Just the Worst Things...

[Thingamagigs]

I don't have a macaw... but there are heaps of downsides/worst things about owning a parrot of any kind that can be applied to a macaw.

One thing I think everyone should know... your parrot grows up.
When you get it, its a gorgeous smooshy cuddly baby that you fall head over heals in love with. It makes little coos and peeps and is the most adorable thing under the sun.
First time bird owners might be lulled into thinking "this is it, this is how my baby will be forever".
Its helpful to accept... before you even purchase a bird... that they are as emotionally complex as humans and hormones have as much impact on them as us. Some stay the same forever... but most change, even if its in the littlest of ways. If you are happy... perhaps even excited... to experience the changes your bird will go through, perhaps even on a daily basis, then you are ready for a bird. If you cant bare the thought of a shift in personality or mood, dont even think about it LOL

Some days are great, others aren't. I have a galah... she bonded to my partner. She has anxiety issues from a dodgy start in life and on top of that a super strong personality. That means she is an absolute riot, a whiz with words... but then there are days she is IN A MOOD! Yesterday was one of those days... my partner went to work after being home over christmas. She was SO unhappy. She called to him all day long, become more agitated as the day went on, by 10am she was guttural screaming her butt off on the top of her cage. Its 185cm tall and I couldnt get her down, she refused to come to me (changing her cage asap now!). I have NEVER in my life heard a galah make this sound (I wish I recorded it!)... she was AAAAANGGRRRRY. Today she seems to have accepted that he isnt here and has been cuddling and snuggling and perfectly quiet all day.

And she is only 4 months old... I cant even imagine the tantrums we will get when she hits puberty! Look out world! lol

 

[Akraya]

Everyone's covered everything!
I guess I can add once you fall in love with your lil birdy (which is instant!) don't expect anyone else to understand, friends and family (outside of this forum of course!) how important your bird is to you. To so many people it's just a bird, to you they're so much more. You will not believe the insane amount of love you can have for them.
But yeah, you will get bitten, things will be destroyed, they will squawk and you will find poop in places where you'll have no idea how it got there!
All through this you'll come here and we'll provide excellent bird roasting tips to help you vent because we've all been there

 

[JerseyWendy]

I've read descriptions of parrot owning being like living the rest of your life with a three year old and also that parrots don't act out of love even for those they love. Is this true? I think I'm getting cold feet without them being very cold (if that makes sense). I've never worried about these things before but all of a sudden it's got me doubting myself.

With a Mac it's more like living with a 4 year old for the rest of your life

I cracked up laughing at some of the comments. Neither of my birds projectile poop - not ever. :30:

The worst thing for me is that my hands have calused tremendously from cutting wood and using power tools on a regular basis to keep their toys refreshed. LOL. :54:

 

[momto3]

For me, the worst things are the difficulty going away on vacation and the daily time commitment--no matter what. I tore a ligament in my foot a week ago and am not supposed to walk. But, no one else in the household can take care of the birds adequately, so I am hobbling around every day taking care of them. This could be a huge problem if ever you had a real emergency. Cats/dogs are much easier to care for. Plus, bird cages really do have to be cleaned frequently. Going out of town can be difficult because you need to either take your birds, board them or find someone who knows birds to watch them. We have been fortunate to find great in-home pet sitters, but it is also very expensive. And, I worry a lot more about the birds than I do about the other pets. I worry about if they are eating enough, if they are going stir crazy in their cages, etc. Taking them with us is ok, but then I worry about vet care if something should happen. We still travel and as a family we love to travel, but to be perfectly honest, I am less enthused about leaving now that we own parrots.

Birds are also very expensive and the actual cost of the bird is a drop in the bucket! Oh, and our birds are relatively neat, but my house will never be the same. The kids carry the birds around and then I find poop on the carpets, beds, etc. I practically need a holster for the poop remover spray bottle! Thank goodness for our central vac--I used to hate that thing but now I LOVE it. I can easily and quickly clean the seed guards and I don't have to worry about the mess mucking up my other vacuum. A good vacuum is a must.

You really have to spend time with them--no matter what. That can be hard to do.

On the flip side, it is completely worth it.

