The Umbrella Cockatoo is a large Parrot with a big personality to match. Here are 5 traits that keep it in constant demand as a pet bird.

Beauty-

Their snowy white plumage makes a wonderful and striking contrast to their dark beaks and eyes, and gray or black feet. In flight they are like sunshine as they show the under side of their feathers that are yellow in color.

But probably their most amazing feature is their crest. Usually it is kept flat on the head, but when extended, forms a half circle of beautiful feathers above their head, similar to an umbrella. They are truly elegant creatures whether they are flying or perched on your finger.

Affectionate Personality-

Known for their great affection for and ability to bond with their humans, they are often accurately described as cuddly. They love physical contact with their humans and need this several hours each day to remain emotionally healthy.

They are perfect companions for someone who has a lot of daily time and energy to devote. If your life style does not permit you to spend at least 2 hours a day with your Cockatoo, consider another bird that is less demanding of your time, attention, and affection.

Trainability-

Cockatoos are extremely intelligent birds that are capable of learning and performing a wide variety of tricks. Short, daily training sessions yield the best results. Your consistency and patience will pay off not only in the tricks that your Cockatoo will eagerly perform for family and friends, but also in the trust and loving bond that this daily attention will create between you.

They are so trainable that they are often featured in their own shows at the circus and zoo! So there you have it, the sky is truly the limit for what they can achieve.

Enthusiastic Eaters-

They love to eat, and are not particularly fussy about what they eat. They still depend on you to provide a well balanced diet to help them stay strong, healthy, and happy. A healthy diet should include a constant supply of clean water, a high quality pellet diet as a base supplemented by fresh organic vegetables, sprouted seeds, and a smaller amount of fruits and nuts. Some fruit seeds are toxic to Cockatoos so check with your vet before feeding.

Round out their diets with occasional table foods such as small pieces of boiled or thoroughly cooked scrambled eggs, cottage cheese and small pieces of cooked meat, pasta, and crackers. Provide a varied menu within these guidelines to keep your bird's interest high at meal time.

Long Life Span-

If you are looking for a life long companion, the Cockatoo has one of the longest life spans of any Parrot. With proper care they can live 80 years or more. Now that's a friend for life!

People have owned pet birds since time immemorial. And bird owners have usually shared their pet-owning experience so as to benefit others toying with the same idea.

Many pet owners across the world have a common belief, "when choosing a bird, pick a bird that selects you". It is believed that a bird answering to this description will be cheerful, inquisitive and will readily come to you.

And before you buy a Cockatiel, make sure you know what you are getting into. Unlike other pets, "Cockatiels require a lot of time and attention". They will also expect you to interact with them often. Some are known for their ability to get attached to their owners quickly, and to mimic human speech.

Here I have listed different types of Cockatiels (which belong to the Cockatoo species) to make it easier for prospective pet owners to choose:

Cockatiels

The first in the list are the Cockatiels. Cockatiels are considered the most popular pet of the Cockatoo species all over the world. These gentle and friendly birds make great pets. They aren't moody and demanding like other Cockatoo species. They can therefore be a child's first pet. If brought home when young (8 weeks and above), they can be trained to talk, as well as perform tricks such as backward flips and rolling over.

If hand-fed as a chick, they will quickly settle in their new home. They love having an audience and will keep you amused all the time. These birds are amazing fliers. So make sure you keep their wings well clipped. But at the same time, they should not be confined in the cage all times. Let them out for sometime. Just make sure all windows and doors are shut, fans switched off and electrical appliances like stoves and irons are not running while they are outside the cage.

Umbrella Cockatoos

The Umbrella Cockatoo is a very popular pet. They are gentle, affectionate and will charm you from the moment you set your eyes on them. They get very attached to their owners. They love to please and you can teach your pet many tricks. Although they aren't good talkers, you can train them to dance to the music. They need a lot of physical attention and like a human baby, they need to be hugged, petted and played with. They aren't noisy birds and can be naughty one minute and quite the next.

