Cockatoo

This page is educational reference material for preparing questions. A licensed veterinarian examines the animal, makes the diagnosis, and sets the treatment.

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Name the species before you count the years

This page is the cockatoo family, not one pet. Umbrella, Moluccan, sulphur-crested, Goffin's, galah, and palm cockatoos do not share a body size or a calendar. Goffin's cockatoos, the small ones at about 12 inches, often live 30 to 40 years. Galahs often live 40 to 70. Umbrella cockatoos often live 50 to 70 years or more. Moluccans, the salmon-pink birds, often live 65 to 80. A palm cockatoo is a specialist animal with a very long life and a price to match. The 40 to 70-plus years is that spread. Count the species you actually bought.

They are advanced pets. The crest, the cuddling, and the powdery white feathers are the advertisement. The rest is screaming, a beak that shreds trim, and a bird that wants to be on a person for much of the day. Cockatoos are surrendered when the chick that sat on a shoulder becomes a loud adult that bites the spouse. Plan the adult, and plan who takes the bird if you cannot.

Cage, diet, lungs

Plan a cage of at least 40 by 30 by 48 inches, and that is a minimum for the smaller species. Umbrella and Moluccan birds need more, plus hours out of the cage in a room without ceiling fans, Teflon fumes, or an open door. Pellets, vegetables, and a little fruit are the diet. Seed as the whole menu is how these birds get fat and short of vitamin A. Nuts are treats, not the bowl.

Powder down from cockatoos bothers some people's lungs. Say that before the bird moves in. Talking is moderate. Volume is the trait. The Association of Avian Veterinarians is how you find a clinic that will actually see a beak and an air sac. A quiet, fluffed bird is the case on the quiet bird page. The checker is the urgency sort. This family fits a household that already likes a loud, expensive roommate and has an avian vet picked out.

Cockatoo questions

How long do cockatoos live?

It depends which bird you bought. Goffin's cockatoos often live 30 to 40 years. Galahs often live 40 to 70. Umbrella cockatoos often live 50 to 70 years or more. Moluccans often live 65 to 80. The 40 to 70-plus span is the family spread, not a promise for every chick.

Are cockatoos good apartment birds?

No. Noise is very high. A contact call carries through walls. Neighbors and a cockatoo are a common reason these birds are given up.

Why do cockatoos pluck?

Loneliness, boredom, hormone cycles, and medical problems including skin and liver disease. A bald chest is a veterinarian visit, not a phase you wait out with a new toy.