Cockatoo beak question

Question
Hi there,
We are looking into purchasing a baby Lesser Sulfur cockatoo that is approx. 2 months old. This baby will not be ready to go home with us until early Dec. The beak is light pink in color with smudges of black off nostrils. Is this pink beak normal? We have not found any information that mentions any pink beak color. This bird is for sale from our local pet store and want to know if this coloring is normal or will it grow the well known color of black? This is our first time purchasing a cockatoo. Thank you for any help you can give us.....:) Michelle

Answer
The beak coloring sounds fine, and some beaks never go completely black! When you get the baby, remember that cockatoos want their nightly feeding until they're at least a year old! My 5 year old still wants hers! Just give it some warm oatmeal (105-107 degrees) on a spoon at night. You also want to make sure there's a warranty on the bird, and take the bird to the vet for a full exam within the first 3-5 days of getting it! This way, if there are any problems or diseases (especially the costly outstanding ones) the pet store must pay for them. Make SURE that blood work gets done as liver problems only show up in these tests and the bird wont show symptoms until it's a few years old and it's too late to do anything to save the bird.
Good luck with the 'Too and please check out http://www.cockatootrainer.com for advice you'll need with your baby. Especially check out the allergies page! Oh, and plan on spending a ridiculous amount of money every couple weeks (every 1-2 weeks usually) on toys as they get destroyed immediately.