volunteering at an avian rescue to gain further experience with larger parrot species and cockatoos (there's plenty of them at any shelter, they do tend to be passed around more than other birds due to their noise, mental health issues and bites). You may also consider joining a local exotic bird club or seeing if your local zoo needs volunteers for their parrots. Once you get some hands on experience (including experiencing what it feels like to be bit by a large parrot), then re-evaluate whether or not this is a worthwhile goal to pursue! You may find you love cockatoos and are willing to put up with the challenges of ownership or may find you prefer smaller/medium parrots or even fall in love with a species you never considered! Experience is the best way to learn about parrots and which parrot is really right for you

I am very young now and yeah I only have budgies, so I would not call myself an experienced parrot owner at all. I’m only dreaming of getting a large parrot/cockatoo, and if I’m getting one it won’t be until like 8+ years as I have to go to school and won’t have the time for a parrot companion. The reason I’m asking this is because I just wa’t to learn the basics of palm cockatoo ownership, import and export as soon as I can, you know. I’m not in a rush or anything.

I fell in love with parrots 3-4 years ago and I have been reading, watching videos and learning about them ever since, literally almost every day. I aspire to one day become an avian vet myself as I really want parrots to be a part of my future) You’re right about experience. I have no idea what it’s like to live with a large parrot at all, so who knows, maybe I’ll stick to smaller parrots if I’m not capable of the larger ones

 

[caiquewalk]

Good on you for wanting to learn more about the palmy before getting one they are awesome birds. It’s almost funny to see so many people paying so much for a palmy or any chockatoo when they are so abundant here in Australia lol
Take a drive down the highway near my house and you literally have to block your ears because there are thousands.

 

[TiredOldMan]

Good on you for wanting to learn more about the palmy before getting one they are awesome birds. It’s almost funny to see so many people paying so much for a palmy or any chockatoo when they are so abundant here in Australia lol
Take a drive down the highway near my house and you literally have to block your ears because there are thousands.

I must be AWESOME!

 

[ChristaNL]

As always - once you have the money getting one is not very hard (there are still lots of international -legal- traders who can help you contact a breeder and help with the paperwork, CITES is like any other legal document: it takes a bit of getting used to). Like every other live animal: getting one is the easy part. I agree with the previous posts: KEEPING a parrot happy and healthy is a fulltime job (no hollydays) and it helps if you know what you are doing.


Budgies have their own challenges (never had much luck with mine when I was young -> got them donated as unwanted and agressive pets from previous owners) but you will find out every species is different and every one of them has his/her own personallity. Good start though!