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Dear Surfy, I am a parrot head as well as a reefer, like so many others. If you arte in So Cal I highly recommend Omar's Exotic Birds- they have a network of breeders and the babies are treated very very well. If you go into the store, you will see the birds on perches(clean) and friendly. If you want to get a rehoused bird for very cheap, contact Sherri at birdtrain.org. She rehouses birds who have come from divorces, or owners need to move, etc. There is a trial period and they really do a good job of matching people with birds.
As for parrots and tanks, we have a double yellow head amazon (Spud), and an umbrella cockatoo(Sparkle). Spud never leaves her perch, but likes to hang out by the tank and watch the fish. Sometimes I wonder if its the light, the humidity or she really likes the fish. Sparkle is a male ockatoo who went hormonal over the summer for the first time. Before, he was free range. I put the fear of God into him when he was a baby over electric cords. He doesn't touch them at all. I can tell him no, and tell him danger, and he seems to understand. for several years, he would hang out on the front porch for hours unsupervised and destroy my microirrigation and chew in the planters, etc. He never went into the street or off the steps. He is eternally and infinately curious, and loved water changes. He would perch on the side of buckets, and because he was potty trained, I would put him up on the side of the tank for a few minutes while we would suck out water. He tasted the water a few times, but I told him NO and he didn't do it anymore.
We are getting a new tank (its in its first week of cycling today). He has been extraordinarily patient and well behaved. It has taken us two months just to get this setup. Every night and all weekend for two months, my boyfriend has worked on it. This greatly cut into his evening cuddle time, yet he was wonderful about it.
This summer he went hormonal for the first time. Be prepared when your parrot reaches sexual maturity. I don't hear the horror stories with other birds that I hear with male cockatoos, but if I had children, I would have gad to get rid of him. He was extremely dangerous, and bit me several times without warning. The nerve in my left inde4x finger had to grow back twice. I have seen bad facial lacerations on the web. It would be such a service if there were a website for parrots comparable to Reef Central, with avian vets and behaviorists and others passionate about them. Anyways, anybody know if they are working on neutering male cockatoos? He couyld use it before he goes inot season again next April. It was a total shock for me to have my cuddly "velcro" bird that I haver adored for five years turn like Mr Hyde and hurt me so bad over and over. I got so I was afraid of him. Only my boyfriend could handle him.
This year, I've got welding gloves.
Happy Holidays all!!!
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