Moluccan Cockatoo Care

How do you make sure your incredibly demanding Moluccan Cockatoo is happy?  Happy enough to co-habitat with you, welcome training sessions, and remain snuggly and loyal?

Moluccan Cockatoo Care is up to you.  Making sure everything in their environment is positive in your first step! Provide them an optimal environment including proper caging and nutrition and your Moluccan Cockatoo will share the love, leave something out or neglect your Moluccan and brace yourself for the repercussions.

Moluccan Cockatoo Cages:

Moluccan cockatoos have extremely strong beaks and strong minds. This combination of brains and power means they’ll be out of their cage faster than you can say “Escape Artist.”  Do choose stainless steel.  Stainless steel is the strongest and safest metal you can buy. 

Other metals like zinc are toxic – stay away from them.  Steel cages coated with a non toxic paint that is durable and wont chip off are okay too.  Your Conure will chew on the cage bars and you don’t want them eating the toxic paint. 

Cockatoos need room to roam, fluff their feathers and be the gorgeous birds they are.  Of course they most certainly prefer to be outside of their cage where they can be with their people. 

That being said, they can’t be outside of their cage 24/7 so it’s important to make sure they’re happy in their cage environment.  Do choose a cage that is large enough to accommodate your beautiful companion.  The minimum cage size should be at least 2 ft. x 2 ft. x 3 ft. high.  

What shape cage?  While a round or ornamental cage might best be suited for your home or for your personal taste, this is not the right cage for your Moluccan.  Do choose a rectangular cage. 

Cockatoos like to climb.  The taller the cage and the more space available at the top, the happier your Moluccan will be.  If you’ve ever owned a cockatoo, you know their happiness has a direct effect on your happiness. 

Important cage features.  Do choose a cage where the bars are a maximum of a half an inch apart. This makes certain your Moluccan is safe and makes it easy for them to climb around their cage.  Don’t choose a cage with a guillotine door. 

Doors that open up like a guillotine are extremely dangerous, especially for the incredibly intelligent Moluccan Cockatoo who will most certainly try to escape.  Instead choose a cage with a door that opens to the side or down like a drawbridge over a moat.  This type of door eliminates any kind of accident that might happen and it makes it easy for you to retrieve your Conure from their cage. 

Look for a cage with a removable bottom tray.  Make sure your cage bottom has a wire grating so that waste and dropped food can fall through and be easily cleaned.  However, the distance between the cage mesh and the bottom of the tray is important too.  You don’t want your Moluccan to be able to retrieve food from the bottom tray. 

Also consider choosing a cage with wheels.  It will make it easier for you to relocate your bird when he needs to sleep or to place him in a room when he is screeching.  Relocating your Moluccan or covering their cage is often an effective way to train your Moluccan to stop.
 
Take the time to stock your Moluccan’s cage with an abundance of toys.  Your Moluccan is a very intelligent and active bird.  No toys, means an unhappy and bored bird – not a good thing.  Look for toys that challenge your bird, toys that entertain, and toys that encourage them to explore, chew, and climb. 
 

Moluccan Cockatoo Diet:

Supplementation, daily supplementation, of fresh fruits and vegetables is essential.  Your Moluccan is a smart bird and will enjoy a variety of fruits and vegetables in different forms. 
Offer the veggies raw and cooked, chopped, julienne, or pureed.  Also take the extra time to wash fruits and veggies to remove pesticides or buy organic. 

Do not feed your Moluccan Cockatoo a diet based in nuts and seeds!  They’re full of fat and can literally kill your Cockatoo, if not make him incredibly grumpy, which inevitably leads to destruction and aggressive behavior.  Instead, offer your Moluccan nuts and seeds as treats and rewards.  Also take the extra time to wash out both food and water bowls daily. 

Taking optimal care of your Moluccan Cockatoo is important both to their health and happiness.  They can be a demanding bird however the rewards when they’re cared for and given a lot of TLC are great.