🦜Cockatoo: gear and buying guides

The cockatoo is arguably the most demonstrative of parrots: cuddly to a fault, expressive with its crest, yet capable of some of the most deafening screams in the bird world. Emotionally very dependent, it copes poorly with solitude and can develop plucking and self-mutilation without enough company and occupation. Its powerful beak demands shredding toys in industrial quantities.

Profile : 30 to 50 cm depending on the species, lifespan of 40 to 60 years and beyond, extremely high noise level.

Cockatoo gear, family by family

• 🍖 Food

  Pellets as the base, varied vegetables, few sugary fruits and fatty seeds kept for training work. Several species are prone to obesity, the galah especially.

• 🧴 Care & grooming

  Its plumage produces a lot of powder: frequent misting and good room ventilation are necessary, with an air purifier helping sensitive households. Inspect the plumage regularly, the first indicator of distress.

• 🎾 Toys & enrichment

  Provide mountains of shredding material, soft wood, cardboard, palm leaf, plus foraging puzzles in constant rotation. Teach it early to occupy itself for stretches of time, the best prevention against behavioural disorders.

• 🏠 Bedding & habitat

  A sturdy steel cage at least one metre wide with secured locks, as it is an escape champion, budget 500 to 1500 euros. Cockatoos are subject to protection rules, some species on Appendix I: insist on identification and origin paperwork.

• 🧳 Travel & safety

  A reinforced carrier with lockable latches, as its feet and beak open simple catches. Check every cage screw regularly; it dismantles any hardware it can reach.

• 🧰 Accessories

  A parrot tree, hardwood perches, lockable stainless steel bowls and foot toys. A regular 10 to 12 hour sleep schedule in a quiet room helps keep screaming and hormonal behaviour in check.

Guides to read

• Budgie starter kit: the full budget to get off to a good startAccessories

  Cage, perches, bowls, toys, food: the complete budgie starter kit broken down item by item, with a realistic budget of 180 to 400 €.

• Switching from seeds to pellets: the gentle method that worksFood

  Why and how to switch a budgie, cockatiel or parrot from seeds to pellets: a gradual 4-to-8-week transition, with brands and prices.

• Egg food for birds: when to feed it and which one to choose?Food

  Breeding, moulting, winter: when to give egg food to a canary or budgie, which recipe to choose in 2026 and at what price (4 to 12 €).

• Cuttlebone and mineral blocks: which one does your bird need?Food

  Calcium, iodine, beak wear: what cuttlebone and mineral blocks are for, how to attach them in the cage and which to favour for each species.

• Fruits and vegetables safe for birds: the complete listFood

  Which fruits and vegetables can a budgie, cockatiel or parrot eat safely? The list of safe foods, the toxic ones and the right amounts.

• Play gyms and perch stands: setting up the out-of-cage spaceToys & enrichment

  Perch stand, tabletop play gym, hanging playground: how to set up a safe, stimulating out-of-cage space for a budgie or parrot, from 25 to 250 €.

• Foraging toys for birds: shop-bought or DIY, which to choose?Toys & enrichment

  Foraging toys keep a bird busy for hours by making it work for its food: commercial models (5 to 35 €), DIY ideas and how to build up difficulty.

• Swings, ladders and rings: which gym gear for your bird?Toys & enrichment

  Swings, ladders and rings build balance and keep budgies and parrots busy: safe materials, sizes by species and prices from 4 to 25 €.