Bird Search update

@Kyeh This one didn’t say a word-even when all the birds around him were making noise so fingers crossed.

@Felton10 @Kyeh Please do be aware that cockatoos ARE loud. All of them. Lovable, yes, but there’s no escaping that at some point (or points) during the day, it will get noisy. Likely to participate in “evening flock calls”, even with no other birds in the house. Ours had a particular penchant for starting to ‘mutter’ when we would be talking on the phone, which would escalate in volume and intensity until it was quite plain to the person on the other end that there was a demon in our house. Unfortunately, any effort to shout down the bird by telling it to be quiet or telling it to shut up is likely to cause the bird to try and be louder than you, and it WILL win. Also, your average “bird toy” will likely not last for very long (unless the bird toy industry has made tons of progress in the last decade or two).
They also do require a lot of attention. Likely more than an African grey, although likely to be less high-strung than a grey. Not quite as prone to plucking as greys can be.
Also, I seem to recall that you mentioned that Walter had bitten your partner and she was less than thrilled about that? Be aware that a cockatoo’s beak is sizeable. They are not usually as likely to “test” you like a macaw can, but should they decide to bite because they’re startled or something, it WILL hurt (and almost certainly draw blood).
Also, if you habitually let your bird climb on you, a cockatoo has a bit more weight than a grey, and therefore their climbing can be a bit… uncomfortable. If you do become a human jungle gym for a cockatoo, and they decide to turn upside down and swing from your arm or something, it can be… intense. Adorable, but intense.
Now, if you’re open to conures as well, I’ve known a few sun conures that were delightful. I think of them as the clown of the bird world. Very entertaining and trainable. On a side note, they are a much smaller bird, so any climbing on you will be much more pleasant than a cockatoo, plus a much smaller beak should a bite occur. Can still draw blood, of course, but on a smaller scale.
In my experience, they’re a great bird for a beginner or a more experienced handler. Also, not as long a lifespan as a grey or cockatoo, which is of course a consideration if your son is not a “bird person”.
Should you settle on Goofy as your new companion, I’m sure it will be a fulfilling relationship, as they are lovely birds. But do not expect it to be a quiet relationship, no matter how he may seem at the moment.

@Doooood @Felton10 @Kyeh Years ago my friend had a cockatoo and several cats. Usually they got along, would cuddle up with each other… And then one day the bird bit one of the cat’s tail and broke it badly enough it needed amputated. I’d second that they can do serious damage with a bite if they choose to bite you. That being said the bird never bit her or her two kids.

@Doooood @Kyeh I read your post to my wife after I had read it and you could see she got nervous. We will have to see how the one on one with the bird goes. We plan to go very slowly if we decide Goofy is the one and let him go as slow or as fast as he wants in getting used to us and his surroundings.

I think that we would be more careful with a bird of a different species rather than a Grey given that we would expect him to react like Walter and be frustrated or even mad if he didn’t. With a new species we would have no preconceived notions of how it should act and therefore be more accepting of his actions.

@Kidsandliz Didn’t know that birds get a rush of endorphins when the pull their feather which supersedes the pain so that is one reason they continue to do it. Walter said FU probably because he heard me say it about clients when I was working and his cage was in my office next to my desk.

@llangley That is what I thought also.

@Felton10 That seems wise.

@Felton10 Yea! Done with speed dating. Nice start to a new relationship.

@GetClosure Well with that meeting we get to take him in a separate room and out of the cage so that is where the fun starts. Might have to get a new cage for him as the one we had from Walter might not be big enough.

@Felton10 Yes, I forgot to mention that in my other comment, but you will want a large cage. I can’t remember how big Walter’s cage is from the last time you posted a pic of it, but you’ll almost certainly need to upgrade. You’ll probably also want to get a throw or a blanket big enough to completely cover the cage at night. Might not be a bad idea to start covering the cage a bit before your bedtime, to encourage the bird to ‘settle down’.

@Doooood The lady from the sanctuary already asked for the specs on Walter’s cage and was going to compare it to the size of the cage the bird is in now and tell us whether we need to get a bigger cage. Hope we don’t as Walter’s cage is SS and to get a bigger SS cage would involve a considerable outlay of cash-probably 4 times the cost of a non SS cage.

@Felton10 So sorry it didn’t work out right away. I have no experience with birds, but with the dogs I’ve rescued I learned that “you know when you know” and not to rush into or force anything. It sounds like you have a good handle on things — I wish you the best of luck next week

@llangley It is somewhat disappointing. You would think a track record of how you treated and took care of a previous bird would be the overriding factor in an adoption. I know Walter wouldn’t get on someone’s hand they didn’t know and to maybe disqualify someone for that reason seems a little arbitrary. Kind of takes the excitement out of going through the process.