Macaw info

[JozieBear]

I've never had a bird to be real I've done so much researching on macaws and they're needs and care I've been told that I should go for a Green Cheek Conure for a " beginners " bird Im home 24/7 or I'm outside gardening with my dogs yes I have dog's I have 4 I adore them but I really like to get a macaw but I'm not sure because my family say they're loud which I don't mind honestly I rather not mind it honestly the house being quiet for me I don't like much

But what am asking is should I really just go for the Green Cheek Conure or get a macaw I know I'll probably get told get a conure I went to so many shelters and talk with people about it I have the time and patience to take care of one but is it really as difficult as people tell me ? I mean some seem ignorant ( mainly people who don't own birds) obviously I guess ugh I just want to make sure that's all I really like one.

 

[Scott]

Welcome, you are in the same position as many of us were before life with a bird!

May I suggest you spend some time at a bird shelter or other rescue organization if one is in your area. You'll have the opportunity to meet many birds including conures and macaws, and learn the differences and personalities.

Conures are smaller and may have lower cost of ownership from the view of cage size, toys, and food consumed. Macaws are capable of jet-engine loudness; depending on your living situation, might get you in trouble with neighbors.

Dogs are potential hazards, have you thought of foolproof ways to keep the bird safe? While all breeds are potentially dangerous, some have a lower "prey drive."

Lastly, please be sure to research the many hidden dangers to parrots, such as kitchen hazards, various chemical odors, open windows, etc. One of many helpful threads! http://www.parrotforums.com/new-mem...friendly-warnings-keep-your-parrots-safe.html

 

[texsize]

I don't have a macaw but my advice would be to get the bird you really want.
If you don't have any experience with them it would be good to spend some time at a Bird rescue interfacing with them as much as you can.

just my 2 cents worth.

 

[ParrotGenie]

There is no such thing as a beginner/starter bird. A Green Cheek Conure is not going to get you ready for a macaw. Your best bet is go to a rescue organization and check out various birds and see which one you like more and do research on that specie of bird you are considering and care requirements.

This one on a Larger bird being as loud a a jet engine claim?

The larger birds can get pretty loud, but a jet (at 100ft) 140db is much louder than a variable scream if a cockatoo at around 110db, not the 135db as claimed over the years and that 135db is variable and a jet can get up to 150db the closer you get. Then you always have to remember how far away does each have to be for the two to sound comparably loud? A jet engine whine noise is much louder, then any bird piercing screech. Maybe they are as loud as a rock concert, but definitely not as loud as a jet engine.

 

[LaManuka]

Yeah sure, but a jet engine isn’t usually sitting on your shoulder and letting those decibels rip directly into your ear ... I reckon I’d take my chances with the jet engine thanks all the same!

 

[ChristaNL]

Well, if a large macaw sits on your shoulder the scream goes over your head, not in your ear (you will still have ringing ears though).

If you *never* had a bird as a companion getting a crashcourse in birdbehaviour/ communication may be a great idea.
Scott really gave you the best idea: go volenteer, see them in person, find out what birds really matches with you.
And remember this macaw will be with you for 70-ish years, you will never have a day for yourself *ever* again and it will probably try to chase off anyone you ever meet.

A green cheek may bite a small piece out of you if you misread the warnings repeatedly, a macaw will remove a finger or part of your face... your choice of course
(there are some lovely plastic surgery photoos in the internet from a lady who had her nose almost removed by her large Too).

You have dogs... birds are *nothing* like that-- they are not bred to pleaze the human,. will not follow commands (unless you ask them nicely, time it right and they feel like it and get rewarded consistently) and demand constant companions.
Oh and if they (over)bond to you...they will try to mate with you and get frustrated as #### about it.

For someone who is used to handling birds it may not seem like a big deal-- but make sure you learn to read bodylanguage.
It is the only way to make sure you can keep your bird healthy and happy and for you to keep all your fingers.

