moluccan cockatoo

The Moluccan or salmon-crested cockatoo is one of the most beautiful, intelligent and even temperate cockatoos. Goal; As with any other parrot companion, do your homework and do your research before whipping out the credit card and saying “I’ll take ’em.” They are very caring and needy in the care department. Some hobbyists rank them right up there with the African gray in intelligence. They are interactive and playful, just a joy to be around, if you know how to be a Moluccan pet. Like most members of the cockatoo family, they are very dusty, and the dust on their feathers flies away every time they scratch. It is for this reason that Moluccas should be offered bath or shower time when they seem to want it. This helps keep allergens down and there is nothing they enjoy more than a nice bath or shower. Without proper bathing, Moluccas can tend to over-groom and develop plucking and self-mutilation disorders. Never bathe a bird before sleeping at night because it doesn’t have time to properly preen and dry its feathers, which can lead to illness and an unhappy bird.

The Moluccan comes from the Moluccas group of islands and is listed as a threatened bird, in the wild, CITES. Habitat loss due to logging, agriculture, and human occupation of their homelands are primarily responsible for their declining numbers in the wild. A good balanced diet of a morning meal type salad of carrots, alfalfa, orange, diced apple, pear, banana and other seasonal fruits and vegetables on the safe foods list should be given in a separate cup in the morning and a good pellet diet. for foraging throughout the day in a separate cup. It is risky, due to spoilage, to leave the fresh mix in the cage for more than 2 to 2.5 hours. At night, they like to dine on a mixture of dried nuts, cooked beans or some seeds. Moluccas are very large parrots growing to 20-22 inches in length and weighing up to 38 ounces or more. They need to have a good cage with strong bars with vertical bars for stability and horizontal bars for climbing. All cockatiels are masters of the art of escape and good non-toxic locks should be applied to all doors and other potential escape routes. I have seen several videos of these mischievous little guys opening their own cage and then releasing all the other birds into an aviary; never underestimate their intelligence. They need a lot of time out of the cage when you’re home; but, when you are outside and they must be inside their cage/house, that is exactly the time they will be spending their time figuring out how to unscrew screws, bolts and locks. Their lightning bolts are strong and they are agile.