Scared!

[baron1282]

Hey guys

This is my first post here. I have a Conure right now, it's my wife's bird and it loves both of us. Well as much as I like my Pineapple Green Cheeks Conure, I never really liked the bird. (I mean, I never like the Conure as much as I liked the Macaw, I love my conure!! Patrick will be a beloved pet until the die I die!!, didn't want that to be confused with that I don't like my Conure.

Let me explain, I have always like the Macaw. The Scarlet Macaw to be precise. I just like the look and the how big they are. I like the fact that I can play with the bird more openly and not be scared to break it's neck unlike my tiny bird. I still play with my bird now, I enjoy my time with my Conure, but he is more of my wife's bird. I think he is bounded a little more to me, but he enjoys my wife's company as well.

My wife is scared of the Macaw, and the fact that it can bite your finger off. Frankly I am kind of scared of that too. Yet I see children play with the birds and see how sweet they can be.

Is it safe for a child to play with a Macaw, or does it depend on the bird? If I did get a Macaw, how can I ease my fears?

Now It's not that I am scared of being bit, but I think just the fact that this bird can send you to the hospital is a little scary. I love animals and would love to give a Macaw a good home. Lord knows too many birds go to people just for the looks, and not the interaction.

So how would this affect my life, and what should I be ready for? I know screams can be ear splitting, I have heard them. Not a big deal for me. I love the sound and find it fascinating (Maybe not in the morning. My conure already wakes me up with a loud scream anyway.

A Macaw is not in my immediate future, being I live with my parents still (Laid off, long story, SUCKS!! . I want to be ready for this investment, and how can I protect this investment in my future being the bird might outlive me? I saw today on this forum that a guy was offered a 77 year old bird. Thanks for all your help guys. I am afraid the researching has begun. :32:

 

[JerseyWendy]

Researching is a GREAT thing. Another thing you AND your wife (and children) can do together is visit nearby bird stores and interact with some of their Macaws. If you have the time, volunteering at a bird rescue is another way to get you to interact with the "big guys and girls."

I can't tell you that you will never get bit because that would be rather unrealistic. However, if you learn their body language, you "might" be able to avoid a trip to the hospital.

Whether a child can interact with a big Mac or not, soley depends on the bird AND the child, but I would NEVER allow such interaction unsupervised, as the mood can change in a nanosecond. My children are grown, and I don't allow either of them to just "play" with my birds as they please.

I know you mentioned the Scarlet, and I have NOTHING against them, they are truly magnificent, however, please have a look at Green Wings. They are considered the gentle giants for a good reason.

Lastly, best of luck with your job dilemma. I hope you find something soon.

 

[baron1282]

I almost couldn't tell the difference between the Green Wing and the Scarlet, but I think I like the Yellow and Blue coloration more than the Green.

I think the coloration of the Scarlet is what really draws me to the bird. I think it's important to like the animal first before becoming a owner. I don't want to have the new pet syndrome, so that's why I am researching now. I have gone to a local bird shop and played around with the Macaw to ease my fears of them. They let me hold and pet their Hyacinth Macaw. That is a Really cool looking bird, but I don't have 11 grand just to blow. LoL

Patrick my conure is so funny, and it really brings a smile to my face. He is annoying at times, but what pet isn't? My cat is annoying me right now!! My cat likes coffee and I can't have a cup of coffee without saving her a little for her. LOL

I would like approval of people first, make sure I am ready to handle the responsibility of a Macaw. Being I got a lot of time before I can buy one (Maybe a few years), I got time to research and make sure it's the right pet for me. I know that I would care for it better than most I have seen at pet shops, where it looks like they get no attention.

 

[WharfRat]

couldn't tell the difference between the Green Wing and the Scarlet

THey are actually easy to tell apart

my Green Wings

 

[josiesmom]

I think research is a great thing. There are many threads on here that explain macaw body language that may be helpful to you. I have 2 boys (10 & 13) who play with Josie (B&G macaw) all the time. They are always supervised when they have her out and they all tell on each other. She tells on them, they tell on her, it's funny. I think that children can handle these birds, but they do need to be taught the correct way to handle them. I work with Josie every day to try to reinforce the good behavior and lessen the bad behavior. There is a good video posted here on how to teach the macaw how much pressure they can use with their beak. I've been doing this with Josie for a while now and she is really getting it. I've done it so much with her that last weekend when I went to Bird Paradise, I picked up a B&G there and my fingers automatically went to his beak and I told him "gentle". I was lucky, he didn't bite me but I think my BF almost had a stroke. I hope this helps.

 

[baron1282]

Wharfrat

Good looking birds!! I said almost didn't see the difference. I see that a Scarlet has yellow and blue in their wings while a green wing has green in the wing. Besides that their almost the same.

