How long do galahs live in captivity

Make every meal is a little different from the last one, this way you should be supplying adequate nutrition. Obesity: If you have a galah that is overweight, you will need to make special considerations for its diet, along with making sure it is getting plenty of exercise.

If your galah has a very sudden weight gain or loss, you should watch it carefully and consult your avian veterinarian. It should also be noted when referring to weight averages, that Australian Galahs, tend to be a bit larger than the Galahs found in the US and weights can range from to gm, the average being Males tend to be slightly larger than females. So you need to know the size of your galah, and what your vet recommends as it's individual ideal weight.

The following are suggestions by a post from Sam Foster, who has bred Galahs and is now a professional avian behavioral consultant:. I have mentioned before to several people on the list that rose-breasted's are prone to obesity in domestic and captive environments. They have such naturally high 'energy' that it almost seems impossible for us to provide enough aerobic exercise for them to burn off the calories they 'eagerly' devour each day. As you know, it can often be much harder to lose weight whether human or avian than to gain it.

The objective in this situation should not necessarily be to lose the weight 'quickly', but to do so in a healthy manner that will reidentify, for the bird, his eating and exercise pattern. This is totally dependent upon the bird's owner. I would suggest a moderate change in diet initially, and lay out a plan and goal to help the bird attain his 'normal' weight within a specific time frame.

One of the keys of course will be to keep a daily chart of his weight, diet and exercise. It will also be important to monitor his overall behavior during this time to be sure he is maintaining a normal for him playfulness and curiosity.

If he begins to seem lethargic or reclusive, this needs to be noted and addressed immediately. So what I suggest is that the owner, set goals realistically and with consideration for his physical and emotional health during this transition. Personally, I think a month time frame would be an achievable goal. A weight of under g would be an excellent mark to shoot for, in my opinion. If he is being fed a broad variety of healthy foods you should not see a 'sudden' weight loss.

If this should happen, I would suggest consulting with your avian vet right away as there may be something else causing the problem. Cage size: You and your Galah can have many hours of laughs and good times. You will find them to be even more intriguing and entertaining if given the proper space, such as a large cage and a variety of toys to keep them busy.

Given a proper cage you might see your Galah hanging upside down, wrapping its wings around a hanging toy, chattering some sort of scolding and attaching it in a comical act. It might also hang from a rope, hanging from only a toenail, while flapping and carrying on. If the cage is too small, the galah will not be able to do such things and you will both missing out.

Galahs are very active birds, so cages should be as large as you can manage but no smaller than 24" deep x 36" wide. A larger cage is highly recommended if at all possible, as playful Galah's will use every inch of space.

Height is not as important as floor space is for a Galah because these birds enjoy spending a great deal of their time playing on the ground.

Because they enjoy being on the ground you will need to look closely at the cage grate, to make sure it will have proper, comfortable footing for your Galah. If your cage has the normal barred grate, you will want to consider covering the grate with a piece of laminate or a rubber mat that can be washed weekly, and keeping it covered with newspaper. Or consider removing the grate completely and only using newspaper if your cage allows this without the cage becoming unsafe by revealing a large escape area.

One of my favourite suggestions about thinking of how our bird might view their cage, is that we should try to think if we would be happy in the cage if we were a bird, by looking at it and thinking of it as our living room.

Would we have plenty of room to move around in? Is there plenty to keep us interested and not get bored? Is this or that toy suitable and in a good place? Basically, would we be happy if we were a Galah and were to call the cage our home.

Perches: Perches should be placed at varying heights and be of varying shapes, sizes and textures, such as:. Feeding bowls: There should be at least 3 feeding bowls in the cage. One for water, which should be changed at least twice a day. One for any dry food such as cereals, wheat pasta or pellets. One bowl for fresh foods such as fruits and vegetables or mash.

