Could i get opinoins on macaws as pets please?

[Ellie_NY_chick]

I can't add anything to the behavior issues, but you did remind me of a guy who used to walk around all day at the Greenwich Yacht Club in CT with a huge scarlet macaw on his shoulder.

I thought it was the coolest thing ever until he turned around and the back of his shirt was covered with parrot poo. Gross.

 

[ninny]

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Sorry, but screaming or calling is a natural behavior for macaws. Just your question about wanting to train it out tells me you don't know half what you'd need to know to own one. NO offense meant. I'm just trying to be honest. Macaws scream; some more, some less, but you can count on it happening and need to be prepared (a lot of macaws lose their homes for this reason). They also need to chew a TON of wood, and they won't necessarily differentiate between a toy and your furniture, although training along these lines might help some. They also bite on occasion, especially when hormonal in the spring time. You need to understand that they are WILD animals only a generation or two from the jungle, and they can't be counted on for loyalty and tameness like a dog or cat. Sure, some are basically sweet, and I'm not saying they can't be wonderful (I love mine very much), but they are not for most people. They are louder than you can imagine; they are messier than you can imagine (mine likes to grab a handfull of food with her foot and throw it outside her cage onto the floor

She gets a huge kick out of it and laughs her fool head off.

I don't recommend macaws to people who are not experienced large bird owners. JMHO.

I guess i should have ask can you train to be quiet on command. Like when the dog is barking and you need it to stop.

I am very aware they not domesticated. Thats one reason they appeal to me.

We can't have a cockatoo as my DH can't handle the dander they give off. I have been told they give off a ton of it. Would a air purifier help that at all? Are they a good big bird starter. I have worked with budiges, cockateils,conures.

I love green check conures and Goffin's cockatoos. But i worry my cat would kill the conure.

 

[Eduardo]

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Ditto on the Quaker, we had one named Cuca who was the sweetest bird you can imagine. Small and manegeable and they shake enthusiastically.

 

[seriousbill]

Quote:
Sorry, but screaming or calling is a natural behavior for macaws. Just your question about wanting to train it out tells me you don't know half what you'd need to know to own one. NO offense meant. I'm just trying to be honest. Macaws scream; some more, some less, but you can count on it happening and need to be prepared (a lot of macaws lose their homes for this reason). They also need to chew a TON of wood, and they won't necessarily differentiate between a toy and your furniture, although training along these lines might help some. They also bite on occasion, especially when hormonal in the spring time. You need to understand that they are WILD animals only a generation or two from the jungle, and they can't be counted on for loyalty and tameness like a dog or cat. Sure, some are basically sweet, and I'm not saying they can't be wonderful (I love mine very much), but they are not for most people. They are louder than you can imagine; they are messier than you can imagine (mine likes to grab a handfull of food with her foot and throw it outside her cage onto the floor

She gets a huge kick out of it and laughs her fool head off.

I don't recommend macaws to people who are not experienced large bird owners. JMHO.

I guess i should have ask can you train to be quiet on command. Like when the dog is barking and you need it to stop.

I am very aware they not domesticated. Thats one reason they appeal to me.

We can't have a cockatoo as my DH can't handle the dander they give off. I have been told they give off a ton of it. Would a air purifier help that at all? Are they a good big bird starter. I have worked with budiges, cockateils,conures.

I love green check conures and Goffin's cockatoos. But i worry my cat would kill the conure.

No, you can't train them to stop on command. You can minimize the behavior a little by ignoring it, so that they don't do it more for attention, but macaws naturally call/yell in the mornings and evenings and sometimes at other times. Sometimes they do it when they're playing; sometimes when they're angry. Rather than comparing it to a dog barking; you might think of it as like trying to train a child not to laugh or cry. Macaws have the mentality of a young child. I always say having one is like having an autistic 3 year old with a very large, sharp pair of pliers. That's the best comparison I can come up with.

Large cockatoos are very difficult birds; the smaller ones are a bit more manageable but still need tons of attention. If you lock them in a cage and leave them, they're apt to feather pluck and scream. For more information, check out mytoos.com (It's a bit extreme, but there's very good info there, and anyone thinking about a 'too owes it to the birds and themselves to go there and here what these folks have to say).

A conure might be a good idea. They're bright, clownish, and manageable. Perhaps you could keep the bird away from the cat? That's what I do.

 

[natalie1136]

start with a baby. We bought one that didn't even have feathers yet. He bonded very well with our family. They are a lot of work though. We got rid of ours because he deserved more attention than we could give. They do scream a little, but not all the time. Ours usually did his screaming in the morning. Expect to have small feathers and bird down all over the place unless you can clean the cage very often.

Natalie

 

[Chicks_N_Horses]

Cockatoos do give off alot of 'powder', that is what I call it because it looks like baby powder. Our cockatoo is my favorite, he is the sweetest of all our birds.

I agree with another poster about training the macaws to be quiet. I don't think that you can. There are noiser ones than others but that is the way they communicate and it is loud. Mating season, excitement, and other factors can get them to going. When I leave is when I find them the noisiest. They don't want me to go out of the room, they want to be right with you all the time and when you start to leave their sight they can get really noisy.

If you really want one and you do tons of research and make sure you are really prepared and willing to commit for a long term relationship then I say get one. If you aren't so sure, I would wait until you are really sure.

Someone mentioned a conure. I can't believe I didn't mention that one. They are really great parrots. A sun conure is gorgeous and they bond really well with your family. I had one (my rescue cat killed him though) and he was the best. If you don't want a lovebird then a sun conure is a great one to think about.

I think you are doing great in getting prepared for a big deal like getting a macaw. That shows alot. Most just run out and get one on spur of the moment and realize a macaw is not for them. Then the bird gets shucked off to someone else.....These birds are like little toddlers in a way, you have to be prepared for alot. I think you will do great in whatever decision you make!

eta: as far as agressivness in my birds...My cockatoo is the best tempered, the blue n gold gets 2nd place, the catalina gets 3rd, the greenwing gets 3rd too, and the scarlet is the most agressive one I have...and the largest. He is a male too. Although my birds are really well tempered, that is just their ranking.

 

[ninny]

You guys think a green check conure would be better to start with then? How long do they live? I do love those cute little guys i would be very worried about my cat though. I'd be heart broke if he ate it.

 

[Chicks_N_Horses]

I have only had a sun conure. We named him Skittles because he was so colorful. He would fly to the sink when you washed dishes because he loved water. I don't know about the green cheeks.

Gotta watch the cats with birds. The cat that ate mine was a resuce I found where someone dumped him in a box and looked like he had been scalded or burned. I nursed him back and he killed Skittles. I had just put his cage out on the porch and I let him out and the phone rang, I walked in for less than 30 seconds and in that short time the cat killed him. I felt so guilty and sad.....I would love to get another one, or another love bird but I already have so much to deal with now.

 

[Chicken Rustler]

If noise is a concern I would not recommend any of the conures. They can be very nice birds but they tend to be the worst about just making noise. It is just thier nature. Have you checked out the Myers or Senegal parrots yet? They are small and are nice birds.

 

[seriousbill]

Green Cheeks are not as loud as other conures. They come from a different genus from the Suns and some of the other super loud and shrill ones. They're nice birds. Most people who have them seem to like them.