LETTERS....PAGE 2

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Dear Jerry,
 
I wanted again to thank you, not "just" for your candid website, but also for your personal response to my initial email. You have indeed helped us, as a family, reach a decision: we will not be purchasing the cockatoo. We may do great for the first 3-4 years, but I can only forsee disappointment for all those involved after that. And that is not fair to this Cockatoo - especially as wonderful as I think he is and can become.
 
I do want to tell you a little more. I was not completely forthright in my initial email. I am almost embarrassed to say (because of our near contribution to the pet store "pet sales" cycle), but both my husband and I are veterinarians. I do want to tell you this now though, as I would like to respond to the sad situation as much as I
am able through my profession.
 
My intent was to take a print out of your web-site to the store with the cockatoo in question. The store is PetSmart (even more to my chagrin).  Would you feel comfortable with me providing them with your information? I wanted to discuss with the manager the paradox of their dog and cat adoption centers and the sale of a bird that has a high potential of a "broken" home in the future. They obviously have no idea about the true needs of this bird. In fact, one of the sales women proudly let me know that this cockatoo had been purchased from the Kaytee Foundation in Florida (as, she said, all of their bird purchases are). My thought is: "...and... soooooooo????"
 
I did see the petition attached to your website and will work with it as much as I can on this end.
 
Thank you again for your help and cockatoo ethic - and please let me know if I may provide PetSmart with your information.
 
Ingrid
 
 

Thank you.

Diane C.

Hi. I loved your page and wanted to tell you my story. I got an  umbrella cockatoo from a pet store.

After I brought her home I noticed scars on her one leg. I didn't even have her one month and I noticed her digging at her leg so I took her to the vet. They had to put her to sleep to take skin from one area and put it on her leg. I loved her so much so please bear with me because this is so hard for me to write. When we bought her at first she wouldn't come off her cage but then she did start coming off of her cage all the time when she realized that she was with a family who really cared and loved her.  She was like one of my kids. I know most people
would have taken a bird back that dug like that but I didn't because I loved hersoooooo much.

I did everything I could to get her leg to heel but everytime it was almost healed she dug at it again. The pet store never told me she dug at her leg when I bought her.  When the vet did the surgery she told my husband the reason she had to take a piece of skin from another area is because she had dug at it before and that there wasn't enough skin there to repair it. I did everything the vet told me to do. I even would check on her leg at night to make sure it was all right. At times  I wouldn't even go to bed because I wanted to be their if she needed me.  If your child sick or hurt your going to keep a good eye on them and she was one of my children.  The pet store also told me she was five years old but told another person who was interested in her that she was a lot older.

I feel the pet store was wrong because they mislead me about my bird.  Not even five months after I had her she died even though I did everything I could for her. She hit a main artery and bled to death.  I even gave her CPR hoping that she would make it through the night so I could get her to my vet in the morning but she died about
two am. I haven't slept alot since she died. I loved her so much and she was my companion and my best friend. I have three kids and she was excellent with them. My kids all go to school and my husband works so she was got to keep me company and since I stay at home a lot I have a lot of time to devout to her. When I noticed the scars and that she was digging at her leg I was so attached that I just couldn't take her back. She was like one of the family. You wouldn't take your kid back because they had a problem and that is how I felt about her. I thought that I would have her a lot longer.  My whole family is devastated over her death because they all loved her. I
am grieving over her and I don't think it will go away for a long time. I cry alot especially when I am alone and I
think of how we used to be. She would play games with me and tease me and look at me and laugh.
She loved to dance. It just doesn't seem the same.

Now all I have left is my pictures and memories. The lady at the pet store knew I had just lost my cousin so how could she sell me a bird that she had to have known was going to die. All she saw was dollar signs and making a quick buck. The worst part is when I told  her her reply was she could get me a baby serfcrest cockatoo for eight hundred dollars. In time I would like to get another cockatoo but not right now and I want another umbrella.  I need time to grieve and I know it wouldn't be fair to the new cockatoo so I will wait no matter how much it hurts.

As for this pet shop I only have one thing to say you can't replace an animal after its gone and you can't take the pain away by replacing it with another.  You wouldn't go out and get another child if something happened to your child right away and this how I felt about my cockatoo. She was my fourth child. I did pay a pretty penny though for a cockatoo that I only had five months when she told me she would live to be eighty.

