Planning our second macaw! I need your expert advice!

[macawluv]

We have had Kai, our male b&g, for 16 months. Things are going great. We are planning our next macaw for the end of this summer when all of the babies will be ready. I just spoke with a very well regarded breeder who claims it does not matter whether I get a male or a female. I thought I HAD to get another male...?
The second part of this post is which species. I think leading the order is Buffon, then red front, then military. Yes, I am aware or the endangered status. Are Buffon's really gentle giants like hyacinths? Are military macaws really nippers? Can I get either a male or a female? Is there anyway to know how Kai will do with a friend? Is $400 for a used kings corner a good price? (Retail 700 now)

Thanks in advance everyone!

 

[Birdman666]

In my opinion both Militaries and Buffons are a bit on the beaky side...

Millitaries are prone to over bonding issues and need extra socialization... that's all. If they don't get it, they tend to be very one person-ish...

Of the three, RED FRONTS are far and away the easiest and most personable...

 

[macawluv]

Ok, thanks! I appreciate your advice. I think my gut is telling red fronted..
Part of the allure of getting a baby buffon's is that this might be my only chance. They are increasingly rare to come by, especially as babies.
How would a red fronted to with a hyacinth? We intend to cap out at 4 macaws. One being a hyacinth. Will the size difference be too much?

 

[Birdman666]

They probably wouldn't interact with each other.

My greenwing is easily triple the size of my red front, and a Hy is bigger than a greenwing.

I've only really worked with/interacted with two Buffons. They were both a little bit beaky. Not Scarlet/military beaky, but they still had to put their beaks on you first and check things out good before allowing anything to proceed. (More than just the normal macaw beakiness. Where a greenwing/rfm/b&g/btm/hy would give you the tongue, THEY give you the beak.)

 

[Birdman666]

If I were planning on four, I'd want a buddy bird that can at least keep up with a Hy, which would pretty much limit you to larger GW, and Buffons, and then something like a blue throat and an RFM. Two of the smaller varieties...

I'b be shooting for the buddy bird concept, and I'd keep same sex pairs to avoid breeding issues.

 

[macawluv]

Oh! So do you think my blue and gold male would interact and be pals with a red fronted macaw?

 

[macawluv]

You beat me to my next question! So, in this case the breeder will not promise sexes and I need to just keep my fingers crossed that I get a male. Should I even get a bird from him if I wont know the sex before I put money down?

 

[macawluv]

Our blue and gold now weighs 1050 grams

 

[Birdman666]

Oh! So do you think my blue and gold male would interact and be pals with a red fronted macaw?

My red front tends to be the jealous one...

That's one of those too many variable things. It all depends on the birds. Socialized together, they should get along just fine. Your RFM is going to be half to 2/3 the size of your B&G, so that isn't all that much of a size difference if they are properly socialized.

My RFM has a sibling rivalry relationship with my GW. They still get along, but, the red front gets jealous. (So does my Red Lored Amazon at times, those are my two jealous birds.)

A Hy and an RFM? A HY and a B&G - too much size and power difference. I'd worry a bit about cracked beaks if they got to playing and got carried away.

My red front holds her own when playing with my GW, though my GW is just playing has never used "angry bird" bite pressure. (I'm sure she could injure... if she were so inclined.)

The birds generally work it out for themselves. They should never share a cage, but they should be able to share a playstand just fine.

 

[macawluv]

Ok. Thank you for sharing your experience. I only have handled my blue and gold so I know pretty much just what the internet says about the other species.
It sounds like I am in a mess with the species we are planning and like I have some talking to do with my husband about this.
Can a male and female macaw get along as friends and not lovers?

 

[Birdman666]

Ok. Thank you for sharing your experience. I only have handled my blue and gold so I know pretty much just what the internet says about the other species.
It sounds like I am in a mess with the species we are planning and like I have some talking to do with my husband about this.
Can a male and female macaw get along as friends and not lovers?

They can, but I always assume that at some point and time the sex drive will kick in... and at the very least you'll get courting behaviors.

Is that really any worse than four horny big macs masterbating with/feeding their toys? Depends on how aggressive they get... could be less problematic, could be more. You just don't know in advance. Depends on the birds.

 

[Birdman666]

The biggest thing with introducing new big macs is the effect it has on an existing pair bond relationship...

If the bird is super bonded to people, sometimes jealous bird issues arise.

If the two birds pair up, then they sometimes get more aggressive with people, if one sees another as a "threat" to the mate/pair bond relationship.

So there are those dynamics in play as well.

It's usually just a matter of reassuring the existing mac, that the new bird is not displacing him or her... and is not a threat. And then actively discouraging/not reinforcing the "jealous bird" behaviors as part of your "boundaries."

"You can be less than happy about it, but there's no being piss-ey with me or the other birds. THAT'S JUST NOT SOMETHING WE ALLOW IN THIS HOUSE."

Do that, and they generally adjust.

 

[macawluv]

That's a really good point! If you had to guess... would you predict any sexual tension between a male and a female would just be for a short time of the year? Or would this be an on going battle?

 

[Birdman666]

I can't tell you that.

If they pair up, then they generally become inseparable. It's less about sexual tension, than it is about take both of us, not just one of us. Males are usually the dominant one of the pair bond. Though I have seen females that have removed the toes of "wanna be" amorous males...

"Put that foot on my back one more time and I'll remove something!"

One of my favorite male Hy-Hy breeders was missing a toe because he was "a little too persistent" with a dominant female during breeding season.

"NO. MEANS NO!" He learned that one the hard way.

 

[macawluv]

Oh boy. Sounds like we are in for trouble no matter what we choose

 

[Birdman666]

Oh boy. Sounds like we are in for trouble no matter what we choose

They're macaws.

They're supposed to cause Trouble and Pandemonium.... it's part of their charm...

Actually, I have a friend who has two birds.

The Greenwing is named "Trouble."

The M2 is named "Pandora."

Pandora, of course, opened the door to Trouble.

 

[macawluv]

LOL! Yeah, our Kai is sure a handful. Such an amazing addition to our family though. He is the reason we want another, and also why I have so much stress deciding. A true life long commitment.

 

[Birdman666]

The thing about macaws is they are so much like little kids at times it's scary...

 

[StephenAndKyleigh]

I love that you're being so careful in your planning to add another flock member. It shows you are an excellent parront. I am adding my third macaw (second large macaw) to my flock very soon. My wife and I are getting a GW. It's such an exciting thing to know that you are adding a creature that will most likely be with you for the rest of your life.

 

[macawluv]

Yeah! Exciting but also nerve wracking. The right choice now is imperative because re-homing will not be an option.
I am nervous to trust the breeder who says I can mix sexes if I can't- leading to a life time of problems. I am having a hard time finding out if that is a hard rule or an opinion. Now that the birds are about to lay eggs the pressure is on to decide! Which species? Which breeder?
We are picking up a cage on Saturday just so we are extra ready.. we wont even have the future bird for 6 months. Our last one took 6 weeks to arrive ordered from Kings cages. :/