That is why I would advise to get a smaller bird- not only for yourself (safety first) but if things do not work out a smaller bird is easier to rehome.
(I am NOT saying: get a smaller bird and after a few years exchange it for a larger! that is plain cruel to the smaller species, it came to you as a "forever bird" honour that agreement!)

A Macaw is fun, I know, but it is not a bird you can easily take places or (unless extremely well socialized) can leave unsupervised with other people for even the time it takes to pee (people can't be trusted with parrots), it can inflict a lot of damage (intentionally as wel as unintentionally) and as a solo-bird is very, very demanding.

You've had puppies? It is like that, only for 70+ years non-stop!

For your first bird: get a fullgrown adult (10+ years)- that way there will be no huge changes in character, the bird already has a stabile character, is over the worst of the hormonal surges that may un-endear it to you and it will not suffer from your inexperience (as much).
aka: buy yourself a nice teacher and friend
but...let the bird choose you!
It is okay to like a bird a lot, but always make sure he/she shows definite signs of wanting to be with you as well!


This is a super-long-term relationship: choose wisely!

 

[bigfellasdad]

Totally agree with ChristaNL. Im not sure about screaming in your ear thing though, my CAG is never loud when she is on my shoulder, only when she is calling me from another room. They use volume when they need to i have found....but, ive never had a mccaw!

 

[ParrotGenie]

Don't buy a bird you don't plan on keeping it for life, or at the very least try your best to, as do understand uncontrollable situations do happen. If your goal is to get a Macaw in the future and that what you and keyword "FAMILY" desires. Then go for the Macaw. But like what I and everyone suggested do your homework first and go to rescues, maybe volunteer, or make friends with bird people. A good rescue center will actually teach you a crash course on handling a parrot and care requirements, in time you will learn to read a parrot body language and learn how to defuse, or avoid a bite as well. Most good rescue centers do this if you are volunteering, or working there. With that being said there are bad rescues centers as well. Then some even have classes once in a while to educating current and potential bird owners. It likely your best option to seek out, if you never handle parrots before as you get to see and deal with parrots that been re-homed and have behavior issues as well and will learn what it take to care for one and do plenty of cleanup and etc. Then you be able to decide if you do actually still want to consider bringing a Macaw into your life for the next maybe 70 years.

They to most of us are more then just pets and consider a companion/family member as they are highly intelligent, you have to spend hours with them a day and can even outlive you. So this is a long term commitment and a decision that sure not be made, or taken lightly.

Never buy a smaller bird to learn how to handle a bigger one. A smaller bird never going to prepare you how to handle a bigger Macaw, or a too. Plus one of the things I hate to see most is a smaller bird getting re-homed due to someone wanted a larger bird. I see this all the time at Rescues, craigslist, even facebook and usually untamed and been in a cage the whole life never been let out, or much at all and it quite sad as they are just as loving and want the same attention that the bigger bird likes. The only time I think it ok if you plan on keeping the smaller bird for life as well and don't mine having more then one bird in your life and will care and love it the same as your larger parrot. Then yes start off with the small one, but don't ever consider the smaller bird as a starter parrot. One of my first parrot was a Cockatiel and he live about 22 years and made it though most my and my sisters major life events and consider that bird named Scott and later Ruby which was a blue streaked lory as consider them more companions, then pets as took them everywhere. So a smaller bird can live a while and main reason I never consider them a starter bird.

Parrots are a lot different then taking care of a domesticated animal like a dog, or a cat and birds in general are wild animals that can be tamed, but don't really rely on us and intelligent like a 4 year old kid.

 

[ParrotGenie]

A green cheek may bite a small piece out of you if you misread the warnings repeatedly, a macaw will remove a finger or part of your face... your choice of course
(there are some lovely plastic surgery photoos in the internet from a lady who had her nose almost removed by her large Too).

