*I was sent to your site by one of my customers
who has been thinking of purchasing a baby too, it scared her to death.
I am one of the good guys who educates. The problem I see with your
site is
that it is so obviously one sided. If
you are going to have an informative site, which yours is, then perhaps
you should consider the other side too.
There is a wonderful side to big bird ownership
when you purchase from the right breeder, for the
right reasons, and provide the right home.
I have been raising birds for 10 years and
I get e-mails, calls and letters all the time from my old customers
just to thank me and tell me how their bird is such a big part of their
lives and family,
yes even to too owners. They will
even bring their birds back to visit an say hi. So no it is not all
negative, with any pet ownership you will find unwanted, neglected and
abused pets, as awful
as that is, it is reality, so I respectfully
request that you present the other side too
.
The hand fed baby really has not been around
that long and we are learning new things about these wonderful creatures
every day, in a perfect world no animal would be a pet, nothing would be
in a cage, there would be no starvation and kids would not be killing each.
No habitat would be destroyed and no animal would be poached to the brink
of extinction, with captivity as the only hope for survival of the species.
But in the meantime we have to deal with what is out there. Education
is the key and unbiased information is the best information with no hidden
agendas.
I will be interested to see if you publish
this letter on you site. Jo Gee
Ok Jo... Your letter has been noted. I thank God
that there are breeders in this world
that actually TELL THE TRUTH about what toexpect
as the owner of a cockatoo. Unfortunately, there are new "Bird Mills"
starting up every day. There are also breeders that will sell to anyone
with the cash. Did you know that the new status symbol for drug dealers
are Moluccan, Umbrella, and Greater Sulfur Crested 'Toos?
I do not deny that the large 'Toos can make the
worlds best companions. If they didnt,
I would not spend so much of my time attempting
to protect the over 90% of large 'Toos that are abused or bought and sold
every few years like so much livestock. The pet store trade will
always be a much bigger market than a private breeder. This means
that if a person buys a cockatoo, there's a better chance he or she bought
it from a pet shop.
Now, you know as well as I do, what kind of info
most pet shops give to prospective buyers. Lets face it....if they really
told the truth, they'd hardly ever sell a large cockatoo. Most pet
store shoppers are terrible candidates as cockatoo owners. They are
often
"point of purchase" buyers. Especially if
they have money and little Sally is screaming
at the top of her voice "But MOMMY I want
that birdy!!". "Ok Sally, mommy will buy it for you"
Jo, here's the bottom line: I would much prefer
to scare away a prospective cockatoo owner than have that owner find out
too late what they're in for. I get hundreds of
letters from people who saw my site AFTER they
purchased their 'Too and wished they had seen my site first. I also
get a few letters from people who have a wonderful relation
ship with their 'Toos and wouldnt trade the experience
for the world.
Here's my problem:
Right now I have 1200 letters from frustrated 'Too
owners. I have maybe 25 from satisfied 'Too owners. (And most
of these were rescues that took a LOT of time and patience to bring back
around) I also get reports from parrot rescues every week.
Its disheartning to read what I read every week.
And its only going to get worse before it gets better.
NOW.....
Are large 'Toos wonderful? yes.
Are babies and children wonderful? yes.
Do they both cause problems and sometimes
cause you to pull out your hair? yes
Can you sell your "problem" child? No
Can you sell your problem cockatoo?
Yes.
IN CLOSING....
There are few in this world that are equal to the
task of cockatoo ownership. All the
love in the world wont help if you leave that bird
alone all day in a cage. All the "good intentions" in the world wont
help the prospective owner if he or she doesnt have a firm idea of whats
required of them for the REST OF THEIR LIVES.
But for those that DO know, let me say this:
You are the luckiest human on earth to be
associated with one of the worlds most majestic
creatures. And you should pass along to others the pleasures and the pitfalls,
in order to protect this wonderful companion, because a great relationship
doesnt just happen. It takes work, love, and patience. If
you have that, you will truly have something special....
Jerry
PS...PLEASE whatever you do, read a fantastic
article written by GREG
GLENDELL by clicking HERE
From Iris
You seem very negative about owning a cockatoo. I would be very happy
to give you a long
list of all the positives in my life since Scooter found his way into
my heart and my home.
Believe me his screams are close to the sound of the M2 however he
doesn't do that all day
long and I am not the least bit intimidated by the noise. Yes, he is
a two year old I love him
just the way he is and I don't need him to act like anything more than
what he is and
that is a beautiful white COCKATOO!!! Iris_Tiel
Talk Administrator
I'm glad you're having a good
relationship with your 'Too. Cockatoo screams (as I have stated
on my website) are music to my ears also. But to most people they're
not. Also as I state on my website... I am not anti Cockatoo... I'm
anti cockatoo OWNER in most cases. Because people don't know what
they need to do in order to care for one properly. This is why the
rescues are full of cockatoos. This is why they are shoved from home
to home like an unwanted step child. This is why they are abused
and neglected. The owner of one of these large birds better be ready
to commit
a lifetime of patience and love,
and lets face it... few are up to the task now days in
this "throw away- latch key
kids" world we live in.
Continued good luck!
Jerry
Dear Jerry:
I sent you an email a few months back about my Moluccan male cockatoo,
JoJo. If you recall, JoJo had taken a bite out of my nose, requiring
5 stitches. You were kind enough to talk to me on the telephone and
provide me with meaningful information and offer practical suggestions.
I have,
since our telephone call, followed your advise and suggestions.
If I may, I would like to share a
very exciting event that occurred today for the first time since
I came to own JoJo almost four years ago. I FINALLY picked him up
with my hands! I thought, if he bites, he bites...it can't be worse
than the bite he had already taken out of my nose. And so,
without hesitation, I placed my hands under his belly at his feet
and firmly said, "Come on, JoJo...Step up." And guess what?
He did with little fussing. I then walked him over to his cage
and placed him on his perch inside. I was so thrilled! What
a pay off! Thank you Jerry, so very much for all your help. I know
I still have a ways to go because I still have a lot to learn. But
so far, things are looking brighter for JoJo and I. Having
Rubi (a green-wing macaw) around him while I am at work also seems
to have significantly helped
out and improved his mood---not to mention assist in getting him
to change his diet from mostly seeds to pellets, veggies and fruits (and
still occasional raw beef). Both of my birds LOVE your recipe!
By the way, the two of them are now friendlier with one another.
I also bought a new playgym
and immediately placed both of them on it on opposite ends and stepped
back. After some fussing from both, the two of them finally "worked
things out." Today, Rubi rubs the top of JoJo's head, his face, and his
beak with her beak and JoJo, well the ham that he is, he just loves it.
Thank you...Thank you, Jerry, for your honest, direct, and meaningful
help.
DMJARAD