New to this forum and new to birds

[Will718]

Hi everyone. My name is Will. I live in Maryland. My family includes my wife, miniature schnauzer, and domestic shorthair cat. I recently went into a local pet store that specializes in parrots. I met a conure, blue throated macaw, and a quaker. The owner of store introduced me to the blue throated macaw and conure and this was first time I ever had a bird on my arm. It was amazing. I was a little intimidated at first with the blue throat because of the beak, but this bird is really well socialized and only uses his beak with the lightest pressure. Today, my wife and I met one of the employee's Hyancinth Macaw. The term "Gentle Giant" is an understatement. This was the most beautiful and gentle bird that I had ever seen. I really want a bird. I am currently researching the best bird that would fit in my family. I think I would like to have either a blue throated Macaw or a Blue and gold Macaw.

 

[sprice37]

Please please please and once again please make sure you know what you are getting into with a parrot. They may not like you and like your wife or vice versa or neither or both. Be prepared for a 40 plus year commitment and possibly longer like after you pass. They are high maintenance and need allot of attention to be like the birds you met. Also be ready for poop everywhere, and I mean everywhere. Hope you do not like to sleep in either as they make good no great alarm clocks. Just my experience and I would not trade my birds for the world, they are the neatest creatures on the planet. Basically just be 150% sure of your choice. Wel I am being paged by Socrates now. Welcome to the forum!!

 

[Bobby34231]

Hi Will and welcome to the forum, I might be just a tiny bit biased but my vote would be for the Blue Throated Macaw (BTM), don't know what there asking for the BTM, but I'm sure its quite a bit more than a B&G Macaw due to the fact you don't see to many BTM's in the pet trade, in the wild they are extremely endangered, by many estimates to only be between 100-300 left, I've worked and been owned by more than a few B&G's throughout the years and as far as personality goes to me there is no comparison between the two, I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have on Blue throats that I can, alls you need do is ask, enjoy your stay

 

[Beilana]

Welcome to the forum Will718! Good luck with your choice! Me and my boyfriend visit with a scarlet macaw at petland and he is amazing. I love our visits

 

[Will718]

Please please please and once again please make sure you know what you are getting into with a parrot. They may not like you and like your wife or vice versa or neither or both. Be prepared for a 40 plus year commitment and possibly longer like after you pass. They are high maintenance and need allot of attention to be like the birds you met. Also be ready for poop everywhere, and I mean everywhere. Hope you do not like to sleep in either as they make good no great alarm clocks. Just my experience and I would not trade my birds for the world, they are the neatest creatures on the planet. Basically just be 150% sure of your choice. Wel I am being paged by Socrates now. Welcome to the forum!!

Thanks Sprice. I am definitely months away from getting a bird and luckily the parrot store in my neighborhood allows customers to interact with the birds.

Hi Will and welcome to the forum, I might be just a tiny bit biased but my vote would be for the Blue Throated Macaw (BTM), don't know what there asking for the BTM, but I'm sure its quite a bit more than a B&G Macaw due to the fact you don't see to many BTM's in the pet trade, in the wild they are extremely endangered, by many estimates to only be between 100-300 left, I've worked and been owned by more than a few B&G's throughout the years and as far as personality goes to me there is no comparison between the two, I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have on Blue throats that I can, alls you need do is ask, enjoy your stay

Thanks Bobby. I will probably have lots of questions about your experiences with Blue Throats.

Welcome to the forum Will718! Good luck with your choice! Me and my boyfriend visit with a scarlet macaw at petland and he is amazing. I love our visits

Thanks Beilana. Enjoy your visits

 

[Ratzy]

As you are new to birds ( forgive me if I'm wrong ) I would probably refrain from buying a macaw straight away. Macaws are a lot to take on and it is almost always best to start with something smaller. I have always kept budgies and I am no where near enough ready to take on a conure or anything larger. If you do go ahead, make sure you do your research and realise that ALL parrots, great and small, require a balanced diet of fruits and veggies as well as the main part ( pellets, or seeds ) everyday and that you have about $500 saved up for emergencies and check ups ( once a year or more ). If you can't afford to pay vet bills, don't even CONSIDER getting the bird.

 

[Will718]

As you are new to birds ( forgive me if I'm wrong ) I would probably refrain from buying a macaw straight away. Macaws are a lot to take on and it is almost always best to start with something smaller. I have always kept budgies and I am no where near enough ready to take on a conure or anything larger. If you do go ahead, make sure you do your research and realise that ALL parrots, great and small, require a balanced diet of fruits and veggies as well as the main part ( pellets, or seeds ) everyday and that you have about $500 saved up for emergencies and check ups ( once a year or more ). If you can't afford to pay vet bills, don't even CONSIDER getting the bird.

Thank you. I appreciate your suggestion. I am still processing the idea of getting a bird. I may not ever get one. However, as long my local parrot store continues to be open I will always have the opportunity to go in and play with the big birds. As with anything, animal or expense, my wife and I have a system where annual/reoccurring expenses such as vet bills are accounted. We usually end up with a surplus of funds and this eliminates the need to use credit cards.

