Handling/interacting with unweeded macaws

[Magoo]

I am in the process of purchasing a baby macaw from a local bird store, they are currently about 3 months old and I am deciding between a ruby gold hybrid and a Tropicana macaw . Is it okay to interact with the birds before they’re weened to help in deciding which one to put a deposit on?

 

[wrench13]

Perfectly OK to interact before they are weaned. By the way, do NOT bring the baby home until it is fully weaned at least a week, 2 is better, and after they have fully fledged and been flying for a week or 2. Telling customers parrots bond better to unweaned babies is just plain BS and is strictly so the seller can get his profits earlier. Insist on these!

 

[Magoo]

Thank you for the information! After reading that I went and visited them today. The Tropicana is already trying to fly, made it about 10 feet very uncoordinatedly. It’s already trying to talk and seems much more outgoing between the two. It is the one I am leaning towards. I paid today to get both of the birds dna sexed before I make my decision. Which brings me to another question. I already own a 31 year old, female, green wing macaw that I rescued. I asked if another female or a male would be a better addition to our family and they recommended another female. My female green wing does get hormonal. Would you agree with this recommendation?

Perfectly OK to interact before they are weaned. By the way, do NOT bring the baby home until it is fully weaned at least a week, 2 is better, and after they have fully fledged and been flying for a week or 2. Telling customers parrots bond better to unweaned babies is just plain BS and is strictly so the seller can get his profits earlier. Insist on these!

 

[wrench13]

Well we all know macaws can interbreed - with the myriad hybrid types out there, there is no doubt on that. So unless you dont mind having eggs and the attendant issues with that, I'd suggest a female for you.