Hey You!

[joyknights]

Hello, everyone, my name is Joy and I've been a Lovebirds owner since I was in 6th grade. We used to have a lot of Love Birds at home but my brother suddenly becomes bored of cleaning and feeding them so he decided to give them away to our neighbors and relatives. We've been busy with our lives and now we are down to the last two of their kinds. I don't really go home a lot as I have work to do and I feel like it tiring to go from one city to another, my grandfather's the one who's doing all the responsibility to ensure that both Goldie and Dandelion are happy and at the same time healthy. My Grandpa told me that he wants a cockatoo since we have a lot of old cages and our neighbor has one. I am thinking of getting him one as a birthday gift next month.

 

[noodles123]

DO NOT BUY A COCKATOO FOR ANYONE EVER!!!!
ESPECIALLY AN OLDER PERSON...GOD ALMIGHTY...
I HAVE ONE...LOVE HER, BUT I KID YOU NOT---THINK of 3 TODDLERS WITH AUTISM AND THAT IS EASIER THAN 1 COCKATOO....MINE (U2) IS 10 AND I WORK WITH KIDS WITH VERY VERY VERY EXTREME BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS....YOU NEED TO READ/POUR OVER mytoos.com
THEY ARE THE MOST RE-HOMED BIRD FOR A REASON.
THEY ARE UNLIKE ANY OTHER BIRD YOU HAVE EVER HAD...please...don't get one for him....
THEY ARE VERY SENSITIVE/DO NOT TRANSITION BETWEEN OWNERS WELL AND THEY CAN LIVE BEYOND 80...IF HE DIES AND THE BIRD REMAINS...ARGHHHHH
You seriously don't want to go there...I am exhausted by mine, and according to 2 vets, she is "the most well-adjusted the have EVER seen"--one of those vets has 7 at the clinic due to people giving them up.

Again, I would probably die for my bird, bUt I don't think I would ever get another young(ish) cockatoo...If you must find one for him, make sure it is at least 70 years old, and then prepare for 10 years of INSANITY/NON-STOP WORK!!

PS: I am 30 with a degree in special education and applied behavior analysis (I use all of it on my bird daily and I wouldn't be surviving without it).

PLEASEEEEE PM me if you want to talk more...I know you mean well, but I know a TON about cokcatoos...

 

[SilverSage]

Not to mention many older people heal extremely slowly and an elderly person could be in pretty serious danger from a beak that size.

I also fundamentally object to live animals as gifts.

I hope you will reconsider. But I also hope you stick around and get to know us! As you can see we are very passionate about the wellbeing of parrots and we speak up when we feel someone is about to do something regrettable because we care about the birds and each other. Hopefully you are that kind of person too!


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[Inger]

I hope you can read past Noodles’ yelling to see the passion behind the words.

And I agree wholeheartedly with SilverSage-pets aren’t presents.

Also, are all the old cages he has sized for lovebirds? They won’t hold a cockatoo-they’re too small, and that big beak is likely to bite through the thin bars.

Glad you came here to talk this over [emoji3526][emoji3526]


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[Scott]

Welcome to the forums, Joy. Goldie and Dandelion are magnificent, love that pose!

May I suggest a grand compromise? Purchasing a cockatoo as surprise gift for your Gandpa is not advised for reasons discussed. However, if he is passionate and fully understands the immense challenges, you could make the purchase after deep discussion. Maudlin as it seems, the well being of a cockatoo brought into an older person's house is critical.

Shelters are full of re-homed cockatoos, particularly Moluccans and Umbrellas. Some of the smaller toos have more mellow reputations.

 

[ChristaNL]

Give you grandpa this forum

I love that you are a huge family of birdlovers-
but take your time to pick a more suitable bird (and be prepared to inherit it!)
Even if your grandfather lives another 40 years, chances are great the bird will still be there!


Of course you can always adopt an older bird (more settled, character is known and not going through all the demands of puberty etc.etc.) I always prefer that option.

 

[noodles123]

I hope you can read past Noodles’ yelling to see the passion behind the words.

And I agree wholeheartedly with SilverSage-pets aren’t presents.

Also, are all the old cages he has sized for lovebirds? They won’t hold a cockatoo-they’re too small, and that big beak is likely to bite through the thin bars.

Glad you came here to talk this over [emoji3526][emoji3526]


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LOL- sorry---I wasn't yelling, but it probably came off that way...I was pretty worried though when I typed that, so passionate is closer to the truth. I also was exhausted and I kept screwing up caps, so at some point, I just gave up and left it all in caps (because I really meant what I said)

 

[GaleriaGila]

I'm glad you are here!

And BLESS EVERY ONE of our wonderful members for their passionate and caring input!

I am hoping you can hear us and absorb everything. I know it's a lot to take in, but... it's all true and well-intended and...

I'm glad you're here...

 

[Flboy]

It is a joy to have you here, Joy!

 

[sweetpeamusic]

I’ve seen many rookies make this mistake - perhaps OP meant to say cockatiel instead of cockatoo? That would make a little more sense if Grandpa has a lot of lovebird-sized cages around, and considering the nature of cockatiels it could work out..? I agree with everyone here, cockaTOOs are a no-go. They are super cool and I love to watch videos of them online, but it takes a very special person with endless amounts of time, patience and effort to keep them happy and I know I could never handle them myself. Not to mention they would undoubtedly outlive your grandfather (unless they are very old) and your cages would not be anywhere near suitable for such a large bird.
Keep us updated!

 

[LeslieA]

If if if you actually meant cockatoo, tell him to just pay your neighbors' bird expenses for a month.

Do you know how much a cockatoo costs? Do you know how much a cage costs? (A lovebird cage isn't even close to big enough!) And you Do know one cage isn't enough? Do you know how much your vet bills would be? Don't even get me started on food costs. Startup costs alone would be enormous. Maintenance costs are outrageous.

But him a car. It'd be cheaper. And a heck of alot easier!

 

[joyknights]

Thank you guys for telling me your insights about Cockatoo, I really do appreciate it. I guess I should look for another gift, or those lovebirds are enough. He is already 79-years old and is short-tempered most of the time.

 

[Inger]

My grandpa always loved to get stuff with pictures of his grandkids on it-mugs, t-shirts, mouse pads, calendars, etc. Maybe something with a pic of you and The lovebirds?


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