 

[Shade]

I have to agree with the vacation thing - I have some travel coming up and it's hard to leave them behind, even if it's with someone I fully trust.

I have become increasingly "paranoid" about their health and tend to go to the vet in case of any doubt. While sometime there was nothing really wrong, this has allowed me to catch one or two things early and I at least have a clear conscience - but I could do without all that worry!

 

[Oedipussrex]

haha I hope you dont let this thread completely discourage you though!

For me its definitely always worrying about them, and the vacation thing (which only makes the worry worse). XD
I dont ever go away for more than a week. And i do that rarely. When i do i make up little bags with all pickles meals in them for the whole time i am away, there will be the 'dry food' bag the 'breakfast' bag the 'lunch' bag the 'dinner' bag, and the 'put in his sleep cage when you put him to bed just in case' bag. For each and every day. lol I cant go for more than a week because if i went for longer than that the food wouldn't last.

This is all left along with written instructions so the bags dont get mixed up, of his schedule, toys he likes and what TV to put on if they aren't going to be with him, as well as a little first aid kit and phone numbers if he falls or breaks an important feather while i'm not there. > And this is when i leave him with immediate family who see what i do with him every day anyway.

Although on the other hand, after owning birds i think about cats and dogs and other pets that i have had, and ALL of them seem like a walk in the park, so low maintenance compared to my ekkie. After owning a parrot you will be prepared for anything! There is always something new to experience, clean or learn, and they are so fun. XDD

 

[Alisana]

And have a shop vac near-by because u probably have to vacuum his play room once every 2-3 days.

Are those vacuum cleaners better than 'normal ones'?

I use an 18V DustBuster handheld vac to vaccuum around Pocket's cage. He likes to drop his veggies and seed husks all over the floor, but it picks it up quite well.

We bought a sheet of clear thick plastic to place on the floor for easier cleaning as well. If his poop goes outside the cage, we can just wipe it off and give it a good hose down outside if anything major happens.

 

[Alisana]

Hmm, worse thing for me...

The budgies haven't been an issue. The amount of dander they drop is incredible though, we had to move them outside because of it. (This was before I invested in a air filter)

Um, mess is a big one. Waking up early in the morning can be a pain. XD I have a few weeks during the year where I have to pull an all nighter at work, so I'll stay up til 5am finishing off what I need to to, then feed the budgies before slinking off to bed. I don't think I can do that with Pocket though. :\ soo... need to work that out. ><

Cost - while I'm not fazed by it, my partner does NOT want to know how much I spend on the birds. Cages, playpens, toys, food, vet bills, etc - it adds up, and it's not cheap.

Ooh! Not being able to turn the fan on XD and being paranoid that it's switched off when the birds are flying around. This is why I'm getting the back yard enclosed with cat netting so they have a large flight area.

 

[BeakersBro]

And have a shop vac near-by because u probably have to vacuum his play room once every 2-3 days.

Are those vacuum cleaners better than 'normal ones'?

For non-carpet, a shop vac can't be beat for raw suction power. However, shop vacs don't have a beater or brushes so aren't as good on shaggy carpets.

 

[BeakersBro]

...and also that parrots don't act out of love even for those they love. Is this true?

Not sure what you mean here.

 

[SandyBee]

For me the worst thing is the worry!!

Mess, aw it's mess no biggie actually if you keep up on it. I have a routine and takes a few minutes a day and about half hour on the weekend.

Cost, comes with owning any animal or child, my son is way more expensive LOL

Vacation, well besides the worry-have responsible people I can rely on.

So hands down its the worry, am I doing everything right or best possible, are they healthy? the poo looks a little different, did they eat enough etc...

 

[HumanWings]

...and also that parrots don't act out of love even for those they love. Is this true?

Not sure what you mean here.

The best way I can think to describe it is to compare to a dog. Dogs will do anything you want because they love you so much but a parrot doesn't really act out of love? Like they do for themselves first? Idk how well I'm explaining this. It's just something I read somewhere and it didn't go in depth explaining what it meant.

