(Caveat Emptor)
What you are looking at is one of the most
intelligent, loving, beautiful and destructive animals to ever be put on the
face of this earth!
When you look at that angelic face
and the beautiful white downy feathers, you have to ask yourself
how could anyone with even half a heart ever neglect, mistreat or abuse one of
these beautiful creatures? The answer to that is most likely as shocking
as the thought of anyone doing this beautiful bird harm! Believe it or not
the answer is you!!! If the thought of you doing harm to this bird is
appalling then you certainly have a heart and the harm that you could do, would
most assuredly be inadvertent but it's harm just the same. Read on to find
out why.
When our friends Rich & Lori got an Umbrella
Cockatoo we thought nothing of it as they have had birds since we've known them
and although we thought that they were beautiful, never really took a big
interest in them. That was, until they got their Umbrella Cockatoo
"Shelby". She was just a baby being hand fed, tripping all over herself
and so awkward that she was absolutely adorable. We had never seen such
personality displayed by an animal before and were completely blindsided by her.
For an animal with no lips we were so blown away by how expressive her face was.
It's truly hard to describe. I guess Carolyn expressed it best as we left
Rich & Lori's one night when she said "I want one too!!" and proceeded to give
me "that" look. Like any other sap that falls victim to "that" look, I
knew what had to be done. Me, being smarter than your average bear, didn't
jump right away. As I had learned from previous experiences, it is always
best when you "surprise" your significant other. "Surprise" meaning they
know that it is coming but they are giving you a grace period so let's not
procrastinate too long. Knowing that she was going to visit our daughter
and grandchildren out west in a month or so from that point, I knew it was best
to start planning and doing my research then and fully execute my plans while
she was gone. It was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make.
I had several moral dilemmas to overcome first. The first problem for me
was caging a wild animal. As like anything that we do that goes against
our moral fiber, I found myself compartmentalizing the situation to help ease my
conscience. Now if someone had offered to go into the wild and "catch" one
for me, I would have certainly had a few choice words for him/her/them.
Since our Abby was coming from a breeder I knew she was already imprisoned and
knew at least that she would be going to a better home than most people would
have offered and that she would be with us until our death as Carolyn and I both
take commitment very seriously. No matter how hard she may be to handle
some days and no matter what in our home she destroys
, she will be with us until "death do us part"!! We couldn't imagine life
without her, no matter how difficult she makes it for us at times. No
matter how you bend it, stretch it or lie to yourself, poor Abby got the crappy
end of the stick. We know this and bend over backwards to make her life as
good as it can get. She should be out flying free doing what she wants to
do and enjoying her life, instead she is stuck here with second best and we try
to never let that thought escape us. The other moral dilemma that I had to
"overcome" was the fact that for her "safety" we would also have to clip her
wings and in doing so take away her given right to fly as nature had intended
her to. She can however, fly limited distances
, much to my relief, and when she falls from her play area on top of her cage,
she has enough lift for a flawless landing. You have no idea how relieved
I was when I found out that clipping their wings was not some kind of
debilitating and grotesque form of surgery that only the likes of Dr.
Mengle would perhaps enjoy performing. When I found out it was merely
trimming the outer eight feathers on each wing periodically I suddenly started
to feel less like an ogre and more like the compassionate person I had always
believed that I was. I am told it's no more painful than getting a
haircut. Of course I had to think back a lot of years and I mean A LOT of
years to remember exactly what a haircut felt like. Well near as can
remember I can't seem them to recall them causing me any physical pain,
psychological maybe (I am a nonconformist big time) but nothing physical.
If the truth be told I actually have vague memories of them being quite
relaxing, until of course you saw the aftermath in the mirror and knowing you
paid for this crap. But we're here to talk about Abby and other Umbrellas,
so let me get back to the story (I knew you wouldn't mind doing that, I do
ramble!!!).
Well, needless to say, despite all my research and all that I THOUGHT I knew, I quickly realized just how really unprepared I was for what lie ahead for us. Being that it was I that did the research and not Carolyn, imagine how blindsided she was when WE found out that MY initial research didn't even begin to scratch the surface of the complexities of not just owning but truly caring for and helping to thrive, one of these magnificent creatures. Fortunately for Abby someone is at home with her 24/7. She is only left alone for short periods of time here and there. Here is the point in the story for me to interrupt this diatribe briefly to list some questions you have to ask yourself before you buy a cockatoo, before I lose your attention, if I haven't already. Please for the cockatoo's sake and for your own as well please be honest with yourself when answering these questions. It will save you a world of grief and the cockatoo a miserable existence.
1. Finances: Are you financially prepared to own a cockatoo? Let me list the reasons why this is not a stupid question and although in spots it may seem like it has been plagiarized from mytoos.com, I assure you it is not. This comes from real life experiences here with Abby. I will give you a final tally of Abby at the end of this.
a. The Cockatoo - Prices for a healthy bird can range anywhere from $800 to $1200 and that is just the initial "indoctrination" fee as the dollar figures quickly rise throughout your relationship as you will find as you read further down the line.
b. The Cage - As far as I am concerned there is no cage large enough for these beautiful little creatures, unless it is the size of New Zealand and we all know that won't ever happen. But if you think you can stick a cockatoo in a canary cage just because they MIGHT fit inside, think again. So a "decent" and I use the word loosely, size cage should cost you somewhere between $500 to $1,000. I would be very suspect of a cage that cost less than $400 as they are likely made of or painted with materials that could prove to be harmful or toxic to your cockatoo.
c. Veterinarian Bills - First off you need to find an avian specialist. Taking a bird to a vet that deals with mainly cats and dogs would be the equivalent of going to a dentist to have a brain tumor removed. With the word specialist, the fees automatically go up. We suggest upon buying your bird to take it for a "well check" to make sure that your cockatoo is healthy. This cost us (and I'm sure the cost is pretty universal give or take a few dollars) just shy of $200!! We've also had two late night emergency runs to the vet to have three broken blood feathers pulled, 2 on the first late night run and one on the second trip. If not taken care of post haste, your bird can bleed to death faster than you would believe possible. Both of these occurred in the space of three days and cost $200 a pop. Yes you can pull these yourself but it has to be done very carefully and therefore we leave it to the professionals.
d. Food - Food and food waste also fall into this category. We currently alternate between two styles from two different manufacturers, one cost about $36 for a twenty pound bag the other about $54 for a twenty five pound bag. Also consider the nutritious treats (a requirement for the health of your bird) which can add up to an additional $30 to $50 per month. Now the 45 pounds of food will actually last us about 45 - 60 days but the same as with the treats about 70% of that winds up in the trash. So if we figure things at the top end of the cash but the longest duration of time for the food you are looking at a grand total of $190 in food purchases every 60 days with $133 of your money and the food going in the trash. Kind of astounding, isn't it? But wait it gets even better from here because now we come to the..................
e. Toys -
To Be Continued..............
Yes I Can Bite !
Lookin' For Trouble.
