Severe Macaw as an apartment bird?

[ChrisZ]

Hey hey!

So talk to me about a Severe Macaw in an apartment.
I am interested in adopting a bird around May of this year. I live in a 750sqft apartment and I managed to be smitten by the big Macaws.

I believe that a big macaw probably isn't right for me in my situation. I think a mid sized bird would fit me, my budget and available space better. Based on what little I've read so far, I really like the Macaw personality profile better than what I hear about Greys and Amazons. I generally want a gentle giant, that's playful and cuddly. (I want to commit to developing this kind of personality anyway)

Soooo, the next logical step for me is to ask about Severes.
Yes I understand all birds make noise, and that the bigger the bird the bigger the volume. Noise is a concern, this will vary from bird to bird.
Your thoughts?

 

[noodles123]

No macaws of any kind in any apartment-- period. Even small birds can get you kicked out from noise--- a mid-size macaw is still TOO LOUD. It sounds like you need to do a lot more research before diving in, as the birds your reference are vastly different in terms of personality..and all too loud for an apartment. Also..."Gentle Giant" really fails to describe any parrot I have ever met...At least, past puberty and across situations...

You REALLLLLY need to look into this more, so I am glad you are here.

Here is a link to the subject : http://www.parrotforums.com/questions-answers/83882-great-apartment-parrots.html

EVEN A PARAKEET CAN BE HEARD outside of a closed building..a severe macaw is A- not as gentle as you think and B- SUPER loud when the mood strikes.
Also- all babies and young birds (prior to sexual maturity--which generally ranges from 4-8 years in larger parrots) are going to be super quiet in comparison to their adult selves.

 

[Flboy]

A Severe Macaw is NOT a ‘gentle giant’! One of their nicknames is severed macaw! As in, "you better have great medical insurance"!
As stated above, they have their loud moments, several times a day, jet engine loud!

 

[greytness]

Agree with above. Macaws are super LOUD and you will receive noise complaints.

 

[ChrisZ]

No macaws of any kind in any apartment-- period.

So what you're saying is a greenwing?
Blue throat?
B&G?


No Macaw period? Bummer.

I'm gonna keep re-reading that until is says Macaw.

 

[itzjbean]

Unfortunately, macaws of any kind would not do well in an apartment setting as they ALL make noise and would likely cause noise complaints from your neighbors, which could result in a possible eviction.

Best apartment birds are going to be cockatiels and budgies. Even a conure would be too much noise for an apartment in my opinion, I've owned a Jenday who would screech as they do, unless you have super thick walls or kind neighbros a macw just wouldn't do. I live in a duplex with neighbors above and am only allowed small birds. I have 4 cockatiels.

 

[chris-md]

A Jenday is an aratinga (same genus as sun conures, blue crown conures, etc); they all have terrible screeches.

You could get away with pyrrhura conures - painted conures, pearly conures, green cheek conures, crimson belly conures. Their noise won’t be wall piercing. But you still have the conure personality, which is very much related to the macaws.

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

ALL birds are loud at some point. I lived in a 2000sqft house on the corner with my Blue Front and a Timneh African Grey. When Smokey ( the TAG) was on a roll,she could be heard at the other end of the street! ( twelve house down) and that was with windows closed


Jim

 

[Conurecorner]

I have a GCC who can sometimes be loud. However, most of the time he is very chill. These little birds have awesome personality or at least my Luca does. I would check out some YouTube videos too. Macaws are so gorgeous (I want one of them in the future)

 

[Birdman666]

YES ABSOLUTELY... !!!

Severe's generally are not loud birds... HOWEVER!!!!

Socialization, socialization and more socialization. Severe macaws tend to overbond with one person. They can be very BITEY if not properly socialized.

Doesn't mean they are bad birds, it just means they need extra socialization.

 

[lunyluna]

I have had about 8 months of experience with a Macaw in an apartment! I am a college student living with 3 other roommates in a small apartment. I did PLENTY of research on this topic. The noise was always a deterrent for me, but I was hellbent on getting a macaw. Fast forward to now, and we couldn't be happier!

But that's because I picked the right bird. I am 100% sure that Luna were like the typical macaw, we would not be able to live peacefully in this household. Luna is a rescue Scarlet Macaw who is fairly quiet. She will get rowdy when new people are visiting the apartment, or when I play macaw videos for her, but other than that she just makes some funny noises that are actually quite endearing. For the most part, she just likes to be next to me while I work and loves to go outside on walks and to fly (she's harnessed!).

Some other people said that macaws cannot be in apartments "under any circumstances," but I find this to not be the case. All birds are different. Some are loud, some are quiet, and some are somewhere in between. It all comes down to picking the right bird!

For reference, I bought some sound muffling pads to hang around my room that are extremely durable and good quality, but it turns out that Luna's so quiet, we don't need them!

 

[Birdman666]

I had two macaws, three amazons, three conures, and a CAG in an apartment setting and never got a single noise complaint. IT'S HOW YOU RAISE THEM, AND WHETHER OR NOT THEIR NEEDS ARE MET.