Josiesmom

I have been reading all the threads here. I am learning a lot, and I think I will go back to the Bird Shoppe store in Cincinnati. I would like to handle them and maybe be trained a little more before handling my own bird. That way I can buy a Macaw ready for whatever can happen. I would like a loving bird that likes everyone, but I know that they are all individuals.

What if I rescued one? I see birds all the time that need a good home. Will that impact a relationship with me? I would like to have a bird bounded with me, but if I got one and trained with it will it bound to me eventually, if it was bounded with someone else?

 

[plax]

baron1282: You certainly CAN establish a loving mutual bond with a previously owned Macaw. But it's important to get well-acquainted with such a bird first, so the seed for the bond can sprout before taking the bird home. It's often said to let the bird pick you. I consider that very good advice!

 

[94lt1]

Plax is absolutely right..and if nothing else...you'll provide the macaw with hours of chewing delight...baaahahaha

Seriously though...macaws just want to feel loved and accepted, and for you to know that everything they say goes..just try to argue with one I'm in a mood tonight..

.my macaw was passes around 3 separate times...three separate households where he was abused in the last two...and his name is Monte...he's the big lug that runs my aviary..he's came around a lot...he lives my wife..me too...but he's now her bird lol...my fingers are a little glad...

But Monte is a worst case scenario...he was picked on, swatted with a broom, lit cigarette butts tossed at him..people jabbing at him with sticks and spitting at him...a person who knew both of the previous owners came forth and told us...

We now understand him a lot better..poor baby

 

[Birdlover11]

I agree with Wendy, I think you should think about a GW , they are almost the same as a scarlet but they a little more gentler and not that nippy like a scarlet (depends on the bird ) I wouldn't solely go for looks but for more the personality . When you get any macaw , they need a BIG cage, this might make a dent in your wallet. They make a lot of mess, more than any kind of conure. Heck, they are one of the messiest parrots in the bird world. Wharf,Wendy , have any pics ? They are loud, but as you said it won't affect you. They can go through " moods " like any other bird. They can also choose favorites like your gcc did. They also are expensive. But they repay allow that in love and affection. I can understand you beak problem, they really can do some damage but as Wendy said if you learn the body language you can reduce the risk. Here are some links,

http://www.prettybird.com/birds/grnwngmac.htm
http://www.birdchannel.com/bird-species/profiles/scarlet-macaw-2.aspx
http://www.allmacaws.com/frameset.html?greenwing.html~mainFrame
http://www.loveyourparrot.com/macaw.html

 

[Sherry]

Oh what to add what to add. Well, I am owned by both a conure and a macaw (B&G). The truth is you really don't know what it's like to have a macaw until you have one. Kind of lie having a baby. I guess the things I would think about in addition to what's already been said is how is your home set up? Do you have enough room? They really take up a lot of space. Are you going to be home a lot? (When you get back to work). Do you travel a lot? How do you feel about big bird poop? Hahaa I know that sounds weird but I was honestly shocked when I first saw my macaw poop. SHOCKED. And finally, do yourself a favor, when you do find your perfect macaw try to not bring it home until its weaned. Hand feeding isn't rocket science but it can be stressful. Good luck in your research and journey into the macaw family.

 

[happycat]

Good luck on finding a macaw! Looking at them at bird stores like your doing always helps.
By the way, I'm not sure if you were just joking or not (if you are, sorry XD) but DONT feed your cat coffee.t can make them sick!

 

[baron1282]

Thanks for all your help!!

I already know a cage will be in the high five hundred mark. Not an issue right now being that I don't have my own place to put it. Like I said before this will be a few years from now until I can get my own Macaw. So it's a learning process right now for me. I will look into the green wing more, they are good looking birds.

Having my pet bird right now helps me understand bird behavior, but I think Patrick is just a spoiled rotten conure. He likes to attack my cats head on, which always makes me rush to him and pick him up. Always supervising his play!! My cats are good and for now run away, I think they are scared of it more than he is of them. They are indoor cats and have never been outside. So they don't know what a bird is.

Happycat as for my cat drinking coffee. Don't worry, I know that it can make them sick. Been raising cats my whole life and for show. My cat likes it for some reason, and I drink all of it and just allow her to lick up the remainder which is not much at all. trust me I wouldn't hurt my cat. I love her to death more than anything, been with me though a lot. I couldn't stand making her sick. She is healthy and vet approved.

When I get more serious about getting a Macaw (when I get my own place), I will start to go to the Bird Shoppe more and learn from them. They will allow me to put a deposit on a bird and let me hand feed it under their supervision and they will make sure it's weened before I take it home. It's a cool way to allow the experts do what they do, but still get attached to your bird at birth.

