Last Friday, I visited the local parrot store I go to as much as I can. I asked the woman there what she thought made a better companion, an Eclectus, an Amazon, a smaller Cockatoo, or a Mini-Macaw. She replied that in her experience Amazons have been the best pets. I found this a bit surprising, but went along with it. She told me that they would be getting a Yellow-Shouldered Amazon baby in the next Friday. I hadn't ever heard of a Yellow-Shouldered Amazon, so I went home and did some research. In researching, I found that, according to their owners, YSAs are the most docile of all Amazons, sweet, cuddly, and smart. I thought that was pretty interesting and became more and more intrigued by the thought. I decided maybe I would just go for it and put down a deposit on the baby on Friday. I called the store and asked how much the baby would be, how old it would be, if it would be DNA tested, and how long it would be before weaned. They replied that the baby would be around 8 weeks old, DNA tested, it would come home around August, and that it was $1295.00. Whew, that's pretty expensive! However; YSAs are apparently pretty rare in aviculture in the United States. I still thought that this might just work, so we planned a trip to the store on this Saturday.
At the beginning of this week, I happened to be perusing the forums (when am I not?) and came across a thread about a very interesting subject. To summarize, it was discussing what happens when birds grow up, so to speak. As in, if you acquired a parrot as a baby, it sees you as it's parent. In nature, when parrots mature, they leave their parents to seek out lifetime mates. Therefore, if a parrot sees you as it's parent, when it matures it is going to want to leave to seek out an appropriate lifetime mate (albeit human or parrot). It really got me thinking.
As I was thinking, I thought about rescues. I tried to go to a rescue to visit last month, but they got shut down before I could visit... I cannot find a rescue within 5 hours of where I live, so that's out. All of the rescues that i have found have been to far away for me to adopt from. I am involved in animal rescue, mainly dogs and cats. I haven't been as active lately, unfortunately, due to moving and being pretty busy trying to get enrolled in college and working full time, etc. I used to help with volunteering, fostering, transporting, etc. I thoroughly enjoyed it and two of my dogs are from the Humane Society. I will never purchase a dog again. (Nor will I purchase a cat, but I'm not a big fan of cats anyway.) In working through rescues, I realize just how many dogs there are that need homes, etc. Although there aren't quite as many parrots, there are still many out there that need homes.
After thinking on this for awhile, I decided to just browse Kijiji. As I was browsing, I happened to come across an ad for a Goffin's Cockatoo. Now, when I first set out to get a parrot, I completely ruled out all Cockatoos. There is so much stigma attached to Cockatoos that I didn't want to take on that challenge. Then I stopped at a store and saw a Galah Cockatoo and thought I'd do just a bit more research. I did, and somehow came across Goffin's Cockatoos. I love their size, the way they look, their playfulness, their affection, etc. Since they are smaller Cockatoos, it is said that they are a bit "easier" than the larger ones. This is largely debated, I have noticed. Some sources say that Goffin's are smaller, quieter, and much less work than the larger Cockatoos. Some other sources say that Goffin's are even harder than an Umbrella Cockatoo. I think some of this is attributed to just what people think and the fact that they are stuck in their ways without even experiencing a Goffin's, but I believe that most of this is because, like each person and each bird, all Goffin's are different. I think it is most important to look at an individual bird than a whole species.
Anyway, I came across this ad for a male Goffin's Cockatoo about 2.5 hours away from where I live. The ad described him as sweet, snuggly, loves head scratches, etc. I decided to give it a shot (even if it was a shot in the dark) and e-mail the person who put up the ad. I got an e-mail back within a couple hours from her and she gave me a bit more information about him. His name is Ricco. He is 8 years old and she has had him for 4 years. He does the usual flock calls in the evening, but other than that he is apparently pretty quiet. (As quiet as a Cockatoo can be!) He likes head scratches and to be where people are. According to her, he talks, sings, and dances, which I have found is pretty common for Goffin's. Now, I don't know how much of this is true or exaggerated, but I decided I had nothing to lose. I asked for some pictures of him and she sent me some. He is literally the cutest bird I have ever seen. I fell in love with his pictures and decided I had to at least go meet him. After some back and forth e-mailing since we couldn't seem to find a date that worked for both of us, we decided on June 9th.
In his pictures, I can see that it looks like he is a bit of an over-preener. I don't see any bald patches, but his feathers are definitely a bit ragged. I believe this might be due to the fact that his cage is a bit small, he is on a seed diet, and/or he may not be getting enough baths or sunlight.
I am going to meet Ricco this Saturday. His owner seems confident that I am a good match for him. I am so excited to meet him! I can't stop thinking about his adorable face. I can only hope, dream, and wish that he likes me just as much. As people with birds know, birds are not like dogs. Birds are very choosy about who they like, so I am really going to try to get a bird that "picks" me and that clicks/meshes with me well. I am really hoping that it's Ricco.