I was looking forward to living my life out with my baby. Now all  I do is cry and miss her so much. I wish she was here.  I was told that there was nothing more I could of done to help her that I had done everything I could for her but, it is still so hard to watch your baby die and feel so helpless. I wrote this story to tell you what happened to me and warn others don't believe everything a pet shop says because most of them are only in it for the money. I don't think I'll ever be able to trust another pet store again after what happened. I am writing to tell you my story in memory of my loving Cameo. I will always
love you Cameo and know that you are missed.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to tell you my story.

From Darlene W.

Just want to say...we were bantering happily about "What if we got a sulfer-crested someday? Or a big Umbrella?"  Even my small experience working at vets and growing up on a farm didn't provide the knowledge we received when stumbling across your site...We just sat for two hours and cried and read and were in awe...You have opened our eyes, not only to the plight of birds in general but to larger issues.We already were concerned for the welfare of animals, environment etc...But something about your site has awakened us to a deeper understanding.  We have agreed to volunteer a portion of our crazy lives to the local bird sanctuary and will NEVER own a bird again. (I once had the company of a beautiful lutino cockatiel.) We can't thank you enough.  Please keep up the good work.      Briana & Andrew
 

Hello Jerry,

I have been touring your site and I'm impressed and grateful.  I used to work at what was a decent petstore - seriously connecting pets with GOOD owners - but over my time there things changed, and I overheard my co-workers selling birds off to the most sadly inappropriate homes.  For my efforts at educating people properly,
I was relegated to cleaning and cash duty rather than sales, but I still have customers from that store who call with questions or problems.

I do what I can to direct people to the right kind of bird, even if that means a stuffed bird, because I have several birds that needed homes, included a crippled Moluccan whom I had to purchase from the store where I worked.  She is very quiet for a moluccan, but of course she does pick the absolute worst times to start screaming - like when we're on the phone, or just before 'whodunits' are revealed on the movies we watch (so we usually watch videos now, so we can rewind!).  I love the noise you have on your site, and she doesn't make those kinds of noises although she makes a more disturbing, annoying whine than any cockatoo I've ever heard.  :D   She provides a continuous challenge for us with her health issues, but your site really reminded me what a treasure she is and how I take it for granted when I hush her for someone I'm speaking to.

Our birds are out as much as they can be, as our climate and our neighbourhood are not suitable for an outdoor aviary, but all the same she needs a secure cage to be in and play from, as with her crippled feet she needs the bars of a cage to hold on to.  She loves to swing upside down hanging from her toenails, and she does love to dance but because of her feet she sometimes loses her balance dancing.  She is finally discovering the joys of really playing, and will happily wrestle, play catch and play peek-a-boo.   She truly is a darling and a joy, and I don't want to think what would have happened to her if we had not taken her (my husband and I).  I suppose being destroyed is better than being abused, but with all the love and joy she has to give I can't imagine destroying that unnecessarily.

However, I must say that I would much rather never have this wonderful love and joy if it meant that no birds were captive, and no birds had to suffer at the hands of ignorant, unscrupulous and even cruel people.  To mean that all birds could live their lives in the wild, I would gladly give up the privilege of my birds.  In the meantime, I am proud to be part of a select (and sadly far too small) population of individuals desperately in love with parrots and doing all we can to make our world kinder, warmer and happier for them.  I see a few comments on your site where people refer to God's plan for birds in the wild, and that whole point stings me the most:  I am a Christian, and I serve God with every aspect of my life including His planet:  I look on my wonderful birds as charges from Him, I am caring for them for Him as they cannot be in their natural environment.  What I cannot fathom is why more people who claim to love and serve God do not have any love or respect for the rest of His creation.  I do not agree with the worship of 'Gaia', and I do not believe that all animals are their own gods, but I believe that God sees every one of them as precious and wonderful and His creatures, and we should be treating them with that kind of love and respect.  I confess I break down and yell at my darlings more than I'd like (I'd like to never do it) but I am always quick to apologize when I behave wrongly to any of them (lovebird or macaw, and all in between).  It just drives me to distraction that people can foster the problems in birds of which your pictures demonstrate only the tip.  When I see what horrible things we are capable of, I am ashamed to be human.  The upside is that it renews my joy in my own birds.

