Exotic Bird Incubator VS Normal Incubator. What should I use?!?!?!

[quailheart]

I would like to hatch Hahn's Macaw Eggs this spring so I am researching incubators right now and a lot of websites are recommending that I use an exotic bird incubator, I didn't even know that was a thing. The incubator I have now isn't a cheapy, but it's definitely not one of the really fancy and expensive ones either. I really don't want to have to buy a whole new incubator for a one time hatch, especially when the one I have now works perfectly fine. I have had plenty of successful hatches out of my current incubator, including chickens and quail. Do you think a regular chicken/poultry incubator would work or should I not risk wasting $50 eggs? (Yes, they cost $50 per egg if you checked the link.) I hope someone has experience with this sort of thing, if not I'll keep on researching! Thanks!

 

[JaeG]

I have no idea about Macaw eggs but I have hatched cockatiel and finch eggs in my very cheap incubator. As long as it holds the heat in the correct range surely you'd be fine.

I hope you share photos of your babies when you do hatch some. They are stunning looking birds.

 

[RiverOtter]

RUN, don't walk away from that scam!!
First red flag - no one, and I mean NO ONE sells parrot eggs. Because 1) Parrots lay an incredibly limited number of eggs. Hahn's usually lay about 3 a year. 2) Baby parrots are nearly impossible to raise from hatch - you would definitely need a super expensive exotic bird incubator for the hatchling, which you will have to feed a special baby food by syringe at 2 hour intervals around the clock. 3) Parrots are really great at raising their babies through that intensive first MONTH, at which point if you pull and hand-raise them, you will get $1000.

Think for one second. Are you going to sell those 3 eggs a year to people who can watch a tiny, naked pink thing die, and pocket $150? Or are you going to let the parents raise healthy baby and pocket $3000?

Second red flag. In less than a minute on their website ... are they located in Georgia, or FLorida? It says both.

Third red flag. They claim to have exported macaws. Having knowledge of exotic birds AND import/export laws, no, they haven't. It's actually an incredibly stupid thing to lie about, because seriously, no, they haven't, any more than my mare birthed a unicorn on my farm. The unicorn is actually a bit more likely.

Fourth red flag. They take payment in bitcoin, wire transfer and other untraceable methods, to make sure you will never get your money back.

Fifth red flag. They have the gall to advertise Lears Macaws, aka, an endangered species of which there are about 1300 in the world, for a thousand dollars. Do they have leprechauns pull them out of clover flowers??

If you want a parrot, start researching what it's like to spend 70 years with a loud, destructive pet. Not incubators.

 

[RiverOtter]

For the curious, a picture of a newly hatched blue and gold macaw next to a walnut shell for scale. Blue and golds are twice the size of Hahn's.
http://sweetacrebirdfarm.com/images/bgfourfiv.jpg

 

[quailheart]

Wow, I just realized that they are selling Spix Macaw eggs (which are nearly extinct, there are only 177 left in captivity) for $50 each! This is definitely a scam... Oops! Well, I will be on the lookout for Hahn's Macaw eggs/birds for sale. The reason I am looking for eggs is because they are mailable, a live macaw is not and there are no Hahn's Macaws parrots for sale near me. I also prefer a smaller type of macaw because they tend to be easier to care for. If anyone knows anywhere I can a Hahn's macaw, or any other small sized macaw, please let me know!!!

 

[RiverOtter]

Live macaws certainly are "mailable" and there are reputable breeders that offer shipping, same as you can get a puppy shipped (by airline, not the PO)

No breeder is going to sell you an egg for the reasons I listed. And - have you ever hand-fed a baby bird? It really is wildly hard. I know, I've done it. My first job was for a parrot breeder.
Not to mention, parrots are very emotional animals, and if they don't get the right kind of attention and stimulation as babies (and, for the rest of their lives, but like all creatures, they are more delicate when young) they will self-mutilate.

If you live in the US, there is a parrot club near you. Google "<your county> parrot club" Go to meetings. You will learn a lot about parrots, including where folks got theres.

Also, can I just say, NO macaw is easy to care for, small or large. A macaw is a macaw. Every last one of them can crack a walnut in their powerful beak, destroy the doorframes through your house, and scream loud enough to cause permanent damage if they do it near your ear. Every single one.
Ironically, the military - larger than blue and golds and scarlets - is the most mellow and easy-going of the macaws.

 

[quailheart]

Yes, in fact I have hand fed and raised many baby birds because I used to work for a Wildlife Rehab Center. I figured hand raising a macaw would be pretty similar to raising a baby robin or red tailed hawk. What I meant by a mini macaw being easier to care for is that they take up less space (cage-wise) and some of them don't live as long as the full-sized macaw. I need a parrot with a short-ish lifespan because I know it is depressing for them to switch owners after they bonded with a certain person. Oh, and thank you for the parrot club recommendation, I'll go check that out now!

 

[RiverOtter]

Don't get me wrong, if you want a bird, I want you to have one, just trying to raise one from an egg is practically a guaranteed fail ... and really heartbreaking.

To answer your question, it's similar, but not the same. Length of neonatal care is more like a hawk, but the feeding regime is more intense, baby food has to be the exact right temperature, mixed up special every feeding (if you try to make a batch and just warm what you need, they'll die), and then they need you to vary the diet once they start to feather out. Behavior and socialization is SOOO important. There are breeders who just feed and go, because let's face it, it's exhausting, and very often those birds grow up with behavior problems, sometimes serious. Self mutilation is a major issue in parrots.

Now, my DD (20) wants a severe macaw, after having done like 5 years of research on parrot care and species. We hope to get her one this summer. How? I have relatives in FL, where there are a lot of breeders, and we are timing our visit with a bird clubmeeting/club show, where we will meet birds and breeders in person, and then if we don't get one there, we will get on a carefully selected breeders waiting list.

Because even a short-lived macaw is a 30 year commitment to an animal capable of ruining your life, and so we want one who was raised Just Exactly Right. Even I, who have handfed MANY psittacine birds to happy, well-adjusted adulthood, do not want to take on the hand-feeding/socialization/early raising of a macaw. Not because I don't know how, but because I can't devote 4 months of my life to it, and that's what it takes. And, having done it, I will guarantee you that it is a skill you have to learn, under the instruction of someone who is good at it

 

[quailheart]

To be honest, hatching and hand raising a macaw is probably a pretty bad idea and I knew it from the start. I would love to try it some day but I just don't think I'll have the time and patience right now. I would always choose an adult macaw over a hatchling, or even a young macaw. Well, I'll just be on the lookout for a full grown Hahn's macaw for sale. I haven't been able to find any for sale near me, or anywhere really. I guess they aren't the most popular macaw in the US. But again, please tell me if you know of any Hahn's macaws for sale. Thanks!

 

[cmom]

Where do you live?