What can't cockatoos eat?

The safest way to feed a cockatoo, or any pet, is to buy prepared food from a supermarket (after checking on the quality of the brand) or from a reliable pet supplier. Discourage people from feeding snacks to your pet, as it isn't possible to be certain of the effects foods humans might consume could have upon various animals.

It goes without saying that you should be as vigilant with your pet as you would be with a small child, ensuring harmful substances such as medication, cigarette butts, alcohol, and so on, are not left within their reach.

Chocolate, coffee and milk may all prove toxic to a bird, as they can to cats, dogs and other pets. Avocados are particularly toxic to many animals, including cockatoos.

Bear in mind, too, that you shouldn't allow animals - including cockatoos - to 'kiss' people on the lips. This is for their protection: human saliva is not good for animals in general and birds in particular.

If you are putting out feed for wild cockatoos, use a container such as a hanging tray, well out of the reach of cats and dogs, and keep it clean by flushing with water daily. If you are living in a climate which supports wild cockatoos it will be warm enough to quickly dry the tray, which you can then use to hold good-quality wild bird seed (from pet shops and supermarkets; look particularly for striped sunflower seed, rather than the black variety).

Only put out sufficient food for a snack for a few birds, say one family, and do so no more than twice daily; you don't want to encourage the birds to become dependent. Don't worry if other birds also use the food; this interaction is good (and entertaining for observers). Cockatoos happily coexist with other breeds and birds work well together in the wild, forming their own interspecies alarm system to warn of danger.

It goes without saying that for any animals you feed, wild or domestic, it is extremely important that fresh clean water be made available at all times.