Could i get opinoins on macaws as pets please?

[Chicks_N_Horses]

We have a Scarlet, a Blue N Gold, a Catalina, and a Green Winged. We also have a Mollucan Cockatoo. We raised these all from babies, hand fed.

They are LOUD. I mean, it can get very noisy...you have to have a tolerance for it.

My husband hated it and so now our birds live in their own building. A metal building with 3 cages 6x6x6. They have a TV, AC, and heater in there too. They require lots of attention. Macaws are very intelligent. I think they have the IQ of a 4 yr. old, or something like that.

Even the sweetest of birds can have aggresive times. Especially during mating season. Or just from lack of attention.

I love ours but they do require alot and are quite messy. Our cockatoo, Ozz, is by far my favorite though. They are very loving!

It can be rewarding to own them but make sure your spouse (if you have one) will not mind....My husband, as I said, was not fond of them being inside...at all and it was get rid of the noise or build them their own place. We are going to build a big outdoor parrot aviary this summer so that they can be outdoors instead of being inside most of the time. I prefer to try and keep my animals as close to being natural as I can and having natural habitats for them.

I sell our feathers on Ebay too and you can make a begoodle off their tail feathers! That does help offset costs of the feed. I find they waste ALOT of feed and only eat certain things out of it. I give the waste to the wild birds and chickens though.

I will post some pics....let me get right on that...I think I have some in the photobucket........


ETA: PICS AND I really recommend getting a Mollucan cockatoo. I love my macaws but he is the best as far as a pet. He is a very happy bird and LOVES to purr on you like a cat! My uncle also has a variety of parrots and they have a Mollucan too, they say their Mollucan is their favorite of all the parrots too.

Also we made our own cages. You will find a macaw will shred just about any wire cage. We ordered this wire specially for macaws and they have yet to tear these up. I like to take mine all out for at least a couple hours a day of outside play. THey really love to be outside and get to be involved in your daily activities.

My pics aren't great..I will try and update them tomorrow. These are all about 6 months old...snapped one day while doing a cleaning. They do have TONS of toys but my daughter was working on them (cleaning, replacing - they are rough on them) while the pics were snapped...they do have toys...and macaws require LOTS of toys to satisfy their attentions while you are not there.

OZz and ME

This is our Catalina up front and the Green Wing in the back. The Catalinas are GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!! I love how pretty she is.

This is our Scarlet and Blue N Gold.

All of my birds talk very well. The Scarlet loves to say "Hey Baby" (that is his name, Baby, we thought it was a girl when we named him) The Catalina loves to say "Get out! The house is on Fire!!" The Cockatoo loves to say "Mamaaaa" The Blue N Gold loves to say "Praise The Lord, Praise The Lord" The Green Wing doesn't have a favorite saying but he copies what everyone else is saying. So, when you walk by their building you might hear: "Mamaa" "Get out, the house is on fire" "Praise the lord, praise the lord" They are a HOOT! LOL

***Working on DL the macaws photos on the photobucket - only Ozzy was there

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

The mollucans are my absolute favorites! I can't wait to see pictures of yours!

We have one at the sanctuary named Big Bird. He attached himself to me as soon as he arrived and I've fallen in love. I would LOVE to adopt him some day and its a good possibility. He is only 16. He's the perfect bird. He's not real messy, not very loud at all, and he doesn't chew on the walls like the others birds do. He's quite content to just hang out on my shoulder as I'm doing my chores!

I have an adorable picture of him I want to post. When I can get facebook photos to work, I will post one in a separate thread!

 

[Eduardo]

Quote:
A well cared for parrot sshould not be throwing tantrums at all. The fact that a bird does shows that it is unhappy about something. Most parrots have their "loud" period for about an hour a day. Any more than that is considered abnormal.

IDK, the noise just doesn't bother me. I enjoy listening to them (most of the time they are NOT screaming) I guess its personal opinion really. Some people can handle it, and those that cannot shouldn't have parrots. That's the very reason so many get surrendered and end up euthanized or without homes. People get them because they think they are "pretty" and don't do the research on them. I'm glad that you decided against owning one, as it does not seem like they are the animal for you.

Sometimes I wish that cockatoos had never been domesticated. A life in a cage is a sad one for most all...whether they were taken from the wild or raised domestically their whole life. They just aren't meant to be kept in a cage.

However, on the flip side, there are certain chickens that are not quite tame enough to keep in a normal poultry environment. Wild jungle fowl, for instance. It can be done, but only certain people can handle the special requirements they need. Its much the same for parrots. Certain people can handle it, and certain people cannot. I know several people who swear that dogs are the most vile creatures on earth. Does that mean I dislike them? Absolutely not. Will I do my research on breed before getting one? Absolutely.

To each their own...but just make sure you research before purchasing ANY animal...chickens included!

I put a lot of hard thought into it and consideration. A decision to buy 10 thousand dollar bird is not something I take lightly. I own a lot of animals and I have owned a lot of different breeds of parrots and other exotic animals that take a lot of care. I dedicate time to each of my animals. But in this case I really considered if having a macaw was something that would enrich my life, and I can't say it is. I think everyone can admit that the prettiness of the bird is the first thing that attracts you to it. I researched macaws for about 2 years before comming even close to owning one. As I said I think Blue and Gold is a good starter macaw, they are very kind. I didn't mean to rag on them and I hope I didn't offend you. And don't worry I don't have access to any wild jungle fowl...