Please do keep up the excellent work.  Discourage as many foolish decisions as you can, and encourage as many with the capacity for it to reach out in love as you can.

Sincerely,

Valeri McFarlane
Avian Behaviour Consultant
Behavioural, Introductory, Relational, and Developmental Services
www.B-I-R-D-S.ca

"A righteous man is kind to his animals"   Proverbs 12:10a

This is a very interesting website.  I am a firm believer that no one should own or breed any large parrot.  Regardless of the breed.  I have four parrots in my household ranging in size.  The largest one is a rescued Moluccan Cockatoo (we did know what we where getting into).  He is now 7 years old and at the most hideous of fazes of is poor captive life.  When we are not home he lives in a cage the size of most peoples dining rooms.  He is left along at most 3 hours per day, which in his mind is to long!  You are correct when you state Moluccans need to be with you all the time.  They are a flock or paired bird, we as humans are still loners.  I think this is the big issue with most people.  They don't understand what flock or paired means (group of, travel together, more then one, never alone).

Apricot sits on my shoulder, arm or the nearest perch depending on the room I am in. Because he has come to live with us, we can no longer travel (he won't eat when we are gone), our friends don't like to come over (he screams at them to leave, they are not part of his flock), he must eat in a community (with us), I am his mate, my husband is a parent, and my daughter is a sibling (one to be gotten rid of).  My husband and I have willed him to a large parrot foundation when we both pass away (knowing that he will out live us).

He is what I think of as a child for life! My life! Not his.  For he will live beyond me and will not understand why I have left him or where I have gone.  He loves me with all his heart and will not leave my side and if given the opportunity, defend me to the death (his).  Any of you who have a Moluccan who has bounded and is sexually mature know what I am talking about.  He brings great joy to our life's with his clowning around and singing.  He is loud yes, at night when the flock is called back to their sleeping place.  He does that job well and we come to him every night with our calls of good night and sleep well.  He then goes to his place and settles in for a good nights sleep.  He is interested in the things around him. He has taught us a greater patience about life and how it should be lived.  We are glad to have him in our life's and would not change the decision we made two years ago when we took him in.

Keep up the good work.
Any of you who may read this note!  Understand that God made all of us to live out our destiny in the
environment we were born to, not what man decides for us!  We don't own the world as Darwin or his kind believed.  We are here to protect it, so it will be here for the future of many!
"D"
 

Thank you for the eye-opening information that is so sorely needed in this area.  I have been browsing
the Internet for months now, and you have stated plainly, honestly, and in as non-hostile a manner as possible without sugarcoating the truth what so many other sites only hint at occasionally.  Sadly we live in a world where people have children when they want them, and dispose of them when they become annoying, ill, or they're just tired of them, and animals fare no better.  But where a child eventually
grows up and can (hopefully) function on his/her own, these feathered children face a dreary existence, far removed from the wilds that they have never known.  Creatures without a true place to call their
own, and long years to fill with little affection or mental stimulation.

Once again, Thank You for stating the truth, and if it saves even one person from making the mistake
of buying a bird they can't deal with, and saves one bird from an unhappy existence in a home that can't deal with it, you have served these creatures well.

J. H.

It is hard for me to describe what I felt when I viewed your web site; an overload of emotions is the best
I can do.  The fisheye view of the m2 and his beak was priceless- I call my m2 a nosebag and that
picture is such a truism!  Don't get me wrong, I love my m2, and my u2, but at the end of each day
that the (m2) gets through and is happy... I breathe a sigh of relief that perhaps I might be up to
the job.
I work three days a week, which they (the cockatoos) have been very generous about accepting, so I make sure in the morning before I go, and at night when I return, to pay special attention and give exercise to my 'too guys.

Every time I look at a rescue sight, and I have become friendly with one a couple of hours from here, I get sick thinking about all the wonderful souls inside those plucked and defensive cockatoo bodies that have been discarded by their owners, but when I think of bringing another home, I say to myself I owe the first responsibility to my own.