Galah Cockatoos

Galahs are the commonly kept pets and even Galahs caught in the wild make good pets. They are affectionate and friendly. Galahs are usually pale pink and darkpink. They make good pets. They are independent birds and not needy like other species. They are happy to play on their own and require less time outside the cage. Galahs make wonderful pets especially when hand-raised. They are extrovert in nature, affectionate, friendly playful and intelligent. And like other Cockatoos need to be kept entertained and occupied at all times.

They are quick learners and can be trained to perform several tricks. Often you see them in bird shows, where they fly through several hoops. Galahs are good talkers and males usually have better talking ability than females. They talking ability however isn't on par with that of Sulphur-crested Cockatoos or the Corellas. So, if you're a workaholic, then Galahs might be the right choice for you!
Goffin's Cockatoos

The Goffin's Cockatoo is the smallest among the Cockatoo species. Goffin's Cockatoos are gregarious, inquisitive and carefree birds. They are fun-loving and make extremely intelligent pets. Many owners claim that their personality resembles that of dogs. They are active birds that need to be kept occupied at all times.

They are more independent than other Cockatoo species and don't mind spending a little time on their own. They don't spoil easily and if trained properly, they make fabulous
pets. They love physical contact and love having their heads scratched. You can train them to imitate human speech but they can be very loud and are not recommended as pets for apartment dwellers.
Palm Cockatoos

The Palm Cockatoo is the largest among the different species of Cockatoos. It is a striking black bird with red cheek patches. Palm Cockatoos are gentle,
intelligent and love company. They make unique and wonderful pets. They are not as noisy as some of the other species of Cockatoos. In fact their breeding call is the only loud and noisy sound they make. Palm Cockatoos are much sought after pets, but in reality, kept only in small numbers in mostly private collections.
Moluccan Cockatoos

Contrary to the Little Corellas and Goffins, this species is one of the largest of the Cockatoo family. The birds are pink to salmon pink with an attractive crest of orange. They make wonderful pets because they are normally very intelligent, friendly and affectionate. They are quite adept at talking and performing several tricks.
Little Corellas

As true as the name implies, the Little Corellas are one of the smaller Cockatoos. Little Corellas are playful, intelligent and even-tempered birds. They have been kept as pets for many years. These birds can be trained to talk and perform a variety of tricks. They also love to dance and chew. Like all Cockatoos they become very attached to their owners and need to be kept busy.

Sulphur-crested Cockatoos

The Sulphur-crested Cockatoos are affectionate and friendly. Although they have the tendency to become a one-person pet, they make excellent companions. They are more independent than most Cockatoo species and are very intelligent. They are quite adept at talking and performing tricks. I hope all these information comes handy to you when you select your pet Cockatiel.

Madagascar hissing cockroaches come from the island Madagascar. They are one of the most popular pet roaches around. Some common names they go by are hissers, hissing roach, hisser or the scientific name of Gromphadorhina portentosa.

They are one of the few wingless roaches. They are great climbers and can easily climb plastic or glass.


The hissing cockroach usually matures in about 3 to 6 months worth of time and can live in captivity for up to about 5 years. The hissing roach has been made popular by its size and hissing sounds that it makes. They extrude air out valves abdomen. They use this hissing noise to scare of predators. Should see the cat jump when it hisses ;) They are very fun pet roaches and enjoyable to watch.

Sexing

Mature male and female madagascar hissing cockroaches are easy to sex. The male usually has horns on its head (pronotum) and heavier antennae. They will produce the horns as they get older so younger nymphs are harder to tell apart.

Breeding

Breeding hissing roaches is really easy. The main key to getting young is plenty of food, warmth, dark and moist environment. Many people wonder why their hissers will not breed and I have found most of the time it is due to lack of warmth. About 85 to 89 degrees is where I have found to produce the most offspring.

