Can I lure my cockatoo out of the house by tearing apart his bench?

Thank you for watching Benjamin the Best Bird! Benji is an extraordinary bird who sadly must rely on humans for his entire existence. That is not how a bird should live. Birds should be flying in the skies and living in the trees. But not all are lucky enough to be living that life. Instead they are living lives into which people have forced them. Before finding us, Benji was in a stressful environment, and he plucked his feathers in response, so often that many of the follicles died. He has only half the usual number of feathers, and will never fly. He will need someone to watch over him for the rest of his life. There are far more failures in cockatoo ownership than there are successes, and the ones paying the price are the birds - who are also the only ones not at fault in this situation.
If you are watching bird videos and thinking, "Wow, I want one!" please understand that you are only seeing a few minutes in a day with a cockatoo... I'd like to share some reality:
Cockatoos destroy anything and everything they can. Their destruction is so intense that they are officially declared "pests" in their native countries, where they destroy trees, crops, homes, outdoor furniture, and have even been known to damage cars.
Their scream is loud, and can be anger-provoking, like being punched in the face with sound. The noise is unlike anything I have ever experienced before, and if I didn't live with Benji, I would say that I didn't care to ever hear it again. Seriously folks, it's horrible. But it's their sound. It's what nature gave them to be able to communicate with each other while living in treetops - not in people's homes. It is a sound meant to travel miles, and it does. Hearing damage takes place at 120db. The decibel level of a cockatoo scream is 120-135db.
If you have (or anyone in your household has) a temper of any kind at all, this bird is not for you. It will destroy things dear to you, inciting anger. It will scream, which will ignite your temper (a great illustration in film, just replace the boy with a cockatoo: • Everytime the Boy Scre... ). The more you yell at the bird, the more, and louder, it will scream. You will blame the bird, but it's really you at fault. The bird is screaming for a reason, and it's up to its caretakers to solve the problem. Sadly, while anger is not the most useful response, it is the most human.
They require a large enclosure, and many hours outside of it. If you leave a bird in a cage too long, it will scream, pluck its feathers, and in extreme circumstances, it will chew holes into its skin. Sitting in a cage is against their nature, & extremely difficult for them - can you imagine anything more diametrically opposed to soaring in the sky? When out of their cage, they require close supervision due to the carnage that would be left in their wake if freely wandering. They also emit a powder that can cause lung issues in people and pets.
They are very emotional creatures who mate for life, which in their case, is +60 years. Their need for bonding, for having a being in their life that is "theirs," is very strong. They will depend on you everyday, in sickness and in health, til death do you part. Frequent re-homing is very hard on them, and can cause deep depression and self-mutilation. Lastly, understand you will be bitten at some point. It's simply communication for them, but it sucks (and hurts!).
There are thousands of these birds in rescues and sanctuaries all over the world, who were violently trapped, netted, grabbed... kidnapped from their homes, and forced to live with humans who later discarded them. There are more who were bred by people who think it's okay to do that. But it's not. Selling these birds to live in people's homes is like selling fish to live in sand.
People acquire them because they are indeed adorable, but it is quickly learned that living with them is dramatically life altering and fraught with negatives, and the bird is then abandoned. It is believed that more than 600,000 birds are given to rescues EACH YEAR (or attempted to be given, but turned away due to high occupancy). It is estimated that 75% of birds live a life of abuse or neglect. Let that sink in for a moment… 75% of birds in human care are beyond miserable.
We need to provide homes to the birds who are trapped in this life with humans because they have no alternative. Let's allow the rest to live in the wild where they're supposed to be. If you wish to jump into bird ownership, please educate and prepare yourself, and then go to a rescue and save a lonely bird who needs love and care, or buy from an owner who cannot, for whatever reason, care for the bird any longer. We must get breeders to stop breeding and selling them. These birds are not meant to live with humans, and when they do, it takes very dedicated, patient people willing to do the work for decades. If you think you are up for it, please adopt a rescue bird. You can, and will, change its life.

[@jillmiller3485]

Benjamin is so lucky to have such a wonderful mom. Thank you for taking such good care of Benji. It's a joy to watch.

[@benjaminthebestbird]

@jillmiller3485 ❤️❤️😀❤️❤️

[@nadinemasteller1089]

Benji is enjoying watching Mama do a very good job at one of his favorite activities. Oh boy, Mama finally got the message that I'm not going outside until after I've had my seeds.

