**For all their beauty, these birds don’t make the best pets because they tend to be aloof – and they often bite. These birds are inquisitive and love to chew objects, so they should always be provided with toys, blocks of wood or branches. Immature Majors are similar to the adult except that the iris is pale brown. A hen has a reddish brown iris while a cock has a dark brown to blackish iris, a distinction which develops towards the end of the first year. The Major Mitchell sexes are very similar, but can be sexed in a mature bird by the eye colour. Length about 35 cm (14″), weight about 350-400 grams. The Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo, Lophocroa leadbeateri also known as Leadbeater’s Cockatoo or Pink Cockatoo is a medium-sized cockatoo restricted to arid and semi-arid inland areas of Australia. Factor this in with the feather dust mentioned above, cockatoo owners need to be prepared for a bit of a mess.įeather Picking and Self Mutilation: cockatoos seem somewhat prone to neurotic behavior including feather picking and self-mutilation, especially if denied the affection and attention they need so strongly. Mess and Destruction: cockatoos tend to like to play with (toss) their food and chew on everything. This powder makes a fine dust that settles throughout the homes of cockatoo owners and can cause allergies. Links to help with feeding a proper diet:Ĭockatoos and Feather Dust: special feathers (powder down) produce a fine powder used in preening. Nuts can also be used as a special treat. Seeds and seed mixes should only be used as a limited treat item since they are high in fat. Pellets can be up to 50% of the diet and fresh foods (vegetables, fruits, grains, etc) you prepare should make up the rest. All toys must be safe, and hung safely.Ĭockatoos need a variety of fresh foods along with a good quality avian pellet based diet. Toys with hanging strands simulate preening and are popular with cockatoos. Provide both hanging toys and toys that can be picked up in the feet. Softwood toys, tree branches, vegetable tanned leather, rope toys (supervise use), bells and cardboard can all be given. Horizontal bar wires will allow the cockatoo to exercise by climbing on the sides of the cage.Ĭockatoos love to chew and destroy things, so providing chewable toys is a necessity. A strong cage (wrought iron, stainless steel) is necessary to withstand the cockatoo’s tough beak. Smaller cockatoos should have a cage no smaller than 24″x36″x48″ with a bar spacing of 3/4″ to 1″ while the larger cockatoos need a very large cage: about 24″x48″x48″ with a bar spacing of 1″ to 1.5.” The larger the cage the better. There is a lot of variation between individuals as well as likely some species variation. They are somewhat excitable so sometimes don’t do that well around young kids.Ĭockatoos aren’t as well known as some of the other parrots for their ability to mimic speech, but in general they do have pretty good speech capabilities.
They are intelligent, playful, mischevious, and they can be exceptionally loud. Deprived of affection, cockatoos will become depressed or exhibit neurotic behaviors. However, their sociability and need for affection means they demand a great deal of time from their owners.
They are quite “cuddly” and bond very closely with their owners. Along with the Psittacidae family (the true parrots), they make up the order Psittaciformes.Įxpected Life Span: With proper care, cockatoos can be expected to live from about 40 years (smaller species) to 80 years or more (larger species).Ĭockatoos are very lively and affectionate birds. A cockatoo is any of the 21 bird species belonging to the family Cacatuidae.
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