I am interested in adopting a Citron Cockatoo.can you give me any experiences that you have had with this type of bird. Noise level? Affectionate? Speaking Capabilities?
Answers:
Well, when adopting, birds do come with emotional baggage. Citron 'Toos are great at talking, but they do LOVE to mimic, so be sure to NEVER say anything bad around them. They don't learn to speak out of repetition, they learn what they want to learn, and sometimes swear words are fun for them to say because they get a nice big reaction out of saying them. All cockatoos are loud. End of story. BUT, you can control some of the noise. Never respond to a cockatoo screaming for any reason. Don't even look at them, much less talk to them or tell them to stop. Just ignore it. This way, they'll learn to speak when they want attention. All cockatoos scream at night but no more than half an hour. It's just their way of making sure that everyone is where they should be, and just call back "I'm here, It's almost bedtime" when they start to scream. Just say it once, then ignore the rest of the screaming. This will teach the bird that the phrase is YOU calling the flock, so it will know to listen for that, and will stop screaming once it hears the phrase. Some do scream in the morning as another flock call, just use another phrase like "good morning to you, too!". All cockatoos are affectionate. They LOVE to be held, petted and played with, and if properly socialized, will be great to bring into public places for outings. Just make sure that you know that a cockatoo is a HUGE commitment. They will probably live longer than you will, and are like toddlers. Don't leave them alone outside the cage or your furniture will all be destroyed in time. They need LOTS of toys, and don't spoil them by playing with it a ton when you first get it. Cockatoos need to learn to play quietly by themselves so that they don't start picking feathers or something when you're not home or can't play with them 24/7. Limit playtime to NO MORE than 5 hours (seems like a lot, but time flies with these guys) at first, and then keep dwindling the time until it's just an hour a day for a week or two. This makes it very special when they get played with for more than an hour, but for your busy days, the bird wont mind not being played with much. Cockatoos also have very damaging dander. It can make even those without allergies DEATHLY allergic to pet dander. Cockatoo dander is small enough to be inhaled, but large and "jagged" enough to do lots of damage to lungs. Get a GOOD filter right away, or in about 4 years, you will have to give up the bird due to allergies. A good filter is the honeywell portable true HEPA air purifiers (model 50300) because it does a GREAT job cleaning the air, has no ionizing feature, is small, cheap, and best of all, has a permanent filter that you just vacuum off when it gets dirty! The ongoing costs of filters is what's very expensive, so don't just buy a cheap purifier because it'll cost you in the long run. Also, get a very large cage. Cockatoos are escape artists and if they feel that their cage is too small, they'll just let themselves out (no matter what lock you put on the cage, trust me, I've tried them all) and start destroying your belongings.
I hope I haven't scared you away from getting one, but these are things that nobody told me before I got a cockatoo! Also, when adopting a bird, a mean bird is MUCH easier to train than a timid bird. If the cockatoo bites, it's either scared and aggressive, or hasn't been socialized enough to know that it's not allowed to bite. Both VERY simple to fix. Scared cockatoos take years of patience and lots of band-aids, so if this is your first large bird, get a nice bird if you can, but NEVER a timid bird. Leave those for the professionals to deal with (and even we don't like to work with them much because they're so unpredictable)
If you have other questions, comments, or want more information, feel free to email me and check out my website http://www.cockatootrainer.com/...
Call this lady her name is Tieler, She hand fed my African grey it's amazing.
718-928-5345
friendlyparrots.com
Cockatoos when they are socialized are extremely affectionate. They are like having a two year old around all the time. They love to cuddle and be petted. Love love love. Screech screech screech. Yes. As with all parrots they can be very noisy when you are ignoring them to cook dinnner or watch TV. And cockatoos always want your attention. They can speak, but they are not the best speakers in the world. Amazons, Greys and Ringnecks are better. But Cockatoos are good enough at speaking that you shouldn't be disappointed.
I don't have a lot of experience with cockatoos, met a few once they were cuddly but LOUD. But a rescued bird will come with baggage. There are a few that were just given up because of family situations but many are either screams or were once neglected and plucked, etc etc. Don't mean to scare you, but a cockatoo is a big commitment. They are already sensitive, so a rescue may or may not have too much baggage for you to ahndle. Be ready to expaect a bird with a problem or two. Rescues do what they can, but it takes a lot of work for some birds. Noise level: Loud, especially if they are a screamer! Affectionate: A rescue may or may not be but a healthy happy too is very very cuddly and very sweet Talking ability: Most cna leanr to speak fairly well, but be carely on what you say. they are listening! And whatever gets the biggest response is what is said and usualyl curse words get a big response, the bigger the better lol. Provide lots and ltos of toys in a big roomy cage to give the bird lots of exercise when you are at work/school. If you can't provide at least 1-2 hours a day then a too is nto for you. They are very complex and aren't for beginners, especially not a rescue. Toys are costly, about 20 bucks a pop on average and just think they need at least 6 in their cage at a time, the mroe the better, and Too's are destructive. They go through toys quickly, so you will constantly be replacing them. The cage will be costly, unless provided(not likely. Rescues need the cages for the birds coming in) But on the brightside(since I am sure I seem negative) Once they trust you: Theya re very loving and very sweet, and keep you entertained. but with a rescue it may take you longer to get in that situation. http://www.centralpets.com/animals/birds...
Do lots of research to prepare you for such a complex parrot.
I guess I'm super lucky with my lesser sulfur crested, as he only squawks when he's thirsty, hungry, or tired. He will sit quietly on his perch all day. He is not a feather-plucker, and he loves to be rubbed EVERYWHERE! He likes most new people, and accepts many into his flock right away, as he begins to preen their fingers. The only problems with him are the fact that he has horrible mood swings when overloaded with stimulation, he loves to pick the buttons off my shirts, and he puts holes in the couch and the shoulders of my shirts. I haven't taught him to talk, as I know he would never shut up if he knew how, and I value peace and quiet. He makes cooing noises for a few minutes when I cover him for the night (just before sundown, as he needs 10-12 hours of sleep every night).
So, you may get lucky, but I would learn about operant and classical conditioning training techniques prior to getting any animal, even a bird.
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