Cockatoo (parrot): features of keeping a feathered pet. Reviews of owners of cockatoo parrots

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

The cockatoo parrot is a cute, funny bird that is easy to train. In addition, she can speak, whistle melodies, tumble and even dance. Many dream of becoming the owner of a cockatoo. But few people know how dramatically the life of all family members will change with the appearance of a handsome crested man in the house.

Freedom

Currently, the cockatoo parrot is widespread throughout Europe. They were brought to us from Australia, New Guinea and the Philippine Islands. There are about twenty species of cockatoos. The smallest of them are the size of a jackdaw or a crow, and the largest are the size of a black grouse. There are no green and blue colors in the plumage of cockatoos. Most species of these birds are white. There are also black and grey. In Australia, pink cockatoos live, in the Philippines - yellow, and on some islands - yellow-cheeked and red-cheeked. The cockatoo parrot differs from other species in its characteristic very beautiful crest on the head and the shape of the beak. In the wild, they stay in flocks, fly well, walk tolerably on the ground, climb trees excellently, and somethey can even dive. They feed on cereals, fruits, tubers, larvae, and insects. They love corn very much. Often, flocks of these cute birds fly into crops, for which the peasants apply the most severe measures to them. Now many species of cockatoos are listed in the Red Book.

Reproduction in nature

Females of most cockatoos differ from males only in more modest body sizes. Only in some species there are sexual differences in the form of spots, stripes, different colors of the iris. In nature, during the breeding season, birds form pairs. Nests are built in hollows, as high as possible from the ground. There are 2 or 3 eggs in a clutch of large species, and up to 5 small ones. Incubation lasts 28-32 days. Chicks are born unfeathered, with large beaks. Most often, the couple feeds the cubs by joint efforts. Sometimes parents do not leave their children even after they have left the nest. After the end of the mating season, the couples reunite into a flock.

Captive breeding

In captivity, the cockatoo parrot is not the easiest species to breed. Difficulties begin with the selection of partners. The male can kill the female if he does not like her. Therefore, it is advisable to raise a couple together from infancy or provide the male with several candidates to choose from. You need to constantly watch the birds even after laying eggs, and arrange two entrances in the nest so that the female can escape from her chosen one in time.

The second difficulty is feeding. In order for the birds to “want” to acquire heirs, you need to change their diet,by increasing the content of germinated grains and animal proteins. But you can’t overdo it either, otherwise the male will have aggression instead of the desire to mate.

The third problem arises after the birth of the first chick. Often the female feeds only him, and the owners have to take care of the rest.

How to raise a chick "from the cradle"

If the female is engaged in feeding the hatched chick and refuses the remaining eggs, they must be placed in an incubator. They maintain a special temperature and humidity, install ventilation, and turn the eggs several times a day. After the chicks are born, the temperature in the incubator is reduced to 27-28 degrees. Feed babies begin at the 12th hour of their life. The role of an artificial "nurse" is performed by a small syringe, and later - a spoon. The easiest way to cook food is from infant formula, adding fodder lime and vitamins to them. A small cockatoo parrot asks for food day and night every 2 hours. Whether he ate or not, they check by the fullness of his goiter. Overfeeding your baby is highly discouraged. Finishing each meal, you need to imitate natural feeding. A grown-up chick can be added to food with millet and fruits. Adult birds are happy to eat carrots, cucumbers, seeds, nuts, peas, beets, celery, corn.

Pet house

The talking cockatoo, cute, funny, playful, is the pride of its owner. These birds can learn a few phrases and many differentsounds. They also easily learn various tricks, movements, and are able to fulfill some requests. This is what enthusiastic viewers see. Behind the scenes are problems and difficulties known only to the owners.

Cockatoos are freedom-loving birds. If they are constantly kept in a locked cage, they begin to get nervous and get sick. This is expressed in plucking their feathers, in aggression towards the owner. Therefore, these birds must be given the opportunity to fly around the apartment for at least half an hour a day.

The cage for them needs to be bought especially strong, preferably metal. Close the door with a good lock, which cannot be opened by anything other than a key. These precautions are necessary because cockatoo wooden bars can be turned into splinters in a matter of hours, and simple locks can be opened just as well as a seasoned bugbear.

Walking around the apartment

All cockatoo owners should remember that it is extremely risky to leave pets unattended outside the cage for a long time. First, inquisitive birds may become interested in electrical wiring, damage it, and kill themselves.