These should be placed in an area of the cage where they will not be soiled. To keep the water bowl cleaner, it sometimes helps to keep it on the side of the cage that is opposite of the feed bowls. Be sure to use heavy crocks, so they will not be tipped over. Cage tray: This should be lined with newspaper or some other type of paper, such as white butcher paper and changed once or preferably twice a day, since Galahs do run around on the bottom of the cage. Using paper lets the owner keep a constant eye on their birds droppings, which can be an important indication of a birds health and alert us to problems before they become more serious.

Never use corn cob or walnut shell bedding. Corn cob bedding can be ingested, causing serious medical problems and in some cases death as it can expand once ingested. Walnut shell litter can also be ingested, causing serious problems. Either litter can harbor problem bacteria, unless they are completely changed everyday. Also, droppings cannot be viewed well when using litters. Cleaning: You will want to wipe the cage down daily with soap and water or a bleach solution.

Bleach loses its disinfecting power if it comes in contact with any organic material, so if using bleach, wipe off any organic material beforehand. For disinfecting you can use 1 TBS. Once a week the cage should be disinfected. There are several products available for disinfecting cages. It should also be in a place that your Galah can feel secure, by being able to view people entering a room, rather than being startled by unseen visitors. For example, you would not want to place a cage on a wall, just around the corner from an entrance.

Birds like to see what or whoever is approaching. Also, window views can be nice but make sure there is nothing outside that could startle your Galah or cause it to feel threatened. A sunny window should never be an option, as the heat on a sunny day could be unbearable and your Galah would have nowhere to escape the heat. Covering the cage: Covering the cage at night is not necessary but an option. It can help to give your bird a more secure feeling. Wild galahs do not sleep out in the open, but in nest cavities while nesting or nestled in tree branches at night the rest of the year.

Covering them can help to simulate this and help give them more of a sense of privacy. Being extroverts, these birds love to be in the middle of all the action but even a galah might want some occasional privacy. If your galah's cage is placed in front of a window, or busy area of the house, you can use partial covering to give them a place of their own, a place of occasional quiet and escape if they like. Partial covering a cage can also be helpful if you are moving a bird, to give them a bit more security until they are adjusted.

You can use a sheet to cover a corner of the cage, or perhaps one side if you like. Cage or environmental lighting: UV lighting is important to the avian world.

Galahs live and thrive in a world of sunshine most days in Australia. UV light, not only helps a bird to manufacture Vitamin D to help absorb calcium but light also affects a birds vision, because unlike us, a birds vision goes one step beyond ours.

They have ultraviolet vision, enabling them to see things that we cannot and if not provided with UV light, they are not able to use their vision to full capacity. Having or not having proper light can also affect a birds overall attitude. Birds are not happy living in dark areas, they should have light, they are creatures of lots of natural sunlight.

If birds are not able to receive natural sunlight such as having access to an outdoor aviary, then you should consider using UV lights. Having a birds cage near a window does not supply UV rays, as these rays are filtered out by modern window glass. Sleep: Wild Galahs, because of their location, living near the equator, receive hours of darkness most every day of the year. To keep your companion bird healthy and happy, it should also receive hours of dark and quiet, every night.

It is sometimes thought that if a parrot gets less night time sleep than the required hours, that it can make up for lost sleep by taking naps during the day. This is not true, as the quality of sleep is different. Birds are prey animals and sleep lighter than predator animals. They will sleep heavier during the night however, because they are less threatened by predators.

This instinct carries over in companion parrots. Although companion birds will take naps, they sleep very light during daytime hours. If your parrot is sleep deprived, it might be more prone to being cranky, or plucking, screaming or it may not show any outwardly signs at all but sleep deprivation can wear on them, just like it can affect people and is not a healthy situation.

Mate Aggression of Male Cockatoos by Shauna Roberts Update: Since this article was written, I am happy to say that the procedure of beak splitting is now frowned upon by the AAV, thanks to many people who voiced their opinions. Cockatoo male aggressiveness towards their mates in captivity can be a serious problem in aviculture and in some cases mean life or death to a cockatoo hen.

