Description

The Sulphur Crested Cockatoo (typically the Greater Sulphur-Crested) is a large, powerful white parrot famed for its massive, expressive yellow crest. They are highly intelligent, playful, and incredibly bold. They form deep, loyal, and incredibly demanding bonds with their families, often expressing their need for attention with dramatic vocalizations and displays. This species is infamous for its extremely loud, ear-piercing, and far-reaching scream, a natural flock call that is a significant hurdle for any owner. This volume makes them highly unsuitable for dense residential areas and requires a dedicated, isolated living space.

Tamability and Maintenance: Sulphur Crested Cockatoos are highly tamable and thrive on social interaction. They are an extremely high maintenance pet, demanding 3-5 hours of dedicated, direct human interaction daily. Their high intelligence and powerful beaks necessitate a huge, durable, fortress-like cage and a constant supply of heavy-duty, chewable toys and foraging opportunities to prevent chronic screaming and self-mutilation (feather plucking). This bird represents a massive, multi-decade commitment, with a lifespan often reaching 60-80 years.

Diet: A Sulphur Crested Cockatoo’s diet must be meticulously low-fat. The core should be a high-quality, large parrot pellet formula. This must be supplemented generously with a wide variety of fresh, chopped vegetables (especially Vitamin A-rich types) and a minimal amount of fruit. Nuts and seeds must be heavily restricted and used only as a rare, measured treat for training.