This is true as my first rescue umbrella Cockatoo pretty much bit almost the finger off down to the bone and broke the bone pretty much on a lady that tried to handle her years ago from the story the lady told me. The issues was original owner kept her cage bound in a pretty much rusted cage with zero toys and then mistreated her. So she wasn't a friendly bird when I started training her. It took me about a year to work out most the behavior issues out of her and get her to trust again. I ended up buying her and known her for over 2 years now. Now she live on my shoulder pretty much and goes to store and outside during the summer time everywhere with me, she a great bird and not the bad bird everyone though she was. People can now handle her without getting bit as socialized her.

(Plenty of picture on some of the bites they can deliver on the internet, the Cockatoo and Macaw bite equivalent to a larger dog.)

 

[ParrotGenie]

Totally agree with ChristaNL. Im not sure about screaming in your ear thing though, my CAG is never loud when she is on my shoulder, only when she is calling me from another room. They use volume when they need to i have found....but, ive never had a mccaw!

Macaws are pretty quiet and laid back for the most part, when they scream it is ear ringing, but they rarely do. It is Cockatoos that like to scream a lot if they don't get what they want, or in the morning when time to get up. Trained mines not to as much, they still do scream once in a while to alert me of something, like a hawk in the air and she on my shoulder still, next to my ear.

 

[Scott]

This one on a Larger bird being as loud a a jet engine claim?

The larger birds can get pretty loud, but a jet (at 100ft) 140db is much louder than a variable scream if a cockatoo at around 110db, not the 135db as claimed over the years and that 135db is variable and a jet can get up to 150db the closer you get. Then you always have to remember how far away does each have to be for the two to sound comparably loud? A jet engine whine noise is much louder, then any bird piercing screech. Maybe they are as loud as a rock concert, but definitely not as loud as a jet engine.

The comparison of macaw to jet engine is a humorous figure of speech! In fact, modern turbofan jet engines are much quieter than older-style turbojets with characteristic roar and perceived vibration.

 

[EllenD]

I think that ParrotGenie said it best..."There is no such thing as a "starter bird"...Took the words right out of my mouth before I could type them...

Unfortunately a lot of people go out and by their young kids an American or English Budgie or a Cockatiel, because they mistakenly think that Budgies or Cockatiels are "starter" or "beginner's birds". Hell, half the time people don't even think that Budgies or Cockatiels are species of parrots! I can't tell you how many people I've heard say "I want to get a parrot eventually, but for now I just have a Budgie/Cockatiel"...And I am sure to correct them every single time, because Budgies and Cockatiels both are not only parrots, but they both have the intelligence of a 2-3 year-old human child!!! And they both need many hours of out-of-cage-time and direct attention and interaction every single day to stay happy and healthy...

And the other mistaken "fact" that people hit me with all the time at the Rescue is that Budgies only live on-average between 5-10 years!!! Yeah, if you treat them like people normally do, lol...My first Budgie lived to be just shy of 19 years-old, with the record being 29 years! So my point is that ANY AND ALL PARROT SPECIES need the same amount of love, attention, and time from their owners, along with the same quality of daily-diet and the same quality and standard of Avian Veterinary Care!!! So don't let anyone tell you that a Green Cheek Conure is going to be less-challenging, need less time or attention, or require less care, or be less-expensive than a Macaw!!! Because that's exactly the attitude that causes smaller species of parrots to live much shorter lives than they should in captivity, and that also makes their lives not even close to adequate for them!

