Cockatoos are very gentle and sensitive birds, and they need great care in captivity. They are very delicate and sensitive to their diet, behavior, health, and environment. In captivity to take care of your cockatoo is very necessary. In this article, we will discuss how to take care of a cockatoo bird.
Cockatoos are very fragile and have behavioral issues; in order to take care of these graceful birds, you need to follow a few steps. You can take care of your cockatoos from the setting of the cage to their breeding care. They need extra care in captivity because, in this environment, the owner is responsible for them.
You can set up a wide cage for your cockatoos and then embellish it with perches and toys. Always put the cage in a sunny environment and give them a healthy and proper diet. Observe their behaviors and make their routine; take them out of the cage and play with them.
Always take your cockatoo to some veterinarian doctor for their monthly health checkup. These steps are necessary to follow for taking care of your cockatoos. Let’s elaborate on these points in depth.
Steps To Take Care of Cockatoo Bird:
Cockatoos are very delicate and affectionate parrots, and they need great care because they are not habitual of captive environments. There are some steps which should be followed properly in order to take care of your cockatoo bird.
- Proper Setting of Cockatoos’ Cage
- Place perches and Stands in the cage
- Place Plenty of toys in Cockatoos’ Cage
- Hang or place the cage in Sunny Environment
- Give your Cockatoos a proper diet
- Clean the cage and change dishes daily.
- Bathe Up Your Cockatoos
- Keep Your Cockatoos Healthy and Active
- Give Your Cockatoos Exposure Of Television and Radio
- Take your cockatoos out of the cage
- Spend some Time with Your Cockatoos
- Take Care of your Cockatoos during the Breeding season
- Take your Cockatoo to Veteran For Health Checkup
These are a few fundamental steps that are very necessary for the proper care and development of your cockatoos. In the wild, they do everything according to their nature, but in a captive environment, you are responsible for the health of your cockatoo. So let’s discuss these points in a more clear way.
Proper Setting of Cockatoos’ Cage:
Cockatoos have a wide range of sizes, and usually, they are large-sized birds. They need a big cage which is at least 120 cm in length and wide also. Cockatoos are very active and fun-loving parrots, and they love to move and fly here and there.
So, their cage must be comprehensive and properly set in order to make your cockatoo comfortable in the cage. The cage of the cockatoo must be of that size in which the cockatoo can move freely, and there must be space for perches, stands, and toys. This setting of the cockatoo’s cage is very necessary to make your cockatoo comfortable.
Place perches and Stands in the cage:
To take care of the comfort of cockatoos is very necessary. Place perches in the cage so that your cockatoos can move and sit where they want to. You can place at least five perches on stands, and among these, one must be soft so that your cockatoo can sleep on those perches.
They also swing on these stands, which makes them active. Mainly cockatoos move from one perch to another, and they are fun for them because sitting in only one place is very boring for them. You can use a cable perch for sleeping purposes of your cockatoo because it is soft.
Embellished Plenty of Toys In Cockatoos’ Cage:
Cockatoos are very moody, so always add some entertaining stuff for your cockatoos. Cockatoos really like to play with toys, and colorful toys attract them. Cockatoos are very sensitive to behaviors, and they get depressed when they are alone.
So when you are not available, always give them some toys so that they remain busy and do not harm themselves because when they are sad, they pluck their feathers.
Always place some toys in cockatoos cages because they really like entertainment and they are very intelligent, so they like puzzle toys.
You can add some wooden toys to their cage as well because they love to chew things. When you place some toys made up of wooden boxes or cardboard toys they will play with them, chew them and remain happy.
Place Cockatoos’ Cage in Sunny Room:
Naturally, cockatoos are adapted to their wild environment and they feel some difficulty in captivity. To take care of cockatoos is the responsibility of their caretakers. Always place the cage of your cockatoos in some natural light, and their room must be enlightened with the sunlight.
Place their cage in the corner of the sunny room because cockatoos feel secure in the sitting if you place them in some other room. Always make sure that they can see others because they become depressed and sick when they do not see anyone.
Give Your Cockatoos a Proper Diet:
In the caring routine of Cockatoos, taking care of their diet is the mandatory step. Cockatoos are very foody, and they love to eat fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and parrot mixes, etc. cockatoos really like pelleted food, corn, and seeds.
You can do all these things to adult cockatoos separately and mixed from, but baby cockatoos are sensitive to their diet, so taking care of their diet is very necessary. Don’t give seeds and big chunks of fruits and vegetables to them because sometimes they can not digest the food properly and suffer from crop impaction.
You can many fruits and vegetables together which are very healthy for cockatoos nad they also kike colorful food. Nuts are also very beneficial, so in their parrot mix, you can add some seeds, nuts, and sling with fruits because they are highly enriched with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, which are essential for their growth and development.