 

[josiesmom]

Ok, so I think we can all agree the poop is bad, but doesn't that make up for all the good they bring to our lives? I've only had Josie for about 7 months and I can't imagine life with out her silly antics. Maybe I'm still in the honeymoon phase? The biggest adjustment I had was to not be affraid of that ginormous beak of hers. Lol

 

[BeakersBro]

...and also that parrots don't act out of love even for those they love. Is this true?

Not sure what you mean here.

The best way I can think to describe it is to compare to a dog. Dogs will do anything you want because they love you so much but a parrot doesn't really act out of love? Like they do for themselves first? Idk how well I'm explaining this. It's just something I read somewhere and it didn't go in depth explaining what it meant.

Well if a parrot bonds to you, he will definitely love you. Mostly he will show affection by being with you a lot (like sitting on your shoulder for hours on end while you work), or coming over and interfearing with your computer typing until you scratch him. He will like to cuddle for sure. He might even regurgitate a peanut or some seeds for you to eat.

However, doing things for you? Not so much. Maybe some nice gestures. But then again, there's not much a dog can do for you that would be very useful either. Maybe give you a dead squirrel or something... (working dogs excepted, of course) (no hate: I'm a dog lover too)

 

[kc_y0]

The worse thing for me is the worry. Worrying that she's getting the right diet, worried if she's sick, picking at every little thing and trying to find signs and symptoms that something is wrong.
Going without with things like air freshener! I know it seems petty, but I always worry my house smells and I can't have any nice scented things to freshen the place up. Have to be cautious about cleaning products, using deodorant or perfume etc..
Also travel. I do travel a little and its often stressful worrying if Audrey is getting looking after properly. Not that I don't trust my sister, but its a big job and birds a high maintenance, its easy to forget something.

 

[Thingamagigs]

The best way I can think to describe it is to compare to a dog. Dogs will do anything you want because they love you so much but a parrot doesn't really act out of love? Like they do for themselves first? Idk how well I'm explaining this. It's just something I read somewhere and it didn't go in depth explaining what it meant.

Completely and utterly untrue. I shall explain

Dogs don't do anything for you out of love, they do so due to thousands of years of specific domestication for temperament traits to suit the job at hand Humans found the pack relationship of dogs easy to build upon and select for, dogs will seek a dominant dog for guidance and work together as a team to achieve goals. Being a predator, this kind of team system is essential to their survival.
Dogs dont do anything because they love you, they do it because it is instinct. Humans anthropomorphise animal responses in an attempt to understand their actions... but animals rarely have the exact same motives as humans

I do understand what you mean however... you mean that dogs will often blindly obey for a treat (some are easier to treat than others, some dogs love attention, others require the tastiest food on the planet). But parrots are likely to ignore any "commands" if they see fit. This can be true but is more often than not fairly insignificant. If its something that has to be done, you can always go away, have a quick drink to regain your patience and come back and try over, perhaps with a better bribe this time LOL

Parrots have a different social structure, where each is an equal individual. Cockatoos especially partner for life so they only really ever have to work with one other animal to achieve their goals (raising babies). Being a prey animal they have no need to work as a team and follow just one bird... and they more or less live in the moment without the same kind of goals a predator requires. They flock together for protection and unofficially take turns as look out but there is no structure.

Because of this, they don't "obey" as such, they will either accept your proposition or not It will depend on what they get out of it and what mood they are in ... and unlike a dog, you can not force them to do it regardless of whether they want to or not... unless you want a finger removed LOL

If we are relating an animal action to love, I would say the actions of a parrot are more akin to love than that of a dog. The closer the bond you have with your bird, the easier it will be to convince him to accept your requests. Having a good relationship with your parrot means working on it daily. It sounds like hard work ... its not that bad, but it is more work than some are willing to put in.

 

[HumanWings]

The best way I can think to describe it is to compare to a dog. Dogs will do anything you want because they love you so much but a parrot doesn't really act out of love? Like they do for themselves first? Idk how well I'm explaining this. It's just something I read somewhere and it didn't go in depth explaining what it meant.

