Just Wanted to Introduce myself

[Luke252]

Hi to all,

My name is Luke, I live in Sydney Australia, the land of the Parrots and more specifically the Cockatoos. I have been a fan of birds for many many years and finally discovered this forum, where I can share my experiences, share my knowledge, and learn new things from others. I have a 4 year old Opaline Dark Factor Blue Budgie named "Bluey" (****), An 18 month old Greater Sulphur Crested Cockatoo named "Larry" (****), A 6 month old Samueli Red Tailed Black Cockatoo named "Charlie" (Hen) and a 6 month old Eastern Long Billed Corella named "Max" (****). They are all Hand Raised and extremely Friendly and endearing birds which I just couldn't imagine life without. As you can tell I am a huge fan of Cockatoos, so expect to see me poking around that forum a bit. I am still in school currently, however work as the Bird Keeper at Kellyville Pets, Sydney. At Kellyville Pets we have over 60 different species of parrots and over 500 individual birds. Its a joy for me to be able to work with so many lovely parrots, care for them, and at the same time talk to customers and inform them on how to correctly take care of their birds. Its great to be here on these forum and I hope to get to know you all soon.

Luke.

 

[Luke252]

Sorry, where those *'s are I said C**k. As in Male Bird. Sorry about that. I will refer to it as Male from now on.

 

[antoinette]

Hi Luke and welcome to our awesome forum
Looking forward to seeing pic's of your wonderful flock
Wish I had your part time job, sounds absolutely awesome
Make yourself comfortable, it's going to be a long enjoyable journey

 

[henpecked]

Hey Luke, welcome to the forum. Nice flock of young birds you have. Maybe you can help out some of the folks who have questions .Alot of the questions we see here are about taking in older rehomes. Do you see much of that down under?

 

[JerseyWendy]

Hi Luke, and welcome to the forum.

GREAT flock you've got there. Do you have a few pictures you could share with us?

 

[Hayden1987]

Welcome to the forum luke,
Wow!! What a flock!!
I love all 3 species of toos you have..
Especially red tailed blacks!! Unfortunately in nz you looking at between $25,000 - $30,000 a pair! Just a wee bit out of my price range!!
I've handled sulphurs since i was 7... mainly one bird in particular! They really are comedians!!
Please share stories and post photos of your birds!! Especially the black cockatoo... haha

 

[Luke252]

Hey Luke, welcome to the forum. Nice flock of young birds you have. Maybe you can help out some of the folks who have questions .Alot of the questions we see here are about taking in older rehomes. Do you see much of that down under?

Thank you and yes we do see quite a lot of re-homing down here. Even where I work we take in re-homes and look after them until we can find them a loving new home.

 

[Luke252]

Hi Luke, and welcome to the forum.

GREAT flock you've got there. Do you have a few pictures you could share with us?

Hi and thankyou. I really wish I did have some on me but I don't and I am going away as of today for the next three days. Sorry. But hopefully once I get back I ll have some time to take some snaps.

 

[Luke252]

Welcome to the forum luke,
Wow!! What a flock!!
I love all 3 species of toos you have..
Especially red tailed blacks!! Unfortunately in nz you looking at between $25,000 - $30,000 a pair! Just a wee bit out of my price range!!
I've handled sulphurs since i was 7... mainly one bird in particular! They really are comedians!!
Please share stories and post photos of your birds!! Especially the black cockatoo... haha

Thanks, and wow! Didn't know they cost that much. Here in Sydney you can get them between $1500 and $2000. And once I get some time ill definitely be posting some photos and stories. I am currently finishing year 11 at the moment soon to do my prelims and then it's straight into year 12. But hopefully I ll find some time during the Christmas Holidays to get some albums and some stories up.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

Welcome to the forum You have one of my dream birds, the red tailed black cockatoo! They are terribly expensive here if you can even find a breeder. So cool!

Hope to hear lots from you and your flock

 

[Luke252]

Welcome to the forum You have one of my dream birds, the red tailed black cockatoo! They are terribly expensive here if you can even find a breeder. So cool!

Hope to hear lots from you and your flock

Thank you. The Red Tailed Black is by far my favourite as well. Here they are not that expensive ($1500-$2000) however you do need to manage a license for the life of the bird which is not that bad. Having only one protected native species I can apply for a native companion license which is only $45 for 5 years as supposed to $130 for only 3 years with a standard Native Animal Keepers License. And as I said before I ll definitely be getting some stories and photos up when I find some time.

 

[MikeyTN]

Welcome to the forum! You have some young birds there. You are aware of their potential issues during hormone changes right???

 

[baileysdad]

I adore Cockatoo's and would like to own one someday.

 

[Luke252]

Welcome to the forum! You have some young birds there. You are aware of their potential issues during hormone changes right???

Thanks, and yes quite aware. I have been caring for many young babies for years now. Many I have watched grow up. Such as Gonzo from work. She is a Long Billed Corella, I looked after her when she was young, now shes 5 years old. I ve seen what happens as they grow up, and trust me I am very experienced in taking some nasty bites. Its about trust and persistence, never give up, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Oh and BTW, I had to share this, but from my many many experiences, In my opinion, I' d rather be bit by a Mature Cocky than by a budgie, even though budgies don't even draw blood. Their bite is just so concentrated.

 

[Luke252]

I adore Cockatoo's and would like to own one someday.

They are so amazing!! Keep up your dream and never give up. One day you will own one. Just make sure before you do, do a lot of research and make sure you are ready, but once you are, they are the most amazing pets anyone can ever have.

 

[MikeyTN]

I rather take a bite from a budgie myself....lol....my worst parrot bite was from a cockatoo. A goffins to be exact. My second worst was from an Umbrella Cockatoo. And I've been doing birds for over 16 years. A bite from a budgie it is, to me lesser pain....lol

 

[Luke252]

I rather take a bite from a budgie myself....lol....my worst parrot bite was from a cockatoo. A goffins to be exact. My second worst was from an Umbrella Cockatoo. And I've been doing birds for over 16 years. A bite from a budgie it is, to me lesser pain....lol

Haha, yeah true, but I don't mind the on going pain of a cockatoo bite. Its the sharp pinching pain of a budgie bite I hate.

 

[antoinette]

I rather take a bite from a budgie myself....lol....my worst parrot bite was from a cockatoo. A goffins to be exact. My second worst was from an Umbrella Cockatoo. And I've been doing birds for over 16 years. A bite from a budgie it is, to me lesser pain....lol

My worst bite was from an Indian Ringneck on my finger
It took 7 weeks to heal and I still have the scars to prove it