Cockatoo Care Tips

To help keep your parrot healthy and happy, you need to know how to care for him/her.

HOUSING-The bigger the cage, the better, but there are some general guidelines for cages. For a smaller cockatoo, its cage should be no smaller than 30" wide by 20" deep by 43" deep. For larger cockatoos (such as umbrella cockatoos), the cage should be no smaller than 40" wide by 30" deep by 50" tall, but no matter what size the bird, the cage must be made strong enough for a cockatoo to hang onto when (s)he climbs around, and can withstand a cockatoo's powerful beak. The bars of the cage shouldn't be any farther apart than 1".

Just as important for parrot care, would be toys. Toys should be made from very hard plastic or wood and should be brightly colored, zinc/lead free, and sturdy enough to withstand the great force of a cockatoo's strong beak.

Bells are also a wonderful toys for cockatoos, but make sure that the bell is made of a non-toxic metal. Stainless steel is safe for birds, however, be sure to get a bell for large birds. Bells that are too small can be easily taken apart, and small pieces can be swallowed, resulting in some real problems, even death.

A safe play gym, whether it is free standing, or mounts on the top of the cage is sure to bring plenty of fun.

Food is one of the most important things for good parrot care. A combination of a pelleted food and daily fresh fruits and vegetables will help to ensure a parrot's good health. Cockatoos can even have meats, however, beef and pork should be kept to a minimum, while more chicken and turkey is recommended. Cockatoos are not fussy eaters; however, do not give your cockatoo avocados, chocolate, or alcohol in any form. Deep fried should never be given to a cockatoo, nor should salted treats such as potato chips, pretzels that have salt, and saltines that have been salted. Diary products are safe for a Cockatoo; however, this too must be limited. Too much dairy product can cause diarrhea and dehydration from the diarrhea.

Good Cockatoo care also consists of time - your time. Cockatoos are very loving birds, and they are known for being 'cuddly' and they are demanding of their owners' time. They love to sit and have dinner with the family and at the same time they love their quiet time with their owner(s).

If a Cockatoo doesn't get the attention and love that it needs, (s)he can become quite loud and develop bad habits.

Many people who get cockatoos do not realize how demanding a cockatoo is, and soon become frustrated with them, leading up to the people either getting rid of the cockatoo or neglecting the cockatoo.

Medical care for a cockatoo should be done by a Certified Avian Veterinarian or an Exotic Animal Veterinarian. Many vets do not work with birds because this is a 'specialty field', and many vets do not know enough about birds.

So if you decide to get a Cockatoo, remember that they do require a lot of time, love, the right cages, toys, vet care, and food for the best cockatoo care that can be provided.

For information on parrot care, please click here. Danny L. publishes an online newsletter at TheTameParrot.com where you can find killer tips and techniques that will help you turn your naughty bird into a well-mannered and well-behaved pet.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/cockatoo-care-tips-234320.html

Read More

Salmon-Crested Cockatoo

The Salmon-crested Cockatoo, also known as Moluccan Cockatoo is a cockatoo endemic to south Moluccas in eastern Indonesia. At 50 cm, it is among the largest of the white cockatoos. The female is larger than the males on average. It has white-pink feathers with a definite peachy glow, a slight yellow on the underwing and underside of the tail feathers and a large retractable recumbent crest which it raises when threatened, revealing hitherto concealed bright red-orange plumes to frighten potential attackers (may also be raised in excitement, or other 'emotional' displays). It also has one of the louder calls in the parrot world and in captivity is a capable mimic.

In the wild the Salmon-crested Cockatoo inhabits lowland forests below 1000m. The diet consists mainly of seeds, nuts and fruit, as well as coconuts.

Status in the wild

The Salmon-crested Cockatoo is a vulnerable species, and has been listed on appendix I of CITES since 1989, which makes trade in wild-caught birds illegal. Trade in captive bred birds is legal only with appropriate CITES certification. Numbers have declined due to illegal trapping for the cage-bird trade and habitat loss. During the height of the trapping of this species over 6,000 birds were being removed from the wild per year. It has a stronghold in Manusela National Park on Seram, although even today some illegal trapping continues.