Secondly, they do not remain indifferent to furniture, paintings, figurines, flowers, vases on the table, books. All this they gladly break, torn, rendered unusable in every possible way. The danger is varnishes and paints that cover furniture and surfaces. A parrot, swallowing dangerous pieces, can get sick and even die.

Third, cockatoo feathers have a white powder formed from the crushed ends of the feathers. The birds are shaken regularly, andthis powder scatters all over the apartment.

Character traits

Destroying an apartment is not all that a cockatoo parrot can do. Owner reviews give an idea of how demanding attention the bird is and how emotional it is in expressing its feelings. Having become attached to the owner, cockatoos become, figuratively speaking, his shadow, constantly demanding signs of attention. Offended, the pet may refuse to eat, pluck its feathers, even tear its skin. Often such problems arise when the owner needs to go somewhere, for example, to go on vacation. The separation will be hard for the cockatoo.

The second feature of his character is vindictiveness and aggression. If the cockatoo does not like the owner's treatment of him, he can peck very painfully, tear out a piece of flesh and even bite the phalanxes of his fingers. Curiously, a bird can injure its owner not only when angry, but also just playing.

Noisy and noisy

In nature, cockatoos are very noisy birds. They calm down only for the period of incubation of chicks. They always shout when they are frightened and when they are happy with everything. This is how birds clear their lungs. It is clear that at home this habit remains. Their cry is very loud, sometimes heartbreaking. Sometimes you don’t immediately realize that it’s not a person yelling, and not a pig being cut, but a cockatoo parrot expressing pleasure in life. The price for them is quite high. In addition to buying the bird itself, the future owner needs to include in the costs a large, very strong and comfortable cage for the bird, good feed and a lot oftoys. They are simply necessary for a parrot living without a pair. The toys are not that expensive, but the parrot will often break them and break them with his beak, so you will have to buy them often.

How much does a cockatoo parrot cost

According to some sources, the cost of a cockatoo with documents is from 90 thousand rubles and more. It is influenced by many nuances.

As a rule, the price is low if the bird does not have all the necessary documents or it is sick. Unfortunately, cockatoos are often smuggled into our country. Such, so to speak, businessmen care only about the revenue. They catch and carry the unfortunate parrots, breaking the laws. In order not to be caught, the birds are euthanized and hidden in places unsuitable for living beings. Few of them remain he althy after this. In addition, a parrot caught in the wild may be a carrier of viruses. Merchants try to sell goods quickly, so they do not set high prices.

If you buy cockatoos in special nurseries, many problems can be avoided, although the price will be higher. It depends on the type, size, age, skills of the bird and the degree of its domestication. A human-fed parrot is worth more than one raised by its parents.

It happens that the owners themselves sell cockatoos. Here the price varies quite widely. Sometimes a parrot can be given away for free, as long as the new owner is a good person. And yet, buying a cockatoo without proper documents, there is a risk of acquiring a problem bird.

Most popular species

Many are interested in how long cockatoo parrots live. Their life expectancy depends on the conditions of detention, size and type. The most popular are the yellow-crested, white-crested, yellow-cheeked, pink, Moluccan and Goffin's cockatoo.

There are yellow-crested cockatoos big and small. Large has a body size of up to 55 cm, lives up to 50 years. It is more difficult to breed in captivity, it learns words worse, but it perfectly performs various tricks. Small yellow-crested ones grow up to 35 cm. They have a life expectancy of 40 years. They hardly learn to speak, but are very smart and funny.

The white-crested cockatoo parrot (photo) is considered a long-liver. In captivity, its age can reach 70 years. These birds are very popular due to their extraordinary artistry. They learn words and sounds well.

Yellow-cheeked cockatoos are considered excellent talkers. They are unusually strongly attached to their home and owner. In the summer, they are even released to fly in the wild without fear that they will not return.

Pinks live up to 50 years. These are calm, peaceful birds, medium in size. They learn words poorly, but they become very attached to the owner.

The Moluccan cockatoo is very beautiful. He is extremely quick-witted, imitates animal voices well, but remembers little human words. Lives up to 80 years, giving his owners a lot of pleasant moments.

Goffin's cockatoos are considered one of the smallest and loudest. Nevertheless, they are kept in captivity with great pleasure. These cute birds hardly speak, but they do an excellent job with the mostcomplex locks.