Care

Hissing cockroaches are easy to care for. This pet roach is one of the most interesting of them also. First you want to get something that is large enough for them and have a little bit of bark, egg crates or something else for them to hide in. They are climbers so it is a good idea to spread about 2 inches of vaseline around the edges of your cage as they can not climb past this.

Some kind of substrate like eco earth or other dirt like substance you can buy at a pet shop. Make sure there are no additives to the mixture like fertilizers as that can be harmful to your roaches. Food can either be fruits and vegetable scraps or you can use different cricket feeds.

I have found that they like yellow squash, carrots, oranges and apples a lot. Citrus is really one of their favorites and good for them. Cricket feeds will sometimes attract grain mites, which are harmless but annoying. Ground up egg shells can also make a good source of protein for your roaches. For water you can mist your substrate a couple of times a week and keep orange slices in there as they will pull water out of those. Another source is cricket water crystals.

Ailments or sick

If you notice your roaches are nibbling on each other there might be a lack of protein. Egg shells, dog food, cat food or cricket feed are excellent sources of protein.

The madagascar hissing roach actually has a its on type of mite. These mites will feed on the food and saliva of the roach. They are harmless for the most part in small numbers but if you have too many you will need to clean your roaches. The best way I found to do this is put them in a zip lock back with flour. Shake a little and it knocks off all the mites into the flour. Now mist your roach with water to remove all the flour off it. Not fun but it works.

To say the least some people in this world can have some very weird tastes when it comes to the different things that they are willing to share their household with and their lives as well.

I mean, come on, we all understand it when people bring that cute little puppy or kitten home (they are just irresistible), and it can even be understood some peoples’ fascination with snakes and lizards, they just touch that inner something that fascinates us (usually men). But what are we to say when a person is found that likes and raises cockroaches, and not only that, when he keeps them as pets?


The most popular type of cockroach pet is the Madagascar Hissing cockroach, also called the Hissing roach or Hisser, this is one of the biggest species of cockroach and it can reach a length of 4-5 inches when full grown! As their name suggests they can be found off the coast of Africa on the Island of Madagascar. Their favorite place to live is in rotting logs, they are wingless but do not let that fool you because they can climb smooth glass with ease! The females carry the eggs inside of her until they are hatched and then she releases the little nymphs after they have hatched; they usually spend some time with the mother after they are born.

One of the things that helped make these little guys such a popular pet was the fact that they hiss, not to mention their big size and ferocious appearance. The hissing noise is in itself unique, they can make it through forcing air through some breathing pores that they have on their abdomen; it is believed that the Madagascar Hissing cockroach is the only insect on the planet that is able to make a hissing noise like this!

Almost all other insects make their hissing noises by rubbing different body parts together. These hisses are used by the cockroaches in two different ways, the first is the disturbance hiss, it is only cockroaches that are in the fourth molting phase that are able to make this particular hissing noise. All males can make the second hiss which is known as the fighting hiss; when they start making fighting hiss noises at each other, one of them will back down signaling the end of the fight.

This type of cockroach is very popular with the crowd in Hollywood, or better said the Hollywood movies, they can be found in the 1975 movie called "Bug" as roaches that make fires by rubbing their legs together, they are also in Dalmatian Alley (1977), in this movie they were portrayed as mutant killer roaches. Fun huh?

These little guys have even been turned into jewelry; they have been used on necklaces and broaches, expensive necklaces and broaches! They have been the driver of a roach-mobile and as everybody should know, these are the cockroaches that grossed us all out in the Men In Black movie (1997).

One of the things that simply amazed me was when I heard that the amusement park called Six Flags Great America has made an announcement that anybody that could eat a live Madagascar Hissing cockroach would get line jumping privileges (it was a Halloween thing). But not only that, the contestant that could eat over 36 cockroaches in 1 minute would receive season passes for four people! Now that is really something, I take my hat off to the person that was able to do such a gruesome thing!
One thing that’s worth mentioning, is the fact that there is a certain mite species called Gromphadorholaelaps schaeferi that lives on this kind of cockroach.

