Does anyone have a macaw for a pet?--Update with pic!

[Jynohn]

My husband and I have been considering getting a blue and gold macaw, but I don't know anyone personally who has one. I'd love to hear from anyone who owns one as to what I can expect. I know that they can be loud, and I remember reading somewhere that they have the intelligence of a 5 year old child so they need lots of attention or they easily become bored and unhappy. I also know that they can live up to 40+ years, so I want to make absolutely sure that this is the right pet for us before making the commitment.

I'd also appreciate any help in what to look for in a good breeder. I know all about how to find a reputable puppy breeder, but have no idea if the same standards would apply here.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Jynohn

 

[SnowWhite33]

I have an African Grey parrot. He is a lot of fun and I would never part with him. He amazes us constantly with what he can learn and how he truly does understand what's going on and not just repeating or mocking. Example: If he sees me eating something he will ask for a bite and don't even mention the words chip or peanut because he'll drive you crazy until he gets one.

All of that being said, he is also a lot of work. Vacuuming has become a daily ritual. Just like every pet, fresh food and water daily, only with him the water has to be changed multiple times a day because he likes to dip his food in it. And attention is something they must have daily. One other thing to consider is whether or not anyone in your household has allergies. I actually came to become owner of Buttercup because the previous owners MIL had such a severe allergic reaction,(think hospitilization),and she didn't even live in the household.

My advice would be to really research. There are many message boards and personal web pages that can help you greatly. It's a huge decision and you really have to keep in mind what might happen in the future, many of these birds end up unwanted because situations and circumstances change over the years and unlike a dog or cat, they don't adjust well to change. They really do have amazing and unique personalities and emotions. Yes they can have the intelligence of a 5 yo, but the temperment of a 2 yo, I know I've seen the tantrums one can throw

I hope I have helped and not discouraged you, good luck and let us know if you get a new feather baby!!

 

[Crankyshank]

I don't but I practically grew up with a greenwing macaw (childhood friend and neighbor has one). They are loud, like to chew, and are very demanding of attention. They have the intelligence of a 5yr old and often act like one.

My friend Gus' parents got the greenwing (Beauregard) because they are less screechy than other macaws. They can live up to 80yrs. Beau is almost 40 and still going strong. He is extremely vocal and has an extensive vocabulary and loves to use it.
You really have to keep them occupied. Beau watches tv most of the time, has puzzles, chew toys that they rotate to keep him from getting bored, and assorted other toys.
I'm not sure about purchase from a breeder. I do know you need to make sure the bird is banded in case it escapes or is stolen.

 

[MzDiz]

We used to have an umbrella cockatoo. We loved her to death, she was full of personality and smart as a whip, great bird to share a house with.... until there was a baby in the picture. She got SO jealous. She'd scream and have fits, it was terrible.
She was a ton of work too. At one point I had 19 chickens, 7 cats, 2 ducks and a dog, and all together they weren't as much of a time commitment as that bird.
One day we hope to have another big bird, not until the children are grown and we have more time though.
Good luck with whatever you decide and if you get one, post pictures!

 

[Jynohn]

Thank you for your replies. After giving it a lot of thought and consideration, DH and I decided that a macaw may not be the right bird for us. Too many people told us that they could be nippy with children and very destructive. We didn't want to take the risk of it not being a perfect fit with our family since a macaw could very well outlive us!

Instead we met and fell in love with an eclectus parrot. They are a little smaller than the macaws, quieter, and have a more even temperament. Our baby is still being handfed and will be able to come home to us in March

So without further ado, meet our new baby "Ranger"
He's about 12 weeks old in this picture, and named in honor of DH's Airborne unit!

 

[Marseeya]

He's beautiful! Congratulations!

 

[kaabost]

Let me just say that you are great. I love that you thought very hard about which species of bird to bring into your home. An eclectus parrot is a wonderful adoption choice. Although they too are certinly demanding of attention and are "high maintenance" all around, they are usually not as tough to keep happy as a macaw. I do have a blue gold macaw and I wouldn't trade her for the world......but she is demanding. DH married into the macaw (Vega) and has a harder time dealing with her than I do. Poor guy, didn't have a choice. One thing that makes it tough for him is that she is a one person bird. She deals with him but refuses to give him affection like she gives me and often gives him loud screams instead. I have to make sure to give her alot of special individual attention so that she doesn't get too jealous. To bring a macaw into your house, you have to love them for who they are. And that is typically an extremely loud, messy, and powerful 5 year old with the emotional development of a 2 year old human child. If you can freely accept this and treat them as such, perhaps a macaw is a good match for you. If not.......you should probably go with a different species. I have formulated a list of things that any potential macaw adopter should answer YES to before bringing one of these wonderful birds into your house. Here it is.......

