I wish you luck on your choice. I hope you pick the too , I personally like to switch things up, try something new. Just listen to your heart and it will tell you what to decide. If you haven't already been to mytoos.com you need to. It is scary but very helpful. When I first read it I was like holy crap what am I getting myself into, but they have a lot of information on there that may help you. Probaly someone will disagree about going to mytoos but it can be helpful and knowledeable.  Or you can go to hornbeamaviary.com which is also a good site for toos

Indy, I know next to nothing about cockatoos. I had a breeder pair long ago but they weren't tame enough to handle so I can't help at all--except to give you a link to this site-- www.mytoos.com

There is so much reading material in this site. Much of it is scary but some is just good old basic info. I know you want first hand experience from us but those messages seem to be slow in coming. We do have lots of cockatoos owners here, but they must be busy with other things right now.

Hope this helps you. Perhaps other Too folks will be by after while to help you.

Annie

Since you said you want the good bad and ugly go to www.mytoos.com  They have alot of information. Also there is a too group on msn groups. I joined it when I got tiki

Indy, I just re-read this whole thread and my last reply sounds like no one has even replied. On the contrary, people I really respect have told you their feelings about cockatoos.  I apologize to them for minimizing their input into this thread.

Have you had a chance to go thru mytoos. com yet?

It is so hard to tell anyone what to expect from a species. The birds are all so different. Some people have sweet cuddly greys, for instance, and I have a pistol. He'd just as soon bite a hole in me as look at me. But he is so funny and enjoyable to watch and listen to that I can put up with the aggressiveness. I have learned to sidestep really fast.

Please let us know what you decide to do. We will certainly support you in any decision you make. 

Annie

 

Ok, where do I start? I had 2 Goffin's Toos that were rehomes and both pluckers. I got them in March last year. They were both very sweet even with their issues (which we've been working through) and were totally needy cuddlebugs. They were both plucking much less, playing with toys and with us. They were regrowing feathers... Then 10-2, there was an accident and we lost the little female, Baby Bug. A month and a half later this is still very hard. Kit, the male is plucking again, and more clingy than ever. Since we didn't raise them from a young age, it's hard to judge how they might have been. I know, I know... my birds are spoiled and a good bit of fault is my own. Since my hubby and I are both home almost all the time, the cage doors are rarely closed. As I type this I have Kit on one shoulder and Rica, my rehomed Alexandrine on the other. The bad thing is if I get out of Kit's sight, he'll call... The calls get louder and more panicky sounding the longer I'm out of the room except at bed time when I tell him 'goodnight'. Baby Bug had attached herself to my hubby Michael and every time he left the room she yell 'hello', 'pretty bird', 'Baby Bug', and she barked like a little dog. She was also starting to say somethings that I think were 'Michael'  and 'Papa' but I'm not sure as it wasn't very clear. She was afraid of the dark, hated the quiet and being alone. She never minded our cat Monkey, a calico manx mix, but was totally terrified of an orange tabby kitten I fostered for about 2 weeks until I found him a home. She wasn't crazy about the rabbits either. She was a major food mooch. She wanted anything that you were eating and drinking and was very nosy. She has left a very big, very quiet hole in our hearts and in our home. (if you can believe that with a G2, Alexandine, 13 tiels, a dog, a cat, 2 rabbits, and 2 very loud boys) Kit is even more nosy than she was and has picked up her bad habit of wanting to be in the middle of everything you have or are doing. He can be loud when he wants to be though. I wouldn't trade him fo the world.

I think only you will know if and when you are ready for any other bird, be it grey, too or some other. I miss Bug terribly, and half of me would love another, but the other half isn't ready yet, if ever. This point was brought home to me when I walked into Petsmart 2 weeks ago to see none other than a little F G2. I felt as if I'd been whopped in the stomache with a baseball bat. It took a good deal of effort to keep my composure. I lost a scarlet macaw 10 years ago. He was in the care of my sister and brother in law while I was getting resettled after a home fire. I don't know to this day if I could ever get another scarlet although I know I'd love another macaw. I can really sypmathize with you Peggy- although I didn't lose any animals in the fire itself, I lost nearly all because of it.

You are right to think twice about getting a too. They are extremely needy, totally clingy, demanding loving cuddlebugs and are not for everyone.  

Hi,    My Unbrella Cockatoo passed away. My Goffins stopped eating because she missed her Unbrella. I bought another Goffins to try and save my 20 year old Goffins and it did the trick. When I bought the 3 month old Goffins I also bought a 3 month old Grey. I love them both, but I was buying the Goffins for my other Goffins. I would say only buy one. If you want a bird that talks, buy the Grey, if you want a bird to cuttle buy the Cockatoo.

Tony

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Indy75, I have a LSC-Cockatoo, We got her from a rescue guy, she was in a bad way when we got her, But you would never know it now, she is my Hubby's baby,  She travels with us in our RV, she will do anything to be with the Hubby, she is so funny when he opens the door and walks in to the house, and speaks, you can hear her little feet coming across the floor as fast as she can, walks over to him and up his pants leg she comes. I have never figure out how to keep her on her cage, she is find till she hears her daddy and away she goes, I don't believe a bulldozer would stop her from getting to him. We have had her over 4 years now, she has never been my bird, but I wanted it that way, I'm just her care giver.

If you decide on a Too, they require a lot of your time, are a lest mine does.

I do not have any input about the too but I do have input about getting a bird right after the loss of one. We lost our quaker June 26, 2005 and it still hurts to see quakers. We thought that getting another one was the right thing to do so we went looking. After interacting with another Quaker at the breeder, I was devestaed. It reminded me so much of Zipper and I know I wasn't ready to replace him after we went to visit the one we were going to purchase a few times. We ended up getting an Amazon from her instead and it was so much easier. I know everyone is different but looking into that quakers eyes I saw Zipper everytime. All his noises his actions everything, it was too much. I still can't bring myself to buy another one.

I have recently acquired a lesser sulfur crested cockatoo (Phoebe), and she is a very complex but sweet bird.  She was hand raised, and that owner died, and his daughter gave her to me.  I have had her for two weeks, and she took to me right away.  She has nipped very mildly on occasion, but only to let me know that she didn't want to go back in the cage.  I did not flinch, so she saw I wasn't afraid, and she has been my little kissy baby ever since.  She is a very sweet bird, and says her few little sentences, but she picks up new words when she wants to.  She usually does that because it is her way of communicating she wants attention.  As far as cockatoos go, she is the sweetest little bird.  I have a Moluccan (Peaches) who is very sweet, too (I got her from the same person) but she is a little more independent than the lesser sulfur crested.  The Moluccan wants lots of attention, but she doesn't insist on the kisses like the sulfer crested does.  I have had both Greys and Macaws, too, and they are very sweet if handraised, and can love more than one person.  I would recommend any of these birds to you, I have loved them all.  It's all in the love you give them!  They are loving and emotional creatures, just like little children, and they all have their own individual personalities. 

 

Hope this helps you,

 

Elizabeth, Phoebe and Peaches

Hi!  I seen this post and wanted to let everyone know I got another grey in December.  I was interested in the cockatoo I was talking about but ended up I got neither of those birds.  It just didn't feel right.  I still really don't know if a cockatoo would be right for me but I love those birds from afar.

 

I had no questions at all when I seen my new baby.  He was 14wks old and even though it was hard to be around another bird that wasn't Allie it was love at first site.  He will be 11mths soon and is the sweetest thing.  I get my cuddles and he is a terrific talker.  Traits I love!  Even if he grows out of the cuddling he won my heart. 

 

Maybe some day I will get a cockatoo but for now the grey suites me great.

 

Indy