Here's the thing: I don't know how old you are, you spoke about your "parents", so I don't know if you are still under 18 and living at home, or if you're in college, etc. But what I can tell you is that if you are still a kid/teenager or a college-student, you need to think about what your plans for the near-future are, at least for the next 5-10 years depending on your age now, and you need to think long and hard about how getting ANY SPECIES OF PARROT is going to factor-in to those plans, because I can tell you with great authority and certainty that if you are under the age of 22 (more like the age of 25) you have no idea what life is going to throw you...And the reason I'm telling you this is because one difference with a Macaw versus SOME species of parrots is that they tend to be "one-person" parrots, and if you are still living with your parents/family right now and you bring home a Macaw, you have no idea who he/she is going to bond-closely with, that's the first issue...Just because you would be his main care-giver doesn't mean that he'll bond to you...And forgetting that issue, if you have plans in the near-future to go away to school, chances are you won't be able to take your Macaw or any parrot for that matter with you...So who is going to be responsible for your bird every single day, all day long? These are the kinds of things you need to think about, like having to move into an apartment...Most apartments don't allow pets, and if they do they probably won't allow a large bird like a Macaw. Then what do you do? Now if you're already an adult and I took what you said the wrong way, and you're already set in a house and a job, then some of these things won't apply to you, but you still need to think about the future: family, kids, etc. and how a Macaw will factor-in to that...

****Here's the other thing that you need to really think about right now, probably more-so than anything else: Let's say you go out and bring home a baby Green Cheek Conure right now...Keeping in-mind that Conures in-general are probably the most-social of all parrots, and they all require an enormous amount of time, attention interaction, and love to be happy and healthy, every bit as much as a Macaw (I speak from experience due to the Yellow-Sided bugger who is sitting on my shoulder as I type this)...GREEN CHEEKS LIVE BETWEEN 30-40 YEARS IN CAPTIVITY!!! So a Green Cheek Conure isn't going to be like a "Starter-Bird" or "Beginner Bird" that you can bring home now, bond closely-with, treat like your own child, and then 5-10 years from now go "OK, now I'm ready to get my Macaw, my REAL bird! People do this ALL THE TIME, and it makes me sick every time I see it happen at the Avian Rescue I work out...People surrender their "smaller" parrots all the time, parrots they've had for 5, 10, 15+ years,
because they decided to get "a REAL bird", like a Macaw, Cockatoo, Gray, or some of the larger Amazons, and they "didn't think it would be fair to the little bird anymore, because the new, big, REAL bird is going to require all their time and attention"...Happens all the time, probably once or twice a month someone surrenders their smaller species of parrot because they've put a deposit on a baby Macaw, Cockatoo, etc. It's like they were using the smaller species of parrot for the first 5-10 years of their life as a "training" bird that got them ready and prepared to care for a bigger, REAL bird...It's very upsetting to us, watching people just drop-off their babies, sign the surrender-paperwork, and walk out and leave them forever, and it doesn't typically even seem to bother most of them because all they can think about and talk about is their "new baby"; they're so excited about picking-up their new, bigger parrot that they don't even care about tossing-out their first little baby bird...Tons of Budgies, Love Birds, Parrotlets, Cockatiels, Green Cheek Conures, Sun Conures, Jenday Conures, Indian Ringnecks, Quakers, and even quite a few Senegals, Pionus, and Amazons...And believe it or not, in 8 years of working at the same Avian Rescue, we've had 2 different sets of people, one was a single woman in her late 20's and the other was a married couple in their early 30's, who both surrendered their Timneh African Grays because they were "stepping-up" to a Congo African Gray (the single woman was the one who actually said that to our Director when she asked her why she was surrendering her 14 year-old Timneh that her parents had gotten for her as a little baby when she was in Junior-High School, she told her because she was "Finally able to afford to step-up to a Congo African Gray", and didn't think that she'd bond-closely enough with the new Congo African Gray if she still had her Timneh...The bright-side to that story is that our Director was so upset about how that woman had just thrown-away her little Timneh, who by the way is the sweetest bird in the entire world, that she took her home the very first night after she was surrendered, and she never brought her back to the Rescue; she still has her and loves her more than anything in the world).

My point here is that the idea of a "Starter/Beginner Bird" is such a falsehood that the end-result of people who go-into getting a bird with that idea in their head is usually that the bird's life is of a lessor-quality than it should be, and the birds usually end-up either being re-homed after a short period of time...

