I am interested in testing out a parrot, a Macaw - Martinsburg, WV

Macaws are LOUD and can be very destructive. They are chewers and need a lot of things to chew to keep their Big mouths busy or they will find their own chew toys. They are very beautiful but need a lot of attention, a proper diet- not just reg bird chow,and a lot of room - large parrots are like having another child, seriously. I hope you have good neighbors! LOL. I've kept to smaller birds. I have a Quaker parrot that can talk with the big boys. If I don't talk to him he talks to himself or the chickens outside or the dog etc. If I put him outside he immediately starts calling Here Kitty Kitty. He tells me when he's ready to go to bed, when he wants to come out, when his cage needs cleaning - bossy little bird he is. He'll talk on the phone, tell my husband to do tricks, tell the dog to do tricks, sing nursery rhymes, make animal noises, shake hands, put his wings up, poop in his cage before you get him out. He will go to most people but if he doesn't he will tell you, he'll start saying no bite and cover his beak with his foot. He's saying I don't want to bite but I will if you pick me up, LOL. Quakers need attention like most birds but more than most cockatiels etc. They can be screamers/biters if not socialized enough and given space and things to do, but they are a big bird in a little body. If I were you I would Babysit someones Large Macaw for a day and see how you like it.
Best wishes

 

I vote quaker! I have had two of them and they are wonderful pets to have around! Imitate everything and talk with the bet of them, they are so smart and real little clowns!

 

We had an Amizon of some sort and she was a hoot! She was a 1 person bird though. She hated everyone but my dad. She had a HUGE vocabulary. My mom would eat peanut butter toast every morning and Bandit would say, MMM, is it good?, Do you like it? Mom would give her a bite but sometimes Bandit was bad and would bite my moms finger and she would run into the corner of her cage saying, Your so bad and laugh. My dad decided he didn't have the time for her that she needed and sold her. We had her for years though.

 

you really need to think about this before you buy a parrot, they take a lot of time and live forever, i have a 15 yr old amazon, he's loud and obnoxious, only says a few words and bites LOL! i had a cockatoo that was the sweetest bird ever, you would swear that she was a person but i didn't have the time for her and she began chewing her feathers and screaming all the time, i should have knew better before i agreed to take her, my friend has her now and dearly loves her, parrots are also destructive, i have no window ceal in my dining room because one day she decided to chew it into 100000 splinters, my friend in fredrick raises smaller birds, thefeatheredcoop check out her website, my dog partner just lost her macaw a few weeks ago, she's had him for 28 yrs and he was so friendly, she was devastated, i was given an african grey parrot from a friend that found the bird outside, it talked and made a ton of noises, i yelled at my dog i said "charlie" and the bird finished my sentence and said "knock it off", and curse! i didn't teach it that, it barked like a dog, popped a beer can, did the microwave sound, sang like a canary, whistled, made bubble noises, and said tons of sentences and words, i found the owner after 4 months it was sad to see her go, i would take another african grey, i raised birds for awhile, i had over 50 birds, i sold out and now have my original amazon and 2 canaries, that's more than enough

 

Why not try fostering one see how it goes.....
Try this site see if you get enough info to get started or change your mind....

 

kryptoniteqhs

I share your interest in macaws, and have two rescue blue and golds. I want to let you know that macaws are VERY bonded to their caretakers, and the idea of "testing out" and hookbill may cause emotional harm to the bird if you have to take it back, and I know that is not your intent.

Please forgive the length of my note - I want to provide you with information that you may find helpful in making your decision.

I like the ideas other BYCers have put forth - you might want to go visit a macaw at a local rescue -- keep visiting a few times a week for a few months and if you find your interest remains constant, then maybe it is right for you.

Macaws require a significant amount of your time, and become self destructive when not given adequate attention. This is especially true if there are no other large hookbills for them to interact with. I spend 3 hrs per day MINIMUM interacting with my macaws.

Macaws require a significant investment in money and time for their vet care and food. On food, I make a birdie salad each week that contains many fresh vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, carrots, tomatoes, green pepper, spinach, corn, peas) and fruits (apples, oranges, grapes, pears, etc). Each of my birds gets a fresh birdiesalad each morning. In addition, each month I make and freeze a pasta/bean salad in an ince cube tray. They get one of these ice cubes melted each day on top of their fresh salad. This is in ADDITION to their pellets, nuts, dried fruits/vegetables/grains that are in their parrot mix.

Each week my parrots get a birdie shower where I supervise their time in a shower with water directed away from them, and at room temp - this left them groom their feathers as they would in the wild - clean them - they get regular mistings throughout the week.

In terms of vet care, I can't walk out of my avian veterinarian's office for less than 150 dollars when a macaw is the patient - they don't often have to go - but one once had pneumonia and the totals added up FAST.

I make my own bird toys to save money, and this takes time (to make them) and money to get the basic supplies (chain, rope, blocks, beads, birdie bagels, etc). macaws need to have their toys rotated to avoid boredom. And they go through toys quickly.

I suppose to sum up I would say that they require much more attention than my cockatiels ask - and having helped place many macaws, I can tell you that they really need a permanent home - too many are shuffled among different homes because people do not realize how loud they are, how much space their require, how much time they require, how much money they require. And I've seen the result - adolescent (3-5 yr old) macaws that bite, scream, are frightened, and almost impossible to rehabilitate and place into loving homes.

One of my current rescues was dropped off by a family that had to evacuate from hurricane Katrina 3 times - he had clearly been teased, had poor nutrition and what is it - 3 years later? He is starting to show signs of being able to bond with humans, inhibit his biting and may some day be an adoptable pet.

I am sure you are a responsible pet owner, and it is clear that you love your birds. I just wanted to write this so you would know that scaling up to the largest hookbill is really more than, say, getting 10 cockatiels - it requires many more years of commitment and so much more investment from you emotionally, fiscally, and in terms of time.

best wishes with your decision. If you have any other questions I can answer for you, pelase do not hesitate to PM me.

 

Here is a bird rescue organization based in your state - perhaps you can contact them and make a visit - speak with them about macaw care - and they may in fact have a quaker or other talking parrot that you could see --



http://www.ravenshaven.org/

 

kryptoniteqhs

Volunteering at a rescue place sounds like a great start!!!

Best wishes!