What Do I Need to know about getting a Macaw?

[PCash]

Hi,

A little background

Wanna-be-macaw-parront here. I have two GCCs currently, a Standard Poodle (that does not bother the birds, even when they land on him, but I supervise when they are out together), a five year old son, and husband that is a bit nervous around birds, although he has tried to interact with my GCCs and does fine. My son loves macaws (carries a toy Hyacinth around with him and sees to its "training" and makes "toys" for it and builds cages and such). I've been guiding my son on how to act around our birds. We began clicker training with the GCCs and I'm having a lot of fun. My son gets bored easily, but he listens really well and has little training victories with them too.

So, anyway, today we went to a parrot rescue and volunteered, cleaning cages and sweeping the floor and such for the first time. My son loved it there and is begging to go back. He was very careful about keeping his fingers out of reach and being respectful of the birds, but he also enjoyed going around and talking to them. He was so excited to see the larger birds, and felt bad for the pluckers.

Of course, there were a number of macaws there at the rescue. One in particular stood out to me, a beautiful blue and gold that seems to prefer women.

My first question is, what should I be thinking about/questioning/exploring with her when I visit again, to see if she will fit my family? Macaws are kind of one-person birds, right? Can I work with her to have her be calm and accepting of my son and husband? I don't want to bring a bird home where I have to worry about her attacking my husband and son, but she wouldn't need to be bosom buddies with them either. Is this normal/okay to expect from a macaw?

I don't believe she was abused, though I think she is scared of being abandoned or frustrated maybe. The story was that the woman who had her had her daughter and two young grandchildren (1 and 3 years old) move back in with her and she couldn't keep the macaw after that. She was heartbroken when she dropped her off. After I talk to the macaw, when I turn to go, she shrieks and bites down on her cage. The owner before the woman committed suicide in front of the bird, but that's the extent I know about her history. She doesn't pluck and wanted to interact while I was there.

We live in a 1000 square foot house, give or take a little, so its on the smaller side. What kind of set up would I need for her? Her cage and either a bird tree/or climbing wall, correct? I'd plan to add an outdoor aviary next year, but over the winter that wouldn't be a possibility, and I think I want to work on building trust and step-up and recall training before I would allow a bird freedom in an aviary.

The other question I have is whether or not, I could hope to someday free-fly her? She's 17 years old, or so they told me. I know there's no guarantee and I'm okay with that, but, if she vet-checks out okay, is there anything else I should look for or consider with that idea in mind?

This is my first look at macaws up close and personal (other than visiting a bird store and handling their ones there. I'd love to bring a rescue home, but I'm a little concerned that the bird might not accept my son (my son has been praised for being a smart and responsible five year old, above average - others have said to me), but he is still five. Should I plan instead to get a youngster from a breeder, so I can bring it up around my son?

So many questions. Sorry for this long post. Trying to gather information and think through this process as much as possible.

 

[SailBoat]

Welcome to Parrot Forums!

There is a ton of information regarding Mac's in the Macaw Forum and other General Forums. Thank-you for asking questions, as it is easier upfront then after you have the Parrot home.

There are several Macaw experts as part of Parrot Forums and they will be along soon to address your many questions.

With Large Parrots there is the high likelihood of very loud noise levels. And the larger Mac's can easily exceed noise levels of a jet taking off. Some do make lots of noise and some make less. But you should be aware of the reality that your neighbors four homes away may hear your Mac clearly. So, if you choose to bring a big Mac home, make it a point to meet everyone at least six homes in all directions of your home.

We have a Double-Yellow Head Amazon and we moved about six years ago. We made it a point to introduce him to all of our neighbors and anyone that common walked by our home. It is much better to receive a call asking if your Parrot is okay than to have the police stopping by!!!

 

[GaleriaGila]

What Sailboat said!

Thank you for attending to rescued birds! That goes a long way in my book!

Macaws are one-person birds? Each one is its own bird. I hesitate to make any generalizations...

Oooooh... 1,000 feet IS small... noise and space WILL be issues, I bet.

Free-flying scares the heck outta me... raptors, dogs, cats, parasites, lice-infested trees... I could go on. Some people do, though.

Good for you, indeed, for reaching out before the fact, not after!

I would advise you to... peruse the Macaw threads and stickies for a while, then ask some specific questions that seem to apply to you and your situation.

 

[greytness]

I have to second what Sailboat mentioned about the noise level. Our next door neighbor absolutely hates our scarlet's calls. He was my 11th bird added to our flock, but this bird's calls put her over the edge.
I will say that the scarlet will freely go to anyone. However, my miligold will only go to me, and is very temperamental at that. Just depends on the bird.