[@shirlspark_stardust]

Good morning momma and Benji he is just sitting there enjoying the view he will go outside soon 😊🤍🤍

[@BirdsNNVA]

A ghost Benjamin hovering over a backdrop of trees and yard! He’s so beautiful, no matter how you see him, even if he’s a phantasm!

[@benjaminthebestbird]

@BirdsNNVA. 😀❤️

[@jenniferlopez3554]

I am so amazed by these birds ❤ Intelligent and obedient ❤ Gm Benjamin and Mom ❤❤ Wish you a wonderful Thursday 🥰

[@nadinemasteller1089]

Super intelligent but I would say cooperative rather than obedient.

[@benjaminthebestbird]

@jenniferlopez3554. Agreed - Benji amazes me everyday, and I know Pearl does the same for you. ❤️ I do have to agree with Nadine though in that I have not really seen Benji act "obediently." 😂.

[@jenniferlopez3554]

@@benjaminthebestbird Ha ha 😁 Pearl is obedient but I guess that’s because she’s a girl 🥰

[@benjaminthebestbird]

@@jenniferlopez3554 ❤❤

[@jansmall72]

Benjamin is making sure his table is fine Benjamin is a good boy Benjamin is a good boy

[@jolandahartgers6115]

This a big job to do. Repairing the bench is not easy ,I think..succes there mum, 87 degrees is pritty warm yeh , almost the same is here loveyou both there 🫶🏼🇺🇸☀️🩵💛Xxxxx

[@doglover44]

Momma, I'm not ready to play outside just yet😊. Seeds first😂❤

[@benjaminthebestbird]

@doglover44. Priorities! 😀😂

[@lb1460]

Benji seems to be enjoying your Benji impersonation😋❤

[@benjaminthebestbird]

@lb1460 😂😂😂

[@naomisgram1]

I wish there was a way to send you a picture of Syd the cockatoo where I am pet sitting. I’m mainly here for the 2 cats they have, another gal comes in and takes care of their birds, the cockatoo, African grey and conure. All very entertaining. Syd and I got into a fun game tonight. She perched on the edge of her open cage door, was throwing out her wood blocks and some toys, and of course I said “woo!” every time and tossed them back in. She thought that was so much fun. 😊

[@benjaminthebestbird]

@naomisgram1 I love that story! You sure gave Syd a great time while his people were away! It would have been fun to see a video of that game! 😂😂

[@EZDiggin]

Benjamin is by far my favorite KZbin animal friend!!!

[@benjaminthebestbird]

@EZDiggin 😀😀❤️❤️🥰🥰

[@ms.cellaneous7458]

Well Benjamin, Mom made quite the effort to get you outside. Maybe you were thinking it's taking you too long to dismantle the bench so just let her do it. Don't interrupt progress, right. ❤❤😂😂❤❤

[@benjaminthebestbird]

@ms.cellaneous7458. 😂😂

[@BirdsNNVA]

Not watching all your videos- I’m sorry - because “it’s been a day” the past two or three weeks. And soon I fly up to NY for my birthday. And it’s so constantly humid here, not necessarily hot, but trying to work in a 76-degree almost literal sea.

[@nadinemasteller1089]

I hear ya about the humidity. Happy birthday in advance and safe travels. I hope life is better for you now.

[@BirdsNNVA]

@@nadinemasteller1089 thank you, Nadine! I’m okay. We are drowning in rain and humidity, while where I’m headed in upstate NY is dry as a bone. I hope the traveling goes well, as i had to cancel my July-August trip up there due to the stomach surgery!

[@benjaminthebestbird]

@BirdsNNVA. Hey, as long as you are healthy and happy, all is well. I've been worried about that dental trauma, but it sounds like you've been able to deal with that. Whew! I am relieved. Taking a trip for your birthday - that sounds great! It will be quite a switch from your local weather. 😂😀. Happy birthday, Karen! ❤️

[@BirdsNNVA]

@@benjaminthebestbird thank you, Amy!

[@benjaminthebestbird]

@@BirdsNNVA ❤❤

[@MicheleMichele-p1m]

Morning Benji well Mom he doesn't look to interested in the bench anymore but I think he'd like to dismantle it soon hell be out working on it 😄🩵🩷🩵🩷🩵🩷🩵

[@benjaminthebestbird]

@MicheleMichele-p1m. 😂😂

[@naomisgram1]

❤