Aviculture

The Salmon-crested Cockatoo can no longer be imported into the United States because it is listed on the Wild Bird Conservation Act. However, they are being bred in captivity. They are popular for their beauty and trainability (which makes them popular in trained bird shows). The Salmon-crested Cockatoo is widely considered to be the one of the most demanding parrots to keep as a pet due to their high intelligence, large size, potential noise level, and need to chew. Moluccan cockatoos require a very large and very sturdy cage or aviary. Salmon-crested Cockatoos are highly social and pets can be extremely cuddly, affectionate, and gentle birds. This can lead to problems if a young cockatoo is spoiled with a great deal of attention and cuddling when young and does not get the opportunity to learn to play with toys, forage, or otherwise entertain itself. Salmon-crested cockatoos require a great deal of attention and activity to remain healthy and well-adjusted. Attention and training from human caregivers is important in keeping them occupied, as are chewable toys and foraging toys that require them to work for their food. As with most large cockatoos, the Salmon-crested Cockatoo may develop health and behavioral problems such as feather-plucking and aggression if not provided with the appropriate environment, attention, and enrichment opportunities.

.

Read More

Long-Billed Corella

The Long-billed Corella, is a cockatoo native to Australia, which is similar in appearance to the Little Corella and Sulphur-crested Cockatoo. This species is mostly white, with a reddish-pink face and forehead, and has a long pale beak, which is used to dig for roots and seeds. It has reddish-pink feathers on the breast and belly.

Taxonomy

The Long-billed Corella is a monotypic species. It was first described by German naturalist Heinrich Kuhl in 1820. It is one of several related species of Cockatoo called Corellas and classified in the subgenus Licmetis within the genus Cacatua, members of which are known as "white cockatoos".

Description

The adult Long-billed Corella measures from 38 to 41 cm in length, has a wingspan of about 80–90 cm and averages 567 g in weight. It has a long bone-coloured beak, and a rim of featherless bluish skin around the eyes. The plumage is predominantly white with reddish feathers around the eyes and lores. The underside of the wings and tail feathers are tinged with yellow.

Distribution and habitat

The Long-billed Corella can be found in the wild around western Victoria and southern New South Wales. Feral populations have sprung up in Sydney, Perth and Hobart from the release of captive birds. This has implications in Western Australia where this species may hybridize with the endangered southern race of the Western Corella.

The Long-billed Corella is found in grassy woodlands and grasslands, including pasture, fields of agricultural crop, and urban parks.

Ecology and behaviour

Call

The call of the Long-billed Corella is a quick, quavering, falsetto currup!, wulluk-wulluk, or cadillac-cadillac combined with harsh screeches.

Breeding

Breeding generally takes place from July to November. Long-billed Corollas form monogamous pairs and both sexes share the task of building the nest, incubating the eggs and caring for the young. Nests are made in decayed debris, the hollows of large old eucalypts, and occasionally in the cavities of loose gravely cliffs. 2–3 dull white, oval eggs are laid on a lining of decayed wood. The incubation period is around 24 days and chicks spend about 56 days in the nest.

Feeding

The Long-billed Corella typically digs for roots, seeds, corms and bulbs, especially from the weed onion grass. Native plants eaten include Murnong and Microseris lanceolata, but a substantial portion of the bird's diet now includes introduced plants.

Relationship with humans

As pets

Long-billed Corellas are now popular as pets in many parts of Australia, although they were formerly uncommon, and their captive population has stabilised in the last decade. This may be due to their ability to mimic words and whole sentences to near perfection. The long-billed corella has been labeled the best "talker" of the Australian Cockatoos, and possibly of all native Psittacines.

As pests

Long-billed Corellas are viewed as agricultural pests, particularly in western Victoria. They can create significant crop damage and are also well known for tearing up pieces of asphalt along roadsides and even damaging power lines. Permits are sometimes issued in Victoria for the culling of this species.

.

Read More

Western Corella

The Western Corella formerly known as the Western Long-billed Corella, is a species of white cockatoo endemic to south-western Western Australia.

Aviculture

This species has the ability to mimic clearly and, like other cockatoos, bonds strongly to its owner. The Western Corella may show aggression to other birds in the aviary. It is not as common in aviculture as the Little Corella or Long-billed Corella.

Status and conservation

While generally uncommon, it has expanded its range in recent decades, and is therefore listed as of least concern by BirdLife International. However, the nominate subspecies, Muir's Corella, is relatively rare, with a population of around 3000 individuals, and is considered to be nationally Vulnerable.


.

Read More

Muir's Corella is a stocky, medium-sized white cockatoo endemic to Western Australia. It is the threatened nominate subspecies of the Western Corella.

