My wife wants a second macaw...

[StephenAndKyleigh]

We have an aviary outside for Kyleigh to stay in during the day. My wife (who is now officially a bird person) wants a second macaw. At the moment we only have 2 birds. Conure West and Savannah went as a team to my mothers house. So there is a small hole we've both been dealing with lately. They are terribly missed, but my mom and dad are going through my dads cancer and my moms seizures and the birds are really good for them. That said..2 big macs and one mini mac seems to be a handful. Kyleigh would have a flight buddy and someone to hang out with during the day while I am at work, which is awesome.

Pros and cons here....

 

[plumsmum2005]

Hi I don't really do this but yeh go for it. You have worked magic with Kyleigh and another bird would be a very lucky parrot indeed. If you can manage to get one that has had a rough start that would be brilliant in my eyes. Wish you luck.

Cons not much more that having two really, I dont need to spell you know what they are.

 

[Dopey]

I'm sure I could think of a couple of cons but I'm such a mac person that I will only allow my mind to think of the pros. Go for it. Let your wife do the choosing though. Or let the bird choose her.

I wish you and your fids the best of luck.

 

[JerseyWendy]

WOW, Stephen, that is awesome!!!

What type of mac is your wife interested in? Mini mac or big mac?

I'd say if you go that route, do it soon, while Kyleigh is still so young.

Here are a few cons: Lots more work, lots more toys to be made, lots more noise, lots more responsibility.

 

[Anansi]

Let's get the negatives out of the way. Wendy's spot on with the cons she listed. Also, there's the possibility that the new macaw might not get along at all with Kyleigh.

But if you'd be able to work around that possibility if it occurred, and if the extra work and expense doesn't deter you, I'd say go for it. I think that mac would be one lucky bird, Stephen.

 

[Solo]

Happy wife, happy life..lol. Some things to think about: are you planning on housing them together as long as they do get along? In which case I'm assuming you'd be getting another female? You may encounter one of both of them becoming jealous, or they may develop a close bond and not rely on you so much for entertainment and interaction. Pretty much all other cons have been listed already. Keep us posted with decision and what kind!! [emoji4]

 

[StephenAndKyleigh]

Ya'll are excellent. And thanks for the kind words. As of this moment, she really loves military macaws and green wings. I was able to handle them both recently when someone contacted me about behavior issues with their military. My wife tagged along and fell in love with both birds. So it'll be one of those two. Most likely the GW. I will pray every single day that the birds like each other, but I am prepared that if they dont. I will have to be a full time daddy to both birds. I am about to be off work from June to August, so I may even have some time for a chunk of hand feeding if we go the baby route. I am making my own toys now, and going through a lot of them lol. But I think I can handle that aspect. I always over buy on food, so I think a new mac will balance my food budget out a bit. Kyleigh is a quiet bird. She only screams twice a day. When I wake up in the morning and walk past her cage without saying hello. And when she sees me pull up outside while she is in her aviary. We dont have a screaming issue primarily due to the aviary. Financially I am able to handle it. I won't need to buy any cages. Both birds will be in the aviary during the day and in their sleep cages at night.

This may sound dumb..but my biggest concern is the cleaning. Kyleigh is a messy bird and I imagine a GW is just as messy if not messier lol.

 

[JerseyWendy]

This may sound dumb..but my biggest concern is the cleaning. Kyleigh is a messy bird and I imagine a GW is just as messy if not messier lol.

Please don't think 2 big macs = 2 X the mess. For me it was more like 4 X the mess and cleanup. :54: My guys totally feed off each others' energy. When one is dismantling a toy, the other one will start, too.

Niko was always a SUPER quiet bird.... until Ripley came along. When the 2 of them are at it at the same time, it's...ahem...VERY unpleasant. :54:

 

[StephenAndKyleigh]

This may sound dumb..but my biggest concern is the cleaning. Kyleigh is a messy bird and I imagine a GW is just as messy if not messier lol.

Please don't think 2 big macs = 2 X the mess. For me it was more like 4 X the mess and cleanup. :54: My guys totally feed off each others' energy. When one is dismantling a toy, the other one will start, too.

Niko was always a SUPER quiet bird.... until Ripley came along. When the 2 of them are at it at the same time, it's...ahem...VERY unpleasant. :54:

Thats my biggest concern haha. Part of that will be remedied with the aviary. Kyleigh gets dry food in the morning in the aviary which eliminates alot of mess. Then the evening she loads up on veggies, which she makes a mess of. Plus the wood that is all over the bird room lol. The noise doesnt bother me because Kyleigh is outside from 7-2 until I get home. Then shes on me until bed time.