Hen abuse is a perplexing problem of which I feel questions need to be asked as to why it occurs and answers sought. Unfortunately I have read or heard from some angry and tearful breeders lashing out at the male cockatoos, blaming him for his rage towards a hen and not continuing to seek humane solutions to the problem. It should not be forgotten that male aggression towards the female has not been observed in the wild. Males need hens to pass on their genes and in turn males protect hens.

Is it really correct to assume that the captive male is the one at fault when abuse takes place in aviaries? These male cockatoos are not naturally aggressive but aviary environmental problems are making them aggressive These problems can be solved and have been solved for the most part in several countries, such as the UK and Australia.

Many US breeders have also worked out solutions and are no longer seeing mate aggression, by using some or all of the suggestions that follow. Regrettably, some breeders in the US, who claim to have tried all known options, not realizing they have not gone to the needed extent , to stop mate abuse, have turned to a medical procedure labeled as beak alteration. This is a procedure where the veterinarian splits the males lower beak and mandible down the center from top to bottom. This procedure is viewed as being unethical in the UK and in many other parts of the world.

Prominent Australian vets view the procedure as being barbaric. There are also several, avian vets in the US who, when asked their opinion, stated that they thought the procedure wrong and if asked to perform it, would refuse This is Alexander, a wild caught male ducorps cockatoo. Another Ducorps in the same breeding facility had killed its mate, so shortly thereafter, Alex and all other Ducorps males lower mandibles were permanently split.

Other alternatives were never tried. The nest boxes at this particular aviary only had ONE opening The aviaries were also very small, hardly giving the birds room to fly other than to hop a little from perch to perch. It is also my understanding they were not given wood to chew or anything else, to help to keep themselves occupied and to help burn up some of that hormonal energy.

Surgical beak altering is a permanent procedure, leaving the males beak mutilated, unable to crack nuts, and certain seeds as testified by owners of beak mutilated birds. Think about how these males would have to drink water, using two separated lower beaks. Once the lower beak has been split, the now two new beaks will grow upwards like tusks and must be filed or left to eventually break off on their own for the rest of these birds lives. I have heard this procedure justified time and again by people, saying "If you have EVER held a mutilated hen in your arms, then you would understand" or a dead hen", or a hen with its beak ripped off, bleeding to death".

I personally think that all we need to feel this heartache is to know what has happened to these hens. This is a deeply sad and heartfelt situation. It is not something that anyone wants to happen BUT in good conscience, should the male be mutilated for life because he is not acting correctly in a caged environment?

I feel that we must step back, assess the situation and look for the real causes of the problem, taking the blame and responsibility upon ourselves. We need to ask questions and find out, why would a male cockatoo be driven to act so differently in an aviary situation, than his wild cousins? In the wild, cockatoos grow up in flocks, getting to know each other.

Learning each others communications and the excepted socialization behaviours within their flock. They also have numerous other cockatoos to choose whom they might want to pair up with.

If they do not like each other or have had enough of each others company, in the wild they have ample room to fly away and get their own space for a breather. Once cockatoos pair up, they begin searching for their nest site. This site will be used year after year but first they will look perhaps at several possible sites before deciding on just one.

After finding the perfect cavity to nest in, the male starts to work, chewing out the cavity to the pairs exact liking.

He is also busy defending the nest and hen from other creatures and especially from other male cockatoos. The pair then raise their young and once the babies are fledged they rejoin the flock.

When the pair rejoins the flock, if for some reason they no longer get along, they are free to seek a new mate Breeders around the world have given the following suggestions to stop mate aggression. Following is a list of what has worked for them. Some of the same suggestions were given by avian vets. I would also like to urge cockatoo breeders for the pet trade to consider what seems to be a crisis of older cockatoos, over the age of 2 being passed from home to home, before breeding any more babies that could possibly end up in this sort of cycle.

