Audree Horton, Executive Director, Feathered Friends Adoption and Rescue
The most problematic birds we take in are male amazons due to their hormonal aggression. Next would be cockatoos due to major behavioral problems created by owners who do not understand or educate themselves on cockatoo behavior. almost all of the toos we take in are screaming, biting, destructive, and plucking to some degree. I think you'll hear from any program similar to ours about the cockatoo problem. Many will no longer accept them. One permanent shelter, the Tropics, states that 50% of the total number of birds turned in to them are cockatoos!
We take in as many male amazons as we do cockatoos. The problem with them as I stated is aggression. But this aggression can be easily and effectively dealt with if owners would just educate themselves!
The other species are donated for a variety of different reasons. The birds that come in due to the least amount of behavior problems are cockatiels and parakeets. These are the only 2 birds that I would recommend to a first bird owner.
I would not under any circumstance recommend cockatoos as pets to anyone!
I could talk for hours about the problems with different species and why we take in 300 unwanted pet birds per year. The main reason for all of these unwanted birds is that people do not take the time to do research on parrots before they obtain them. Once they get a bird they do not educate themselves to be able to prevent behavior problems that they themselves cause and/or seek help when problems do occur. By the time we get them the problem has been going on for so long that the owner, although they may love their bird, won't work with the bird. They are at the end of their rope, so to speak. It's a very sad situation for everyone involved.
Personally, I think all persons wanting to get an any exotic pet should be required to take classes on their care and education before they are allowed to buy.
Audree Horton, Exe. Director
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