1. Are you ok with ear busting loud noises at any given time of the day?
2. Are you willing to deal with a constant mess ( or constantly clean)?
3. Are you able to accept the fact that a macaw is wild (even if it was bread in captivity........hopefully it was) and can never be fully trusted?
4. If you live in an aparment, will your neighbors mind?
5. Are you ok with being defecated upon on a regular basis?
6. Is your family already complete? (New babies are very bad for macaws).
7. Do you have at least3 hours a day that you can spend with your macaw (at least one of these hours being full undivided attention)?
8. Are you ok with the fact that you will get nipped (bruised or bloodied) at some point.
9. **************Will you love this bird because it will have these characteristics and not despite them?

Sounds pretty bad huh? There aren't many of us that would agree that a macaw is a wonderful being in your home. But, those who can answer yes to the above questions will do fine IMO. Check out my birdies in my signature.

 

[SnowWhite33]

Let me just say that you are great. I love that you thought very hard about which species of bird to bring into your home. An eclectus parrot is a wonderful adoption choice. Although they too are certinly demanding of attention and are "high maintenance" all around, they are usually not as tough to keep happy as a macaw. I do have a blue gold macaw and I wouldn't trade her for the world......but she is demanding. DH married into the macaw (Vega) and has a harder time dealing with her than I do. Poor guy, didn't have a choice. One thing that makes it tough for him is that she is a one person bird. She deals with him but refuses to give him affection like she gives me and often gives him loud screams instead. I have to make sure to give her alot of special individual attention so that she doesn't get too jealous. To bring a macaw into your house, you have to love them for who they are. And that is typically an extremely loud, messy, and powerful 5 year old with the emotional development of a 2 year old human child. If you can freely accept this and treat them as such, perhaps a macaw is a good match for you. If not.......you should probably go with a different species. I have formulated a list of things that any potential macaw adopter should answer YES to before bringing one of these wonderful birds into your house. Here it is.......

1. Are you ok with ear busting loud noises at any given time of the day?
2. Are you willing to deal with a constant mess ( or constantly clean)?
3. Are you able to accept the fact that a macaw is wild (even if it was bread in captivity........hopefully it was) and can never be fully trusted?
4. If you live in an aparment, will your neighbors mind?
5. Are you ok with being defecated upon on a regular basis?
6. Is your family already complete? (New babies are very bad for macaws).
7. Do you have at least3 hours a day that you can spend with your macaw (at least one of these hours being full undivided attention)?
8. Are you ok with the fact that you will get nipped (bruised or bloodied) at some point.
9. **************Will you love this bird because it will have these characteristics and not despite them?

Sounds pretty bad huh? There aren't many of us that would agree that a macaw is a wonderful being in your home. But, those who can answer yes to the above questions will do fine IMO. Check out my birdies in my signature.

I love all of your reasons, I am the Mom to an African Grey, but #5 it's so funny because it is so true!!

To the OP-what a beautiful Eclectus!! I have been tempted on many occassions to add one to our "nest", but I'm not sure how the rest of the "flock" would feel. Congratulations on your new baby !!

 

[Rafiki Rafiki Rafiki]

A girl after my own heart!

Here are my girls and birds at Christmastime. Our Ekkie's name is Boudreaux. His vocabulary is around 200 words. If he's hungry, he says "a bite!" and if my kids fight with one another, he yells at the right one...."Sarah! Stop it RIGHT NOW!" he says...

If the phone rings he says "hello", and nearly everyday he says "wanna go outside". If you ask him for a kiss, he'll put his beak on your face and make a smacking noise.
He has given us so much joy...

PM me and I'll direct you to some websites you should know about. It looks like you got a Solomon Islands Ekkie...am I right?

I'm curious about the age of the bird you're speaking about. Our bird was quite a bit younger he was weaned to real food...and his beak didn't turn until he was about a year and a half old.

 

[Jynohn]

Boudreaux is beautiful! (So are your girls, BTW )

That is amazing that he has such an extensive vocabulary. DH would love Ranger's first phrase to be "Rangers lead the way!" but we'll be just as happy with "hello" for now

I would love to check out the links you have if you don't mind PM'ing them to me. Anything I can learn in the next month until he comes home will be greatly appreciated.

His hatch date BTW is 10/22/05 and I was told by his breeder that he's still hand feeding and won't be ready until ~March 7th. Interesting that his beak color is already changing...and yes, he's a Solomon Island Eclectus.

Thanks everyone for your help!

Jynohn

 

[swtnikki]

What a handsome Ekkie you're gonna have! I only have a little parakeet, but my friend has a blue & gold macaw named Taz. He'll say hi when you enter the house, bye when you leave, even opens a can of soda w/his beak. You can see pics of him here: http://forums.petlovers.com/vb/showthread.php?t=14670