question about military macaws.

[birdbrainzz4me]

as some of you know, i had recently tried to adopt a older gw, and the woman was asking more than i can afford at the moment for him. well today my friend at work told me she might have a macaw for me, mind you this friend doesn't like macaw's but loves m2's . it belongs to a friend of her's and they adopted it a while ago when it's original owner fell ill and passed away. i believe she said it was around 20 years old also. it's a military macaw, male or female i don't know. but my question is ; are they as bad as i have been finding them to be? when i say bad, i refer to being nippy, and more high strung than some of it's cousins like the b&g, scarlet, etc. i would be a first time mac owner if given the chance to adopt one, but i'm not too certain a military mac would be the right choice. right now i don't want to settle for what ever crosses my path. as of right now i still stand strong about a gw fid. if not a gw then a ekkie, because i have previously owned two and that's were my parrot experience comes from, i know what to expect from them. at the same time, i dream about one day finding my future fid so much, that as long as we bond together does it really matter what type of parrot it is. i know i should probably stick with what i am looking to adopt, but i am also giving this military mac some thought, so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Jtbirds]

Hey a macaw is a macw some are different then others, like one Millie can be great and the next can be high strung same goes for all of the,... My expirence with millies is they are more generally rough players and slightly more excitable, but I've met some very calm, mild mannered ones as well. I have the same thing to say about all macaws so really it is always bird to bird. I have one blue and gold that is very calm and another that is very very high strung. My bluffons macaws similar to a milligold is very loving and great as my harlequin is very high strung and great so it is case to case.

I never not tell people to get a military they Are great and many people look over them quickly due to the fact they are less colorful and more animated in certain ways I'd say.

 

[WeimerHeimer]

Yeh ..... I'm not so sur eyou can stereo-type Macaws. I own a Military and a Green Wing. Both were rescue birds from the same owner back in Jan '13. The GW came around real quickly and adapted fast. The Military took longer. IS that because it's a Military? I doubt it. Big birds have their own personality and they adjust at different rates. I would say try and spend some time with the bird before committing to it if possible. Do NOT judge the bird on just one visit.

Good luck!

 

[Chesphoto]

Jtbirds and WeimerHeimer make some great points.

After reading through the forum, I was thinking that I should adopt a green wing or a Fargo, I mean a blue and gold.

Oh, and I have read on the forum to be careful of scarlets because they are "nippy". I am not exactly sure what nippy means, I will have to ask in a separate post...

Well, knowing all this, I think I am falling for a scarlet at a shelter I volunteer at. So my suggestion to you is to keep an open mind and meet with as many parrots as you can and see what happens. Who knows who it will be, but we will all be excited by the news!

 

[Jtbirds]

The phrase a scarlet is nippy came from some older bird breeders awhile back probably 15 years ago they made this stereotype that Scarlets are more nippy then otHer macaws and must be a expirenced macaw owner for years to have one, this is not true as I stated before it is on a case to case basis.

Scarlets are not nippy it was something people made up and stereotyped them for like militariys being more unpredictable then other macaws. It is all about how to handle them.

 

[psychocircus91]

I've seen plenty of cuddly, calm militaries. Try to meet the bird first if you can.

 

[Pinkbirdy]

So true in all thats said .I would love to have any kind [learn your bird] I had a deposit on a military at one time. One difference is their a smaller Macaw

 

[Jtbirds]

I recently worked with a Millie and he had some big cage aggression issues and soon, this was because the owner went to raise hm from a baby and then let him stay in a cage all the time because of her fear. At first this bird was pretty much a handful then within about a month he turned around and became this loving, playful, intuitative macaw and I loved him to death. Worked with some people and got him a great home and he was probably on my list of macaws I've worked with one of the top ones I enjoyed the most. This list is getting pretty long so It defiantly means something for him to rank right up there even though all the bad stereotypes Millie's can have, o and a certain scarlet is up there to. Both are in my top five of the macaws I've done behavioral consults with.

 

[Melandkids]

I had thought about owning one at one time. I actually made a spread sheet. I wanted to really look at the different features of each bird I was interested in and make a wise decision before choosing ... This is a copy of what I read on them.. Hope it helps Personality
Like most macaws, Military Macaws will be even tempered although sometimes they may be difficult and cranky. With proper training they can become a very tame and friendly pet. They are a very social bird who are playful and inquisitive and enjoy human interaction. Though they can be a noisy bird, they are very intelligent and have the ability to mimic human speech. They are considered to be a good choice for a show bird.

