May 2024 - Cockatoo tires of waiting for Mom, and retrieves his fallen dumbbell all on his own!!!!

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.

[@nomorebadgov8873]

Just when the world seems unbearably nuts, a few minutes of Benjamin and all is better!! Thank you Benjamin!! 🥰🥰❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@benjaminthebestbird]

@nomorebadgov8873. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@MicheleMichele-p1m]

I Love this bird he waits for no one do it yourself attitude best way to be ❤❤❤

[@benjaminthebestbird]

@MicheleMichele-p1m. You said it! 😀❤️😀

[@jansmall72]

Benjamin loves to play with his dumbbell and checking those rocks out

[@ayahannabroman2675]

Benjamin 🤩😎. You are a world class strong and clever cockatoo 😀🥰. You amaze your fans!!

[@benjaminthebestbird]

@ayahannabroman2675. 😀❤️😀

[@eschwarz1003]

Benji like, "no Im in a serious match with the dumbbell" yes Benji you're quite intense there- STRONG BIRD!

[@jenniferlopez3554]

I missed this one 😍 Beautiful Benjamin ❤ Awww I love this cute little foot grabbing things 🥰 The mallet 😁

[@leesashriber5097]

Uh-oh❣️ Benjamin is wanting that dumbbell 😂 Benjamin, you did amazing rolling back the dumbbell on rocks❣️ Happy Monday to my dear friends. 🌞🌻🌞

[@benjaminthebestbird]

@leesashriber5097. I was so proud of him! 😀😀. Hope you had a great Monday, Leesa! ❤️

[@leesashriber5097]

@@benjaminthebestbird , he's one strong bird❣️ Love you both❣️💕🧡💕

[@nadinemasteller1089]

Benji is as independent as his body allows him to be. Love seeing Ben and Eli. Benji's games may not vary much, but he loves playing with Mama.

[@benjaminthebestbird]

@nadinemasteller1089. ❤️❤️❤️

[@jolandahartgers6115]

Oh mum, Benjamin loves playing outside and enjoying your shadow spot and listening to the little birdies too. Do I see new horses from your neighbours next door 🫶🏼🩵🇺🇸💛☀️😘

[@benjaminthebestbird]

@jolandahartgrs6115. Nope, that would be Eli and Ben! ❤️. It is a video from May of this year. 🙂

[@jolandahartgers6115]

@@benjaminthebestbird Replay video but sutch a sweet 💖 one, to remember and feeling a bit ☹️ sad , knowing they are not there together anymore 🫶🏼🇺🇸🩵 love all your video s ❤️🇾🇪🌷💛

[@davidgarza8502]

Go Benji

[@SoniaBerger-o3x]

Keep Fit with Benji !! That looks a very energetic game game for a Monday, more like fitness training!! How much does Benji weigh Amy? He looks in really good shape and his got heaps of energy!! What is your secret Benji??😊❤

[@benjaminthebestbird]

@SoniaBerger-o3x Benji weighs 648 grams - or 1.4 lbs. 😀. He has remained very close to the same weight for several years - always hovering in the 600-some grams. I wish I knew his secret. I mean, I know it's his need for physical activity is it - the secret is how to maintain that attitude... 😂❤️

[@ms.cellaneous7458]

Benjamin gets more out of his dumbbell than most people who go to the gym. ❤❤🤣🤣

[@benjaminthebestbird]

@ms.cellaneous7458. So very true... 😂

[@doglover44]

😂😂😂😂😂😂❤

[@caroledwards1182]

Benjamin's cute, definitely has his own thoughts. I particularly like what you wrote regarding owning a cockatoo, which also applies to other birds. Even though I enjoy watching these videos I'd rather there weren't any because all those birds would be flying high in the air where they belong.

[@benjaminthebestbird]

@caroledwards1182. Thank you so much. I agree, it would be wonderful if birds were only found flying free in the skies. I like to think though that the videos help us educate people about what it takes to care for one, so that when a bird is adopted by humans, it is done so with forethought and preparation. 🤞❤️🤞❤️. We should keep trying to educate, so that birds will have better lives with humans, because let's face it, humans will always consider everything in the world as something that they can own... So best to make sure they have the knowledge to do it wisely.

[@caroledwards1182]

@@benjaminthebestbird You're right, educating people on the care of birds is important.

[@naomisgram1]

Rocks are not that fun, mom! I’ll get my toy! 😅

[@lazarochavez1]

Benjamin is no dummy. He's trying to get the point accross, "What am I supposed to do with a stupid rock?". 😁

[@benjaminthebestbird]

@lazarochavez1. 😂😂

[@Teufeltusken]

Picking up that weight must be good for your right arm! :P

[@benjaminthebestbird]

@Teufeltusken 😂😀

[@SoniaBerger-o3x]

I've just been in my kitchen and weighed 600g of bread - Benji is certainly a light weight!! The feathers make him look bigger than he is. He does eat very healthy food though, thank's to you !! He also is very active. Maybe it would be a different story if he could get in the kitchen and help himself .....😂😇😙😋❤

[@benjaminthebestbird]

@SoniaBerger-o3x. You weighed out 600g of bread? 😂😂. That's so funny! 😂❤️😀. I can't even imagine letting Benji do whatever he wanted in the kitchen. There would be nibbles out of EVERYTHING! 😀😀

[@SoniaBerger-o3x]

@@benjaminthebestbird ...It doesn't bare thinking about - that little beak would here, there and everywhere 🤩😋😇😂🤣

[@benjaminthebestbird]

@@SoniaBerger-o3x 😂😂

[@SoniaBerger-o3x]

😇😇😅

[@madmaxxx9711]

I read a comment that said Benji was 600g? Ozzy's a moose, he's 850g and the funny thing is, he's just like a little boy and eats enough to survive then goes right back to playing. Maybe I need to get him a dumbell to workout like Benji does! 😉

[@benjaminthebestbird]

@madmaxxx9711. Ooooh, Ozzy is almost 2 lbs! He's got some heft to him! 😀 I think Benji's exercise comes from rolling things... He can roll a dumbbell, tube, or rolling pin around his play space an hour at a time. 😂 Back and forth, one end to the other, around things, under things... and he does. 😂. I've heard other birds roll balls of various sizes, but it is one thing Benji has shown very little interest in. He will roll a ping pong ball around a wee bit, but mostly just to get it to a hiding place so he can sit on it. Anything bigger than that he won't play with at all. 🤷‍♂️. Does Ozzy roll anything?

[@madmaxxx9711]

@@benjaminthebestbird I have this fuzzy white ball that I throw in the living room and Ozzy will fetch it and bring it back like a dog would. As you know cockatoos basically have ADHD and their attention span isn't the greatest but he will fetch it quite a few times before he gets bored and moves on to something else.

[@benjaminthebestbird]

@@madmaxxx9711 That's because our boys don't follow the ADHD template! Benji can roll one of his toys around in his play space for almost an hour at a time. Our boys are all about focus... They're like ninjas. 😀😂

[@jrodshredder184]

Your commentary needs more commentary.

[@benjaminthebestbird]

@jrodshredder184. 😂😂