You might have seen pet cockatoos playing with their owners, doing funny things that make them adorable. But did you know cockatoos can be dangerous sometimes?
Pet Cockatoos are generally friendly and loving but can be dangerous sometimes. They can attack you and bite you. However, this behavior is uncommon, and if cockatoos are raised well, they don’t do it.
Cockatoos are quite moody, sometimes show affection all the time, and sometimes want to be left alone. The key to keeping a friendly relationship with a cockatoo is learning its body language and understanding its emotions.
Friendly acts of cockatoos
Pet cockatoos enjoy playing with you; they follow you like a puppy in the entire house. If flight tamed, they even fly to your hand or lap (in my case, on my head). If they can’t see you for a few hours, they start missing you and scream to grab your attention.
They also like to be talked to; they respond whenever you pass by them and call their name. If they have learned to talk, they will speak all the words they know to get your attention. They will try to sing with you if you frequently play a song. I have seen cockatoos that even dance to music to show their excitement and make you happy.
Some cockatoos learn to speak more than words; they can speak several sentences and never stop talking. They make long and funny conversations that usually consist of random sentences.
The clearest evidence of their friendliness and affectionate nature is their urge to cuddle. Pet cockatoos come to you asking for cuddles like a human baby. They want you to give them love.
So there are a lot of things that set cockatoos different from completely dangerous birds. At least I have never seen an eagle asking for cuddles or dancing to music to cheer up its owner.
Dangerous acts of cockatoos
No matter how adorable pet cockatoos are, they are birds. Sometimes they act like wild cockatoos and can be dangerous. They can attack and bite you if they are still approached despite the signs.
Usually, it happens when the bird is experiencing some stress. For example, when it is their breeding season, their homonal drive is too much for them to manage, making them aggressive. Or when they are sick, the pair or irritation makes them aggressive. Well, this kind of makes sense; even when we are sick, we don’t like a lot of interactions.
Similarly, when a cockatoo feels threatened by you or another pet, it aggressively protects itself. In such cases, cockatoos do not let anyone touch them or get close.
Another important reason for some cockatoos getting aggressive is poor health care and diet. If a cockatoo is not provided proper diet or a good environment, it affects the bird’s mental health. The bird gets frustrated and loses interest in all activities.
Sometimes there is nothing wrong with the bird’s diet; the environment is also good, and the bird is also physically healthy, yet it shows signs of aggression. This happens when the bird has an abusive past and the previous owner or someone in the past did not treat the bird properly. Such birds take some time to blend in.
So overall, the dangerous nature of pet cockatoos is also understandable; they don’t get aggressive for just no reason.
Final thoughts
Cockatoos cannot be labeled as dangerous birds, and they are one of the friendliest birds on the planet. Though they get aggressive sometimes, and the reasons are understandable.
