Newbie - Rescuing 2 cockatoos

[wingtas]

Hello! I’m so excited to join and learn so much for my feathered friends. We have recently (today) been approached to take in 2 male cockatoos. 34 yrs and 24 yrs old. Caged (in a very tiny cage) together. Similar to below photo. The older has plucked his chest feathers (main area), 24 has plucked almost everything but his big head feathers and his wing/tail feathers. They were rescued from someone previously (kept them caged in the dark most of the time, gave them alcohol, hit them). The older one, Mouthy, had a previously broken wing that healed but has arthritis and the younger, Angel, never learned to fly - just can glide. First meeting today and outside with tons of noise. They both let my husband and I hold them, Mouthy curled into my husband and started to fall asleep. The current owner is homeless and feeds them all food (fries, candy, mashed potatoes, chocolate). We really want to take them in but not sure if we would be good cockatoo parents. We have 3 cockatiels - 1 male (Charlie) and 2 females (Sandy, Rizzo). We also have children - youngest is 9. We do have a room we could make into a bird room for sleeping time and (a much larger) cage would be purchased. I work from home and the boys could spend the day with me in my home office. We have dogs and cats. We keep them separated when we have the cockatiels out. I know I’ll need to learn more about a cockatoos diet and care. I know they need lots of attention, mental stimulation , and care. The photo below is the rough size of the cage we have for Charlie (male cockatiel). The last is a photo of the cage we have for our 2 girls (Sandy and Rizzo). Would we be crazy? Could they get their feathers back? Can we adjust them back to a regular diet? I read we should feed and water them multiple times throughout the day. And mist them. Ugh! I have a massive soft spot for animals and children. Thank you in advanc for any advice

 

[T. gillii]

I say... do it. BUT in case things don't work out, you can have this be a "foster" situation until they find a soft place to land. Do you know of any parrot rescue organizations in your area that you could go to just in case? I also recommend reading lot's of information about cockatoos here, you have come to the right forum.

@sunnysmom any advice?

 

[Emma&pico]

And
@Xoetix any advice here

as at @T.gillii said you can always be the rescue and a stepping stone to a better life for them until you find a good rescue etc
That’s if things don’t work out for you having them fingers crossed please keep us updated

 

[Zara]

Poor little guys Two cockatoos in that cage is wild. I think that, if you had positive interactions with these birds, and want to take them in, then you could really turn their lives around. Let's be honest, you can't give them a worse diet or cage. Plus, you know the dangers dogs and cats can pose to birds, so you are not a newbie newbie.

@sunnysmom @April @JLcribber

 

[Xoetix]

I’d say do it you can’t be a worse situation than they’re in presently, and to reiterate what was said above - you can always be a stepping stone to a better future for them.

 

[April]

Oh that's so incredibly sad those poor babies. If your willing and able to dedicate the time,money and space needed to house two large Toos than I say it's worth it to give it a shot to help these poor souls have a better more loving life.

It's going to cost you a fair bit of money though to buy 1 large enough cage possibly 2 since once they are let out of that tiny prison into larger cages they may not end up getting along since now they won't be force into it by the space limitations. They may still want to be together but it's very possible that they may want their own space now that they finally have it so I'd be prepared for that possibility.

They will also need immediate vet checks being on a horrendous diet like they are and that can be very expensive depending on what all maybe wrong with them internally.

They may also end up being unwilling to want to be touched or interacted with much due to what they went through before hand. Their screams are extremely loud and can go for hours so you'd want to look up some videos on YouTube to get an inkling of what you maybe in store for.

But if you are still willing to try then good on you and I sincerely hope they will integrate well with your family and have much happier richer lives were they will finally be loved.

We'll be here to help you the whole way.

 

[Icey]

If it's feasible for you financially, I would say go for it.
Once they get settled, the noise level will decrease significantly.
They will require lots of love, TLC, toys, 2 cages to start, but most importantly a vet check, and an overhaul on their diet. I would give them mists to begin with, then they may prefer showers or baths.
If you decide to get them, we can all help you with any questions you may have.

