Should I get a miltary macaw or a blue and gold macaw?

[wibitywab]

Yup..he just doesn't get it. And now, I don't want to see a poor bird go into his home, he asked for advice, we gave him it, and he isn't listening...HE HAS NO PRIOR BIRD EXPERIENCE. Thats why I'm worried if he gets a big bird, he won't know what to do with him/her. I help out at an exotic bird store everyday after school (well, schools out now), and I couldn't imagine a 13 year old with no bird experience getting a big macaw.

 

[Abzeez]

Well like I said in the grey post. I really hope his parents are smart enough to realize its not a good idea.

 

[wibitywab]

Yea, me too. He doesn't realize that a little bird can be as affectionate, if not more than a big bird like a macaw. Does he just want to impress people by getting a big bird, I just don't get it...

 

[Lokums]

This is the third thread that parrotlover started about being 13 and getting a bird. I think this is a troller. Go into a forum and start threads just to watch/read the responses.

Mike

 

[xreinx]

so what do we do? not respond? I never encountered a troller before.

 

[Lokums]

Heh, good question. Ignoring trollers is what I do. Especially on a thread like this where there are plenty of solid answers.

 

[wibitywab]

I think this kid might be for real...He just doesn't get it...I really hope that any poor bird doesn't go to his home!

 

[Abzeez]

I am asking for the thread to be closed.

 

[Amber]

Isn't this the same kid who wanted a grey in another thread?

I believe so. But he asked for out opinions so I guess it's only fair we give them. What's not fair is that when you ask for someone's opinion, you must consider it and take it on board. If this person is only 13, they are too young to have a large bird without an experienced adult helping them anyway IMHO. Macaws and other big birds can be dangerous, as well as hard to care for. Their are plenty of photos around of people with scars and even injuries requiring plastic surgery they received off their birds, even with the best of handling.

You wouldn't buy someone whos never owned a horse a stallion, even if they had experience with horses and maybe even other peoples stallions before. Why? They are more likely to badly injure you (and even kill you) then a mare or gelding. In the same way I wouldn't buy someone a macaw or other large bird that needed experienced handling unless they had owned a bird before and had the necessary experience, or had gathered the necessary experience some other way, like maybe babysitting someone's bird in their house for a month. Handling someones bird and actually LIVING with said bird are two seperate things entirely. People handle Alex and fall in love with him and think he's an angel. I live with him 24/7 and know better because I have to put up with everything that comes with him, the good (which other people get to see) and the bad (which only I tend to get, things like cleaning, cost, biting, behavioural problems, etc)

To the original poster

You come to the forum asking if you 'could' get a bird, the answer is yes. Anyone can go get a bird. But really, should they? The real question here is SHOULD you get a bird. And if so, what kind?

Research into some of the smaller species if you really have your heart set on this. Budgies, cockatiels, maybe even lovebirds. There are hundreds of colour mutations, and they are wonderful little guys. You have your whole life ahead of you, and one day in that life when you are financially self sufficent you can get your macaw or grey or any other dream bird you have your heart set on, but not now. For now focus on building experience.

I don't know how much birds go for overseas, but in Aus it's not uncommon to pay upwards of 5,000 for a B&G or even more then 10,000 for a hyacinth on occasion (In Aus though we get rainbow lorries, cockatoos, ekkies and a myriad of other native parrots pretty cheap though, so it's a fair trade). Is that something you can really afford?

 

[wibitywab]

He believes that smaller birds won't love you...He doesn't know what he is talking about...I am 13, and would never even think of getting a giant macaw. A hahn's is as big as I will go!

 

[wibitywab]

He claims his prior experience is holding his friends birds and watching his little sister....

 

[Amber]

This is the third thread that parrotlover started about being 13 and getting a bird. I think this is a troller. Go into a forum and start threads just to watch/read the responses.

Mike

A parrot forum seems like an unlikely place to be targeted by a troll though.

I am asking for the thread to be closed.

I'm seconding this and will stop replying from this post onwards to this thread.

 

[Conurekidd]

This is the third thread that parrotlover started about being 13 and getting a bird. I think this is a troller. Go into a forum and start threads just to watch/read the responses.

Mike

A parrot forum seems like an unlikely place to be targeted by a troll though.

I am asking for the thread to be closed.

I'm seconding this and will stop replying from this post onwards to this thread.

Haha. You would be so surprised!! Usally the troller is one person with multiple accounts. I'm in a explorer program with the sheriffs dept and have access to site in reading ips and return accounts. I don't all the time because it's illegal to use freely.
But I'm pretty sure this is just a stubborn child. He has 2 forum accounts and one email. That's not a troll. Trolls usally have multiple emails and I mean SEVERAL forum accounts from dogs to birds and even fish and reptiles. It's hilarious. But I agree this thread is going no were. I request a closure as well.

 

[wibitywab]

This is the third thread that parrotlover started about being 13 and getting a bird. I think this is a troller. Go into a forum and start threads just to watch/read the responses.

Mike

A parrot forum seems like an unlikely place to be targeted by a troll though.

I am asking for the thread to be closed.

I'm seconding this and will stop replying from this post onwards to this thread.

Haha. You would be so surprised!! Usally the troller is one person with multiple accounts. I'm in a explorer program with the sheriffs dept and have access to site in reading ips and return accounts. I don't all the time because it's illegal to use freely.
But I'm pretty sure this is just a stubborn child. He has 2 forum accounts and one email. That's not a troll. Trolls usally have multiple emails and I mean SEVERAL forum accounts from dogs to birds and even fish and reptiles. It's hilarious. But I agree this thread is going no were. I request a closure as well.

Haha, well, this thread just gets me frustrated on how this kid isn't listening...Someone please close it and end the madness!

