Things to Do With Your Cockatoo

Cockatoos are highly intelligent, large parrots who bond closely with their owners and enjoy spending time with them. Unfortunately, these birds can easily become bored if left alone and ignored, with no toys and nothing to do. Boredom and isolation result in issues like frequent screaming, feather plucking or even illness in some cases. Prevent such issues and bond with your own cockatoo through frequent interaction and training.

  1. Socialize with Polly

    • Your cockatoo is a highly social bird that enjoys your company, so place Polly's cage in an area of your home that you spend most of your time in. This way, he'll feel like he is part of your "flock." Speak or read to your bird while he's in his cage and give him plenty of toys to entertain himself, recommends the Birds n Ways website. While simply "hanging out" with Polly, you can also repeat phrases to your cockatoo to encourage him to talk. Although not all cockatoo species are proficient at mimicry, your bird should be able to learn a few phrases or even whistle a tune if you frequently play music or sing to him.

    Teach Tricks

    • Cockatoos are very intelligent and some can even make and use basic tools, according to the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Engage this intelligence by clicker training your parrot to perform tricks on command, recommends ParrotSecrets.com. Start by clicking a pet training device and rewarding Polly with a treat, like a sunflower seed. Continue to click-and-treat until the sound of the clicker is associated with a reward. Teach verbal commands such as "Come," "Shake" or "Wave." Simply issue the command and encourage the behavior you want, such as tempting your bird over to teach the "Come" command. Once your feathered friend performs the behavior, click-and-treat him. Keep training sessions short, to around 15 minutes at a time.

    Exercise Polly

    • Prevent boredom and keep your cockatoo in shape by exercising him daily, outside of his cage. Your cockatoo needs between 15 to 20 minutes of interactive play and exercise with you each day to help release his pent-up energy, recommends BirdChannel.com. Teach Polly to wear a leash and harness so he can go outdoors for walks or engage him in a game of fetch, using a small stuffed toy. Cockatoos love swinging on rope gyms designed for parrots and enjoy it when you use such a rope to swing them gently around. With all of this exercise and fun, Polly won't have any excess energy to channel into destructive screaming or feather plucking.

    Considerations

    • Avoid physically snuggling your cockatoo or excessively stroking his feathers because this can lead to sexual frustration in your bird, resulting in problems with biting and screaming, warns a 2009 article in the Phoenix Beakin̵7;. Keep physical touching of your bird to a few head scratches and scratches around his eyes instead. Cockatoos produce a lot of powdery dander and frequent bathing, which most of these birds enjoy, keeps it to a minimum. Consider taking a shower with your cockatoo daily by placing a bathing perch in your shower; this gives you another activity to share with Polly.