Description

Muir's Corella has mainly white plumage with an erectile white crest. The undersides of the wings and tail are yellow. The feathers between the eye and beak are deep salmon-pink, as are the bases of the feathers on the head and underparts. The eye is surrounded by a broad grey-blue eye-ring. The white feathers are often stained with soil because of the birds’ foraging activities. The corellas have a wingspan of 90 cm, and range from 43-48 cm in length and 560-815 g in weight. They have a variety of loud and raucous calls. They are very similar in appearance to Butler's Corella, the only other subspecies of the Western Corella, being slightly larger with a longer upper mandible.

Distribution and habitat

Muir's Corella formerly inhabited woodlands and open country east of the main area of forest in south-western Western Australia, occurring north to the Swan and Avon Rivers, south to Albany and Augusta, and eastwards to the Stirling and Porongurup Ranges. The birds were distributed in small, widely separated colonies throughout this range. However, the population has declined and the subspecies now only occurs in the Lake Muir region where the remainder of the woodland habitat consists of fragmented remnants.

Behaviour

Muir’s Corellas are gregarious and may be seen in flocks of from ten to a thousand birds. They have traditional roosting sites, usually in dense timber, which they leave in the morning for their feeding areas and return to at night.

Feeding

The corellas forage on the ground in large flocks and feed on a wide variety of seeds of both native and introduced plants, as well as corms and tubers which they dig up using the elongated upper mandibles of their bills. Cereal grains, including oats, barley and wheat, are eaten extensively in summer and autumn, while the corms of Onion Grass are important in winter and spring.

Breeding

The corellas nest in tree hollows of large, mature eucalypts, including Jarrah and Marri. Eggs are laid from September to November with a clutch size of 1-3. The incubation period lasts 26–29 days until fledging.

During the breeding season the birds feed close to the nest tree. After fledging, the young birds and their parents join other family groups to form large flocks that disperse to summer feeding areas. At the end of summer, breeding adults return to their nest sites while immature birds form nomadic flocks.

Status and conservation

Muir's Corella is considered to be threatened because it consists of one relatively small and isolated population covering a fragmented range of about 3000 km², with the actual area of occupancy being about 500 km². It is listed as Vulnerable under Australia’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Population estimates vary; it may comprise up to 9000 individuals, including only about 2500 mature birds, having gradually recovered from a low of about 100 individuals in the 1940s after widespread shooting and poisoning in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Average life expectancy of adults has been estimated at 17 years for males and 14 years for females, with most young birds dying before they reach breeding age of 3–5 years old.

While current nest hollow and food availability are sufficient to sustain the population, changes in land use may threaten the corella where remnant vegetation and paddock trees are cleared to establish plantations of Blue Gum and other species. It is potentially threatened by competition from, and interbreeding with, a species introduced from south-eastern Australia, the closely related Long-billed Corella, which has nearby populations established from avicultural escapes and releases. Other threats include illegal shooting and poisoning, as well as competition for nest hollows with feral honey bees.

Because the corellas sometimes cause damage to crops, young trees, gardens, power lines and house fittings, the subspecies is a declared pest of agriculture. However, because it is listed as ‘rare or likely to become extinct’, it is illegal to destroy them, and damage mitigation measures must use non-lethal means.

.

Read More

The Little Corella, also known as the Bare-eyed Cockatoo, is a white cockatoo native to Australia and southern New Guinea.

The Little Corella grows to 36 to 39 cm in length and congregates in flocks of up to several thousand birds, which often include many Galahs. The bird generally roosts in trees overnight, and flies off to feed in the early morning with an almost deafening screeching. It mostly feeds on the ground, eating seeds including cereal crops such as wheat and barley. It is so common that it has become something of a pest throughout much of Australia, and can be destructive to the trees in which it perches, by chewing the bark off smaller twigs. Corellas can be commonly found in the Melbourne suburbs of Camberwell and Ashburton, and are especially numbersome in Carrum Downs. This species has also a small feral population in Queanbeyan and Narrabundah.

It was known as Birdirra among the Yindjibarndi people of the central and western Pilbara. They would keep them as pets, or traditionally cook and eat them. The downy feathers are used in traditional ceremonies and dances where they adorn head and armbands.

.