Blah, such a hard decision lol

 

[JerseyWendy]

Stephen, may be a dumb question on my part, but how do you prevent rodents from going in and out of the aviary? I know bird food (and/or other food left outside, too) is a HUGE attractant to mice, rats, and many other unwanted critters.

 

[StephenAndKyleigh]

Stephen, may be a dumb question on my part, but how do you prevent rodents from going in and out of the aviary? I know bird food (and/or other food left outside, too) is a HUGE attractant to mice, rats, and many other unwanted critters.

Not dumb at all! I've got chicken wire wrapped around it and I go out there right after work and clean up any left over goodies.

 

[Anansi]

Any pics of your aviary, Stephen?

 

[itchyfeet]

So I fully got excited reading this! Brilliant! No doubt you can pull it off. All three of mine are doing well being close and playing together, and i think it's because they're flighted, so it's on their terms. But none of those have a macaw beak! Is the aviary sizeable enough should the pair go funny on each other, or can it be split? Note I'm not offering advice, I'm purely being nosey

 

[thekarens]

I'm pretty sure one BTM is equal to 3 or 4 of the bigger macs, so as long as you're not considering a BTM I think you'll be okay. Though I agree with Wendy 1+1 in the mac world does not equal 2. Some days it equals 4 and others it equals 10.

 

[StephenAndKyleigh]

Any pics of your aviary, Stephen?

Yup! I'll post some up.

I'm pretty sure one BTM is equal to 3 or 4 of the bigger macs, so as long as you're not considering a BTM I think you'll be okay. Though I agree with Wendy 1+1 in the mac world does not equal 2. Some days it equals 4 and others it equals 10.

Haha! I love the math here. Makes complete sense though. I would LOVE a BTM. But I think we are set on a GW instead.

 

[Birdman666]

I'm pretty sure one BTM is equal to 3 or 4 of the bigger macs, so as long as you're not considering a BTM I think you'll be okay. Though I agree with Wendy 1+1 in the mac world does not equal 2. Some days it equals 4 and others it equals 10.

Truer words were never spoken!

But the math depends on the dynamic.

If the two macs compete with each other for attention, and become sibling rivalries, then it's more work for you.

If the two macs get along, then they keep each other company, and that's less work for you.

BUT if the two macs really get along, THEN THEY PUSH EACH OTHER TO INSTIGATE... WHICH IS EXPONENTIALLY MORE WORK FOR YOU...

Seriously though, you know how to train them, you'll do fine with another mac. I wouldn't lose sleep over it.

 

[StephenAndKyleigh]

I'm pretty sure one BTM is equal to 3 or 4 of the bigger macs, so as long as you're not considering a BTM I think you'll be okay. Though I agree with Wendy 1+1 in the mac world does not equal 2. Some days it equals 4 and others it equals 10.

Truer words were never spoken!

But the math depends on the dynamic.

If the two macs compete with each other for attention, and become sibling rivalries, then it's more work for you.

If the two macs get along, then they keep each other company, and that's less work for you.

BUT if the two macs really get along, THEN THEY PUSH EACH OTHER TO INSTIGATE... WHICH IS EXPONENTIALLY MORE WORK FOR YOU...

Seriously though, you know how to train them, you'll do fine with another mac. I wouldn't lose sleep over it.

Thanks, man. I am leaning toward a greenwing..I've got some research to do.

Here's our temporary aviary. I decided to make a temporary one to see how things go before I start buying material for a larger aviary. There's a guy that lives 3 hours from me that builds aviaries. He's building us a large one this summer. Will likely cover most of the backyard area. I can move the tent or whatever for whatever she needs. Normally I Leave a part of the cage "open" so she can get sunshine, play in the rainn, etc. It's 8ft by 6ft I believe

 

[Birdman666]

Nice!

A greenwing would probably be a wise choice.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Wait, isn't that the 'cage' (aviary) you had Kyleigh in indoors? Did you dismantle it and put it back together outside?

What about biting bugs? Do yo worry about bugs? (I'm an extreme worry wart, that's why I'm asking LOL)

 

[StephenAndKyleigh]

Nice!

A greenwing would probably be a wise choice.

I'll keep you updated! I may need some advice lol

Wait, isn't that the 'cage' (aviary) you had Kyleigh in indoors? Did you dismantle it and put it back together outside?

What about biting bugs? Do yo worry about bugs? (I'm an extreme worry wart, that's why I'm asking LOL)

Good catch Wendy! Thats what I did..Then I bought her a new indoor cage to sleep in and eat dinner.

I havent had a bug issue, but am always scanning over her lol