Military Macaw?

[PinkFlamingoFrm]

Does anyone here have Military Macaws?
I had to do a favor for my mom & ended up at this womans house dropping off furniture for her. She has tons of macaws. She has 2 Military Macaws that she wants to give me, with their cage. I told her I had to think about it, and do some research before making a final decision.
There are 2 of them, and they have lived together their whole life. They dont have a big vocabulary, but they say a few things. I have never had any cage bird more advanced than parakeets. (and that was when I was 10) But these birds are rescue birds from a pet hoarder years ago and she just doesnt have the time to take care of all of her animals. Thats why she offered them to me. They havent been handled much since shes had them (4 years) so they are going to take alot of work to get them to a point where they are talking more & can be handled.

Can someone give me an idea of what I might be getting myself into if I get them?

 

[Rosa moschata]

Macaws can get very loud. They have big, strong beaks and high intelligence, both of which will need to be occupied by toys that can run expensive buy may last only a few weeks before being destroyed. They will also likely find some things in your home to become additional chew toys.

If they're caged together, and have been for a while, they'll probably be far more interested in each other than you, so don't expect them to become cuddly pets. They may also be very protective of each other, and if you're not familiar with large birds and their beaks, you may easily be intimidated by threats of being bitten -- and having a parrot, it's almost guaranteed that bites will happen.

A good, general macaw diet would be based on a premium pellet (like Harrison's) with a few mixed nuts (in the shells) added. In a separate dish, they should have some high-nutrition vegetables daily -- think dark leafy greens, carrots, sweet potatoes, Autumn squash, etc. You can also feed a sprouted diet like China Prairie and mix some veggies in that (in which case, an easy thing is simple "frozen mixed veggies" containing corn, peas, carrots and beans).

Having any parrot as a pet (including budgies and cockatiels) is like having another child. Unfortunately, the smaller parrots often aren't kept to their full potentials, many people thinking of them as little more than pretty things in cages, and miss out on how fun they can be when an interactive relationship is allowed to develop with them. But even unfriendly parrots are still very intelligent birds, and bordeom can lead to bad behavioral issues. Keeping them entertained and happy will be something you'll have to keep in mind. And you'll have to become accustomed to some natural behaviors, like morning sound-offs. That's just parrots being parrots, and if you can't imagine living with that on a daily basis, then perhaps parrots aren't a best-fit for you.

 

[armywife31]

I suggest you do a ton of research. Everything in the post above is true but I'm a volunteer with a bird rescue and I honestly would not adopt out military macaws to anyone that doesn't have experience. Since they are probably bonded they won't feel any need for human interaction but depending on the cage they are in, you may need to upgrade the size of that. Toys are usually $20 to $50, most owners get creative and make their own. If you show any fear or hesitation they will use that to their advantage and it becomes a game. If they aren't used to veggies, you can trick them by making birdie bread. 1 package muffin mix, 1 package corn bread, purée mixed veggies. Add all together, if its too thick add applesauce. Bake like corn bread. I do this with all of my birds. Make sure the frozen veggies you get don't have onion, they are toxic.
Anyway, please research and call a bird rescue for advice on them. I know my post seems to be all about scaring you but you need to know what you're getting into. I would hate to see a post later on that you or the birds have been injured.