 

[PCash]

Hmm, alright, noise wise, I read somewhere that well-adjusted Macaws tend to make their noise in the morning and in the evening. Is that like five minutes? Or 15 min? I know each bird is an individual, but I'm trying to get an idea of the noise I'll (and my neighbors) might be looking at. We have one neighbor (a nice lady who thinks I'm odd for enjoying birds, but loves us anyway) next to us, but then there is a church, a laundromat, and a fire station (the bell goes off and it's loud), and across the street is a family that throws louder parties. ... All are rather noisy. Oh, and away back of the house off a ways is an active quarry that does blasting once in awhile. That makes noise too. Anyway, all that to say that noise is kind of normal here.

But in our house, we do keep things tamer, so if the noise is scheduled, that would work, but like randomly screaming/roaring throughout the day would take some thought. My GGCs will once in awhile holler, especially if they're missing me or I forgot to watch the time and miss training time or supper, and they might shriek if something scares them, but otherwise, they're fairly quiet. I know volume wise Big Macs are much louder (got an earful at the rescue today), but what I'm curious about is the frequency, if that makes sense.

My other question has to do with what kind of set-up would I need? My conures have their cages, a tree stand, and a basket as a play place/training perch (crude, but it works for now). Would I just need those things in bigger size for a big mac, or are there additional things a big mac would need?

Currently I give my birds chop, pellets, and a few seeds as training treats, and we just started putting their pellets and a little millet and nutriberries in foraging toys. Would all of this work, in larger proportions, work for a big mac?

Last question (for now), is there hope for pluckers? There is a beautiful Camelot (I think) macaw at the rescue too. I'm not sure what her story is, but her front is naked and she seemed a bit subdued. I will have to ask about her the next time I go. I'm not sure personality wise what she's like either. ... Are there things that I could do to work with both birds when I go back to the rescue that would help them better transition to whoever adopts them? I think the B&G can be handled by one of the volunteers. I'm not sure about the Camelot. I was thinking of doing some clicker training and starting off loading the clicker and then maybe doing some target training if I can find a treat they like.

Oh, are there differences in personalities between the different kinds of Big Macs?

 

[greytness]

Macaws need a spacious cage, a large variety of fruits and veggies, more nuts than most species of parrots, plus some seed and pellets. Not sure if your house will be able to accommodate a large cage or not.
Again, the noise thing you won't know about until the bird has settled in to your home. Macaw calls aren't pretty. It's like a blast of a fog horn.

 

[chris-md]

Macaw calls aren't pretty. It's like a blast of a fog horn.

I’m laughing inside at this. I kinda wanna say “clearly you’ve never heard an Ekkie call”...but then I see you own one . I’d take a macaw call over an Ekkie call any day!

 

[PCash]

There's a male Ekkie at the rescue that hollers every ten minutes or so. Yup, not the most beautiful call. lol. I feel like the Macaws have a husky quality to them. ... My conures are so shrill.

 

[greytness]

Macaw calls aren't pretty. It's like a blast of a fog horn.

I’m laughing inside at this. I kinda wanna say “clearly you’ve never heard an Ekkie call”...but then I see you own one . I’d take a macaw call over an Ekkie call any day!

You're absolutely right! They are ridiculously ear shattering loud! My ears seriously ring afterwards. Thank goodness my ekki rarely belts one of those out. That's probably why my neighbor hates the macaw calls, because they're more on going.

 

[PCash]

Thanks for the comments. Really appreciate it. I've been browsing through several threads here in the Macaw forum tonight. Lots of good stuff. Trying to take it all in.

Thanks Greytness for clarifying the basics for me.

Yeah, I'm not 100% about a cage fitting our house either. I have a hard time imagining what one would look like. I wish I could borrow one and see what it looked like. Ah well. I figure it out if and when the time comes.

What kinds of training treats can I use for the Macaws at the rescue? I thought i heard pine nuts were good, but the guy there today didn't seem familiar with using them. He mentioned almonds and pistachios. I'm not sure where to get plain pistachios, but I could get almonds. Any other known favorites?

 

[chris-md]

Pcash

Are you sure a macaw is for you if the husband can barely tolerate little conures? An angry macaw who doesn’t like men is a formidable adversary capable of serious damage.

To give you an idea of cage, Ive made this short clip of my eclectus cage, which I would consider the bare minimum for an equally sized macaw, a severe or perhaps a red fronted macaw (a highly recommended species by the way). The cage is 30”x40”. The room it’s in is approximately 15’x18’.

