unbrella cockatoos

Question
Hi I couldnt find anything about cockatoos in your experance but I thought Its worth a try so here it goes.......

I saw this adorable newly weaned unbrella cockatoo at my locale pet store, he was gentle and funny in his ways (he was twisting all over when I was petting him he almsot fell of my arm!), he seemed to be a very nice bird (something like I would want as a compantion). My questions are;

Are unbrellas really nosiy birds?       Whats there temperment like?

Are they prone to any illnesses?         How long do they live?

Do they make good pets for someone who has owned small parrots before such as cockatiels, isnt that afraid of being bitten, has alot of time to devote to one and has plenty of space for it?, I also dont really care if it will make a big noise as I am sure in the end it is worth the many headachs, I also have the money to take it to the vets when needed as well as spoil it rotten!  
                        Thank you for any help beforehand


Answer
Hi,

Umbrellas (any cockatoo or large parrot) is very noisy. And they can live to be 60 to 80 years old. So they are a lifetime commitment and will hopefully outlive any caregiver who has them. (If a cockatoo DIDN'T outlive their caregiver- the bird had medical issues, wasn't cared for properly or was bought by someone who was far too young to make a life-time commitment to one of these birds).

The only real illness (to my knowledge) that Cockatoos seem to be prone to more so than other birds is "Beak and Feather Disease". There is testing available for this.  

As far as temperment- this really depends on the individual bird and how they were raised. A cockatoo can be your worst nightmare, or your dream bird. It depends on your lifestyle, the way the cockatoo was raised as a chick, the training/handling the bird recieves throughout his/her life and his/her own individual personality/genetic make-up.

Don't be fooled though by a sweet, cuddly hand-feeding baby cockatoo. Like most baby animals, the true personality of an animal cannot be determined until the bird/dog/cat/etc... is an adult and sexually mature. Whereas dogs and cats are spayed/neutered (so very little of their personalities are affected by hormones)... birds are not fixed. Their adult personalities are greatly affected by their sexual drive in certain birds. Dominate male cockatoos can be very sweet and loving for the first 3 to 5 years of their life and then become very unpredictable when they read 4 to 6 years of age.

You can visit this website for additional information on the "truth about cockatoos": www.mytoos.com

This website might seem harsh, but it is all truth. I work with a bird rescue group, and we require all potential large cockatoo adopters to review this website first, so that they TRUELY know what they are getting themselves into.  I also try to encourage people to adopt an older cockatoo if they really want a cockatoo. I do this for a couple of reasons:

1) You will know the true personality of an adult/mature cockatoo. You will not know this if you buy a newly weaned (or unweaned!) baby bird.

2) So many people get cockatoos, before they realize the care and attention these birds need- and then get rid of them. The average cockatoo looses its home before its 5th "birthday" (and cockatoos can live to be 60 to 80 years old!).


If you have decided that a cockatoo is not right for you now, but still want to get another bird (or a large bird)... here is an article that will help you narrow down your choices:

http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww13ev.htm

I hope this helps! :)

-Maggie