Galah Cockatoo portion control feeding

Galahs and food — this is one of the most well-documented problems in cockatoo keeping. In the wild they forage and move constantly, burning what they eat. In captivity, that drive doesn't switch off, but the calories add up fast, and obesity in Galahs causes serious liver and hormonal problems that shorten lives. You're right to tackle this at six, before it compounds. To point you toward the right system: is your bird eating from a standard open bowl right now, and is the issue grazing all day, bolting food quickly, or both?

That's the classic Galah pattern. The fix isn't willpower on her part — it's removing the always-available bowl entirely and replacing it with a timed or foraging-based system so she has to work for food and can't access unlimited seed on demand. Before I give you a specific recommendation: what is she currently eating — seed mix, pellets, or a mix of both? That matters because some portion-control systems work better with pellets than loose seed.

Perfect timing then, because tackling both at once is actually easier than it sounds. For the portion-control side, I'd recommend the Trixie Parrot Activity Board — it's a foraging feeding system where food is placed in small compartments and cups that the bird has to actively uncover and manipulate to access. It works with both seed and pellets, which suits your transition phase well. It slows consumption dramatically because she's working for each piece rather than scooping from an open bowl. It also gives her cognitive engagement, which matters for a six-year-old Galah whose boredom is almost certainly amplifying her eating. Pair it with two scheduled feeding windows — morning and late afternoon — rather than leaving food out all day, and you'll see a real difference within a few weeks. It's widely available on Amazon UK and robust enough that she won't trash it quickly.

It's ABS plastic rather than soft acrylic, so it holds up better than most foraging toys in this category. Galahs are persistent rather than savage in the way that, say, a Bare-eyed Cockatoo or a large Macaw would be, so it should last. The cups and pegs are the parts that take most wear — they're replaceable and inexpensive. If she figures out the layout too quickly and starts speeding through it, you can rearrange the food placement and add small pieces of paper or card over compartments to increase the challenge. The key thing is that even when she's fast, she's still eating less per session than she would from an open bowl, and the scheduled access does most of the heavy lifting.

It's worth introducing it gradually rather than replacing her bowl overnight. For the first three or four days, leave a small amount of her usual food in the open bowl alongside the activity board so she's not facing a total change at once. Most Galahs work out the foraging board within a day or two — they're motivated and they're smart. Once she's reliably using it, remove the open bowl entirely. A healthy bird will not starve itself over a foraging board, but easing the transition prevents stress and means she associates the board with food rather than frustration from the start.