Mawcaw Owners!! questions need answering.

[Argranade]

I was realy thinking of getting a Mawcaw there is a person who may give me a 3 month old Blue and gold for free im pretty shur.

I have some questions.

1. Have you ever wanted to sell your Mawcaw and why?

2.Do you have trouble keeping them quiet?

3. Do you take it outside.

4.Do they bite alot?

Thanks I realy want one and would have plenty of time to spend with one.

And I know birds well.

[Zippy]

Macaw can live 100 years.They are loud not quiet at all.I wouldn't keep them outside.They are messy and need a lot of out of the cage time.Lots of Toys.They scream can be heard form like a mile away i read.They need a big cage.Yes they bite and can take off your finger i have read.

[Giselle]

I am not a macaw owner but I have experience with them..

1. Can't answer. Never was a macaw owner and I used to want a Greenwinged very badly but decided against it for VERY good reasons!

2. YES. YES. YES. Macaws SCREAM. I don't know if you've ever heard macaws scream but I volunteer at the zoo and you can hear our two pairs 50 ft away. To keep their screaming at a minimum, you'll have to interact with them in every way possibly and incorporate them into your daily life. Many macaw owners wake up with their birds, get ready with their birds, shower with their birds, etc. Macaws are more like puppy dogs/two year old children than birds. They need and thrive on attention.

3. Yes, you can take your macaw outside, but please visit an avian vet beforehand and buy the proper equipment. They have specially made birdie harnesses.

4. Yes, they can/do bite and they bite HARD. Remember, they use their beaks for cracking open nuts. Just imagine what that can do to your hand, yikes! You must "train" (yup, birds need training, too) your bird to accept you as the head of the flock and please socialize it!! Macaws have a tendency to be jealous of their human so you are advised to bring it to different places and constantly socialize it.

Like I said before, macaws are more like puppy dogs than birds. Just imagine a puppy dog with a bone crushing beak and covered in feathers and you've got yourself a macaw ;) I personally would not take this macaw if I were you. If you really want this macaw, please buy and read : Guide to a Well-Behaved Parrot by Mattie Sue Athan (http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780764110306&itm=1)

Macaws go through a stage known as the terrible two's. Because your macaw is only 3 months old, you'll have a bit of time to brace yourself and help shape your macaw into a friendly, social bird.

Have you had a parrot-type bird before? A macaw may be too much for you right now, but if you're really dead-set about this, kudos to you and please share pictures! :)

Edit: Very important question - Was this macaw handfed??

[Argranade]

Yes she was hand fed and she is also tame and is around the ladies children all the time and she loves to get hugs.

I would spend all my time with her to keep her happy and buy new toys every month.

To take her outside I would defently get a bird harness and Pj's pet store.

I would love to have a Mawcaw so much I know its ALOT of work but im willing to give that bird all my time.

[Toby's my baby]

I don't know much about them but I just wanted to add in...

My brother lives across the street from a person that has a mawcaw. The people who own it have a HUGE cage for it outside, and they leave it out there sometimes. It will screach a lot, and you can hear it at my brothers house, and it is LOUD.

Good luck with your decision!

...also, why are they giving away the bird anyways?

[CathyBogart]

I haven't *had* a macaw, but I bonded very closely with a lovely Blue and Gold named Bobaloo where I worked...

2.Do you have trouble keeping them quiet? YES. Their calls are meant to carry through MILES of dense jungle. If you don't have a huge property, I hope you have very forgiving neighbors. Bobaloo did permanent damage to my hearing in just a few months.

3. Do you take it outside. I took Bobaloo outside a few minutes a day. We weren't really supposed to since she was the store's bird, but she wouldn't tolerate anyone being in her cage (the only way to clean it) if she could see it, so I would take her outside where she couldn't see the cage while it was being cleaned.

4.Do they bite alot? Bobaloo never bit me. She mouthed me, threw up on me, and made me bleed with her strong feet and claws (they were filed with a dremel, but she was an extremely clumsy bird, would start to fall, grab my arm, and tear skin). She would, however, lunge at some people walking by me, and I never discounted the fact that she COULD bite me.

Most of the bad bites I've seen were from very loving parrots whose owners either pushed them a little too far when they were in a bad mood, or let themselves get into an inappropriate situation....Ex: if you are holding your bird and go to give your mate a kiss, the bird could get jealous and bite either your mate or you.