***So the bottom-line to this is that if the species of parrot that you really, truly want to own and to add to your family and that you know that you are going to ultimately have is a Macaw, then you shouldn't even think about getting any other species of parrot just so you can simply get it right now, where you might have to wait to be able to get the Macaw...And you certainly CANNOT AND SHOULD NOT EVER go out and bring-home ANY BIRD AT ALL because you want it to be your "PRACTICE BIRD"...That's awful!!! Once again, a Green Cheek Conure isn't going to require any less time, attention, effort, or money in the long-run (the only difference in cost between owning a Green Cheek Conure and owning a Macaw are the "Upfront-Costs", meaning the cost of a hand-raised baby Macaw is going to be quite a bit more than the cost of a hand-raised, baby Green Cheek Conure, and the cost of a cage is going to also be more for the Macaw due to the size difference, but other than those "Up-Front Costs", the cost of owning and caring for either bird is going to be pretty much the same, the Certified Avian Vet care is going to cost the same, the high-quality, varied diet is going to be the same, the cost of toys and all the little accessories and such is going to be the same, etc.)...The Macaw is going to require more interior space in your home as well, but in-general what is going to be required of you is going to be exactly the same...

 

[EllenD]

Oh, and BTW, I forgot to talk about the most important thing that you can do right now, long before you ever bring home your bird...

*****As has already been suggest to you several times, BEFORE you do anything at all, the absolute best thing you can do is find an Avian Rescue, a parrot/bird shop, a local breeder, etc. and start volunteering on a regular basis. Take your time to start interacting with as many different species of parrots as you can, learn what their personalities are like, learn about the proper ways to handle them, talk to them, feed them, etc., and most-importantly spend time getting a good understanding of parrot-behaviors. Learn how to understand what a parrot is telling you when they give you certain looks, or they make certain sounds, or they give you specific signs and you learn what sign means what...You need to learn how to interact with and understand parrots in-general, and volunteering at an Avian Rescue or mentoring with a local Breeder or at a local Bird Shop is the absolute best way to do so...And you might be extremely surprised to find out that Macaws are not for you! That happens all the time with young volunteers at the Rescue, they start working at the Avian Rescue never having owned any bird at all before, but being totally in-love with a certain species of parrot just from seeing them, reading about them, watching YouTube videos of them, etc., and then after volunteering at the Rescue for 6 months to a year and after interacting closely with dozens of different parrots, they realize that the species of parrot that they had always loved and wanted to eventually own is nothing like the type of bird they actually want, but another species of parrot is EXACTLY what they want...And it's usually a parrot species that they'd never even considered before...

 

[Morty]

I don't like the idea of starter animals point blank period... especially animals as long lived as birds and reptiles. I think there's some species that tend to do better in certain situations but as everyone before me has said, it's about what you are going to be happiest with.

 

[ParrotGenie]

My point here is that the idea of a "Starter/Beginner Bird" is such a falsehood that the end-result of people who go-into getting a bird with that idea in their head is usually that the bird's life is of a lessor-quality than it should be, and the birds usually end-up either being re-homed after a short period of time...

***So the bottom-line to this is that if the species of parrot that you really, truly want to own and to add to your family and that you know that you are going to ultimately have is a Macaw, then you shouldn't even think about getting any other species of parrot just so you can simply get it right now, where you might have to wait to be able to get the Macaw...And you certainly CANNOT AND SHOULD NOT EVER go out and bring-home ANY BIRD AT ALL because you want it to be your "PRACTICE BIRD"...That's awful!!! Once again, a Green Cheek Conure isn't going to require any less time, attention, effort, or money in the long-run (the only difference in cost between owning a Green Cheek Conure and owning a Macaw are the "Upfront-Costs", meaning the cost of a hand-raised baby Macaw is going to be quite a bit more than the cost of a hand-raised, baby Green Cheek Conure, and the cost of a cage is going to also be more for the Macaw due to the size difference, but other than those "Up-Front Costs", the cost of owning and caring for either bird is going to be pretty much the same, the Certified Avian Vet care is going to cost the same, the high-quality, varied diet is going to be the same, the cost of toys and all the little accessories and such is going to be the same, etc.)...The Macaw is going to require more interior space in your home as well, but in-general what is going to be required of you is going to be exactly the same...

