How much money does a Maccaw eat a month?

[jonatron5]

Still thinking about getting. Maccaw once i get out of school. I know the bird itself is gonna be like a 10000 and the cage is going to be 500 and up. Probbably closer to 2000 total once all toys and food are bought.

But in terms of expenses how much money does it cost to feed water and provide healthcare to a maccaw monthly?

Its a big bird but i wouldnt immagine bird pellets would be that expensive. Its the vet bills im worried about. Becuase ive heard alot of people take them to a bird specialist at least once a year.

 

[chris-md]

What kind of macaw are you looking to buy? There's a difference between feeing a diminutive Hahns and the ginormous hyacinth. At $10k your not likely looking at a hanhs, but knowing what your buying (and where you are located?) would help.

 

[gracebowen]

I don't have a Mac but I don't feed mine any money. Just pellets, seeds, rice veggies etc .

(Man I wish I could put a cute smiley here)

Seriously though I think I spend about $20 on 2 tiels and 2 keets. Sometimes less. I'm sure Birdman and others will provide guides for feeding costs.

And Scott when we know what kind you are getting.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Still thinking about getting. Maccaw once i get out of school. I know the bird itself is gonna be like a 10000 and the cage is going to be 500 and up. Probbably closer to 2000 total once all toys and food are bought.

But in terms of expenses how much money does it cost to feed water and provide healthcare to a maccaw monthly?

Its a big bird but i wouldnt immagine bird pellets would be that expensive. Its the vet bills im worried about. Becuase ive heard alot of people take them to a bird specialist at least once a year.

I'm going to guess here that your zeroes got away from you when you posted the cost of the bird itself. Right?? Especially because you mentioned the total cost being 2 grand. :54:

 

[Birdman666]

THEY DON'T SO MUCH EAT THE MONEY, AS THEY LIKE TO TEAR UP PAPER. DON'T LEAVE YOUR WALLET NEAR THE CAGE...

Let's see:

Food:

A bulk bag of pellets is about $50. and that should last you 3 months.
Nuts will run you another $20-30 a month.
Another $20-30 for a tub o nutriberries.

Fresh foods? Give the bird a portion of what you eat... assuming you eat reasonably healthy to keep the costs down.

So food is about $50-ish per month.

I make my own toys which saves CONSIDERABLE amounts of money, because they go through wood like there's no tomorrow.

Figure $30 per month for toys.

Vet care? Depends on the bird...

Well birdie exams are around $150-200 but only need to be done alternating years.

Grooming is about $50 and gets done about 3 times per year.

So around $250 for vet care, ASSUMING no emergencies...

Emergency vet care for a big mac? CAN RUN ANYWHERE FROM A FEW HUNDRED TO THOUSANDS...

 

[Shayne]

THEY DON'T SO MUCH EAT THE MONEY, AS THEY LIKE TO TEAR UP PAPER. DON'T LEAVE YOUR WALLET NEAR THE CAGE...

Let's see:

Food:

A bulk bag of pellets is about $50. and that should last you 3 months.
Nuts will run you another $20-30 a month.
Another $20-30 for a tub o nutriberries.

Fresh foods? Give the bird a portion of what you eat... assuming you eat reasonably healthy to keep the costs down.

So food is about $50-ish per month.

I make my own toys which saves CONSIDERABLE amounts of money, because they go through wood like there's no tomorrow.

Figure $30 per month for toys.

Vet care? Depends on the bird...

Well birdie exams are around $150-200 but only need to be done alternating years.

Grooming is about $50 and gets done about 3 times per year.

So around $250 for vet care, ASSUMING no emergencies...

Emergency vet care for a big mac? CAN RUN ANYWHERE FROM A FEW HUNDRED TO THOUSANDS...

Grooming?
I've never had my macaw groomed. He seems pretty good at doing it himself. Please elaborate as I've never heard of this needing doing before.

 

[Birdman666]

Wings - if you clip, and don't do it yourself, need to be done approximately 2-3 times per year.

Beak - Depends on the bird, but this is an occasional thing. Occasionally the beak will become overgrown, and will need to be trimmed. Or will become rough, and will need to be evened out. With some species, primarily mini-macs, the tip of the beak develops a sharp scalpel-like point on it. The point needs to be rounded off so the bird doesn't accidentally injure someone.

Nails - Nails grow continuously and get overgrown. Again nail trims are something that usually needs to be done approximately 2-3 times per year.

Vets do this service. Groomers are cheaper, and probably more experienced. Or you can do it yourself if you learn how.

I've found over the years that if I do it, they're pissey with me, sometimes for days afterwards... whereas, if the groomer does it, then they're pissed off at him, and come to me for extra comfort time...

SO, I LET THEM GET MAD AT THE GROOMER...

 

[Shayne]

Oh yeh of course. When you said grooming an image of a dog getting brushed came into my head and I didn't see why their feathers needed brushing. I haven't got mines wings clipped and I do his nails. He doesn't seem to get too annoyed by it. I give him a nut to distract him then sneak in with the clippers.

 

[Solo]

Birdman gave a good estimate monthly for a large Mac. If you plan on buying toys though you can send your $2000.00 initially investment out the window. I would say $200-$300 on a playstand if you don't make one. And they need things to destroy for mental and physical wellbeing. Most foraging toys for a large Mac run about $25-40. Depending on how destructive your bird is it could last as long as a few days to as little as an hour. If you're on a budget check out some of Birdmans threads for playstand building and tou/foraging making. Another thing to keep in mind is space. They require a lot of space and they are loud. They are not good apartment birds and if not properly attended, they will destroy trim, drywall and ceilings. So if you rent you can add this in as an additional expense because something will get chewed up at some point.