Also for the optimal health of breeding pairs consider limiting breeding to one clutch per year. Please put the birds first, parents and chicks, above all else and take responsibility for their lives. The most important step to stopping mate aggression seems to be aviary size One tool to fight mate aggression is to have an observation camera, enabling you to observe the cockatoos without being present.

This can sometimes help to alert you to problem behavior in the earlier stages. It can also give a false sense of security, missing tell tale signs of trouble. You may observe obvious aggression by the male or less obvious flying to the ground by the hen to escape a male.

Without a camera you can see if two cockatoos are sitting on opposite ends the perch, things are not right, they are not good, separate the birds. Diet is important. If a cockatoo is not feeling well, due to a nutrient poor diet, he could become aggressive. Birds should be fed a variety of foods, including some fresh foods on a daily basis. If possible let the cockatoos do their own mate selecting. They may not all pair up, but it would be better if they did not pair up than to have mate aggression occur.

If for some reason you are unable to allow birds to choose mate themselves, then try pairing like personalities such as aggressive males with aggressive hens, layed back males with sweet hens etc. Communication skills can be vital. Since these skills are learned from parents and flock groups, using hand-raised cockatoos for breeding should be avoided.

Communication skills of parent raised birds can be better but they still lack the education of a flock language. Wild caught birds would make the best breeders. Supply multiple wooden nest boxes initially, to let them establish their nest the way they want it to be, and the location they want it in. Australian aviaries provide two nest logs to breeding pairs. This way if one log is rejected, they have a second choice which helps to avoid frustration which could lead to aggression.

Also supply toys, fresh branches and chewing materials at all times, to help keep the male busy. A wild cockatoo would never have time to become bored and a bored male in captivity with nothing but time on his hands can turn into a frustrated and aggressive male. Some breeders have had success leaving same species cockatoos housed side by side in large outdoor flights , giving the male an outlet for his aggression, but this seems to only work, if cockatoos pairs have a hidden area, when their nest hole is located.

A secure and hidden area away from and seemingly out of sight of neighbors. Make sure that after a nest box of their choice has been selected, that it has an escape, essentially two entrances so that the hen cannot be trapped inside by the male. Although a two entrance box, does not do a lot to assure a hens safety from a ranting determined male.

Also do not add perches to the nest box, to encourage a male to hold a hen captive. If the males wings are kept clipped and the hen is left flighted, then she can escape easier.

Use good judgement in this case though This will not help to prevent aggression in the case of a male attacking a female in the nest box. Galah Care Seed lacks important vitamins and minerals so their daily diet should be supplemented with small portions of fresh fruit and vegetables such as apple, carrot, beans, peas, corn, broccoli and spinach.

Never feed your Galah lettuce or avocado, and always remove the seeds from apples. A female needs to be around 4—5 years old to be ready to breed. My Galah is a female and she has laid eggs in her sleeping box since she was 5 years old, even though there are no males or other birds that live with her. She usually lays a clutch of 2 or 3 eggs. Determining age is a little more difficult, but you can get an idea by again examining the eyes. The number of wrinkles around the eye in the white area is one way of aging a bird.

Other ways include the number of layers on the beak and by looking at the feet. Generally, the more wrinkles around the eye, the older the bird. Its parents will continue to support it for a few more weeks until it can fend and feed itself. Then the parent galahs usually become quite hostile, chasing away and disassociating themselves with their offspring.

The juvenile galahs will then join a flock of other juvenile birds until they reach breeding maturity about 4 years. This led to the increase in galah populations, and the galahs expansion into every corner of Australia helped also by the escape of pet galahs, especially in Tasmania. Galahs were originally found to live only in the semi-arid areas of Australia.

Originally galahs were recorded to live on the East Coast or Tasmania. The male Galah seems to be much better at this than the female. The birds can also impersonate everyday sounds such as a whistle, a horn or a telephone ringing. Yes, especially parrots. Parrots have memories that are superior to other animals, as they are known to navigate by memory. However, birds, in general, are able to recall actions by their previous owners, and they will act accordingly, such as being shy or aggressive.

