Cockatoos – Learning About a Few of the Species
Close up of a black cockatoo eating seed out of a woman's hand

Cockatoos – Learning About a Few of the Species

By request from one of our Facebook fans, Teresa – we will start off talking about the Goffin cockatoo. Known formally as the Tanimbar Corella. These adorable little birds are about 12 inches long from head to tail.

The males weigh about 300 g (about 10 oz) and the females weigh about 50 g less. Like many other cockatoos they have a crest they raise and lower on top of their head.

As Cockatoos go, this one is a quieter Cockatoo which makes it a terrific pet. You have to be careful what you do in front of these birds like opening the cage latch because they will watch it and mimic it rather quickly.

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Let’s Talk About Bird Poop – It Says What Your Bird Can’t
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Let’s Talk About Bird Poop – It Says What Your Bird Can’t

So let’s talk about poop:-) What got me thinking about the topic is a recent e-mail from a customer considering buying an HQ bird cage. She bought a Molucaan Cockatoo from a pet shop 16 years ago. She’s been shopping there for 16 years and last year bought a dome top birdcage from them.

After one year the bottom tray of the cage had started rusting out. She talked about having bought all of her supplies from this particular pet shop including walnut shells which are used as bedding in the bottom of the cage. She wasn’t sure of the make of the cage.

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More About the Importance of Lighting for Captive Birds
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More About the Importance of Lighting for Captive Birds

Birdcage lighting for 3 parrots

 

Hi Mitch,

 

I am fairly new to reading your blog, so I hope I am not asking questions that are too redundant. I have three birds – an almost 4-year-old male Bodini Amazon, a 2-year-old male Blue-headed Pionus, and a feisty little female Parrotlet. I have two questions really.

 

First, I would like to know if what I am currently doing is adequate or not. My birds have their own room where their cages are. The room is furnished with a fountain, a tree, hanging toys, etc. – basically a parrot playground. There is only one overhead light in the room that is just an LED daylight bulb.

 

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Caring for 2 Senior Lovebirds
Two colorful parrots, Rosy-faced lovebird, Agapornis roseicollis, also known as rosy-collared or peach-faced lovebird, are in love against black background

Caring for 2 Senior Lovebirds

I have 2 love birds that are approaching 20 years of age – Help Scout

Beth W replied Feb 5, 12:42pm

I have two love birds that are approaching 20 years of age and was wondering if there are special nutrition or habitat changes I should make for them. 

Mitch replied Feb 8, 10:09pm

Beth – do you know their sex?

Beth W replied Feb 9, 6:29pm

They are both male peach faced love birds, one is a year older than the other. The older bird is having problems with his balance occasionally.

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My Ringneck Parakeets Are Biting Me One Day After I Bought Them – Help
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My Ringneck Parakeets Are Biting Me One Day After I Bought Them – Help

You may have noticed the “live help” tab at the bottom of the site coming on now and then: Here’s a “fly on the wall” look

Chatting with Guest (Egypt)

Mitch: Hello, how can I help?

Visitor: I brought 2 Indian parrots 6 months old yesterday.

Visitor: Yesterday they were nice but today they tend to bite so hard.

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Zoo Med 2008: Psittacine Medicine (2008)
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Zoo Med 2008: Psittacine Medicine (2008)

OCW Zoological Medicine 2008
Psittacine Medicine (2008)
G. Kaufman, DVM
Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University

1. Learning Objectives and Review

This section pulls together the main diseases and health issues of psittacines, representing the major group of birds seen in pet bird veterinary practice. Color coded topics indicate learning objectives that the student should become familiar with. Cases will be presented in class to illustrate these topics.

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Those Lovable Lovebirds – 5 Lovebird Videos
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Those Lovable Lovebirds – 5 Lovebird Videos

Lovebirds are native to the African continent while the Gray-headed lovebird also known as the Madagascar lovebird comes from of all places, Madagascar. Lovebirds are known for their strong monogamous relationships and spend a lot of time being together wing to wing.

They are capable of having close relationships with people in addition to their chosen companion. They like to snuggle with people and quite often they will train their humans. You’re really better off spending short periods throughout the day with your lovebird rather than just one or two longer interactions, the way you would with a larger parrot. Lovebirds can be noisy but are not necessarily good talkers.

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How Can You Compare the Personalities of an African Grey and a Macaw?
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How Can You Compare the Personalities of an African Grey and a Macaw?

That is not really a fair question. The personality of a captive bird is determined by many factors and the environment that humans provide for them.

The bigger question is are we seeing the paratroop personality or does being a captain of birds change everything? In other words, would a bird be different in the wild than in captivity?

There is no single event, procedure, or training apparatus that will cause a bird to act like this or that, be an uncontrollable screamer, feather self-mutilation, or toe-tapper (a neurological issue in some Eclectus parrots).

Most people fail in raising captive birds because they don’t “speak bird”. It is essential to look at a pet bird holistically because every component of their life impacts their behavior.

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