New(ish) bird mama here!

[laurend]

Hi, all - name is Lauren, and Missy and I reside in Chicago!

Missy is a 14-year-old Umbrella Cockatoo who came to me a little over a month ago from my brother. She had unfortunately spent a good portion of the prior six months inside of her cage as my brother's first baby was born back in March. My sister-in-law is a super protective mama and did not trust Missy around the baby... so my brother reluctantly let me take her. A rough day for him, but I've adored Missy since I met her, so I was quite happy!

I'm coming to this forum from MyToos - I did not end up becoming very active there as I see criticisms given more often than help. So off to somewhere new...

Missy has adjusted to my home VERY well. I was not a new person to her; she has loved me for the better part of her two years with my brother. I'm unsure of the details of her background prior to that - all I know is that she was rescued by a woman who lives for a "hobby" of rescuing birds and finding good homes for them (my brother's home being one of them).

Missy's setup:

• Her regular cage is set up in our living room where she gets lots of light and can watch all of the crazies in my neighborhood when no one is home
• Her sleeping cage is set up in my bedroom, which is the darkest room in our apartment

Missy's diet:

• Missy is on a pellet diet but is given veggies/fruit daily
• Her favorite foods range from oranges, bananas, mangoes, corn on the cob, walnuts, peanuts, and the NutriBerries Popcorn
• She also loves dry cat food , and keeping her away from it is among my biggest struggles. There is no hiding place too high or too hidden for her (though she does let me remove it from her beak, so at least there's that)

My number one struggle with Missy has been hormonal/mating behaviors. Unfortunately, my brother failed to warn me about everything the rescue woman warned him about... so I let her "cuddle" (AKA nest) with me and I petted her under her wings until she sent me into a panic when I caught her panting in a strange position in her cage. She wasn't hurt/sick, just reacting to my behaviors... I have since discontinued any touching below her neck, and she is not allowed to nest. However, it's still a struggle - any advice/help in that area is welcome.

Overall, Missy is an incredibly well-behaved cockatoo... she does not fit the nightmare that some websites make 'toos out to be. Maybe I'm lucky, I'll take it, but she's overall very quiet (outside of all of the whistling and talking that she does, at least), very kind/gentle, and very calm. Chasing cats (supervised and in a playful manner, she's not aggressive towards them) is her #1 favorite hobby, she enjoys shower, and of course, dancing.

I think that's all... for now. And if you made it through all of that, I am impressed and as a reward, here is my girl:

 

[MikeyTN]

Welcome to the forum!!!!

I would say she's been raised properly to begin with if she's behaving that well right now. Generally they do not make good apartment birds due to their noise level so your lucky there! She's a pretty gal!!!!

 

[laurend]

Everything I read up until her arrival said cockatoos are absolutely NOs for apartments - I was PETRIFIED when the day came!

She became loud at my brother's when she was no longer allowed outside of her cage, and she was difficult when she first arrived in terms of noise. But she has just gotten better and better every week.

I still worry to an extent, but my neighborhood is rather noisy and we have a wild flock of monk parakeets here that are also quite noisy, so I have my fingers crossed no one will question her noise whenever she does get a little rambunctious and loud. Doesn't happen too often, but she IS a cockatoo.

 

[MikeyTN]

I had a U2 that was absolutely loud! Screaming whenever he knows I'm home or when he wants to see me. So consider yourself fortunate....but a little over a month she's still rather new yet. Just hope she don't change....