In most cases the eyes tell you the sex provided the bird is over 12 months old. Very rarely can the eyes give a misleading result in a mature bird. There are other more subtle characteristics such as head size, beak shape, and behaviour, but they are much more difficult to apply than the eye.

Can you keep Galahs as pets? Galahs nest in tree hollows or in cavities in cliffs. Often many pairs nest close to each other. Females lay between 2 and 5 white eggs, and incubation lasts around 4 weeks, shared by the parents. The chicks are fed at the nest by their parents for 5 to 6 weeks.

They never learned how to watch out for predators, and if they lived in a house with a friendly cat or dog, they may make the deadly mistake of assuming any dog or cat is friendly. The Galah is one of the most abundant bird species in Australia, occurring across most of the mainland as well as some off-shore islands. They chat, play and make a mess but somehow they manage to find their place in the hearts of everyone in the family.

Parrots can live for many, many years. In captivity, a weiro can live for around 20 years and a pink and grey galah can live for up to 80 years so committing to owning a parrot is a very big decision. Galahs are an extremely social and friendly type of parrot. The rose-breasted cockatoo, best known by its native aboriginal Australian name "galah," is the perfect parrot species for a pet owner who likes to interact frequently with a pet bird.

Extremely intelligent and enormously fond of humans, this pretty pink bird can readily learn to say many words and do complicated tricks with regular training. This hardy bird can live in some of the more extreme areas of Australia. Common Names : Rose-breasted cockatoo, galah, galah cockatoo, pink and gray cockatoo, crimson-breasted cockatoo, roseate cockatoo, galah parrot. Scientific Name : Eolophus roseicapillus with three subspecies with slight color and size variations from different regions in Australia: Eolophus roseicapillus albicepts southeastern , E.

Life Expectancy: Can live to 70 years in captivity; most commonly will live 40 or so years. The galah is native to Australia, where it can be found in open grasslands and over much of the country. It has self-established in Tasmania.

Galah cockatoos travel in large flocks, often in groups that also include sulfur-crested cockatoos. They will mate with other species of cockatoos. Galahs are a familiar sight in urban areas. These birds tend to be more prevalent in settled areas because they eat cultivated crops and make use of artificial ponds and livestock watering troughs.

Many farmers regard the birds as pests. The name "galah" means "fool" or "clown" in the native Australian language Yuwaalaraay. This highly intelligent bird got the name for being a loud nuisance. The term "galah" is a slang, derogatory word in Australia that means a "loud-mouthed idiot. Affectionate and friendly, the galah cockatoo has a reputation for being a loving pet.

Unlike umbrella cockatoos , these birds are not big on cuddling. But, they are accustomed to handling. If you are interested in owning a galah, make sure that you have plenty of free time to spend with your pet. It is a sensitive bird, requiring a lot of attention and interaction from its owners. As a flock-dwelling bird by nature, if its adopted human flockmate ignores it, the rose-breasted cockatoo can become depressed, angry, and destructive. Wild galahs emit loud, high-pitched sounds while flying in flocks.

They can make a resonating screech when frightened, excited, or calling out for attention. This clever bird can imitate people's voices and repetitive sounds like train whistles, car horns, or telephone ringtones.

Some say males are more prolific talkers than females. Comparatively, the galah cockatoo is not particularly loud for a cockatoo, which is among the loudest of parrots. Still, this bird is not recommended for apartment or condo living. It usually has two noisy periods, once upon waking with the sun and at dusk.

Their bold colors and friendly personalities have made galah cockatoos increasingly popular as pets. As its descriptive name suggests, rose-breasted cockatoos have bright pink feathers on their chests, bellies, and the lower half of their faces. They have pinkish-white crests and gray backs, wings, and tail feathers, gray feet, and horn-colored beaks. As is true of all cockatoos, the galah has a head crest that fans out when the bird is frightened or excited.

The easiest way to attempt to determine the sex of a galah is to look at its eyes.