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Cockatoos are intelligent, and very affectionate companion birds.Cockatoos have instinctive behaviors and needs you should learn about to avoid problem behaviors. They mate for life and often bond to their owner as to a mate. They should never be left alone in a cage and ignored.A parrot might very well out live you! They can live up to 100 years. So if you decide to adopt this species, make sure you have a plan for their future and make sure you socialize them well with the next owner (Obviously much younger than you!) so that both owner and bird will be happy. If you have allergies, you need to know that cockatoos create a lot of dander that some can’t live with. Common Species Available Galah/Rose-Breasted: One of the smaller and more colorful of the Too’s, it is about 14 inches long. It has a rose-colored breast, gray wing feathers and a white and pink crest.
PersonalityCockatoos are VERY affectionate companion birds when raised properly. They love to cuddle, sometimes for an hour or more. They love to show off and get everybody’s attention. They will spread their wings, bob their heads and “dance” around. They will find great joy in showing off the tricks you’ve taught them.They love to play and chew their toys up. Their powerful beaks can destroy a hard wood toy in minutes. They love to solve puzzles and one of them seems to be how to get out of their locked cage! Purchase a quality powder coated secure cage here. Talking AbilityCockatoos are not known for having a large vocabulary. They may learn to repeat some words and sounds if you spend the time to train them. Cuddling and performing are what they do best.Visit our Parrot Training page. Noise LevelCockatoos are as LOUD as they are CUDDLY. Fortunately they are cuddly for longer periods of time than they are loud. They love to scream in the morning and evening the most. They will scream when they think that they need attention or destroying a toy, and if you have two of them, they will scream together just for the sheer joy of screaming!I highly recommend that you spend some time with the species that you wish to adopt. If you can handle the noise, which might not be often, then you will probably love having “ ‘Too.” Cuddle FactorOK, I’ve already said it a few times. These birds are VERY cuddly. Some say that you can’t find a cuddlier companion parrot. Enough said!Known Behavior ProblemsAs stated above, these birds live a long time and are very social creatures. If you don’t have abundant time to spend with your Cockatoo, then consider purchasing a companion for it to keep it company. Of course that means more noise and mess, but you will have a much happier bird.If this social creature doesn’t get enough attention, it may develop severe behavior problems such as screeching and feather plucking. The FREE Parrot Training information below is very helpful. After Chet sends you his free parrot training information, you will want to purchase his whole system!
Another factor to consider is boredom. You need to provide plenty of toys for your parrot to attack and also some to destroy. We have some toys at competitive prices on our Parrot Bird Toy page.
Visit our Parrot Bird Toy page for some unique toys at great prices!
DietYou should provide no more than 20 - 40 percent of the Cockatoo diet with top-quality pellets. We like the Totally Organics Pellets that we carry because they are 100% organic and don't even have artificial vitamins in them. This is important if you have a bird with allergies. We also carry Harrison's Organic Pellets.I suggest that you pick one that is organic and not artificially dyed. Anything artificial has to be cleansed by the kidneys before it can be used. A lot of pellets are just junk. The other 60 - 80 percent of their diet should consist of grains, vegetables and a little fruit, preferably organic. The Totally Organics All In One Seed Mix is a great choice! CAUTION: Never give your parrot alcohol, avocado or chocolate - these can kill your parrot! Also avoid asparagus, eggplant, cabbage, caffeine products, junk food, milk and cream, raw potato, and rhubarb (including the leaves).the leaves). Remember that the chemicals sprayed and fed to plants have to be cleansed by their tiny kidneys. Who knows what has been fed and sprayed on all that other stuff! No matter what the pellet manufacturers want you to believe, parrots that have a variety of fresh healthy foods are much happier and healthier. Get some high quality organic pellets and dehydrated veggie, fruit and nut mixes here.
When fresh fruits and vegetables are not possible, dehydrated fruits and vegetables are great! Many birds love to crunch on dried fruits and veggies. The best thing about them is that they don't spoil, so you can leave them in the cage for hours or even days. This is handy when you are trying to get them to accept fruits and veggies. When you are going to be home with them, you can moisten them with warm water to provide fresh-like fruits and veggies. Boy does this come in handy when you are traveling or on an outing!
Fresh WaterSee the Lixit Bottles we sell at competitive prices here!
We provide bath water in the morning and sometimes in the evening on warm days, but we only leave it in there one to two hours so that they don’t drink nasty water all day.Do invest in a water bottle. You will avoid lots of potential health problems by insuring they have clean water to drink that hasn’t been bathed and pooped in. If your parrot has not used a water bottle before, you will need to provide both a water bottle and a dish until you see that they are drinking from the bottle. Lixit makes a glass water bottle that has a wire instead of a spring that keeps it on the cage if you are worried about safety. (Some birds get their foot or beak stuck in the spring attachment on other bottles.)
Cage Requirements
The minimum size cage for a small Cockatoo is 27"x27"x39" but a 30”x30”x40” is recommended for large Cockatoos. Horizontal bars are important for your cockatoo to be able to climb. Buy a good quality, strong cage to accommodate their powerful beaks. Provide stimulating puzzle-like toys and lots of safe wood items to chew up. These birds are escape artists, so you need an escape proof cage! We carry some unique escape proof cages at great prices here!
Cockatoo Pictures and StoriesBelow is a list of Cockatoo pictures, some have short informational stories written by their owners. If you hold you mouse pointer over the picture, you will see who’s story you are going to. Just click the picture to go to their page. You will want to read all of them! Have fun.
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Goffin’s: These are one of the smallest of the species at about 11 inches long. They have white and yellow under the tail and wing feathers. Many say that they are quieter than the other Too’s, but they still know how to make noise when they want to.
Moluccan: These are the largest of the Cockatoos, measuring around 20 inches. They have light pink to salmon colored feathers and an orange crest.
Sulphur-Crested: These birds are about the same size as the Moluccan, measuring around 20 inches also. They are white with a yellow crest and yellow feathers under the tail.
Umbrella: This bird is slightly smaller than the Moluccan and the Sulphur-Crested and said to have a personality like the Moluccan. The Umbrella has a touch of yellow under it’s wings and tail with an impressive broad-feathered white crest.
