Yeah, I would love nothing more than to have an umbrella cockatoo, but after reading this, and a bunch of other posts, l just dont think l would have the patience. Hats off to all you loving cockatoo owners
Umbrellas and Moluccans are perhaps the most challenging of cockatoos. Other species such as Goffins and Galah/Rose Breasted can be more independent, less neurotic and destructive. If you are seriously interested, try to spend time with the smaller varieties and carefully observe a number of individuals to assess potential! I have a family of 5 Goffins and they are incredibly wonderful companions.
Umbrellas and Moluccans are the most challenging of the group and any parrot species for that matter. I dealt with pretty much all species of Cockatoo's and they are by far the most complex to deal with. They are highly intelligent and have the intelligence of most raptors and adapt faster then any parrot I dealt with over the years and can even learn complex stuff on their own without even training them. Like Baby my female U2 bite off a piece of her wood toy shimmed it down tried it to get it between door and lock of her cage, shimmed it smaller till it fitted between door frame and locking part and then successfully opened the door and took her a few minutes to figure it out. Next time around she removed the bolts to the food tray and bend the bar to top pivot point to frame and pushed it out and escaped cage again, while I was at work, then let all the other birds out opening the doors to each cage. Of course came home to a huge mess in bird room, thankfully no birds were hurt. They make great companions if you understand them and have the time to deal with them. The problem is most people get them on impulse thinking they make great pets like a domesticated dog, or cat and they are far from that, they are not pets. They are wild and have the intelligence of a primate even and pretty much need 24/7 interaction. They are very social and require constant attention and mental simulation to keep happy, otherwise they will become destructive and act out as a result.
Very rewarding when you treat them like companions and understand them and treat them as such. As my U2's are now free flighted and know directions better then I do at times as she finds shortcuts to park for example I use to walk with her and notice it on the GPS data as first time she was lost for about 3 minutes and figured it out by 3rd time around she manage to figure out a quicker way and will wait for me. She also knows not to come down low till I am there. They are great to interact with, yes they get into trouble, but as well can be very well behaved as Baby knows when I take her out in public to stay on my shoulder come down when needing to go poop and not to poop in stores, or car and wait till outside, they trained themselves as after a week she figure it out. When Cooper my male U2 want to fly somewhere, or to someone he knows like next door neighbor lady that baby sit him once in a while, he will put his head up and bounce to ask. If he to lazy to fly and want to use me as a Uber he lean over the direction he wants to go. He flock call the person over looking directly at them and wings heart shape out, Baby my female U2 taught him that one. They also remember places like the vet, Baby knows when we pull up to the vet building she aware it the vet as she hides behind me as soon as we walk towards the building. But at the stores she social, so yes they remember buildings, people and etc well.
