Macaw or CAG?

[mtdoramike]

It sounds like your bird experience is very limited. If that is the case, I would guard against getting a rescue bird. I will only recommend rescue birds for experienced bird handlers because most come with bagage in the way of issues that you will have to deal with. If you get your bird from a reputable breeder, they will usually help you out for the first few months with answers to questions. The bird will most likely be more socialized than a bird located in a rescue center or shelter.

Now as far as the differences between a Grey and a Macaw are HUGE, no pun intended, but size, cage size, NOISE level and knowing how to deal with a Macaw. Macaws have attitudes that most other birds don't have. They are BIG, INTIMIDATING and they know it and will use it quite often. So if you are a tad faint of heart when dealing with a large bird, I wouls shy away from a Macaw until you get more experience dealing with birds.

Which ever species you get, at some point you will have to show them whose boss and yep, this can and most likely get you biten. But you will have to do this to maintain control over your bird or they will wind up controlling YOU.

 

[Safira]

I agree with Mike, there is a huge difference between the birds. Not only with food, housing, toy needs but also volumn levels and general behavior.

I also agree that rescuing a bird may not be the wisest choice, however I think that depends on the bird you go see. Make sure to visit and handle the bird more than once if you can. If you're not comofrtable taking it in and out of it's cage at a rescue, you will be less confortable doing it at home.

That lady was definatly just trying to sell a bird to you for saying they were alike! I have both, they're soo different... though I think my CAG's actually eat more than my Macaw at the moment.

 

[drew92]

I'm not suure if you have looked but if you search birdy brains avairy. She's out of richmond. But she ships with delta. This is the breeder I have been volenteering at on weekends. All I can say is she loves her fids and cares. Granted I don't know if the cags she has 3 I think have deposets on them yet but its worth a try.
Ps. I worked with all 3 on step up and one of the threes first flight was straight to my head.:11:

 

[wsbolt]

Matt, ive had both first a cag and then a blue and gold. In care yes they some what the same. Both will become very attached to you, but the cag has a greater personalty due to its ability to mimic more and actually problem solve and inter act with you. An example my daughter taught my cag to call me a dork and i in turn would call him a dumbass. Well one day he called me a dumb ass dork. He played with my dog calling him by name. So they are a type of bird you have and i mean have to pay attention too. My BG macaw a female was a wonderful bird but she would always scream when friends came over and attack anyone but me. I would read a lot on their specific behaviors and needs and judge your time you can spend with them. They are both fantastic birds and life long companions. I ended up selling my bg and my cag died at the age of 8. As they get older their personalities will change just like we do. I now have a male bg and he is a fantastc bird. Ive only had him since march he is about 7yrs old. With in a few weeks i was able to pick him up, play with him, etc.. we are still learning about each other likes and dislikes.. its almost like having a girlfriend in a way. I also might suggest an older macaw if you deside thmat way, unless you have the time to bond with a baby spending the time going to see it before you get one, handling it, feeding, playing, etc. Most breeders if they are local require this if theyre caring and good. Have fun finding what you want. Winston

 

[TakRail]

Matt, I currently have both a Congo AG and a B/G. Honestly, both are easy to care for but there are BIG differences in caring for them. For instance, Cosmo, the CAG, likes to fly off his cage, crash land on the floor (Clipped wings), than rome the house looking for things to chew on (Including the dog's and cats; yes he terrorizes them). Lucy, the B/G, occasionally likes to climb off her cage and wander to the food bucket to see what she can find that is no longer in her dish.

Toy's... we sometimes call the B/G Iron Beak because there is nothing that she can not chew through in a very short period of time. And with having both birds, smaller toys intended for the CAG become destroyed very quickly by the B/G. I have found though that phone books make great chew toy's for both birds (Although VERY VERY messy).

Noise: yes the B/G can be MUCH louder then the CAG. However, even though both can talk, the CAG talks MUCH more and it can get quite annoying at times. You may also hear allot about the "Macaw Yell". I'm not going to kid you or sugar coat it though, if you are near them when they do this and you are not ready for it, it will scare the living hell out of you. With my B/G, we got her when she was about 2.5 years old and she would do this for about an hour in the mornings and evenings. However, and some may not agree with me, but when she would do it I would give her a pop on the beak and tell her NO. It took a few weeks before she started yelling much less and now, a bit over a year later, she will only do it when she is scared or once in a great while. In fact, in the last month, she only did it twice and that was when she saw the pest control guy for the neighbor use the long pole with the large blue end to remove the cobwebs from their overhangs on their house. I do not really mind the loud noise but I do not allow it just because they want to be loud. Same with my dogs, they only bark if we are playing with them or their is a reason. I actually lived in my current house for 6 months before the neighbors even knew we had dogs.

Handling: both the CAG and B/G like to be held and played with. And both really love giving kisses if they want something. You will however, need to child proof your house. Meaning that if you like something and you do not want them to destroy it, you will need to put it away or put it where they cannot get to it. Blinds are also a great chew toy if they can get to them.

Biting: I have not had a problem with either of the birds biting me. However, the CAG is very much more particular who is around him. And he loves going after my wife's toe's. The B/G likes to sit on you and chew on your cloths but she does not do it in a manner that will put holes in it. However, snaps and buttons, if you are not paying attention, she will get these off in seconds.

Also, I must add, that unless it is bedtime or someone is not home (Which is not often), my birds are not put in a cage; they are free. In our living room I have a large manzanita play tree, a large play gym, and a large cage for them to play on. The attached pic shows both of them and how much room they have to play on. Once we get our new house, hopefully with in the next month or so, I already have a place picked out for building a play area that will allow them to go outside, in to a fully caged area, at will if they want.