Read More

Tanimbar Corella

The Tanimbar Corella, also known as Goffin's Cockatoo or Goffin's Corella, is a species of cockatoo endemic to forests of Yamdena, Larat and Selaru, all islands in the Tanimbar Islands archipelago in Indonesia. The species has been introduced at the Kai Islands, Indonesia, Puerto Rico and Singapore. This species was only formally described in 2004, after it was discovered that the previous formal descriptions pertained to individuals of a different cockatoo species, the Ducorps' Cockatoo (Cacatua ducorpsii). Tanimbar Corellas are the smallest of the white cockatoos. This species is Near Threatened due to deforestation and bird trade. The species breeds well in captivity and there is a large avicultural population.

Description

Tanimbar Corellas weigh, on average, about 250 g for females and 300 g for males. They are about 31 cm (12 inches) from head to tail.

Like all members of the Cacatuidae, the Tanimbar Corella is crested, meaning it has a collection of feathers on its head that it can raise or lower. Its body is mainly covered with white feathers, with salmon or pink colored feathers between the beak and eyes. The deeper (proximal) parts of the crest feathers and neck feathers are also a salmon color, but the coloration here is hidden by the white color of the more superficial (distal) areas of these feathers. The underside of its wing and tail feathers exhibit a yellowish tinge. The beak is pale grey and eye colour ranges from brown to black. Both sexes are similar. They are often confused with the Little Corella (Bare-eyed Cockatoo) due to their similar appearance.

The maximum recorded lifespan for a (captive) Tanimbar Corella is 18.3 years - though this figure may be a significant under-representation, considering the long-lived nature of many other cockatoo species.

Conservation

Due to ongoing habitat loss on Tanimbar, limited range and illegal hunting, the Tanimbar Corella is evaluated as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The species is listed on Appendix I of CITES. In the 1970s, Japanese loggers ravaged the islands. Many of the dazed, disoriented birds were captured for the pet trade. Although many died from stress during shipment, there may be a small silver lining behind this ecological disaster, because many Tanimbar Corellas have reproduced in captive breeding programs. As such, there are now more Tanimbar Corellas in captivity than in the wild.

In aviculture

In aviculture the parrot is widely known as the Goffins Cockatoo. Pet birds handreared from hatching can imitate human speech, but generally they are not good talkers. They are generally quiet, but they can make a loud screeching noise. They can make good pets, as they are friendly and sociable. They enjoy being stroked. They are intelligent and they can be trained and can learn tricks.

Tanimbar Corellas learn by watching and copying. Just by opening the cage doors, a Tanimbar Corella's attention can be drawn to the latches on their cages and they can learn by trial and error how to open the latch with their beaks and escape the cage in seconds. Tanimbar Corellas can destroy furniture with their beaks and can chew through wires and cause potentially dangerous electrical incidents.

Handreared Tanimbar Corellas tend to demand a lot of attention. Occasionally, captive birds of this species (like many cockatoos) develop self-destructive behaviours such as feather-plucking, or stereotypy if they do not have an interesting and enriching environment. Caged Tanimbar Corellas require a frequent change of toys to play with so they do not become bored. They need time out of their cage for one-on-one social contact of at least one hour daily and also to exercise their wings and fly. Even very tame birds can bite humans when irritated or even when being excessively playful. Their droppings are semi-solid and can be messy. Many new bird owners are not aware of the time and money a cockatoo demands and pet birds are often passed from one owner to the next or relinquished to animal shelters.

Tanimbar Corella chicks make an repetitive soft howling/screeching noise (producer calls) when they are hungry.

In the UK their sale is controlled as they are classified as a rare species. Each bird must have an official certificate to prove that it was captive-bred and not imported.


.

Read More

Solomons Cackatoo

The Solomons Cockatoo, also known as the Ducorps' Cockatoo, Solomons Corella or Broad-crested Corella, is a species of cockatoo endemic to the Solomon Islands. This small white cockatoo is larger than the Tanimbar Corella yet smaller than the Umbrella Cockatoo. The species is common across most of the Solomons, absent only from Makira in the south. It inhabits lowland rainforests, secondary forests, cleared areas and gardens.

Description

The Solomons Cockatoo is about 30 cm (12 in) long. They are predominantly white. They have a blue eye ring and a recumbent crest which resembles a sail in its raised state. As other members of the subgenus Licmetis, it has a pale bill.

Breeding

The Solomons Cockatoo nests in tree cavities. The eggs are white and there are usually two in a clutch. The eggs are incubated for about 25 days and the chicks leave the nest about 62 days after hatching.

.

Read More