Future Macaw in huge trouble!!!

[ahmadses]

My cousin who is like 10 and lives in a townhouse might be getting a Macaw (MOST LIKELY) he has only held a Macaw once at the birdstore I go to. How do I stop him from endangering a poor bird, help!!!!


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[ZephyrFly]

why do his parents think this is responsible? Is the bird going to be his or his parents or the family's?

 

[ahmadses]

why do his parents think this is responsible? Is the bird going to be his or his parents or the family's?

His, but parents pay for food. His mom literally said keep him in the cage at all times.


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[BirdSquawk]

Are the parents involved? My opinion: to stop a bad situation from unfolding, scare the potential owner. Tell the parents and your cousin that
-the bird WILL be extremely loud no matter what and could lead to neighbor complaints that could get them evicted.
-the bird WILL make a mess with its food and droppings that, if they rent the townhome, could lead to trouble with the landlord.
-the bird WILL be moody and WILL bite at some point, which could cause severe damage to the owner.
-the bird WILL be EXTREMELY expensive. Tell them how much the right cage costs, how they need lots of fresh foods, toys, perches, vet visits, ect.
-the bird WILL need attention all day and CANNOT be left alone for long periods.
-did I mention the bird WILL live a long time and they cannot ignore it when it stops being fun?
Honestly, I don't like trying to scare people with the realities of bird ownership, but some people have very inaccurate pictures in their head about what owning a parrot will be like and need to be set straight before they commit. Hopefully, if you know they will be a bad fit for a macaw, you'll be able to talk them out about it. You've worked with large birds, don't be afraid to tell them EXACTLY how hard it is to care for them.

 

[Flboy]

3 months ago we were at the same point with you! It is up to you to do your best at letting him know how bad it would have been had you got your B&G! It sounds like they are trying to compete with your family! The more you try to talk him out of it, the more that will push him towards it! Instead just keep talking up what a mess it would've been for you, you are so fortunate etc. etc. etc.

 

[ahmadses]

3 months ago we were at the same point with you! It is up to you to do your best at letting him know how bad it would have been had you got your B&G! It sounds like they are trying to compete with your family! The more you try to talk him out of it, the more that will push him towards it! Instead just keep talking up what a mess it would've been for you, you are so fortunate etc. etc. etc.

Yeah i'm glad I thought it out, perhaps I recommend this forum and you guys have at him? Ill be like "lets make a post and get advice" or something.


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[itchyfeet]

You can give it a shot, he may feel beat up on but we can certainly try.
Do you know which pet store it is? Could you maybe put a word in there about the unsuitability of the home?

 

[Kiwibird]

I doubt anywhere would allow a 10 year old to volunteer around big birds like what you've been doing (10 is a tad young) but you have been so responsible in educating yourself and obtaining hands on experience perhaps you can discuss with your aunt and uncle about what you have learned about large parrots and why you don't quite feel ready for such a big commitment even though you are older than your cousin. Tell them about your experiences where you volunteer, how it felt to be bit by a macaw, how loud and messy they are and that they are a pet for adults. Approach them in a mature and adult manner, offer education and open discussion as someone who's spending actual time around these animals and is learning about them.

 

[takito]

ahmadses>> His, but parents pay for food. His mom literally said keep him in the cage at all times.

The "mom" is the bigger part of the problem, 10 years old, is young, but it is possible a young person could take good care, and be fairly responsible.
In this case though the poor kid is going to just have to wait, or should wait until he is old enough
to live on his own, and be able to let the bird out, etc. Preferably living in a area where the macaw can go out doors, climb trees, etc. Keeping one closed up in a cage, all of the time is just plain cruel.
I would try to explain these things to the boy, convince him to start out with a smaller bird, and in a large enough cage, but still, sound like the mom is a real witch, and will be a problem, even small birds like to be able to come out of the cage, and fly around etc. But if the cage is big enough they can seem to be basically happy,... especially if it is a pair, and they have each other for company, even when the owner, or jail keeper is not there and busy doing other things.
Budgies are really nice birds, I have 2 myself, in this kids situation that would be a better choice
to start with. Plus with the door shut, they can easily be allowed out of the cage, and do learn to perch on a finger, and fly around , climb all over their human friend, etc. If handled correctly, the wicked witch would never know he was letting them out from time to time.
Love birds also, do well in smaller spaces, but can bite some what harder then a budgie, as fars as that goes even the little budgies can give a pretty painful little bite, if angry, scared , and they feel threatened.
A angry macaw would / could be extremely dangerous for a child, at least the smaller birds can not do any serious damage.
Being kept in a cage all of the time, the macaw would become very protective, defensive, and combined with the resentment about being in a small prison, it would be not only cruel, but dangerous for the kid. Hope fully you can convince him not to get the bird, even if the parents
are willing to pay for it, or convince them to be firm and just not allow him to get the bird.
They do have feelings, and it just is not right to keep a poor innocent bird closed up in a cage
all of the time, like some kind of criminal.
--------------- edited ------------------------
When I was 10 years old I had no interest in parrots, but did have pigeons, carrier pigeons, tumblers, and some other types,
and took very good care of them, but we did not live in a city, / town house, to start with. How ever all my pigeons were free to come and go, "homing pigeons", but almost any pigeon, comes back to it's nest as long as the conditions are good.
A friend of mine, actually lived in the city, about 20 miles from us,.. and we regularly exchanged messages using the carrier pigeons,
but any way that is a different story,... the point being a 10 year old can be more responsible then some people think.
My first "pony" I was 6 years old, it was a 1 year old, colt, and I could not yet ride it, but I took it every where, leading it,..by the time it
was 3 years old, and could be ridden I was 8, I was the first person to ever ride it, no other trainer,etc. involved.(Other then some adult advice, from "hands" with more experience) . Of course since I had been handling it for 2 years, there was no problems when I started riding it. It all depends on the child, and the situation I guess,.. I started with my pigeons
when I was about 9.