Which to I prefer more, the CAG or the B/G... honestly both have qualities that would make me prefer one over the other. However, I would not give either up right now. You would be happy with both. HOWEVER, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE remember that the average life span for both birds is over 50 years. Therefore, depending on your age, your bird may out live you. Also, in 20 years, are you still going to want a bird... because they are still going to be there. My wife and I are both in our mid 30's and we continually tell the kids that they had better get to like the birds because someday they may be the ones to care for them.

I hope this helps.

 

[TakRail]

Also, if you are going to get a bird from a breeder, a reputable breeder is not going to push you to buy the bird and should let you visit, and my require this, many times for many hours each time to make sure that you and the bird a right for each other.

Also, as others have said, an older bird, 2 years to 10 years old, may be a better bird for you as you will know what their personally is going to be; though it can still change. A baby bird may act very different at 6 months old verses when they are 5 years old.

 

[Alisana]

Matt, I currently have both a Congo AG and a B/G. Honestly, both are easy to care for but there are BIG differences in caring for them. For instance, Cosmo, the CAG, likes to fly off his cage, crash land on the floor (Clipped wings), than rome the house looking for things to chew on (Including the dog's and cats; yes he terrorizes them). Lucy, the B/G, occasionally likes to climb off her cage and wander to the food bucket to see what she can find that is no longer in her dish.

Toy's... we sometimes call the B/G Iron Beak because there is nothing that she can not chew through in a very short period of time. And with having both birds, smaller toys intended for the CAG become destroyed very quickly by the B/G. I have found though that phone books make great chew toy's for both birds (Although VERY VERY messy).

Noise: yes the B/G can be MUCH louder then the CAG. However, even though both can talk, the CAG talks MUCH more and it can get quite annoying at times. You may also hear allot about the "Macaw Yell". I'm not going to kid you or sugar coat it though, if you are near them when they do this and you are not ready for it, it will scare the living hell out of you. With my B/G, we got her when she was about 2.5 years old and she would do this for about an hour in the mornings and evenings. However, and some may not agree with me, but when she would do it I would give her a pop on the beak and tell her NO. It took a few weeks before she started yelling much less and now, a bit over a year later, she will only do it when she is scared or once in a great while. In fact, in the last month, she only did it twice and that was when she saw the pest control guy for the neighbor use the long pole with the large blue end to remove the cobwebs from their overhangs on their house. I do not really mind the loud noise but I do not allow it just because they want to be loud. Same with my dogs, they only bark if we are playing with them or their is a reason. I actually lived in my current house for 6 months before the neighbors even knew we had dogs.

Handling: both the CAG and B/G like to be held and played with. And both really love giving kisses if they want something. You will however, need to child proof your house. Meaning that if you like something and you do not want them to destroy it, you will need to put it away or put it where they cannot get to it. Blinds are also a great chew toy if they can get to them.

Biting: I have not had a problem with either of the birds biting me. However, the CAG is very much more particular who is around him. And he loves going after my wife's toe's. The B/G likes to sit on you and chew on your cloths but she does not do it in a manner that will put holes in it. However, snaps and buttons, if you are not paying attention, she will get these off in seconds.

Also, I must add, that unless it is bedtime or someone is not home (Which is not often), my birds are not put in a cage; they are free. In our living room I have a large manzanita play tree, a large play gym, and a large cage for them to play on. The attached pic shows both of them and how much room they have to play on. Once we get our new house, hopefully with in the next month or so, I already have a place picked out for building a play area that will allow them to go outside, in to a fully caged area, at will if they want.

Which to I prefer more, the CAG or the B/G... honestly both have qualities that would make me prefer one over the other. However, I would not give either up right now. You would be happy with both. HOWEVER, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE remember that the average life span for both birds is over 50 years. Therefore, depending on your age, your bird may out live you. Also, in 20 years, are you still going to want a bird... because they are still going to be there. My wife and I are both in our mid 30's and we continually tell the kids that they had better get to like the birds because someday they may be the ones to care for them.

I hope this helps.

*laughs* I love the bits of destroyed toys EVERYWHERE on the floor. Accurately paints a picture of what they can chew through.

Just curious, what kind of air filter are you running? Just one or do you have two+?

 

[TakRail]

Just curious, what kind of air filter are you running? Just one or do you have two+?

The only air filter we have now is the "whole house" air filtration system. However, the living room play area is only about 15 feet from the air intake. Once we move to the new house they will be much further away and we'll be getting some type of stand alone filtration system to put near them.

This was one of the things I spoke to our avian vet about before we got the macaw and he is the one that said because of the close proximity to the air intake we would be fine.

 

[MacawGuy]

I have a scarlet macaw. I do agree they can be loud and scare the hell out of you. But my only yells like 3 times a week. He is very very quite. But his toys are very BIG and rips them apart fast. But he loves to be hold and likes to hugs and kisses. If its one thing I have learn ALL BIRDS ARE DIFFERENTDIFFERENT

 

[Alisana]

The only air filter we have now is the "whole house" air filtration system. However, the living room play area is only about 15 feet from the air intake. Once we move to the new house they will be much further away and we'll be getting some type of stand alone filtration system to put near them.

This was one of the things I spoke to our avian vet about before we got the macaw and he is the one that said because of the close proximity to the air intake we would be fine.

Ah, cheers. Thanks for answering my question!