Article From SubmitYOURArticle.com: Red Tailed Black Cockatoos--A 7 Point Care Guide for Owners

The Red Tailed Black Cockatoo is stunningly
beautiful and extremely intelligent. To insure a
long, happy, and healthy life for this bird takes
enormous dedication and love. Here is a 7 point
care guide for owners.

1. You may have bought your cockatoo a cage which
looks as though it is quite impenetrable.
However, be aware that your cockatoo's
intelligence can be applied very easily to the
mechanics of the cage door mechanism.

These birds will easily take apart items,
demonstrating an astonishing degree of dexterity
as they do so. They seem to have almost as much
dexterity in their feet as we do in our hands,
and it is marvelous to watch.

However, marvelous though it may be to watch your
cockatoo delicately remove the pins and screws
from the cage mechanism, it is not so endearing
to watch your precious bird flying around the
house, causing chaos, destruction and quite
possibly injuring itself in the process.

To this end, make sure that you provide your
cockatoo with plenty to do, toys and activities
to keep it entertained, and of course as much of
your own time and attention as you can. This will
keep your cockatoo engaged, stimulated, and
happy. And a happy bird makes the best companion!

2. Are you fully aware that Red Tailed Black
Cockatoos can live longer than you? Many people
buy pets as relatively short-term commitments.
Not that they want to, because most pet owners
would gladly spend their whole lives with their
animals.

The majority of cockatoos' life spans rival that
of the healthiest human. In many cases birds
outlive their owners! Cockatoos can easily live
between fifty and seventy years, and depending on
how old you are when you buy your bird, you may
well find that you have a companion for life.

This is a huge commitment, and you will need to
think carefully about the chances of any major
life changes you have in mind, such as marrying,
starting a family, moving away, career changes
and such like. Make sure you don't find yourself
committing to a cockatoo that then becomes an
object of resentment in the future.

It's also worth bearing in mind that you will
usually need to make some provision for its care
after you fall off your own perch for the final
time.

3. Don't just feed your cockatoo seeds. Many
owners believe that birds eat seeds or insects -
period! Imagine if you were owned by a bird, and
it fed you nothing but burgers and fries for half
a century because they were the only foods they
thought you would eat!

Just like you, your cockatoo thrives on variety,
and this applies just as much to the world of
food as anything else. Use pellets, fruit,
vegetables and even extras such as eggs, bread,
and crackers.

There are some foods which are bad for them, and
in even dangerous in certain cases. Avocados,
chocolate, caffeine products, alcohol are all
fatal if ingested and should be avoided at all
costs.

4. All birds need a good calcium rich diet, but
cockatoos require a much higher dosage. If you
use a pellet based supplement then in most cases,
if this is specifically targeted at the cockatoo
family, it should already include a good calcium
supplement. However, check this out for yourself,
and make sure that you provide your bird with
foods which do have high levels of calcium to
keep it in tip-top condition.

5. Always make sure that your Cockatoo has a
ready supply of clean water available at all
times. However, water which may look perfectly
clean and drinkable to us can contain toxins
which are harmful to Cockatoos.

In fact, cockatoos have a tendency to be much
more seriously affected by these toxins than
other birds or animals. A good tip is to use a
water filter to purify the tap water before
providing it to your bird. Even better is to
provide bottled water if you can manage it.

6. Always keep an eye on your cockatoo's nails.
If you notice them getting too long, then ask
your vet to have a look and show you how to trim
them yourself. Don't try it without having been
shown first as you can very easily injure your
cockatoo.

Always provide rough landing areas such as sand
or concrete to help keep the nails in
check-similar to cats using a scratching post.

7. Make sure your Cockatoo's air is the cleanest
it can be. Using a high efficiency particle
arresting (or HEPA) air purifier virtually
eliminates dander, feathers, dust, and other
particulates that can clog your bird's airways.
And cear air passages mean a healthier bird and
increased life span.

Giving careful and thoughtful attention to these
7 areas of care will have earned you the right to
have your Cockatoo share your home and your life.

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