Exactly

See it all the time at rescue I worked at, people turn in small birds as they dropped a deposit to breeder on a baby Macaw, or Cockatoo. In most case the previously bird which is usually for some reason a Cockatiel, or budgie, get dump pretty much at the rescue at about 1-3 years age mostly and in most cases not even tamed as likely didn't get any attention while they had them and most in small even beat up cages. It pretty sad but people do this stuff all the time. You also see listings on craigslist, or Facebook trying to re-home these birds, or hamsters is another common one. Most about a year old not tamed and usually states getting another bird, or decided not for them.

 

[ParrotGenie]

Oh, and BTW, I forgot to talk about the most important thing that you can do right now, long before you ever bring home your bird...

*****As has already been suggest to you several times, BEFORE you do anything at all, the absolute best thing you can do is find an Avian Rescue, a parrot/bird shop, a local breeder, etc. and start volunteering on a regular basis. Take your time to start interacting with as many different species of parrots as you can, learn what their personalities are like, learn about the proper ways to handle them, talk to them, feed them, etc., and most-importantly spend time getting a good understanding of parrot-behaviors. Learn how to understand what a parrot is telling you when they give you certain looks, or they make certain sounds, or they give you specific signs and you learn what sign means what...You need to learn how to interact with and understand parrots in-general, and volunteering at an Avian Rescue or mentoring with a local Breeder or at a local Bird Shop is the absolute best way to do so...And you might be extremely surprised to find out that Macaws are not for you! That happens all the time with young volunteers at the Rescue, they start working at the Avian Rescue never having owned any bird at all before, but being totally in-love with a certain species of parrot just from seeing them, reading about them, watching YouTube videos of them, etc., and then after volunteering at the Rescue for 6 months to a year and after interacting closely with dozens of different parrots, they realize that the species of parrot that they had always loved and wanted to eventually own is nothing like the type of bird they actually want, but another species of parrot is EXACTLY what they want...And it's usually a parrot species that they'd never even considered before...

This is so true that why I always say volunteer at a rescue, some breeders as well need help and you get to make new friends, or go to a pet store that sell parrots and see the bird in person. You be surprised how many decided to go with a different bird species as they found them to be more to them.

 

[ChristaNL]

Grinnnn, it is good the dutch are as frugal as our reputation is - when it comes to parrots.
I have *never* (overhere) heard of anyone chucking the small bird because they got a "bigger and better model".

Overhere they just add to the flock, we do not 'upgrade & chuck'.

Yes, there are of couse a lot of people who fall-out-of-love / resent all the cleaning/ the noise/ or suddenly have "allergies" etc. etc.-- so there are plenty of rehomers.
(And yes, the small cheap ones are in the majority, of course.)

 

[EllenD]

Grinnnn, it is good the dutch are as frugal as our reputation is - when it comes to parrots.
I have *never* (overhere) heard of anyone chucking the small bird because they got a "bigger and better model".

Overhere they just add to the flock, we do not 'upgrade & chuck'.

Yes, there are of couse a lot of people who fall-out-of-love / resent all the cleaning/ the noise/ or suddenly have "allergies" etc. etc.-- so there are plenty of rehomers.
(And yes, the small cheap ones are in the majority, of course.)