 

[birdbrainzz4me]

thank you to all , i will deffinately keep a open mind on the situation, i started asking my friend at work a little bit more about the military. i found out it was a male and his name is louie, and why her friends were thinking of rehoming him. she said that they were getting too old to be able to give him the care that he needs. i found out that he's a screamer, but when i asked more about the details to his screaming it sounds more like a cry out for attention. the woman will be on the phone and louie will start screaming RALPH, which is her husbands name. l i think it's kinda funny that he screams out ralphs name, but i'm sure there are ways of teaching him to call in softer tones. i also learned that he likes to come out of his cage, but they never pick him up so i don't really know how tame he is. but they can go up to him and touch his beak, so he can't be too bad if he lets them touch his beak. i asked if they ever tried to get him to step up and that was a no. so with all that said, i have been giving louie some thought, i'm still fishing for more information on him though. we'll see were this goes. and thanks once again for all the input.

 

[psychocircus91]

When it comes to macaws, screaming is relative. Never get a macaw expecting it not to scream. Also, it is a good sign that the parrot allows interaction with the owners. Step up is essentially a trick, and can be taught. Have you inquired about meeting the bird?

 

[Grinder]

It's great you are keeping an open mind. As everyone has said, you can't generlize a Macaw's behavior. It all depends on the individual bird as well as it's owner(s) and how they raised them. Our Military Macaw is quiter than our Grey. And our Grey is q-u-i-e-t...

Our Military might scream out once a week if that. Once sqwauk. She still talks and mumbles, but no screaming except for once in a blue moon. Much of that is because our breeder taught her that screaming got her no attention. We made sure to follow her lead.

Also remember that when meeting any bird that doesn't know you, it's most likely not going to act like its 'normal' self when meeting you. You most likely won't get a very clear idea of its personality with one visit.

 

[birdbrainzz4me]

i haven't mentioned meeting the bird, i'm still finding out information on him. i am kind of hesitant about it, after getting my hopes up over the gw i don't want to do it again with another bird. so i think i will take this one slow, the owners aren't in a hurry to rehome him and i'm not even positive that they are sure they want to. or at least yet any ways. and as far as the squawking goes, i wasn't really given a full description as too if he actually screams or just talks very loudly when wanting attention. but because they don't handle him just let him out of his cage, is it possible that these behaviors could change if given more interaction than what he's currently receiving. i want to be able to let him go places with me and do things around the house with me, staying on his cage seems boring to me, but i also understand that might be a comfort zone for him. the loud vocalizations don't bother me, unless it's a constant all day thing. i had a hawk head that screamed all day long and my mom had a pair of sun conures that screamed all day long too. not that i couldn't handle the loudness but the non stop screeching , the insanity never ended. i hope this doesn't make me look like i'm not cut out for being a parront. but some people have their limits, and for me a all day squawker would be nerve racking. to this day, i still can't figure out why the hawk head screamed like he did. i did everything for that bird and still there was no pleasing him. i seriously started to think he was a mental basket case. my ekkies screamed but only when they saw a stranger pass by the window . and i was fine with that, it usually only lasted for maybe 10 to 15 seconds until they realized that i didn't care that some one was there. then they were fine.

 

[psychocircus91]

Most parrots can definitely get used to handling, even at older ages. If they do truly pet him when he sits on top of the cage, it shouldn't be too hard to progress him to stepping up. Sun conures are notorious screamers, but macaws are too. However, most say there macaws don't scream as often.

Regardless, each bird is an individual and only you can decide if it is the right bird for you by meeting him.

 

[Turquoise]

Awwww birdbrainzz4me, sorry to hear you won't be getting the GW. I just knew you were set get it.

I've never owned or even met a Military macaw, so I can't help any with info on them. From what you say about this one, he sounds like he could become a sweet loving boy with a little work.

Oh & I wanted to tell ya' Ruby Jewel will be home Monday. Yes, my GW girl is finally set to fly home to meet me. I can't hardly wait I'm so excited!!

Hope all goes well with your search & if this Military is meant to be yours, it will happen.

 

[birdbrainzz4me]

De'Andrea, it's about time! lol i have been waiting for a post about ruby jewel. but this is just as good. i can't wait to see pictures and read your stories, of your precious lil big girl. i share your excitement. i remember when i seen her on birdbreeders.com and read her little story. it touched my heart, and to talk to the person that is getting her is just way cool! how often does that even happen. not very in my book at least. it's so thrilling that she'll be home soon.