Completely and utterly untrue. I shall explain

Dogs don't do anything for you out of love, they do so due to thousands of years of specific domestication for temperament traits to suit the job at hand Humans found the pack relationship of dogs easy to build upon and select for, dogs will seek a dominant dog for guidance and work together as a team to achieve goals. Being a predator, this kind of team system is essential to their survival.
Dogs dont do anything because they love you, they do it because it is instinct. Humans anthropomorphise animal responses in an attempt to understand their actions... but animals rarely have the exact same motives as humans

I do understand what you mean however... you mean that dogs will often blindly obey for a treat (some are easier to treat than others, some dogs love attention, others require the tastiest food on the planet). But parrots are likely to ignore any "commands" if they see fit. This can be true but is more often than not fairly insignificant. If its something that has to be done, you can always go away, have a quick drink to regain your patience and come back and try over, perhaps with a better bribe this time LOL

Parrots have a different social structure, where each is an equal individual. Cockatoos especially partner for life so they only really ever have to work with one other animal to achieve their goals (raising babies). Being a prey animal they have no need to work as a team and follow just one bird... and they more or less live in the moment without the same kind of goals a predator requires. They flock together for protection and unofficially take turns as look out but there is no structure.

Because of this, they don't "obey" as such, they will either accept your proposition or not It will depend on what they get out of it and what mood they are in ... and unlike a dog, you can not force them to do it regardless of whether they want to or not... unless you want a finger removed LOL

If we are relating an animal action to love, I would say the actions of a parrot are more akin to love than that of a dog. The closer the bond you have with your bird, the easier it will be to convince him to accept your requests. Having a good relationship with your parrot means working on it daily. It sounds like hard work ... its not that bad, but it is more work than some are willing to put in.

They way you described this and from what I remembered of what I read, it makes sense now. I think you touched on what they were talking about. You've eased my worry thank you!!

I have to say though... I chuckled to myself. If that's all I have to worry about... it's not a problem. Not a problem at all. Pets are like kids anyway. I think I was seriously panicked from just the worry of it all. Taking parrots in is SUCH a huge responsibility. Closer to taking in a human child then a dog or cat (is how I see it anyway). And I just want everything to be right and I want to be the best parront possible. But with you guys here to help and all the articles I've read (and will continue to read) and the support of my breeder (whose very supportive bless her heart), I think I'll be fine.

 

[Thingamagigs]

Thats perfect!
It was worth the whole thread then, if you have a really good idea now of what having a parrot is like, then you will have a much better start than a lot of people do
It can get overwhelming, but you just have to think "hey, what am I worried about, this is just like having a child but with birdy needs instead. I can totally do this."
Its easy to think of parrots like a dog or cat or any other 'pet'. But they really are like having a permanent toddler They will constantly try to outsmart and manipulate you to get their way. When Mana has been naughty and has cage time out, she says everything she can think of to attempt to break the time out "Kiss" "Scratch" "Cuddle, want a cuddle sweetie?" LOL
Yesterday she discovered she could make eating easier, by using a device to scoop her food and hold it to her face.. and she is just a galah (no offense to my favourite parrot species of all time <3), there are much more complex and emotional species. She used a bottle lid (I got video). Their intelligence is a constant delight

 

[WharfRat]

Dogs don't do anything for you out of love, they do so due to thousands of years of specific domestication for temperament traits to suit the job at hand

I call BS on that!!!

 

[HumanWings]

Thats perfect!
It was worth the whole thread then, if you have a really good idea now of what having a parrot is like, then you will have a much better start than a lot of people do
It can get overwhelming, but you just have to think "hey, what am I worried about, this is just like having a child but with birdy needs instead. I can totally do this."
Its easy to think of parrots like a dog or cat or any other 'pet'. But they really are like having a permanent toddler They will constantly try to outsmart and manipulate you to get their way. When Mana has been naughty and has cage time out, she says everything she can think of to attempt to break the time out "Kiss" "Scratch" "Cuddle, want a cuddle sweetie?" LOL
Yesterday she discovered she could make eating easier, by using a device to scoop her food and hold it to her face.. and she is just a galah (no offense to my favourite parrot species of all time <3), there are much more complex and emotional species. She used a bottle lid (I got video). Their intelligence is a constant delight

You know, If you get the time I would REALLY like to see pics of Mana. She sounds like a joy to have and it'd be nice to be able to put a picture to a name. I may actually be getting one this year along with my blue throat but i'm further down on the wait list so idk yet.