Unfortunately, for whatever reason, people over here in the US have no problem at all "chucking" (perfect word by the way) their pets for one pathetic reason or another. And seriously, many people who have smaller parrots feel the need to get a bigger one, like only if they have a Cockatoo, Macaw, or a CAG do they own a "real parrot"...Or worse, they get a big parrot and don't re-home or surrender their smaller bird, and the smaller bird is suddenly completely ignored and neglected, sometimes to the point that they don't ever get to come out of their cages ever again, and in some cases can't even bother to feed them any longer...But the when someone offers to take the smaller bird they are paying no attention to at all anymore and provide them with a loving, caring, attentive home, of course they refuse to re-home them without them paying them some ridiculous amount of money...I can't tell you how many Craigslist ads I've seen posted where someone is "re-homing" their parrot, and they write something like "I just have no time for him at all anymore, he actually hasn't been out of his cage in probably a year or longer so he can't be handled anymore, and he deserves better", but then they have some ridiculous "re-homing fee" listed, like $500 for a poor, neglected Green Cheek Conure and some dinky little cage and half a bag of seed-mix, and who hasn't been out of his cage in over a year...I don't know why but people in the US truly have the ability to be heartless, selfish, cruel, and greedy and to not have it effect them at all in any way...Someone could offer them $200 and they'd say no and continue to let the poor bird just live it's entire life in a filthy little cage with no toys and no attention at all..It's upsetting, to say the least...

I try to keep my mouth shut at the Rescue when people bring these birds in to surrender, but it's hard...I love it when someone comes in to surrender their bird and they ask how much we're going to give them for it!!! That happens at least once or twice a month, if not more!!! And when they find out that we are not going to pay them to surrender their bird they often just leave with the bird, saying something like "I'd rather just keep him than give him away for free!"...It's awful...This is why I'm glad that I'm the Medical Liaison and not someone who deals with taking-in the surrenders or makes the decisions about the adoptions...I couldn't take it, they'd all be living in my house if that were the case, lol..

 

[SomePeopleHaveBirds]

.
Scott really gave you the best idea: go volenteer, see them in person

Amen. That's what I was going to do too.

 

[noodles123]

Get lots of experience handling large birds and bird in general, before getting either. Either species is going to be very intelligent and require massive lifestyle changes on your part, and both can draw blood easily. The thing is, when you haven't had a bird, you lack the true confidence it takes to sometimes do what needs to be done. Being bitten causes an almost instinctual fear and birds sense that, no matter how well you think you are hiding it. When bitten, you cannot react or the problem will get worse, and a bite from a conure or smaller bird will still be scary, but it will do a lot less damage. Having your finger nearly severed by a Macaw could really make it difficult for you to calm down enough to jump right back on the horse and bond. The only way to develop the necessary confidence/ lack of reactions is to spend a lot of time around all types of birds (getting bitten but more importantly, learning their cues and behaviors). Bird ownership is gratifying and very cool, but EXTREMELY overwhelming and very, very time-consuming....it is very hard to describe the attention to detail and time that it takes to own a bird.

Macaws also have the potential to be MUCH louder and they are way more expensive to care for than conures--the cage alone will set you back around $1000, the bird will likely be around $2000, the yearly vet bills will probably be about $500+ and then the toys/food etc will likely be around $500-$1000 a year.... The mess is also larger, and you will need to constantly provide them with large, bird-safe wooden chewing toys (which will be destroyed in a matter of days--often hours)...


If AFTER you volunteer, you still have your heart set on a Macaw, then that is great, but don't get a bird you don't want, and don't get a Macaw until you have the money and experience to properly care for one.

Considering you haven't had a bird, me saying birds are loud, messy or expensive will likely mean little unless you have experienced the 24 hour upkeep demands...

You will need to establish a set bedtime for either bird, which means being home to cover them at night and waking up to uncover them in the morning. They need 10-14 hours of uninterrupted sleep.

Other thoughts for a 1st time owner:
Baby birds are 100% sweeter than adults and their personalities and preferences change significantly at puberty. Many bad habits that people start with babies (like stroking and cuddling/playing in blankets etc) can create complete hormonal monsters as adults. A bird should only ever be petted on its head or neck and it should never be given access to shadowy/dark spaces (huts, tents, boxes, tubes, under furniture etc)

Also, all of your cleaning routines will have to change, as you cannot use any chemical cleaners in the same house with a bird unless they are certified avian safe (e.g., F10 SC), or some natural cleaners, such as unheated vinegar+water, water+grapefruit seed extract, baking soda+ water etc....NO bleach, no ammonia, no lysol (the list goes on). Aerosols, perfumes, scented lotions, paints, polishes, stains, solvents, glues (hot or other), candles (scented or non), scented oils, air fresheners, carpet cleaners, bug sprays, flea baths, smoke of any kind, vaping, potpourri, burning food.butter/oil etc are all absolutely unsafe for bird's very sensitive respiratory systems.