Cockatoos are really greedy about their food and they can eat a lot, but you have to take care of the quantity of their food. Always serve healthy food and are well balanced in quantity because excessive amounts of these things can harm them. You can also give them parrot treats in order to establish their food routine.
Clean The Cage of Your Cockatoo:
Always clean the cage of your cockatoos because it is very important for their health. In order to take care of cockatoos, cleanliness is very important. Cockatoos take food in dishes and pots; if they are cleaned daily, many bacterias and fungi accumulate there. This accumulation of bacterias can cause serious health issues for cockatoos.
You can use different cleaners for their cage, and you can clean the cage after 15 days but clean the dishes and pots on a daily basis. When the new food is poured into the dirty dishes, it can harm your cockatoos to take care of their health and clean their cage properly.
Change Water of Cockatoos’ Cage Daily:
Cockatoos drink water as per their requirement the whole day and it must be fresh and clean. Water is very necessary for every living organism and if it is not clean it can cause serious health issues. Usually, water pots are placed in the cages of cockatoos, and they drink water from these pots.
The water of these pots must be changed on a regular basis because it is not changed for a few days; it gets dirty. Bacteria and fungi accumulate in the water, and when cockatoos drink that dirty water, it can seriously harm them and can cause stomach disorders. So, their water from the pots should be changed on a daily basis.
Bathe up Your Cockatoo:
Bathing your cockatoo is very important for their healthy living. Cockatoos really love water in the wild as well as in captivity. Cockatoos can produce powder in their feathers, which should be cleaned weekly; otherwise, it can cause itching and dryness in their feathers. Cockatoos love to take showers, and there are many ways to give them a bath.
Do not throw water in them with pressure, and it must be very light splashes of water. You can also place your cockatoos on the perches and spray water droplets on them with a shower or spray bottle. Bathing is very necessary but to take off their capacity to bear water pressure is very important.
Keep Your Cockatoos Healthy:
Cockatoos are very gentle, humble, and affectionate parrots. They often get depressed and sick when they are alone and isolated for a long time. To take care of cockatoos’ health, their mental health is also very important. You should establish their routine so they remain busy and do not get depressed.
You should fix their time for exercise because it is very necessary for their health. Flying is also very essential for the proper development and health of wings. So, you can train them not to fly and they allow them to fly in the room.
Every day in the evening, take them to the garden and ask them to perform some tricks and do exercise with them. In this way, they will feel healthy and active. Because exercise is very essential for cockatoos in the captive environment.
Give Your Cockatoo Some Exposure of Entertainment:
Cockatoos are fun-loving parrots, and they really like to play and entertain others as well as they like entertainment. For this purpose, you can use Television and radio because the voices from television and radio fascinate them and try to mimic these voices.
You can go out from home, you can turn on the radio and can keep your cockatoo busy in order to avoid their unwanted behavior and to take care of their health.
Cockatoos have the ability to mimic human vocals and by listening to these voices continuously they mimic that.
Cockatoos can also learn music and utter the lyrics. Cockatoos really like to watch television, and they try to copy them and do tricks like that. Moreover, they rea music lovers and they dance when the music is played
Interact with Your Cockatoos:
Interaction with your cockatoo is very important for their mental health because they really talk with their caretakers. Cockatoos are very talkative and friendly parrots and they love to listen to their owners and try to utter their words back in order to show their love for their owners.
When you interact with your cockatoos, they listen to you and ultimately lose their depression and get relaxed. They do not like isolation and naturally, they have a talkative nature, so it is very good for cockatoos to talk because chatting with their owners can decrease their depression and become healthy.
Sing and Read to Your cockatoo:
Cockatoos really like music and soft voices. Although they have loud and harsh sounds they can be controlled through proper training. When you sing in front of your cockatoos, they get very comfortable and impressed by their owners and try to impress their caretakers.
You can also read some stories to your cockatoos. Although they will not understand the stories, they become happy when their owner makes them sit on the and read stories.
Take your Cockatoo to Veteran For Health Checkup:
To take care of your cockatoo in the best possible way, it is very necessary for them to take them to a veterinary doctor. Sometimes cockatoos feel some issues and problems in their early stages, and if they consult with some veterans at the proper time, they can handle the issue well.
Always observe the behavior of your cockatoos and if you feel something unusual, then take your feathered fellow to the veteran. Their monthly health checkup is also very important for their health.
Conclusion:
Cockatoos are very sensitive and delicate birds, they need great care in order to grow properly. In the wild, they are strong enough to compete for many diseases, but the owners are responsible for their health and growth in the captive environment.
Cockatoos need love and care in a proper way. There are many ways mentioned above that can help you to take care of your cockatoos properly.
