Let me see if I can help you with a few of those questions. The answers are based on my personal experience and may be different from someone elses opinion or experience.
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Originally Posted by Mirokiki
-Price range (generally)
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Between $1200.00 to $3000.00 US and the exotic breeds are even more. The most affordable are from a rescue or a sanctuary. Please, consider the rescue or sanctuary over a baby Too as the population of abandon'd Too's is overwhelming.
36inx36inx60in Would be a good size cage. They love, love, love to climb around and need room to spread out those wings. Plenty of toys need to placed inside (and the toys themselves are huge).
That depends. Typically it would run anywhere from $500.00 to $800.00 depending on where you purchased it (retail, online, or ebay). eBay is cheapest.
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-How much time I have to spend with them each day (I will probably be able to spend much more time with them than the minimum, but I just want to know to make absolute sure)
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As much time as humanly possible. A Cockatoo is (in my humble opinion) like no other type of parrot. They form strong bonds with their "owners" and require a TON of stimulation. Just giving them lots of toys "doesn't cut it" with these guys. Interaction outside of the cage is a MUST. Without it on a constant basis will most certainly lead to self destructive behavior (such as plucking). They will undergo huge mood swings typically during spring and early summer months.
60+ years up to 80yrs. A lot depends on what kind of "life" you offer your bird and how well you interact and stimulate it. A healthy bird is not a pet... it's a "family member".
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-What kinds of toys they like
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Anything that can be destroyed. I average at least $150.00 every couple of months replacing toys for our Umbrella Too. Large Parrots typically require large toys and they are expensive. On average a toy will cost from $30.00 to $60.00 and depending on your Too's demeanor will only last a couple of weeks. They require toys that can be chewed up (such as wood toys) as it releaves their urge to chew. If not given this chance, it will most likely lead to plucking or self mutiliation. Perches can get expensive as most Too's will just rip thru rope perches.
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-What kinds of food they should eat
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Large parrots can consume a higher fat diet than small birds. A mixture of a seed and pellet diet is my recommendation. Ours loves Almonds (whole still in the shell - just roasted, no salt), banana's, oranges, grapes, watermelon, corn (dried or fresh), cantellope, apples - careful of apple seeds as they contain trace amounts of cianyde, papaya, carrots, coconut, etc...
With that we also offer pellets and seed (sunflower, peanuts, saflower, pine nuts, oats, watermelon seeds, etc...)
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-How long do they have to be out of the cage each day (so that I know if I need to bird-proof my room or not)
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As long as possible - yes bird proof your room. A Too will chew on anything it can get it's jaws on including electical cords, furniture, television remotes (our Too ate our remote the second night we had her home), plastic cups, curtains, table lamps and shades... anything! Nothing is off limits to them - be careful when trying to take a 'chew' from your Too... your finger, hand, arm, face, leg all might be what it decides to chew on next and it can cut you to the bone (I'm talking from experience here). You see... what ever they see... is "THEIRS". And that's no joke!
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-Anything else I should know?
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Dust!!! Cockatoo's are the dustiest birds you can own. It'll accumulate quickly and thickly on everything. Their feathers (the down) are spider feathers - in that they stick to just about anything. Full room Heppa Air purifiers are strongly recommended (not those tiny tabletop ones). Be prepaired to clean the dust off that cage a minimum of once a month (weekly is recomended). That being said, if you have pet alergies... DO NOT GET A COCKATOO... you'll feel it guaranteed!
Food wasters. Larger birds tend to toss food everywhere. So be prepaired to clean a lot off the floor (even if you have a seed catcher on the cage). We go thru about 10lbs of food (seed and pellets) per month on all four our birds, mainly do to our Too who tosses most of hers.
As much as you think you can handle the sound, beware... Umbrella Cockatoo's for instance, have been recorded up to 3 MILES. Our Umbrella Too will "bark" endlessly starting at 6AM to get us out of bed and paying attention to her and will do so all day when left alone for more than a minute or two. Neighbors have complained - and yes we own our own house (we're NOT renters).
Owners think they're ready... Trust me... it's a huge decision. Large parrots are different than smaller birds as the fear isn't the pain of being bitten, it's the fear of actually LOSING what's getting bitten. Fingers can easily be broken or even removed by their beaks if the mood so rises. Yes, a day will come where you'll need to get some stitches - not necessarily from an angry Too, but from an over zealous one.
Very well known for establishing destructive behavior. Cancers are also common, as well as calcium deficiencies. The most common abandoned bird at sanctuaries and rescues is a Cockatoo.
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-How much a trip to the vet costs
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Vets typically charge about double what you would pay for smaller birds. On average you might look at a standard visit running about $75.00 for a basic checkup. Blood workups are about $200.00. Serguries are way expensive too. The main reason for higher costs are because of the fact that larger birds pose a bigger threat to the Dr than they do for smaller birds.
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-Kinds of things that the bird would need checked out/done at the vets
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This varies for every bird. Get your bird to a board certified avian vet. As the typical home "vet" just lacks the concern needed for the special care that a bird needs (say as compaired to a dog). There's really no such thing as a "oh that'll heal and they'll be ok" thing when it comes to birds.
Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any further questions.