 

[Scott]

I would be frankly honest with your cousin and his parents. There are so many red flags, ranging from his young age, the intent to keep the bird caged, to a jet-engine loud bird in a townhouse!

An intercession is needed for the bird's sake, as it would likely be re-homed in a very short time! Have them at least read excerpts from the macaw sub-forum for a reality check!

 

[ahmadses]

You can give it a shot, he may feel beat up on but we can certainly try.
Do you know which pet store it is? Could you maybe put a word in there about the unsuitability of the home?

Its the one I go to, i'll let them know.


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[LordTriggs]

Oh my god no way! My mum was cautious letting me have a budgie at 10

the fact the mum says to keep it in the cage shows they should not have one. That alone is animal cruelty. I would get videos of screaming macaws and macaws cracking open nuts and inform them that they will scream no matter what and they will bite which could result in needing reconstructive surgery and/or losing a finger and that bird will almost certainly outlive them so the bird will have to be written into their will as the 10 year old is not able to be the legal owner of the bird.

Also are they aware of the cost of looking after any bird? Let alone a macaw. A single trip to the vet for a problem would easily be $1000 plus bi-annual check ups, toys, perches, food, cleaning supplies, replacing all cooking supplies with ptfe/pfoa free materials, having to change cleaning supplies, never being able to lie in again, honestly if you just focus on the bad stuff it should be very easy to convince them not to get a macaw. What is going through their head to jump straight to a macaw because a 10 year old says "I want it" baffles me. Hell what happens when they get bored of the bird? Or when they go to college? Or are living in an apartment barely able to afford food for themselves let alone the bird?

Sounds like a very complicated situation but I would do whatever you can to stop them getting a bird at all.

 

[ahmadses]

Ok guys, problem solved. Will update ya'll later.


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[sonja]

The store should not sell to such an incredibly inappropriate home.

 

[Birdman666]

why do his parents think this is responsible? Is the bird going to be his or his parents or the family's?

his, but parents pay for food. His mom literally said keep him in the cage at all times.


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not just no!!! Hell no!!! You do not keep these birds locked up all the time.... They will get cage bound and angry and they will scream and bite... Four hours outside the cage time per day is minimum... Tell them that, and i think you will solve the problem!!! These birds are jet engine noise loud when they scream!!!

 

[Birdman666]

I doubt anywhere would allow a 10 year old to volunteer around big birds like what you've been doing (10 is a tad young) but you have been so responsible in educating yourself and obtaining hands on experience perhaps you can discuss with your aunt and uncle about what you have learned about large parrots and why you don't quite feel ready for such a big commitment even though you are older than your cousin. Tell them about your experiences where you volunteer, how it felt to be bit by a macaw, how loud and messy they are and that they are a pet for adults. Approach them in a mature and adult manner, offer education and open discussion as someone who's spending actual time around these animals and is learning about them.

MY DAUGHTER HAS BEEN HANDLING LARGE MACAWS, INCLUDING HYS SINCE SHE WAS SEVEN YEARS OLD... AND SHE'S HANDLED PRACTICALLY EVERYTHING... At this point, she's better with large aggressive toos than I am.

BUT SHE WAS CLOSELY SUPERVISED WHEN SHE WAS YOUNGER, AND SHE HAD SOME EXTREMELY GOOD TEACHERS... MYSELF INCLUDED.