ado
Newbie
Posts: 11
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Post by ado on Sept 24, 2011 1:30:28 GMT 10
Hi all,
My family and I are looking to getting a cockatoo and from my research I think a hand reared male would be a good choice for us.
My wife is home most days with my 2.75 year old and with another on the way there will always be someone home to spend time with a cocky.
I have room for a good sized cage and it will be put just outside the back sliding door which opens out to a under cover patio which has good protection from winds and rain. we all spend a lot of time outside so the cocky would easily feel part of the family/
My little boy is almost 3 and loves animals and has been taught to be gentle with our chooks of which we have 5. I raised these from chicks and my son helped me in his own way.
I would like to know how much I would expect to pay for a hand reared male Galah? also what are the minimum dimensions required of a good cocky cage?
Can anyone point me in the right direction as to breeders/bird specialists to check out?
thanks very much
Adrian
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Post by avinet on Sept 24, 2011 11:07:47 GMT 10
Hi Adrian, Welcome to the Forum, hopefully you can get all the information you need here, there are quite a few members that have pet Galahs. A hand raised one is definately the way to go, and they can make great pets, only thing to watch out for is that some can be a little nippy in maturity, but good socialising and training will usually avoid this happening. And they aren't as noisy as the rest of the cockatoo group, although they can still make a good loud screech when they want to - usually when they are playing and get excited. The rule with cages is the biggest you have room for and can afford. Try for 90cm wide as a minimum, say 50cm front to back and top perches in the cage at roughly eye level. The cage at www.ebay.com.au/itm/Large-Strong-Parrot-Bird-Aviary-Cage-House-164cm-101-/180728146311?pt=AU_Pet_Supplies&hash=item2a143ca987 is one I've always quit liked for a galah with the side play gym area. Although if you are going to keep the cage outside this might not be so suitable. My strong preference is that pet bird live in the house where they will always feel more a part of the family. It is hard to recommend a breeder unless we know where you live. cheers, Mike |
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ado
Newbie
Posts: 11
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Post by ado on Sept 24, 2011 19:51:37 GMT 10
Hi Mike,
thanks a lot for the reply.
I am in West Australia.
having the bird inside permanently is problematic but not impossible.
there is a place here called Birds'n'all and they seem to have a good range of species so I might give them a call. if anyone know of any good breeders over here than that would be appreciated.
cheers
Adrian
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Post by avinet on Sept 24, 2011 21:18:47 GMT 10
Best place to go is Kimani Aviaries - kimani.com.au/index.html - and talk to Diana Anderson. She breeds some great galahs as well as a lot of other birds. I don't know what she might have this year, but if she has any I can very strongly recommend her. She also sells cages and pellet foods as well, although I suspect her cage prices might be a bit high. When I had my pet shop here in Queensland I used to get her to send her hand raised galahs over to me each year for several years, and they were really good natured. It was really worth sourcing them from her rather than a local SE Queensland breeder becaus eof the quality of her birds. If you call and talk to Diana, mention that Mike from Mooloolaba Aquarium & Aviary Centre put you on to her. I'm now retired and don't have the shop, so haven't talked to Diana for 3 or 4 years, but she is one of Australia's best breeders. If you go though a shop I consistently hear bad stuff about Birdworld so avoid that shop - I can't really comment on the other bird dealers around Perth - perhaps other Perth members can comment. Oh, and baby galahs usually start to be available in November, so now is a good time to contact Diana and reserve one if she has any coming through. As for keeping the bird inside, you will get much greater enjoyment out of the bird by having it around like that, rather than it being outside all the time. cheers, Mike |
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ado
Newbie
Posts: 11
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Post by ado on Sept 25, 2011 11:54:18 GMT 10
Hi Mike, thanks for the information. I sent her an email regarding the availability of the hand reared galahs. I am, however, entertaining second thoughts regarding purchasing a new family pet. As you say, it is preferable for the bird to be kept inside to be a part of the family...it is unlikely that it would be possible to keep a good sized cage inside our small house. hence the need for an outdoor cage. but conversely it would be unfair on the galah to be kept outside if 50% of the goings on are in the house. maybe I should think about it some more or look for a soft billed species that may be less dependent on human contact.  cheers Adrian |
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Post by avinet on Sept 25, 2011 15:08:49 GMT 10
