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I have a friend that is selling her umbrella cockatoo. She is 9 yrs. and talks. she is tame and likes to play and will step up and come up. I was wondering what kind of price do you think is fair. She also has a large double macaw cage with a divider if you want to use it. Does not know what kind of price to put on it. She has had it a couple of years.
I already have a B&G that I got a year ago. How would you meet them together?

Why does she want to sell the bird?

She works 2 jobs and just doesn't have the time and Grandma lives with them. I saw him a year ago when I was trying to decide on a B&G or Too. Now would like both. I go on the macaw chat when I need advice and belong to a bird group in town and one of the members runs a bird rescue so I have alot of help when needed. Love this site.

If she wants the bird to have a better life with you, seems it should be easy for the two of you to decide what you're able and willing to pay, knowing you'll need a large and VERY strong cage and a well-bird exam before you have him sharing air with your macaw.

Cockatoos in need of homes are tragically plentiful nationwide. They have the resale value of a FEMA mobile home unless the buyer is completely unaware of what life with and for a 'too is all about. If your friend is willing to sell her bird to someone avian-ignorant, she might start at $1,500 and work down, depending on how big a city she's in. If she wants the bird to have a decent life in captivity with minimal suffering, she should be willing to negotiate with you if you're avian knowledgeable and bird loving.

If you want the bird and your friend to have better lives, you should be willing to negotiate. The bird has no monetary value, but maybe your friendship is worth the expense.

I hope the bird wins!

Paca

Unless this Umbrella has an an exceptional personality, I wouldn't pay more than $1000 at the most. You can find babies for $700 - $1000 directly from a breeder, depending on the area where you live. Unfortunately, you will be this bird's third home (at least). Chances are the bird could have some behaviors that are not pleasant. I realize this is a friend, but I want you to be prepared, just in case. Someone else on this board took two cockatoos from a relative. It wasn't until after she got the birds home and started having some problems that the relative remembered there had been some aggression issues in the past. Also, the cage is large, but is it a quality cage? If not, it isn't worth that much. The larger cockatoos can be hard on their cages so if it isn't a quality cage, the paint may start chipping (if it hasn't already), and you may want to buy a new cage in the near future.

Don't get me wrong. I am not telling you not to get this bird. I would much rather see you bring this bird home than someone with little or no parrot experience. I know I sounded negative. I love cockatoos. Both of my cockatoos were rehomed birds. It's just that people selling their parrots need to realize that usually they will not get pet store prices or what they paid for the bird as a baby.

All my rehomes/rescues have been free... Most were given to me because they were no longer wanted.

If the owner of the too wants a good home for her bird, then money should not be an issue. If she wants some money in return to recoup or to "ensure a good home" then a reasonable adoption fee would due (it would only be a matter of what a "reasonable adoption fee" would be considered... could be $200, or it might even be $600...).

Just know though, that for the safety of your macaw, if you do adopt the cockatoo, then it will need daily bathes, and you will need at least 1-2 air purifiers (NO ionizers) since macaws can be sensitive to dusty birds.