Charlie came to us in november 2006 aged 37 years. His owner had died and he was passed on to the children who could not look after him. After spending all his life in a small cage he was unable to fly and had arthritis in his feet because of the inadequate perches. His general appearance was poor with missing feathers, long claws and generally unkempt. Three years later he still can't fly but his feet are better and his plumage is immaculate. He has found his true love with "Micky". The pair of them are never apart and spend hours preening each other, digging holes and building nests. Micky has laid several clutches of eggs, none of which have hatched. The pair of them regularly go out for a walk around the yard in the evening but are always keen to go back home. Charlie has a huge vocabulary and chatters away all the time. Every cockatoo that lives in the aviary, even the short term rehabs learn to say "hello Charlie". He has a collection of pieces of wood that he picks up on his outings and squirrels away under a hollow log. Woe betide anyone who steals any of them as he knows exactly what is there.

 

 

 

 

There are many thousands of sulphur crested cockatoos being kept as family pets throughout Australia. The majority of them are confined to the standard "cocky cage". Cockatoos are extremely intelligent and affectionate birds. Accounts of their lifespan vary widely but on average they live about as long as people. This means that most of them survive until 65, some live well into their 80's, and the occasional bird will live beyond 100 years. Wild cockatoos spend a great deal of time on the ground, digging holes and eating grass roots and seeds. Imagine these birds spending their entire life locked in a cage with a single perch, unable to stretch their wings, unable to fly, not allowed to dig. It is no wonder that many of them bite any fingers that come too close to the bars. This picture shows a standard cocky cage, 57cm square and 73cm high with a metal floor and a perch that is far too narrow for a large bird. One of the birds that was brought to us spent 35 years in this cage and did not come out once. We cut the side out of the cage and left it in the aviary in case he needed it but from the first day he never went near it again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Charlie girl came to us in november 2009 aged 55 years. Her owner had died and the children gave her to WildCare with instructions to "put him down" if they couldnt find a home.  She had a hernia the size of a chickens egg and was taken in by a lady who later found her suburban back yard was not suitable for a large noisy bird and passed her on to us. She is the most affectionate bird we have ever had, and most of them are pretty affectionate. We had the hernia operated on 30th december 2009 and she is very happy to be spending a couple of weeks inside with people at her beck and call. In this picture, taken a few weeks before the operation, the hernia is visible between her legs. By the time of the operation it had nearly doubled in size.