 

[AmazonServant]

On the age issue: I thought I'd share my experience since my family got two parrots when I was 10-13

My mom has always loved parrots and birds in general, so she decided to get one as a family pet when I was 10 or so. We got a pionus, which is a smaller parrot a little bigger than a conure. Her cage was in my bedroom, and the understanding was that she was "my" pet, but really belonged to the whole family. The rest of family, except for me and my mom, lost interest in her pretty quickly because she wasn't as overtly affectionate as our dog and needed lots of patience to let you pet her and such. But, she still received plenty of love because my mom and I kept up good bonds with her.

A few years later, when I was 13 or so, my mom decided to get another parrot, which was to be "hers," as the pionus was considered mine. So we got an Amazon. Once we settled in with our 2-woman, 2-bird dynamic, though, it became clear that the pionus preferred my mom, and the Amazon preferred me, so from then on the pionus was considered her bird, and the Amazon mine. I will stress, though, that despite these primary bonds, overall responsibility for the birds still rested on the family. Even though the Amazon was "mine," she was still a family pet, so I was not responsible for paying for toys, vet care or food, I did not have to clean her cage, and I was not expected to take her with me when I left home. My mom pretty much took full responsibility for all the inconvenient aspects of pet ownership until I graduated from college. But, she had been the person who wanted the birds in the first place. If it is you and not your family who wants a bird, you cannot expect them to take responsibility for it.

Now I'll also stress that even if your family is willing to take care of your bird if you lose interest in it or move into a college dorm, that's still not an ideal situation for the bird. I left my parrot at home when I went to college, and even though my mom took great care of her, she screamed a lot and got flustered when she heard me on the phone and such. My parents were exasperated with her and were extremely relieved when I took her to live with me in a new apartment that allows pets. Her behavior improved immeasurably when she came to live with me, and it made me feel pretty bad about having left her at home for so long. So I stress this: even if you are lucky enough to have a family that will shoulder the burden of having this pet, it is not fair to the bird to adopt him when you do not know what the plans are for your future. As others have said, you will not be able to take him with you to a college dorm. It will be extremely difficult to find another place to live, because 1) it is hard to find apartment buildings that rent to pet owners, and 2) it will be difficult to find a roommate as no one wants to share an apartment with someone who has a loud and messy pet. As a graduate student, I have not been eligible for student housing because of my bird, so I have to live in more expensive private accommodation. And instead of finding a place to share with other students, I have had to move into my own apartment, which is of course much more expensive than sharing. My housing costs are double what I would have paid in student accommodation if I didn't have my bird. So this is something you'll want to consider on top of the enormous expense of owning a macaw.

Lastly, you need more bird experience before you get a macaw. You need to learn how to properly interact with and train a bird before you try to do so with a bird whose beak is half the size of your head. Interacting with other people's birds and taking care of injured songbirds is not enough, because owning a parrot is completely different from owning other kinds of pets.

 

[Papuga]

So what did you decided?
I'd rather choose Gold and Blue.

Size: 86 cm / 33.9 inches
Life Expectancy: 50 – 80 years
from
Blue and gold macaw about description temperament origin characteristics pet The Parrots Info | The Parrots

 

[parrotkid23]

Hey I am 13 to! They are right i know how you feel when I first started looking at hyacinth macaws which were way out of my legue. Also have you done research on other parrots like conures I am going to bring my little GCC home soon. And all birds will show there affection for you especially conures who are a good beginner bird and will love you to. Also macaws won't be allowed in appartments or dorms. And you should have lots of experiance before you get one.

 

[TonyCagg]

I realize that I am late to this conversation and this may have been stated already BUT I am a former zookeeper and veterinary technician. I have worked with all sorts of animals including nearly every type of parrot or cockatoo there is (even hand rearing Black palms).

Having said that...I have always wanted a bird of my own and have only felt I was completely ready in the past year or so...and I am 40 years old!!!

The TIME commitment along with the FINANCIAL commitment, topped off with the commitment to PROPERLY HOUSE the bird all add up to A LOT OF COMMITMENT for anyone, let alone a teenager.

I am TOTALLY not saying you shouldn't have a bird (I have had many pets in my life) but you should consider a smaller bird for now...learn the ropes...realize the level of commitment need in relation to the commitment you can offer.

Cockatiels, budgies, senegal, conures can all be very affectionate and loving...they are nothing to dismiss if you are looking for a connection with your bird.

I now own a Cockatoo (as you can see in my avatar) he is amazing, he is loving, he is WORK. All of which I readily accept and enjoy every single day.

Good luck with what ever you choose...but choose wisely (both for YOU and your BIRD)

 

[freedwithwings204]

I grew up with tiel's as a kid. And when I turned 18, I knew that I wanted another bird. I did my homework and research, and two years later, with my own place where the landlord approved of me having a bird (or two lol) I now work at a Parrot Sanctuary/Rescue. It has given me the best first hand experience with parrots of all different shapes, sizes, colors and personalities. PLEASE do your homework and understand the responsibilities of bringing home a parrot, especially a large one such as a macaw. We do get in plenty of birds who are on the south end of the common impulse buyers. The first bird I bonded with there was a 20 year old, badly abused Moluccan Cockatoo, and now that I have spent so much time with Cockatoos, Macaws and other large birds, I can understand why people are so attracted to them. And I can also understand why people give them up. Now I am 21 and currently own and Indian Ringneck and a Timneh African Grey. But when I decided to bring my Ringneck home I made a vow to make sure that he would stay with me for the rest of his (or my) life. The same goes for my other bird as well. The point is that they are a life partners, and it is a decision not to be taken lightly.

On the B&G or Military subject, the best times I've had have been with Military macaws (and GW). So I tend to favor them over our B&G, but I have a few B&G that a really adore too.

 

[lene1949]

This thread is over a year old...