Anyone of you here keep a Cockatoo?

I was in JB last year. I visited a pet shop. It has a few cockatoos, an African Grey and a blue Macaw. All the parrots were very tame. I was very fond of the Macaw. It was very playful and also a very good talker. It could say Gong Xi Fa Cai, Hello, Ni Hau Ma, Omi To Fo and many more. The Macaw always ask for a hand shake by lifting its foot and said 'shake hand'. Before I left the shop I bid farewell to the Macaw by saying bye bye and I was shocked that the Macaw waved one of its feet and replied 'bye bye'.

I nearly bought a Cockatoo which the owner offered me $2,500. But some how the wing was a bit cacat.

It was my dream to get a cockatoo back in the 80's. It was selling between $400 and $800 then.
I was at Brickfields pet shop a few months back and was told cockatoos are now priced between $5K to $8K!

I remember I bought a cockatiel for only $45, now it is selling at $180.
And a Lori at $120 but now it is at $900.
What a price increased!

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Added on April 28, 2008, 6:52 pm$8K for a macaw? I was quoted $16K for that talking Macaw.

This post has been edited by 4Rings: Apr 28 2008, 06:52 PM

Where to find breeder?

WOW! You so rich. Wanna buy 3 or 4 Macaws.

BBC News

Experts have dismissed the claim that a 104-year-old foul-mouthed parrot once belonged to the wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

Charlie, a blue and yellow macaw, is spending his twilight years in a garden centre in Surrey and his owner Peter Oram says the bird used to live with Sir Winston Churchill in his heyday.

Mr Oram says his father-in-law Percy Dabner sold Charlie to the former prime minister in 1937 and then took the bird back after his death in 1965.

The Churchill family has questioned Mr Oram's story and historians have said they are unsure if the leader ever owned a parrot.

The bird entertains customers at the Heathfield Nurseries, in Reigate, with a string of obscene anti-Nazi tirades, which Mr Oram says Charlie picked up from Churchill.

Staff at the National Trust's Chartwell property, Churchill's former country home in Kent, said they had conducted a thorough search of records and photographs but could find no evidence of him ever owning a parrot.

Judith Seaward, marketing manager at Chartwell, said: "We really looked and looked and know he had a budgerigar and all sorts of other animals.

"He loved animals, he had dogs, cats, pigs - but there's no record of a parrot.

Standing by the bird

"We have searched what we've got here and spoken to members of the family who I really thought would have known."

Staff at the nurseries were standing by the bird on Tuesday and defending his claim to fame.

Sylvia Martin, Heathfield's nursery manager, said: "He definitely did belong to Churchill.

"My boss Peter Oram's father-in-law sold the parrot to Churchill and when he died they were asked to go back to Chartwell and collect the birds and brought them away."

"When he died they were asked to go and collect some birds and Charlie was one of them."

Where to get at $110? Most places are selling $180.

Thanks for info. Is it the shops that you turn in at Shell Station?

Mocha, my Hill Mynah talking.

You don't need an aviary to keep small birds. Buy a cage as big as you can . Birds need plenty of room to move about. They don't deserve to be kept in a small cage.

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Added on June 30, 2010, 1:53 pmPics of my birdies.









This post has been edited by 4Rings: Jun 30 2010, 01:53 PM

Nope, I am self employed. I spent plenty of time with my birdies. They are very attached to me and my family. My birdies have plenty of out of cage time.

Budgies are not so demanding. Make sure you buy a few pairs and they will be happy even when you are not around.

They will definitely be happy if kept in a big cage with many friends. Budgies are very social birds. They need interaction. It is best to buy a few pairs.
And also provide toys and branches for them to play and chew. This will keep them from getting bored.

My Grey at Batu Caves.




At my mom in law's house in Muar.



At an oil palm plantation.

I can't answer that. I am not an expert in budgies. Crows are notorious. I think they can't survive crows attack.
Only a small percentage of parrots came back after flying away. They basically couldn't find their way home.

A well socialized parrot won't fly away even though it is provoked. Take a look at my CAG.

Not sure about the temperament of budgies. I think they are a lot more easier to handle than bigger parrots.

The red thing is a bird harness. It is for insurance. Any parrots will fly off if spooked. Parrots are wild birds no matter how tame they are. It is their natural instinct they will fly off to safety if spooked. It will be difficult to recall if the parrot fly off in panic.

But there are some naturally born that they know how to come back if flown away. I know a guy whose monk parakeet is free flying. He fly in and out of the house as he wishes.

I bought mine at 2K in 08. Pet shop price is always more expensive. Grey price has gone up lately due to requirement of permit.
If you buy from middleman, the price range is 2.3K to 2.8K.

Monk Parakeet is around RM900. I am not sure if they have good homing instinct. I think pigeon got the best.

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Added on July 6, 2010, 8:52 pmMost of the bird shops sell budgies. You can check it out at Pets Wonderland at Mid Valley. Their birds are very healthy.
Budgies cost RM35 to RM45. Tame ones cost a lot more, usually more than RM100.

This post has been edited by 4Rings: Jul 6 2010, 08:52 PM

I am bird sitting for a friend.










We got up at 5.30am this morning. There she is. She got up earlier than us.



Feeding the baby.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8_PnyzuZMs

Pics taken on Sep 26th 2010.

At my sis in law's house today.

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Added on October 7, 2010, 9:33 am






This post has been edited by 4Rings: Oct 7 2010, 09:33 AM