 

[sunnysmom]

Those poor birds. If you tell us where you're located, I can perhaps suggest some rescues as back ups. What type of cockatoos? I can give you suggested cage dimensions or if you go to the website for Natural Inspirations, they have a chart for cage sizes. You also will need a good air purifier. Cockatoos are dusty. The other option is to just see if this person would relinquish the birds directly to a rescue if you think it may be too much to take on.

Hard to say if the feathers will grow back or if they will stop plucking. It depends on whether the follicles have been damaged. And plucking can be a hard habit to break even with improved living conditions.

I have a goffin and cockatiels and they are never out together, as you mentioned. I can give suggestions on diet etc once you decide what you're doing.

 

[wingtas]

We got them. Grabbed 2 large cages - just in case they want to be separated. Grabbed some perches and some wooden toys. Already had some fruit and veggies on hand. Mouthy has more feathers, Angel has plucked a lot more. Looking into an avian vet - I think there is one in the nearest city. I’m so glad they’ll have more space and a better diet.

 

[April]

Oh they are gorgeous I'm glad you got them. I'd really urge you to keep them away from your other birds. They've already been exposed but if you separate them into another room now and keep things sterile between them for at least 30 days that will hopefully be enough if they did have anything contagious.

 

[wingtas]

Those poor birds. If you tell us where you're located, I can perhaps suggest some rescues as back ups. What type of cockatoos? I can give you suggested cage dimensions or if you go to the website for Natural Inspirations, they have a chart for cage sizes. You also will need a good air purifier. Cockatoos are dusty. The other option is to just see if this person would relinquish the birds directly to a rescue if you think it may be too much to take on.

Hard to say if the feathers will grow back or if they will stop plucking. It depends on whether the follicles have been damaged. And plucking can be a hard habit to break even with improved living conditions.

I have a goffin and cockatiels and they are never out together, as you mentioned. I can give suggestions on diet etc once you decide what you're doing.

I’m in rural Iowa, about an hour NE of Des Moines.

 

[T. gillii]

I’m in rural Iowa, about an hour NE of Des Moines.

Here is a rescue in Iowa, not sure how far it is from you but hopefully not too bad of a drive, just in case.

 

[rocky'smom]

Congratulations you are now the owner of two cockatoos. My best advice is get them both into an avian vet ASAP. Their diets have been horrible and they really need to get checked out. I would quarantine them from any other birds in the house, until you can get a vet visit in. Start them off with warm breakfast of anything healthy oatmeal,no sugar no salt. Lots of veggies kale Swiss Chard, arugula carrots broccoli beets sweet potatoes cooked squash. If you handle them hand washing before you handle any other bird.

 

[Icey]

Oh they are both gorgeous!!!
I hope you can get them into an avian vet soon to rule out any underlying health issues.
Welcome to the crazy but wonderful cockatoo owner's world

 

[Emma&pico]

So gorgeous so glad they have found somewhere safe to land

 

[sunnysmom]

They're beautiful. Thanks for helping them. Those cages are actually too small for umbrella cockatoos. I know a big improvement for what they had but if you end up keeping them you might want to get bigger cages in time. The rescue I help with says minimum width should be 56 inches for an umbrella- at least 1.5 times their wingspan, although double is preferred. I also would not have their cages so close to your cockatiels. Little toes can get nipped off really quickly. They really look to be in much better shape than I anticipated, but a vet check is definitely a good idea. Diet for a cockatoo really isn't that different from a cockatiel. I would try to get them on a good pellet and start giving them vegetables. My foster cockatoo adored peas. I would just buy the frozen ones and let them thaw in the fridge. And an slice of apple was his favorite treat.

 

[Icey]

How are your new babies, Mouthy and Angel settling in?
Did you have a chance to get them into an Avian Vet yet?