Most things that you wouldn't even consider kill birds. This includes Teflon/PFOA/PTFE (hidden inside of metal appliances that heat up and on/in cookware/sow cookers etc. It is seriously hidden in many many places (space-heaters, curling irons, blow dryers, air fryers, rice cookers, electric blankets, microwave popcorn bags, fabrics (including ironing board covers), irons, griddles, humidifiers etc etc etc. The only way to know if a product contains Teflon/PFOA/PTFE is to call and expect to wait a few days for a response. You will need to give the customer service agent the full names and abbreviations of each (Teflon is a common brand, but the chemicals are PTFE/PFOA) You cannot detect it visually and walls/floors/doors do not protect a bird from the fumes released when heated. If getting a bird, you may not use it in the same house....It takes as little as 5 minutes of exposure to kill a bird and there is no cure for PTFE/PFOA/Teflon poisoning... So, when visiting people's homes, if you plan to bring your bird or have someone sit your bird, they will have to follow all of these rules as well.

Birds hide illness as well, which means that you need to take them to the vet before major symptoms show up (it is like a science...) This means watching their poop and behavior constantly and researching the most minuscule signs of illness.

Furthermore, birds can spread disease without showing symptoms (many of which are deadly and testing for these diseases is difficult, as a negative test can be produced by a contagious bird..plus, most people don't test birds for things like PBFD or PDD until they see symptoms). This means that boarding your bird or exposing your bird to other birds (or even their dust) poses risks to your bird, as well as the others. 2 of the most deadly viruses (PDD and PBFD) can be carried by birds with negative test results and they are spread by feather dust, poop, mother-egg and saliva. The PBFD virus can survive in air-ducts etc and infect birds years later. I say this because buying toys from a store that houses birds poses a risk if you cannot wash them, as does boarding your bird or arranging bird play-dates. If you handle another bird, you should not even wear those same clothes when handling your bird unless you are 500% sure that they have been repeatedly tested for viruses and that they do not frequently get exposed to other birds (as incubation time for some can be as little as a few weeks and as long as 10 years).

Birds cannot safely chew on most woods or metals (even though they need to chew on wood to stay healthy, it has to be the right type). Copper, zinc and lead toxicity is very dangerous and many items within your home (such as money, jewelry etc contain these metals). Wood from a hardware store is also unsafe for birds, as certain woods are poisonous. I mention this because Macaws are basically beavers with wings so it would be tempting to find cheap sources of wood...All lumber/plywood has been pressure-washed and treated with chemicals to prevent insects and increase shelf life. Ply-wood etc and hardware store wood is not bird safe. Furniture and other wooden things around your home can contain toxic wood and chemical stains. Branches from your yard are likely unsafe as well, as they absorb chemicals for pesticides, insecticides and road run-off and can carry parasites and bacteria. They can be used if you are certain that the wood itself is non-toxic and if you can verify that the tree was never treated with any sort of insecticide, pesticide or growing in a place near a road where chemicals or winter salt from the roads could have been absorbed into it. If all of this checks out, then you will need to wash/scrub them (without using chemicals) and bake them in your oven at 250 F for about an hour in order to kill the potential viruses, bacteria, parasites and fungi that inhabit cut wood.

When selecting pre-mixed foods for your parrot, get one without sunflower seeds (only ok for occasional treats in extreme moderation), peanuts (they harbor a fungus in or out of the shell) and no corn (filler/junk). Your parrot will need a mix of pellets and a few healthy seeds.