Bringing Home a Galah Cockatoo: Tips for new Pet Owners
- VIParrot
- February 8, 2023
- 4:47 am
Species Overview
Also Known As: pink and grey cockatoo or rose-breasted cockatoo
Scientific Name: Eolophus roseicapilla
Adult Size: ~12 inches
Life Expectancy: 40 years
Is The Galah Cockatoo a good pet?
- Very Intelligent and Trainable
- Friendly and playful
- Small in stature
- They can be loud
- They love to chew a lot
General Information
The Galah Cockatoo. Boy, this parrot sure is cute. Also known as the rose-breasted cockatoo, The coloring of the bird is extraordinary. A delicious pink. A rich dark pink covers most of the body. The top of the head and back of the neck are a light white-pink color. A wonderful contrast of smokey gray adorns the back, wings and tail.
The female can be distinguished from the male by her eye color. She sports reddish eyes and the male has much darker eyes. This bird is lovely, to say the least. Even if you aren’t a fan of the color pink, I do believe you will be smitten with this bird.
Native to Australia, the Galah is far from endangered. They are actually considered a nuisance to farmers as they travel in large flocks and often feed on the seeds of many different types of crops. They have a reputation of destruction. And noisiness. Of course, this is just what they do naturally. The Galah’s numbers are actually increasing along with the increase in farmland. The farmland grows, allowing for more food for the Galah to eat. This allows for more Galah’s to survive and reproduce, increasing their population.
What food do they eat?
A pellet can make up the base of your Galah’s diet, with treats including nuts and fresh fruits and veggies. Emphasis must be placed on making sure that your birds diet does not include too much fat as Galah’s are prone to obesity on fatty diets. A low fat pellet may be the answer. The fat content of nuts and seeds can also be monitored. Some nuts and seeds have a very high fat content.
Price
They can be rescued, adopted, or purchased at verified organizations or adoption websites like Petfinder. Pricing ranges from $700 to $3000 from breeders.
If you want to choose a breeder, make sure that the breeder is reputable by asking them how long they’ve been breeding and working with Cockatoo. Ask for a tour, but don’t be alarmed if you are unable to tour the facilities in which they keep the birds. Many reputable breeders opt to work under closed aviaries, which prevents diseases from infecting the flock.
How big is the Galah Cockatoo?
This bird comes to about ½ pound and reaches an average length of about 12 inches. We would suggest a cage no smaller than 32 x 23, but of course larger is better as with most birds. The Galah needs plenty of exercise to combat obesity so a large cage with lots of toys and stuff to climb on is preferred, while being let out of the cage often to explore under supervision.
Temperament
Common Diseases
– Obesity
– Tumors
– Feather picking
– Psittacine beak and feather disease
– Sarcocystis
– Cloacal prolapse
– Poisoning (from ingestion of metals)
