African Grey or Cockatoo?

[Sydnee Fisher]

I posted a while ago and everyone said that I should get a small bird and that was it. I’m not interested in a smaller bird so I don’t think you can take me into it even if you tried... I originally wanted a cockatoo cause of how loving they are to everyone and how they throw tantrums I find them very entertaining like when they dance etc. I was talking to my friend today and she said when she was 19 that she used to have a Cockatoo but they didn’t work out and the bird ended hating her and she was forced to give it to her boyfriends mother... Anyways, she was talking to me about her friend and she has an African Grey and it loves her is her companion and her best friend but doesn’t really like cuddles... I really wanted a bird I could give head scratches as I sat on the couch and would go on vacations with me and stuff but was really affectionate and wanted to be cuddled and dance like a Cockatoo would... Thanks for any help from people who have experienced both

 

[Sydnee Fisher]

I’m thinking Galah Cockatoo since there more independent and maybe a African Grey friend... Would that work?

 

[hbutkus5]

Cockatoos from my experience really like to cuddle, while African Greys are more independent and don't like to be touched all that often, but they love talking to people. It really helps if you know of an aviary with both, or friends who have either, and go see them and see which one suits your needs first. If you do pick one, just remember that they are going to have different personalities, so you will need to get one with the personality you want.

 

[Parront]

I posted a while ago and everyone said that I should get a small bird and that was it. I’m not interested in a smaller bird so I don’t think you can take me into it even if you tried... I originally wanted a cockatoo cause of how loving they are to everyone and how they throw tantrums I find them very entertaining like when they dance etc. I was talking to my friend today and she said when she was 19 that she used to have a Cockatoo but they didn’t work out and the bird ended hating her and she was forced to give it to her boyfriends mother... Anyways, she was talking to me about her friend and she has an African Grey and it loves her is her companion and her best friend but doesn’t really like cuddles... I really wanted a bird I could give head scratches as I sat on the couch and would go on vacations with me and stuff but was really affectionate and wanted to be cuddled and dance like a Cockatoo would... Thanks for any help from people who have experienced both

I understand that this is late. As a long time bird person who now is owned by an African Grey, I admit that they do not dance. (But, then, neither do I)
Smart as anything, play fetch, talk. Cuddle, but you might get eggs from that! They are complicated beings. Smarter than a dog. More demanding than a child, in some ways at younger ages. Greys are the ultimate parrot. Getting one is on the order of getting married! They live 40-80 years. They complain. But, they love you.

 

[theVulture]

They dont suddenly get to like you. You need to build a bond and friendship through pain of getting bitten and headache of constant yelling and screaming of the parrot. African greys literally hiss and growl.
You need to spend so much time training, entertaining and taking care of it. I had an african grey, an alexanderine , budgies and cockatiels in the past and im not gonna keep anything bigger than a cockatiel from now on. Oh boy they are loud..

 

[Parront]

They dont suddenly get to like you. You need to build a bond and friendship through pain of getting bitten and headache of constant yelling and screaming of the parrot. African greys literally hiss and growl.
You need to spend so much time training, entertaining and taking care of it. I had an african grey, an alexanderine , budgies and cockatiels in the past and im not gonna keep anything bigger than a cockatiel from now on. Oh boy they are loud..

Cockatiels are louder than Greys, in my experience. Greys do not do anything suddenly! I sat in a chair next to Dylan's cage for a month before even asking her to step up. She was afraid and would hiss. So -- no finger or hand from me! Now, she says, "Come here" when I come home. Or when she wants to be picked up. She wants to be picked up because that gets her what she wants -- company, treats, head scratches.

 

[theVulture]

Cockatiels are louder than Greys, in my experience. Greys do not do anything suddenly! I sat in a chair next to Dylan's cage for a month before even asking her to step up. She was afraid and would hiss. So -- no finger or hand from me! Now, she says, "Come here" when I come home. Or when she wants to be picked up. She wants to be picked up because that gets her what she wants -- company, treats, head scratches.

I had few rescue cockatiels and they were pretty lovely actually. But my first gray was a disaster. It would scream/growl so loud i couldnt even hear my own talking. And that alexanderine almost broke my finger during training. I dont blame them. Just Birbs being birbs. But i think they are not suitable for everyone. I prefer quieter birds. I keep chickens, pigeons and finches. Its very satisfying to see your pigeon learning its name and coming when called since they are not very clever )

 

[Parront]

I had few rescue cockatiels and they were pretty lovely actually. But my first gray was a disaster. It would scream/growl so loud i couldnt even hear my own talking. And that alexanderine almost broke my finger during training. I dont blame them. Just Birbs being birbs. But i think they are not suitable for everyone. I prefer quieter birds. I keep chickens, pigeons and finches. Its very satisfying to see your pigeon learning its name and coming when called since they are not very clever )

That would be an Einstein of Pigeons!

 

[Parront]

Dylan, my Grey, came from Craig's List at ~22 years old. No desire to step up! But, she liked peanuts. No step up, no peanut. Now, she never gets peanuts, they are not good for Greys. Switched her to almonds. She has an area about 8x8 with her cage and floor where she can get down and scratch, walk around and throw stuff. Way more room than any chicken gets!

 

[allswell63]

Cockatoos from my experience really like to cuddle, while African Greys are more independent and don't like to be touched all that often, but they love talking to people. It really helps if you know of an aviary with both, or friends who have either, and go see them and see which one suits your needs first. If you do pick one, just remember that they are going to have different personalities, so you will need to get one with the personality you want.

I'd be very interested to learn what parrot you now have. I've enjoyed 20+ years with large and small parrots, and my greatest failure was an umbrella cockatoo. I've been lucky to be successful (and was sought out) rehabilitating multiple pluckers, and Gemma was one. We put her on a sleep schedule (12-14 hrs. nightly) with healthy food (pellets, fresh, little/no seed) and 2-3 weekly showers. She started feathering in beautifully, and with that became friendly and tame. She was difficult when it was sleep time, wanted constant affection - which is not practical. Additionally, bird/parrots all say 'hello' to the day and 'goodnight' to the day with "letting go" (screaming/screeching). We expect all our birds to do this - it's natural. And, we don't respond to screaming in any way - no shouting, no treats, no making eye contact - nothing - but sometimes we view it as a time for a quick nap, and cover the cage for an hour, and when calm and quiet, open the cage again. Unfortunately, Gemma bonded to our Scarlet Macaw, and viewed everyone else as an enemy. This resulted in non-stop screaming, biting (drawing blood, and almost broke a finger) and flying at people/faces. She had to be rehomed in order to break the bond. If she was moved, she could still hear the macaw, knew he was there and there was no remedy. Umbrellas are very often rehomed. They are wonderful and so difficult.