I hope that your web site can reach even one potential owner that would otherwise have purchased a cockatoo, and made them realize what a true marriage it is to live with one (or more). Divorce doesn't enter into a wild bird's vocabulary and they are not mentally able to adapt to home after home without permanent damage to their psyche.  Your web site is only being realistic, and those that love them anyway will admit that.  I love them anyway.  I do not get mad at my birds.  They are different from me and they need my dominance perhaps, but they are, in essence my equals.
Best Regards and hopes that you reach the masses.
-- Jill B --

About 3 1/2 years ago, my husband and I purchased a darling newly weaned Eleanora Cockatoo.  By
the time we got a suitable cage and toys, etc., we were about $2400 poorer. We named him Birdlee
(don't ask) and he became our hearts darling.  My husband had previously owned a Mollucan and had
talked about really wishing he could someday have another one. While checking out classified on the internet one day I found an ad for a 3 year old Mollucan male right here in our town.  I called the people and asked to see him.  We went to the peoples home and were introduced to a straggly, frightened
pitiful bundle of tattered feathers.  He was in a cage that I would have thought suitable for a cockatiel.

There were droppings several inches deep on the bottom of the cage. The food and water bowl were on the bottom of the cage, and guess what? Yep, they were both contaminated with droppings.  There were no toys, only one perch, nothing for the poor thing to do but preen, and preen, and then when he got
tired of preening, he preened some more.  I decided right then that even if that bird NEVER made a
good pet I was getting him out of there.  We offered $750. (they were asking $1200.) They said no, but called us later and accepted.  They told me his name was Grumpy because he was so mean!

I picked him up the next day and took him straight to the vet for a complete checkup. Miracle of
miracles, he was in good health.  Next stop was the local pet emporium where we purchased a Macaw size California Cage for him. We took him home and quarantined him for 60 days in our back room.
Within 2 weeks he was crawling into our laps and cuddling as if his life depended on it. He would have
let me hold him 8 hours a day. It took him a while to figure out what to do with those wood toys we
hung in his cage.  Now a large part of our budget goes for toys for the birds. We have had Buddy (Grumpy? I don't THINK so) for nearly 3 years now and he is also our hearts darling.  He and Birdlee play and entertain each other, and both of them get lots of cuddles and love from both my husband and myself.

We adore our Toos, but for us, two is enough. We have seven other birds, including 2 conures, an African Grey, an African Redbellied Parrot, a Tiel, a Greenwing Macaw and a Yellow Nape Amazon.
I work about 15 hours a week so I'm home most of the time.  Most of my time is spent just loving
and caring for my birds, several of whom are rescues.  I think you are doing a great service in trying
to educate people BEFORE they purchase an exotic bird. Hope I didn't ramble on too long, but this is
a subject dear to my heart.

Nina R.
California

I do hope lots of people see this before getting one of these birds.  I work as a pet parrot behavioural consultant in the UK.   I'm not involved in buying, selling or breeding of any birds or bird products.
As yet, I am not convinced that Cockatoo's should be made available to be kept as pet birds, though,
with the good quality of care you are advocating, many would be ok in captivity.   I feel, however, that most people will continue to regard them merely as 'property' or objects to be bought and (if they don't 'work out') to be sold as mere goods and chattels.   With this in mind, it would,  I think, be an
improvement to actually discourage the production of yet more of these birds in captivity (other than
for non-commercial genuine species conservation programmes combined with habitat protection schemes).

Greg....I couldnt agree with you more! If I were King of the world,
there would be no "Pet" Cockatoos allowed.  Its a daily struggle
to have a 2 year old human in the house, much less a 2 year old
that will possibly live to be 100! And no matter how much we provide
for them, its still not NORMAL.  How would we like being locked up
for the rest of our lives?  "Webmaster"

Thank you for your bold and right to the point web site. The reality of keeping Cockatoos in captivity is just as you have shown. I have been involved with parrot education, rescues and  sanctuary for 5 years, and know all too well the plight of most Cockatoos. I feel that these birds are NOT PETS. When you
see the conditions from where most of these birds came from, you begin to understand that these wonders of nature were meant to be just what god created them to be; birds.  They should be flying
free, mating, hunting, in their own jungle homes.
Please check out our site HERE

This is an eco toursim project to help keep the Moluccan from being
trapped on Seram, Indonesia for the pet trade.
 
