Noodles I would rather plough through walls of text and be exposed to a surplus of information. A person that believes they know everything is a fool, a fool that knows nothing, and knows that they know nothing is truly wise. I'm the first person to put their hand up and say I am a fool who knows nothing. I also believe that the only stupid question is the one left unasked. Which is why I will ask the questions that people may think are kind of stupid. I don't care if I make a fool of myself it will allow me to get educated. Ignorance is a curable affliction if one has the courage to ask the stupid questions.
I have made it abundantly clear that there will be no going back if we bring an RB2 into the house. While I can't say 100% that we wouldn't rehome the bird, as that's impossible, I can say that it would be an absolute last resort. There would have to be very good reasons such as being too ill or old to care for it properly.
Ngayuk was taken in as an emergency rescue. We had to decide on the spot without seeing the bird if we would take him. Of course I agreed. This is where my ignorance of the subspecies of SC2 bit me in the proverbial. Ngayuk was a greater SC2 and I expected a lesser. Realistically he was far too large for my home. Before the noise, before the fear aspect and before the issues with handling he was simply too big. This is a fine example of what happens when you do something on the spur of the moment without proper research. I would make the exact same choice every time even with what I know now though. I couldn't stand by and let an animal be killed. I would rather be a stepping stone to a better home even if it's not the best way to go about it. It's better than it dying.
I have been reading as much information as I possibly can on RB2's. They are certainly a more manageable size for my household. While they still have the potential to be very noisy and shrill they aren't as likely to be as noisy as the larger species of 'toos and not as shrill as conures. This time I won't be going in blind and neither will anyone else in the family. I won't have ignorance used as an excuse to rehome the bird. This time I go in with some idea on what to expect.
Thank you everyone for all your help and for putting up with my asking the same question repeatedly. Your advice and time spent has been greatly appreciated.
In middle school, whenever I raised my hand, I heard a sea of "UGGGGGGHHHHHSSSSS..." LOL (not funny then- funny now, because I really haven't changed much).
In high school, someone at a party came up to me and said, "oh, hey, you're the girl who asks all of the questions!"
haha!
I am and always will be. I respect that in someone else as well (maybe that makes me a bit narcissistic, but I think that anyone who has a question should ask and I always hope that everyone will answer in the most honest way possible--on here, in life, in general...
Like I said, I know that noise wasn't the only reason the SC wasn't a fit, it just was the main one mentioned originally (which is why I kept emphasizing that risk over and over), but I am glad to hear that everyone is clear and that you guys are going to have time to plan!
Cockatoos are like puzzles sometimes-- certain types are prone to being EXTREME challenges,collectively- they are fun (sometimes lol) , they are (able to be) loud--some louder than others, they are "crazy" (some "crazier" than others), they are STUBBORN and they are a TON of work (some, more than others lol)..but they are so ridiculous that you can't help love them. As long as you understand their behavior/body language and are very consistent with bedtimes, hormones, boundaries and enrichment, there is hope lol. You will want to shoot for closer to 11-12 hours of sleep on a schedule with a "too" than you would with a conure though-- they are like kids, where they sometimes don't want to go to bed for fear of missing out, but they have to or they will be cranky the next day.
Bed-times and wake-ups are like magic medicine for mine...when she doesn't have them, she's a mess. She DOES put herself to bed, but she has a dark, quiet sleep space of her own for when I am still awake...and I do get up between 5 and 7 AM daily (8 AM maybe 2x a a year) to uncover her because she is ready to get up quite early (because she goes to bed early)...5-5 basically for mine (although, as a U2, she often honestly needs 14 and will sleep until 6 if she doesn't fall asleep right away once covered). Yours probably won't be like that because it isn't a U2 lol, BUT, they do need more sleep (as a whole) than most other parrots).
My sister was visiting for a long time once, and she would get so irritated with Noodles during the day (never showed it to Noodles but would complain etc and get bitten sometimes-even though she is probably within Noodles top 3 people list). Then she said, "It's so weird, it's like all day long, I just want her to go to bed, but then in the morning, I can't wait for her to get up!"
They are NOT for everyone (obviously) but you guys have other birds and you are researching like crazy, so I wish you the best and I am sure if you stick with it, you will be happy - as long as you are 100% invested (maybe kind of crazy, but happy lol)
if you guys have the right dynamic and everyone is on-board, I am sure your new bird will be lucky to have you.