 

[bogo1]

Hi and welcome to the forum! I have conures...big personalities in small bodies and very family oriented as a rule. They can introduce you to being a parrant and all that entails without some of the real stress of a bigger bird. I admit I am very biased... I have had conures all my life and only cared for bigger birds for finite times (1 to 2 years) for active duty service men/women. All birds will bring something special to your life. Some will be much more demanding of your time than others. You are wise to take your time and explore with the birds at the pet store. Might I suggest you also consider checking out your local shelter or bird rescue group? You may find a forever bird friend there. You will also learn more about some of the challenges to successfully bringing a bird into your family. I suspect you will still get a bird and that bird will be lucky to have found you, but you will go in with a lot more knowledge and experience if you spend some time with a shelter or rescue setting.

 

[Spiritbird]

Hi Will. I am a Maryland resident also. Birds are facinating for sure. Members are giving you information on being cautious as rightly so. Having a companion bird requires total commitment of the entire family. Important to ensure you bird is healthy, on a good diet and has a sufficiently large cage. One needs to establish controls through good training and give you bird quality one on one time every day. Also important to estaablish trust and provide for the birds safety and to teach your bird to play.
Suggest the book Parrots for Dummies as a study source. Myself and many other members have this book. One other avenue is to become familiar with the rescue org. that operate in Md. I vol. for one of them and letting you know there are hundreds of homeless birds that are fantastic. The Baily foundation and Phoenix Landing. They do adoptions as well as educational classes. You can find their calander of events on the web sites.
I also am a member of the Baltimore Bird Fanciers club which has many wonderful members. We meet at the Towson Library the third Sunday of every month. Exception is Oct. We will have a booth at an event at Hunt Valley Oregon Ridge. There is also a judged bird show coming up Oct. 16 at Tall Cedars on Purry Hill ave. So you can educate yourself to the world of birds and network with bird people. for any questions you can PM me here.

 

[Will718]

Hi and welcome to the forum! I have conures...big personalities in small bodies and very family oriented as a rule. They can introduce you to being a parrant and all that entails without some of the real stress of a bigger bird. I admit I am very biased... I have had conures all my life and only cared for bigger birds for finite times (1 to 2 years) for active duty service men/women. All birds will bring something special to your life. Some will be much more demanding of your time than others. You are wise to take your time and explore with the birds at the pet store. Might I suggest you also consider checking out your local shelter or bird rescue group? You may find a forever bird friend there. You will also learn more about some of the challenges to successfully bringing a bird into your family. I suspect you will still get a bird and that bird will be lucky to have found you, but you will go in with a lot more knowledge and experience if you spend some time with a shelter or rescue setting.

Hi Bogo1 and thank you for your insight. I have definitely learned from experience to take my time and not rush into new situations so fast.

Hi Will. I am a Maryland resident also. Birds are facinating for sure. Members are giving you information on being cautious as rightly so. Having a companion bird requires total commitment of the entire family. Important to ensure you bird is healthy, on a good diet and has a sufficiently large cage. One needs to establish controls through good training and give you bird quality one on one time every day. Also important to estaablish trust and provide for the birds safety and to teach your bird to play.
Suggest the book Parrots for Dummies as a study source. Myself and many other members have this book. One other avenue is to become familiar with the rescue org. that operate in Md. I vol. for one of them and letting you know there are hundreds of homeless birds that are fantastic. The Baily foundation and Phoenix Landing. They do adoptions as well as educational classes. You can find their calander of events on the web sites.
I also am a member of the Baltimore Bird Fanciers club which has many wonderful members. We meet at the Towson Library the third Sunday of every month. Exception is Oct. We will have a booth at an event at Hunt Valley Oregon Ridge. There is also a judged bird show coming up Oct. 16 at Tall Cedars on Purry Hill ave. So you can educate yourself to the world of birds and network with bird people. for any questions you can PM me here.

Thanks, Spiritbird. The store that I am speaking about is Parrots R Us in Harford County. The gentleman that owns the store along with the staff person are really great. They both own multiple parrots and they often bring their birds to the store. That is how I got the opportunity to hold a Hyacinth and Blue Throat Macaw. I also held a conure and was the first time I held any birds in my life. The owner, Jason mentioned the Bird Fancier's Club and also told me that they meet at Towson. Thank you for sharing that information. I will also check out that book, "Parrots for Dummies". It seems like there is a "Dummies" book for everything, lol

 

[wildheart]

Welcome Will! I wish there were more people like you that first researched, from the sounds of it, you will make an excellent owner. I also have the parrots for dummies book and must say that it is a wealth of info.

I am not going to suggest that you start small and then work up, you need to get the parrot that you fall in love with. If I was you then I would read through the macaw thread, you'll see the happiness, sadness and problems. Macaws - Parrot Forum - Parrot Owner's Community

Enjoy your stay.