Maybe look for a smaller bird that needs a smaller cage - a cockatiel is hard to beat especially when small kids are around. In fact it is impossible to beat  When we had our shop we also told customers with young kids that a HR cockatiel was 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice followed by the rest a long way behind. I've probably hand raised around 500 myself and sold thousands of them. Actually a much better choice when small kids are around - a galah wouldn't be that tolerant compared to a cockatiel, and I generally only recommended a galah when the kids were up to teenager stage.. Female cockatiels that are hand raised are particularly "cuddly" although the males are the ones that talk. I don't know what the Perth pricing is for them but we sold them at around $100 here in SE Queensland. A cockatiel cage can be 45 cm wide but again a bit larger is much better - the cage at www.buyster.com.au/Avi-One-603-AVO1020.html is a really good size for a cockatiel and very easy to wheel around, and not too big. That online price is about as good as you will get - shop price is perhaps $250 to $245 in WA (imported through Sydney) and we sold a lot of them at $195. Other alternatives are of course budgies, sun conures (some can be gratingly noisy), and, if you didn't live in WA, quakers, which are unfortunately banned in WA. Among the non-parrots the canary is the only choice - finches actually need quite a large cage so they can fly. Mind you a canary that is a good whistler is a pretty nice bird. I have a male in my aviary that I can hear 50 metres away when he gets going, which is most of the time! Lovely sound  You didn't mention how much experience you have had with keeping birds, but if very little experience a cockatiel is a great bird to start with. We have 6 of them in the house, the youngest is 15 while the oldest turned 20 this year. I love them, great birds. Even with lots of experience, they are still a good bird to keep. cheers, Mike |
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ado
Newbie
Posts: 11
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Post by ado on Sept 25, 2011 20:34:47 GMT 10
Hi Mike,
thanks again for the excellent info. That makes a lot of sense to me.
My wife is more than happy to have the bird in the house in a smaller cage so looks like a Weiro will be the go.
I have a lot of experience with raising chooks but haven't had parrots etc since I was a kid. I think we had a Galah and a Corrella and assorted budgies and finches.
if you can recommend any breeders of Cockateils in Perth that again would be great. I will also check any links and advice in the Weiro section and arm myself with more info.
I have told my 3 year old that we may be getting a pet bird and he hasn't stopped talking about it. he loves the chooks but I think a Weiro might be a little more hands-on for him.
Many thanks
Adrian
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Post by avinet on Sept 25, 2011 21:12:46 GMT 10
if you can recommend any breeders of Cockateils in Perth that again would be great. I will also check any links and advice in the Weiro section and arm myself with more info. I can't really recommend any Perth cockatiel breeders in Perth, I know Diana Anderson used to breed a lot, and she is co-author of the Australian Birdkeeper Guide to Cockatiels, but I am not sure that she is currently breeding any. She may be able to recommend a local breeder. Or perhaps a Perth member knows of a breeder. I suggest starting a new thread in the Cockatiel or Squawk Talk section with cockatiels and Perth in the subject line - that will attract the attention of the Perth members hopefully. Good luck with finding a nice cockatiel, you won't regret it. Make sure the baby is fully weaned, and will confidently step up on your hand and sit on a shoulder. I recommend having it properly clipped - my article on wing clipping is at scas.org.au/html/wing_clipping.html - since that will aid in settling the bird into the home and then when it moults new wing feathers between 6 and 12 months you can if you wish let the bird fly. However with young kids, who don't always think before actions there is a real risk of a bird getting out of an open door or window if it is flying around a house so carefully consider what is going to be most suitable for your situation. cheers, Mike |
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Post by anzac on Sept 26, 2011 10:33:27 GMT 10
Hi Adrian I am from Perth too. I joined this forum when I first got my first turk (or turquoise) parrot and knew nothing about this species. I have had some great advice for my newbie keeping (but I have canaries atm, bred Bourke's in the past) and have owned several galahs as well. Mike is so correct in avoiding Birdworld for purchasing birds, I'm sure they make it up as they go along half the time. Unfortunately I still have to go there for my seed as City Framers changed their seed formula for the canaries and they hate it. They do still have one of the best collection of breeding boxes and toys. I have heard of Birds'n'All and they are supposed to be quite good but are a little too far for me to travel to. I got both my turks out of the Quokka. Many good breeders sell their excess birds that way and the 2 I bought my turks from had lovely aviaries and knew their stuff. These guys were "older" breeders that didn't have websites or such but a good breeder should always be happy for you to go out and check out their aviaries and their birds (goes for any animal breeder I guess). Leanne
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ado
Newbie
Posts: 11
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Post by ado on Sept 26, 2011 12:39:14 GMT 10
Hi Leanne,
the blokes at City Farmers also told me to keep away from Birdworld.