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

Haha, no offense taken. I am just very passionate about people taking on more than they can handle and then giving the animal up when they can't handle the responsibility anymore! It angers me that people will treat an animal like something they can just throw away when they get tired of it!

You did the absolute right thing though by researching the bird. Not too many people do that and that's when there are problems. I am guilty of jumping into animals before I've researched them, but I know I can usually handle most anything that comes my way!

And you are right about the costs too. An expensive bird will only be more expensive as it gets older. Not only do they cost a lot of money to buy, but they cost several thousand dollars a year to keep. Toys constantly have to be replaced, vet care, and food. It can definitely be done, but it is just another consideration to make before purchasing a bird. I cringe to think how much the lady I work for pays a month for those birds!

 

[babalubird]

I've never owned a macaw but owned african grey, mbrella cockatoo, lory. I did library and n rsing ome presentations w/t em. A friend, also doing t e s ows w/me ad a macaw.

My observation was bl e and golds and greenwings are more inclined to be gentler t an scarlets.

I tr sted my cockatoo w/strangers and my grey w/fewer people. Friend's macaw ad to be kept away from strangers.

Connie

 

[zatsdeb]

if you keep your bird in the center of where you spend most of your or your families time, they are not as noisy. Sam only makes noise when he is alone. he loves to be around people, and is very social. they love attention. the best noises he makes is at night when he gets covered up, he goes to the bottom of his cage where he can see out, I think to see if anyone is looking at him, and he practices all his words. he does this really quiet, almost like he is whispering! it is really cute.
Like I said, it is a lifelong commintment, they become part of your family, when my dad sends me birthday cards, or christmas cards, he always signs sams name on the card too.

 

[spotsplus]

They need a lot of indivual care, time and attention. They like to chew wood so need lots of things to do. I had a rarer smaller type a "blue throat" and she was a real baby. I bought her as a hand fed chick and she just had a lap dog personality. Unfortunatly no matter how I tried she never outgrew it so she would be upset if she a) didn't get my undivided attention and b) wouldn't hold her and hug her every minute of the day. I found a lady that loved that and had many macaws and time for her so she went to a new home. Very personable, did start to learn to talk. I've seen some that could be difficult. Most problems with parrots start with the way they are handled or were handled previously so you need to be aware of that. As with any living species the personalities vary bird to bird.

As to aggressive at maturity- again, it's how you deal with it and individual. I have a 6 yr old male eclectus that is wonderful- no problems. I had a 23 yr old double yellow headed Amazon male that loved everyone yet I also had a female eclectus that just thought she was the center of the universe from a hatchling.

Tammie

 

[Foxhound lady]

Quote:
The Scarlett I was refering too is the clinic bird and he only likes his "mom" everyone esle he tolerates (he is a rescue after all).

If you are one of those handy people then I would say it was possible to bulid it.

The other two parrots who hangs out with him are so peacefull and loving there are no words for them. Hence they hang out with the staff more.

 

[m2wandc]

I had a friend who had a macaw and they enclosed a large portion of their patio with tall chainlink fencing (it was like a jungle gym or an enclosure you'd see at a zoo) and that bird was still always bored...they talked to it, played with it, even had hired help come entertain it and the darn thing NEVER SHUT UP....it was the most irriating mess of a bird I've ever encountered...and they live for a VERY LONG TIME...so I'd take that full year you are thinking about it to research research research...me personally, the short stint living with them, was PLENTY for me! They had other birds too, but the Macaw was the biggest noise maker and massive messy enclosure, just gross and a pain IMHO...no offense to those that love'm

 

[gypsy2621]

Big birds and Big snakes have become a status of how brave someone really is.
Its all fun and games until someone gets hurt.

I help a friend who takes in abused, neglected, under fed Macaws and other large parrots.
The mess some people make of these poor birds is insane.

She has a Citrine Cockatoo that has been with her for 25 years who will never ever get his confidence nor his feathers back.
He was horribly abused by teenage boys, still to this day you have to cover your hands before you can feed or water him.
IF he sees your hands he goes into melt down mode and bashes himself bloody. Its heartbreaking to watch.

Some one mentioned the chewed walls band aids etc the one thing they forgot to mention was tetanus shot updates and stitches and in some cases plastic surgery.
When helping my friend clean cages one day I had a Triton put its beak right into my arm.
The Red and Gold she has if ou get to close to the cage it will rip your shirt nearly off you, screaming and carrying on the whole time.
mean oh hell yeah it is. You have to wear fortified gloves just to feed/water him, why , again abuse.

99% of people who own these large birds havent a clue how to handle, care for, or lose patience with them well before a year is over, the end results is usually a neirotic dangerous bird.

Before anyone buys, adopts or even brings home any one of the large parrots they should spend a year working in a parrot rescue, that way they would get a much clearer idea of what they are getting into.
I think maybe Chickerdoodle would agree with that ,as she works in a sanctuary. She knows first hand the train wreack some of these animals come in as.
This is only my opinion and my experiences. milage may vary.