 

[Ratzy]

Thanks, Spiritbird. The store that I am speaking about is Parrots R Us in Harford County. The gentleman that owns the store along with the staff person are really great. They both own multiple parrots and they often bring their birds to the store. That is how I got the opportunity to hold a Hyacinth and Blue Throat Macaw. I also held a conure and was the first time I held any birds in my life. The owner, Jason mentioned the Bird Fancier's Club and also told me that they meet at Towson. Thank you for sharing that information. I will also check out that book, "Parrots for Dummies". It seems like there is a "Dummies" book for everything, lol[/QUOTE]

The people expose their birds to the ones in the pet store?

 

[parrotqueen]

Hello Will, pleased to meet you! Enjoy browsing through the many helpful topics we have, there's always plenty to learn.

I am happy to see that you're doing plenty of research before deciding on your new feathered family member. As wise as it is to start small, my words of encouragement to you are that it doesn't always end badly when starting out with such a big bird. Keep up the research, and feel free to ask questions.

Good places to try for birds are avian rescues. It's always great when someone decides to rescue a bird rather than buy a baby from a breeder, because there are just far too many birds in rescues right now that need loving homes.

 

[AndrewH]

I'm late to this post, apparently, but I would second taking a look at a rescue. Both to find a potential pet and to see the consequences of peoples' decisions. An older bird can be a great choice! Birds don't have a short shelf-life, so don't let a couple of decades deter you from taking home a parrot that needs a home. You'll still have him/her for the rest of your life, probably. Plus, an older bird has already gone through "the change" and you can get a pretty good idea about the type of individual they are. Others on this forum have more experience on this that I, but I have rescued both of my birds.

Where I'm at BTMs are very rare, indeed. I've seen more hyacinths than BTMs. Once committed, get the bird that you get along with. I'd be curious to read what Bobby says about the temperment of the BTM. They look similar to the B&G, but beyond that, I have no clue. A word of caution on macaws, though, is that their characteristics are not the same from species to species.

If you are looking for suggestions on smaller birds, check out caiques. They are awesome (you've already heard good plugs on budgies and conures)!

Also, get to know some mature birds (10+ years old). There's a big difference in the behavior of babies and adults. True, every bird is an individual, but generally, mature birds are less likely to want to allow a stranger to handle them (I've just spent a month working on making friends with a ~20 year old B&G and I still have a ways to go).

Finally, and I speak from experience on this, be informed if you start looking at cockatoos. They are the most loving birds you can imagine and I wouldn't trade mine for any amount of money! BUT...they also expect and need lots of attention from their flock (hours every day, 365+ days per year!). If they aren't getting the attention they need from you, they will let you know. **if you go to a rescue, you will see that probably half of the birds are some variety of cockatoo**

Good luck finding your bird!

 

[Bobby34231]

Thanks to all the members that pointed out what I usually do, on doing your homework, getting to interact with big birds before making a decision, and to consider adoption from a rescue as an alternitive, in my excitement to talk about BTM's I lost site of those important issues, please excuse the moment of temporary insanity

 

[Vivica]

I agree on going with a rescue bird if possible. I know this BTM has captured your heart, but it might not be a good "first bird." As long as you read up on BTMs and a few other kinds of parrots, I see no problem with getting the BTM if you have enough money for vet visits. Just look around for a bit, see what you can find. Maybe you'll fall in love with a rescue bird, who knows?

Good luck, and kudos for doing your research

 

[AndrewH]

Thanks to all the members that pointed out what I usually do, on doing your homework, getting to interact with big birds before making a decision, and to consider adoption from a rescue as an alternitive, in my excitement to talk about BTM's I lost site of those important issues, please excuse the moment of temporary insanity

Even though rescues are a great way to go, I don't think a responsible person could go wrong with a BTM, either. They are a rare bird and deserve to continue to exist, even if only in captivity, and I believe they are nearing extinction in the wild.

 

[Spiritbird]

Oh Andrew I hope not. They are gorgeous birds. If one does his homework and networking and has all the tools and knows what to expect why not a BTM?

 

[AndrewH]

Oh Andrew I hope not. They are gorgeous birds. If one does his homework and networking and has all the tools and knows what to expect why not a BTM?

Why not, indeed!

 

[Will718]

Thank you everyone for all your advice and encouragement. After reading, "Parrots for Dummies" and doing some research I think it would be best if I just look for volunteering opportunities at rescues. Based on my current home layout and the dog and cat that are already here I feel that getting a bird would not be fair to the bird. My mini schnauzer is not mean, but she plays rough. My wife cats plays with the dog sometimes, but the cat gets tired of my dog. My cat, as nice as he is, would go into supreme predator mode with a bird in the house. He loves to watch birds and I can only imagine what is in his mind as he watches. It would be hard for me to dedicate the time that a parrot should have while isolating everyone else. I know that people are able to have their birds and other pets co-exist, but I don't have the patience to work out that living arrangement. I would be very upset if any of the animals got hurt. While I still love those parrots I will see if I can volunteer or maybe ask the guy who owns the store if I can volunteer some hours in his store. I think the parrots who end up in rescues are probably the birds who went home with people like me. Those people were just not honest with themselves. I still want to participate on this forum and will still be reading and gathering information from the many talented people that I see posting here.

Have a great day.