Charlie the sulphur crested cockatoo.

This is Charlie!!

Charlie is a sulphur crested cockatoo from Australia and he is a pet of one of our friends. We are currently babysitting him for a few nights while his mum is away.

Charlie is super sweet and loves a cuddle, he bobs his head up and down and makes clicking noises when you go near him and then tries to climb up onto your arm or hand. He does have very sharp claws and if he loses balance and tries to grip it hurts but he is generally quite gentle, he doesn't bite or nip, just likes to snuggle into your chest :).

Charlie is about 25 years old or so and will likely live to be at least 50, possibly much more. They are quite common in Australia and in my area you often see flocks of wild cockatoos flying around. We once had a "pet" cockatoo who eventually joined a wild group that we're hanging around and left with them when they moved on. It was sad but he out there living his best life. Go Carlos.

They can be quite destructive and they like to chew and rip up wood on houses especially weatherboards but this is due to how much forest humans have cleared, not really their fault.

Charlie has the ability to fly, so far as we know, but he chooses not to. He doesn't have his wings clipped and he is often sat outside on a perch but if he has no way of climbing down with his mouth and hands he will stay there as long as you leave him. He loves company and can get quite vocal if left alone too long or if he gets bored. They are incredibly intelligent animals and he recognises the people he likes, especially my girlfriend Lydia who seems to be his favourite. Once he's on her it's very hard to convince him off and with his powerful claws if he doesn't want to move its hard to make him.

Charlie stays semi-regularly and he has a great time meeting new people and watching the world go by, he's more than happy to sit and watch you garden or build something and just snack away and enjoy the sun. We hope he keeps coming back for a long while as he really is good company :)