One regular customer had her macaw out on a playpen and put on a new piece of jewelry that scared the bird. The resulting bite required plastic surgery to repair her cheek and upper jaw.

I'm not trying to scare you or anything, it's just that...working in a pet store, I met a lot of people who went into parrot ownership taking the risk of bites lightly, thinking that "If I train my bird and show it lots of love, I'll never get bitten", only to give up the bird after the first serious bite. It's part of how birds communicate, and while I wouldn't say it's inevitable, I think it's likely that most birds will give thir owners at least one serious chomp over the course of their life.

[Husky_mom]

there is this site specializing in birds that may have more info

www.tailfeathersnetwork.com/community

it´s pretty great, it has like subdivisions for each type of bird you may find more answers as ALL members have birds.........(not tossing advice here as they are very accurate)

all I know is that big birds, as a Macaw, are loud and requiere, no wait, demand much attention, they mostly are one person bird, and need tons and tons of stimulation or they can get very destructive (as any bored animal) but due to their size.......

[Giselle]

Going off what CathyBogart said, macaws can and DO bite you HARD. Mattie Sue Athan recommends not to allow your bird on your shoulder or any part of your body unless you are POSITIVE you have complete control on your bird. If your macaw is sitting on your shoulder and it doesn't want to get off, it can gauge your eyes and cheeks out.

While the macaw may seem cute and cuddly right now, please please please read Guide to a Well-Behaved parrot because your bird will most likely go through her Terrible Two's. Think of it as adolescence for birdies. They start to hit sexual maturity and start to defy rules. You'll have to train the bird just as you would a dog. Set rules and guidelines and stick to them. I really do wish you luck. I've seen many macaws and cockatoos given up because their owner was not ready for the 80 year commitment of owning a large exotic parrot.

Be prepared to live with this animal for the rest of your life.

[Iilo]

I don't know anything about Macaws, but I think they're just about the coolest animals in the world. If I ever have the time, money, and space for one I would definitely consider getting one. Does anyone know how long they live on average?? I know it's a LOONNNG time.

[Giselle]

I don't know anything about Macaws, but I think they're just about the coolest animals in the world. If I ever have the time, money, and space for one I would definitely consider getting one. Does anyone know how long they live on average?? I know it's a LOONNNG time.

Well, it's always been said among pet owners that macaws will live up to 60-80 years but many zoos disagree. They unanimously agree that B&Gs live up to 50, with most ranging between 30-45.

[Iilo]

Thirty-Forty sounds a lot better to me than 80!!! I'm planning on getting one much later in life, but I don't know if I'd know anyone who would be willing to take on a Macaw when I died, lol.

[Argranade]

So far no repley from the people.

I e-mailed them 3 times (They told me to e mail them back ASAP). Maybe this was a joke? but who would want to joke about giving away a Mawcaw thats just Lame. :rolleyes:

Well if they dont E-mail me in 2 days im going to be buying a smaller parrot at the pet store they can be taught to speak too and have great attitudes. :)

[Giselle]

So far no repley from the people.

I e-mailed them 3 times (They told me to e mail them back ASAP). Maybe this was a joke? but who would want to joke about giving away a Mawcaw thats just Lame. :rolleyes:

Well if they dont E-mail me in 2 days im going to be buying a smaller parrot at the pet store they can be taught to speak too and have great attitudes. :)
Who offered this macaw? It sounds fishy...

What kind of "smaller parrot" are you hoping to purchase? I'm going to take a leap of faith and hope you mean a budgie or tiel. In that case, more power to you and I hope you'll gain some invaluable birdie experience in the process. :) However, if you're talking about Caiques and Conures, I wouldn't recommend buying one of these parrots via the pet store. Pet stores simply cannot replace the nurturing enviornment of a breeder.

Iilo, I'm not quite sure but I'm pretty sure captive macaws must live much longer than their wild counterparts. If I were you, I'd write the bird into my will, at any rate, hehe.

[Argranade]

Actualy I dont know the breed of this small parrot I forgot the name but he/she's realy nice and everytime I come there it jumps up and down from the cage and flaps her/his wings at me sqeaking for me to take it home its just so cute maybe this bird is ment for me then it also love's belly rubs hehe.

Well I think ill just forget about that Mawcaw I geuss it realy was too good to be true and it would seem weird to give away a Mawcaw for free.

Thanks for all the help everyone! :)

[Argranade]

Ok I found the excact breed of that little parrot.

it was a Nanday concure.

Here's some pics. :D