I might take a drive out to Birdsnall this weekend to check it out with my family. My son would love it.
I love the Galahs but I wouldn't feel right having a one outside on its own. its like having a dog outside all the time. So after discussing with my wife we agreed to a smaller species Cockateil which will take up less space and will kept in our living room.
I appreciate your input and I will check out gum tree classifieds etc.
cheers
Adrian
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Post by anzac on Sept 26, 2011 15:35:50 GMT 10
The other problem with galahs outside too is the noise factor at dawn and dusk. As Mike said they are less noisy than the corellas, but still can pack a punch and the squawk can be annoying to neighbours, particularly in the morning. As you said it's a nice drive out to Caversham and they will probably point you in the right direction.
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Post by carlsandclan on Sept 27, 2011 2:16:33 GMT 10
Hi Adrian. Mike put you on the right track with a cockatiel! Galahs are great birds, and make fantastic pets, but not with younger kids. My own boy, AJ, is now at the hormonal stage and he's quite nippy! Heck, sometimes he'll outright bite. And it HURTS. They don't like change, either, and will really sulk for weeks. lol I have to keep AJ outside (we moved into a much smaller house) but I found that because he can see into the living room, and he's right next to the front door, he's quite content. He's also protected from the rain. So a galah may still be a possibility for you in the future. . I've heard reports that the westerns are more sweet natured than the easterns, too - but they are cockatoos, so one can never tell! Cockatiels are gorgeous. I'd love to get another one, but hubby has put his foot down. No more animals! lol |
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Post by anzac on Sept 27, 2011 10:14:25 GMT 10
Does your hubby drink bourbon Carls? Works wonders for me for acquiring new animals (she says picking up two new baby rats tonight ;D )
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ado
Newbie
Posts: 11
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Post by ado on Sept 27, 2011 11:45:28 GMT 10
Does your hubby drink bourbon Carls? Works wonders for me for acquiring new animals (she says picking up two new baby rats tonight ;D ) be careful that your husband doesn't smell a rat...... |
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Post by anzac on Sept 27, 2011 12:18:48 GMT 10
After tonight's addition there will be 11 so no hope of hiding that ;D
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Post by carlsandclan on Sept 27, 2011 15:12:51 GMT 10
LOL
Neither my hubby nor I drink, darn it! Boring, aren't we?
11 rats.....wow!
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Post by anzac on Sept 27, 2011 15:15:13 GMT 10
Chocolate perhaps?
11 rats and counting, still more to come but a few of them are getting on a bit.
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Post by carlsandclan on Sept 27, 2011 15:32:36 GMT 10
You know what? There is NOTHING that I can bribe him with! LOL
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When we had our shop we also told customers with young kids that a HR cockatiel was 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice followed by the rest a long way behind. I've probably hand raised around 500 myself and sold thousands of them. Actually a much better choice when small kids are around - a galah wouldn't be that tolerant compared to a cockatiel, and I generally only recommended a galah when the kids were up to teenager stage..
