Cockatoo Owners: Whats your experience with incessant screaming?

[Birdman666]

It happens.

I don't own any, but I have worked with a ton of them.

And as others have said, MOST of these birds are inadvertently trained to scream and/or throw trantrums....

I've been around screaming toos, full volume, incessant, 5 hours at a stretch.

It isn't pleasant.

I've also been around very will behaved birds who don't sit there and scream all day.

Large toos, more than any other bird, need structured interaction and need to be taught to self entertain...

MOST FOLKS DON'T RAISE THEM CORRECTLY! (SAME GOES FOR MACAWS AND BITING... )

Hold one too much, or come every time it goes off, and give it what it wants at your own peril.... cuz you just trained him to scream! And trust me, it will get worse...

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

I just adopted a Goffin's last weekend from a friend,who's Umbrella didn't get along with Jonesie,the goffin's. I have never had a 'too. Just my BF and Smokey,my TAG who passed away last week after 27 yrs with me.
My friend has had Jonesie for 21 years and said..ya he can scream. So far Jonesie talks more then yelling..." I'm a good cockatoo mannnnn" lol
He is going to the vet for a check up tomorrow..his poor little chest is almost bare! He came to me that way.
But in less than a week with me,he has started to settle in. I can pet him and scratch his head,he even took a cracker from my fingers today. My Blue Front can be noisey at times too,but when she yells its in words. HELLO!!! HOW ARE YOU??? which is fine by me

Jim

 

[tman007]

I would also add music, as a way to help. My flock likes the music I play, I put a CD in an put it on repeat then I can sleep. I sleep during the day. Also my RB2 likes to shred things, I make sure that he has what he needs to keep busy. It took me a few days to see what music would relax them. Just my 2 cents,

 

[hannah.kelley]

I have lived with a Moluccan my entire life. My parents got one from the pet store before I was born, and when she passed away they got a second one (I was about 11).

First of all: please, please avoid buying a cockatoo at the pet store. As almost everyone has mentioned, so many cockatoos are returned that there are many more birds that need homes than there are homes to take them in. Breeding practices are frequently sketchy at best, and it would be best to avoid supporting it while giving a cockatoo in need a second chance (or perhaps third, fourth…)

I have had a variety of pets in my life, and I can honestly say that I have never had a connection with any other animal like I do with my Moluccan. It doesn't even feel like having a pet - he's more like my weird, annoying little brother that I still love to death.

You sound like a very responsible bird owner and I applaud your cautionary approach to a new species. Cockatoos are hilarious, unpredictably weird, extremely affectionate, playful and frighteningly intelligent creatures. They are also very, VERY loud. They scream when they're excited, when they're happy, when they're lonely, when you leave the room… They love playing independently and can entertain themselves; regardless, ear-numbing screams are a part of the daily grind.

I have never had another species of bird, so I have no reference point, but cockatoos are extremely high maintenance. There is no cage big enough, no toy challenging enough, no diet diverse enough… They will certainly keep challenging you. After years of researching these peculiar birds, I've come to the personal opinion that they are not suited for domestic life. Dogs, cats, horses… they've been evolving with us for thousands of years, but these birds are a generation or two from being wild, and all their neuroses spring from an environment that is not what they are meant for.

So if you do decide to bring a Too into your life and he screams whenever you leave the room - be patient and remember that in the wild, they rarely ever alone and never leave their mate's side. If he screams in the morning, remember that it's the morning "flock call." And when it is so loud it seems to chill the marrow of your bones, remember that their screech was designed to penetrate through the thick foliage of jungle canopies.

Good luck!