 

My husband and I thought we were 'experienced' bird owners after rescuing a quiet and shy Goffin
who we've had for 9 years now plus having owned six parakeets (bless their little souls).  We laugh at
that notion now after adopting a 5 year old male Moluccan who came from  a stressful home where he picked many of his feathers. We were ready for feather dust, wayward poopies, chewed door frames, and the demanding need for constant attention and loving.  We were not ready for the screaming, biting, aggression, and territoriality, especially since we  were told he never bit anyone which was not true.  He's been with us for nearly a year and is a beautifully plumed bird, much calmer and happier than before, and he will eat almost anything, including broccoli.  We love him dearly and he'll be with us forever, but these large cockatoos are definitely only for the truly dedicated and most stalwart
of bird lovers. Your website has been very helpful to me and provides a great and
important service for these birds.

I would first like to say I was thrilled when I read your page about the responsibility it takes to own a cockatoo.  Actually not just the large parrots but many different species of birds.

 I work at a small pet store and I am the major keeper of the birds and other small animals.  And it does require so much to keep these birds happy and healthy.  I cannot tell you how many times I have heard these lines"  Oh how cute  i always wanted a cockatoo"  "How friendly he/she is its so beautiful honey lets buy it"  And most of these folks have no clue what they are getting into.  They can be a wonderful addition to a family, if you can give them the attention and care they NEED, not just what they want.  I cringe at first time bird owners who think that it will be easy to care for them.  I do my best to tell them
it is not as easy as you think!!

 I would like to print your page to show some of these customers just what they are in for, not just for a short time, but for the long haul.  They are just like raising kids.  In fact that's what I call them at work, my adopted kids : ).  I commend you for being straightforward about ownership of these birds.  You received a standing ovation at my home and I would like to pass this on to others, who with good intentions may wind up putting birds up for adoption.

Thank you

 Summer

I recently read your website and was convinced once and for all that I have done the right thing for Cokie.  Cokie
is a five year old male moluccan.  He is very loving and smart.  Cokie came into our lives about 1 year ago.  He
was four years old.  His previous owner was a young woman who had him since he was weaned.  She accepted a traveling job and this prompted her to place an ad for Cokie in the newspaper.  My son, 13, begged for a cockatoo.

We had no experience with large birds.  (We did have a pair of cockateils).  I believe what you stated in your website about it not being wise to start with such a large bird is right on the money.  Cokie required a lot of attention, specialized diet (not just giving him pellets).  Anyway, Cokie bonded with me due to the fact that I was
the one really taking care of him.  I loved Cokie more than any pet I have ever had!  That's why recently I made
a tough decision.

I accepted a new job in Northern Virginia and my family and I had to relocate from Atlanta.  So,  I decided to talk with my parents about having Cokie stay with them during our move.  The plan was to bring Cokie back home
after we settled into our new home.  However, my family and I went home (to my parents) for Christmas.  I was very excited to see Cokie.  What I learned during my visit was that Cokie was so happy.  My mom doesn't work
outside the home so she is home all the time.  Cokie's perch is located inthe kitchen where my mom spends 80%
of her time.  His cage is also located near the kitchen.  My parents are devoted to Cokie.  I do worry about what
will happen to Cokie when the time comes that my parents can't care for him anymore.  Maybe by then I will no longer be working and be able to give Cokiethe home he deserves.  Buying a Cockatoo is a BIG commitment
and shouldn't be taken lightly.

I just found your website and called my husband in to read along with me. FINALLY, a website about cockatoos that isn't from a breeder!  We share our home with Myles, a Moluccan cockatoo, who came from a home where his primary diet was candy.  He's been in our family for over 5 years now and he
still doesn't have all his feathers (although he looks like a different bird from when he first came to live with us).  We also have 2 cockatiels, 3 conures and one little mix the vet hasn't been able to pin down
for sure. All of our birds are "throwaways" and all have some amount of carryover behavior problems.
I would love to know if there is a good source to contact on making rescue birds as happy as possible.
I wish I could return all of them to where they should be but that's not an option so we are doing the
best we can.  Most of the information out there, unfortunately, is focused on handfed babies; I am more than certain that now of our bird family was handfed.  We adore our Myles but I really need more information on helping him to remain happy and as well-adjusted as possible.  If you have any
suggestions I be very grateful.  In any case thank you for such a responsible, humane website;
it's nice to know we're not alone in how we feel about our birds.
                         Thank you
                                                            Kathy and Bob