When keeping one of these bugs as a pet, you can rest assured that they do not bite, if fact they will try to hide from you if you disturb them. Coconut fiber or tree bark is the best thing to use for bedding, keep some branches in their rank to keep them happy and climbing…it is also a good idea to keep a heating pad under part of the tank so that they can choose the temperature that they like the most. If your roach seems to be kind of sluggish it is because it has been exposed to lower temperatures. Make sure that there is food in the tank for your pet at all times. Dried dog, cat or mouse food will do nicely and fresh veggies are a favorite of the roach. Keep a soaked sponge in a corner of the tank for the roaches’ water.

The guinea pig has literally journeyed over seas in order to be here today, as Europe or North America are not the original birth homes of these small, cute creatures.

Guinea Pig Origins



In trying to find out where guinea pigs originate from, it is incredible to think that the Inca tribes in Peru were the first to domesticate this animal, early in 5000 BC. Statues of guinea pigs have been found in archaeological digs in Peru and Ecuador dating from ca. 500 BC. The tribes used the guinea pigs for their fur as well as a source of meat and took great pride in trading with the European traders such as the Dutch.

Researching their origins, it is amazing to see how far they have come from the 14th century up until today, where they are found not only in Europe and in North America, but also in all corners of the world.

The guinea pig is a rather small rodent that hasn’t got a tail and it was originally very appreciated for its meat and fur. The hiding places of this animal were the hills and mountains of the South American Andes. The Inca tribes hunted guinea pigs and used them in fur trades as well as mentioned earlier, for food.

From the South American Andes where it is believed that the guinea originated from, it embarked in a sinuous and adventuresome world journey. It can most accurately be named a world traveler and what is more, the little rodent has caused people to fall in love with it everywhere. However, in today’s society they are no longer used for their fur or meat and are typically found in a cage or dwelling inside a loving family’s home.

Therefore, how this little animal come to be thought of as "pigs" is not clear. They are built somewhat like a pig, with a large head relative to the body, a stout neck, and a rounded rump with no tail of any consequence; some of the sounds they emit are very similar to those made by pigs, and they spend a large amount of time eating. They were transported to Europe by ships and this was possible because guinea pigs did well in small spaces therefore they survived the long trips.

Numerous languages have the same name for this animal, namely calling it a pig. The German word for them is Meerschweinchen, literally "little sea pigs" (sailing ships stopping to re-provision in the New World would pick up stores of guinea pigs, which provided an easily transportable source of fresh meat; Meerschwein = porpoise, another food source for sailors). The Welsh term is mochyn cwta ('little pig'), the French Cochon d'Inde (Indian pig); the Dutch used to call it guinees biggetje (Guinean piglet)

However it is backed up by it’s scientific name as well: is Cavia porcellus, "porcellus" being the Latin word for "little pig". Cavia is derived from Portuguese çavia (now savia) from the Tupi word saujá, meaning "rat".

The origin of "guinea" in "guinea pig" is a little bit harder to explain. One of the hypotheses is that because the guinea pigs were brought in Europe trough Guinea, it is there from where they were labeled as such. "Guinea" was also frequently used in English to refer generally to any far-off, unknown country, and so the name may simply be a reference to the animal's foreignness.

Another theory suggests the "guinea" in the name is a corruption of "Guiana", an area in South America, though the animals are not native to that region. A common misconception is that they were so named because they were sold as the closest thing to a pig one could get for a guinea; this theory doesn't have a solid base because the guinea was first struck in England in 1663, and William Harvey is known to have used the term "Ginny-pig" as early as 1653. Others believe "guinea" may be an alteration of the word Coney; guinea pigs were referred to as "pig coneys" in Edward Topsell's 1607 treatise on quadrupeds.

Regardless of where it comes from, the guinea pig became a pet nowadays, and a very loved one too! If you talk to guinea pig owners you’ll see their satisfaction with this pet around. A rather busy schedule of today’s society can handle adding one more activity like keeping a guinea pig around. It is an easy-keeper.