Wantok, our red-tailed black cockatoo, is literally eating the house. Okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration but let’s put it this way: she has taken a bite out of every single biteable object in our veranda – every chair, every shoe, every everything!
These were once my favourite boots! They were quite worn out anyway but they were wearable. Oh, she acts all innocent if I approach her. In fact right now, I am watching her from my office at the other end of the veranda and she is chewing the less damaged boot but twice now I have tried to take a photo of her in the act and she steps aside as if to say, ‘it wasn’t me!’
During her first week with us she chewed through three of her wooden perches after which I left her cage door open and now she won’t go back in there; the veranda has become her domain and she sleeps on top of her cage rather than inside it. I suppose it must be rather wonderful having this kind of freedom as, before we acquired her, she had never been outside a cage.
When Husband, his mother and brother first moved here some half century ago, one of the first things they did was to enclose this back veranda with windows so it is a perfect place for Wantok because the windows make it feel like outside but she is safe. The drawback for us, though, is that she is making one hell of a mess, so we are now considering an aviary after all. It’ll have to be a huge one though, to match the size of this veranda, but that way she will be outside (which I’m sure she’d prefer) and we will get our veranda back. I’m not sure; ideally I want to let Wantok out so she can fly more freely, but I’m afraid she might fly away. I have ordered a mate for her but he won’t arrive until March next year.
Any advice appreciated.
Or boot donations!
jmgoyder 
Fabulous photos, and a lovely story.
She is such a character, this Wantok and a very bad influence on Buttons the weiro!
I am among those who feel that price of keeping tame animals may be too high sometimes.
Yes, and in more ways than one!
I like the idea of a huge aviary. While some people might consider keeping birds caged wrong, I consider a ‘huge’ aviary good shelter & safety from wild predators. From your posts, I know you care deeply about the birds and their well-being, so I know you would have their best interests in mind.
On a different note, I have extreme difficulty photographing birds. It takes a lot of time and patience. Even so, many birds seem to turn their backs to me when I try to photograph them. Do you have the same trouble? It’s almost like the birds are saying they don’t like being photographed. I even had trouble photographing animals at Melb. Zoo yesterday.
I sometimes think birds and animals are more intelligent than we give them credit for.
Yes, I am getting quite excited about the idea of a huge aviary.
Love what you say about the birds turning their backs and, yes, I do have the same trouble – they are smart all right!