[ame="https://youtu.be/Vz8c4n2u0io"]Cage size - YouTube[/ame]

Another video you can see the cage. This was in our old house (1080 square feet). This was in this location for a few months before relocating it to the basement (Parker is out of cage when we’re home so he was in the basement with a tv on only when we’re out at work). The focus of the video is not the cage but you can see it in the background.

[ame="https://youtu.be/Qs_vpNE3xd0"]Parkers second foraging success - YouTube[/ame]

 

[EllenD]

I'm glad that you're doing your research first, as Macaws are nothing at all like a Green Cheek or any other smaller bird. Their noise is usually one of the main issues that people have with them, as their is no "scheduled" noise from them at all. While most birds do become "chattier" or noisy at sunrise and sunset, no, a Macaw is not going to only make noise at certain times of the day...and there is absolutely no way to guess when or how long any Macaw, regardless of species, is going to make noise. Some scream all day long, every day. Some scream for hours at a time. It just depends on the bird. So if screaming loudly is going to be a problem, then a Macaw is probably not for you...

The size of your house may be an issue as well, as they need a huge cage, and then lots of space to be out of their cages every day. Yes, most Macaw owners have both a very large cage and then some type of very large "stand" for them, usually some type of Manzanita or Java Wood stand. Some large cages have playtops for them as well, but again, they need to be large enough for a Macaw to fully open their wings without them or their tails touching the bars.

As far as free-flying goes, it's harder to accomplish the older the bird. Usually they have to be free-flight trained as very young babies, starting out first with recall-training inside, then moving the recall-training outside with very long leads connected to T-Stands, then eventually free-flight. But it's extremely difficult to train an older Macaw to free-fly, especially an adult rescue who has had multiple homes. Can it be done? Yes, but it's rare. And at best it's scary anyway, we have a Macaw rescuer and expert here who is a pro at free-flight training, and he lost his most-beloved Greenwing a couple of years ago now while free-flying her...and she was very thoroughly trained and had been free-flying with him for years...and it was and still is heartbreaking.

As far as Macaw food/treats, they should eat a diet similar to your Green Cheeks in that they need a pellet staple with a high-quality, low-fat seed-mix to supplement, lots of fresh veggies, and then some fresh fruit and nuts as treats. With Macaws, they can obviously eat large nuts in the shells, such as almonds, Brazil Nuts, pine nuts, Filberts, pecans, etc. They make great training treats. But their diet isn't a whole lot different than that of any other parrot (except for an Ekkie), it's just larger pellets, seeds, nuts, etc.

***Macaws, just like any other birds, may bond closely with one person and that's it, they may not like anyone else in the house, or they may tolerate the other people but not like them, or any combination...They typically do bond closely with one person in the house, and there is no telling who that person will be. It may be you, it may be your husband, or it may be one of your kids, regardless of who feeds and takes care of the bird. This happens a lot, where someone adopts a bird for themselves and are the bird's primary caretaker, but the bird bonds with their spouse or their kid who has nothing to do with them. So you have to keep an open mind to these possibilities. And Macaws can snap a broomstick in half with their beaks, so care needs to be taken with small kids, and with your two Green Cheeks...That's going to be a situation that you need to think long about, your Green Cheeks and how this would effect them, because chances are that you're not going to be able to have them out of their cages at the same time as the Macaw, and of course you don't want to do anything to upset them or deprive them of attention and out of cage time...

 

[PCash]

Thanks!

To ease minds, I will not bring a Macaw into my home unless I'm confident that not only do we have the right set-up for the bird's well-being, but that my entire family is on board as well. Thus all the questions. I've been doing a lot of reading here on the forum and am smittten with macaws, but true love does what's best for the birds not "what I want" necessarily. I doubt the rescue would allow a haphazard placement of one of their birds anyway, though I guess a pet-store might depending on the store. I dunno. In either case, I'm not about to bring a feather buzzsaw/mushy mac home unless it's the right time and everything is set. But a girl can dream and ask questions and gather supplies and make the move when the time comes.

Anyhoo, thanks for the cautions and answers. I wish I could see a day in the life of a macaw (a well-adjusted one, and also a struggling rescue) to get a better idea what sharing life with a macaw day to day is.

I went through a period a couple months back where my GCCs started shrieking, for an hour or more at a time and I couldn't figure out what was going on. I read and researched, and made a lot of changes (diet, living accomodations, foraging toys, training, etc.) and they've been thriving since. I feel like I've just touched the tip of the iceberg with my relationship with them and am looking forward to many more years together.

All that research gave me a glimpse into understanding birds. I'm hoping to be able to work more with the large birds at the rescue and learn more. Mixture of utter frustration and confusion and magical moments that cannot be explained.