 

[Birdlover11]

LOL , sounds like Patrick is in charge . I completely agree , that way you don't get the heavy reesponsibility of weaning a macaw but still can make a bond with it while it's young. Do you have a date for when you want to get one by ?

 

[noblemacaw]

I believe since you are talking of getting a large macaw plan on spending more than 500 on a cage. You got to get a strong enough cage to keep that sucker in there. LOL. I remember our large macaw owners (either Plax or Warfrat maybe even Wendy) posting pics of their giant macaws popping cage welds. Years ago when my Noble macaw (mini) turned into a paint peeler I invested in a stainless steel cage so in 2001 ended up spending 1700. I still have this cage all these years later and it still is holding up very well. I will never sell this cage.

I also have a Kings 406 SS cage I got in 2002 for an ILLIGER's macaw (mini) This cage is HUGE and large enough for a large macaw but when I bought the cage I could not pass up a good deal. This cage was also 1700 and I cant replace it now for under 2200. My RFM Valentino now lives in my kings cage. The bars are very thick and there is no way a large macaw can pop the welds on this cage. It weighs 210 pounds.

This was after set up for my RFM before he came home. This cage was bought in 2002 and you can see it still held up to my daily scrubbing cleaning this thing.

Here is baby Valentino my RFM in the cage while standing on the grill. This shows how thick the bars are on this monster cage. Valentino will not be able to pop any welds and the lock on this cage is bird smart proof. The only way a parrot got out on this cage if I didn't make sure the feeder doors were latched all the way.

Good luck with your macaw research. Enjoy yourself and handle a lot of macaws if you can. Look into different types of cages. I understand you don't always have to get a stainless steel cage as the prices can be twice the price of the parrot but for me it was a investment I don't regret making. I won't ever sell my SS cages and I have had both cages over 10 years.

I just noticed the newspaper on the bottom are the obituaries. LOL.

 

[JJones1719]

Baron,
Next to the Hy Macaws, the GW is a very strong 2nd and much cheaper too.
They are known as the Gentle Giants. The Scarlet although not in all cases, can be very nippy as they mature.
Also, The differance is not only their appearance but also in size. The GW is the 2nd largest of the Macaws next to the HY.
GW and HY bond with their owners like no other Macaw out there and this too makes the Macaws very popular.
No Macaw can come close to the beautiful Scarlet but they are a handful.
Please do as much research and educate yourself on these amazing Macaws. Best of luck. Joe

 

[plax]

Also, The differance is not only their appearance but also in size. The GW is the 2nd largest of the Macaws next to the HY.

Actually there's a greater proportion of captive huge GWs than there is of captive huge Hys. And the largest captive Hys tend to weigh less than the largest captive GWs.

 

[baron1282]

My friends!

Thanks for the Info, I am doing my research about all different types of Macaws. If a GW will be the better pet for me than I will go with it. If I can learn to handle a Scarlet I will go with that. I am doing my research right now as I got a good 2 years before I can even think of owning one. Maybe a year if things go well for me.

I saw some cages that were around $500 to $600. They were holding Macaws in them and were very large. I was also thinking of going for an Avery so my guy can spend some time safe outside. Like I said this is a research project right now. As for a HY Macaw, if I had 12 grand I would love to have one. They are very cool looking birds. All blue with the yellow eyes and skin around the beak. Very cool looking birds.

 

[Birdlover11]

If you are researching on a cage , birdcages4less have good quality, large cages for less.
Bird Cages 4 Less - Bird Cages, Flight Cages, Aviaries - Free Shipping

 

[JJones1719]

Plax, In my case, my GW is much larger then most HY I have come across. My GW for the most part is now full grown and his weight in the Winter ranges from 1735 to 1750 grams. in the summer, it drops to about 1725 or so. He is way more active in the Summer, specially when I take him outside to be social.
To all of you interested in a GW, be ready for a very large bird, large beak and very strong. but then you have the cuddle side of them that wants nothing more then the owners attn, love, scratches and they will sometimes demand it. Best to all Joe

 

[plax]

Plax, In my case, my GW is much larger then most HY I have come across. My GW for the most part is now full grown and his weight in the Winter ranges from 1735 to 1750 grams. in the summer, it drops to about 1725 or so. He is way more active in the Summer, specially when I take him outside to be social.

Statistically, many pet GWs are larger than most pet Hys. I'm unsure whether that's typical among the wild populations of the two species, though.

Salsa isn't quite as heavy as Neleno, but he comes in a fairly close second. He was up to 1665 empty in the mornings, and he hit 1709 when I weighed him with his crop filled at one point (I don't often weigh him full). But for the past few weeks during the evenings Sals has been engaging in vigorous flapping exercises and his morning weights are now around 1630 +/- a few grams. So he's still a big boy