does anybody have have a care sheet for a macaw.

[9Red]

Originally Posted by tH3 r3PtIle gUY!

you lot are saying that im not going to put in the effort in or look after this guy but i know i am today and yesterday i went to this guy my dads somtimes talks to and he has 20+ parrots including 4 blue and gold macaws and ive been working with him for 8 hours a day for the last to days and yes my ears are almost bleeding and i feel nakerd but i still know i want one and i know ill look after it for defo, but thnak you for your advice but please dont say that its going to end in tears it might yer but you dont know it will because i know im going to look after him.

I'm sorry, but 16 hours of playing with someone else's parrots is nowhere near enough experience or time for you to fully appreciate what a monumental commitment these animals are. As has already been said, people are trying to be patient with you and give you polite advice but you don't seem to be taking it to heart and actually THINKING about what has been said. Have you're parents read what's been posted here? I bet they haven't, and I bet you're unwilling to show them because it might make them change their minds about letting you have one once they realise that these birds can actually be downright dangerous in inexperienced hands and will need you're love and attention all day, every day for the next 50 - 70 years.

Oh, and this - 'please dont say that its going to end in tears it might yer but you dont know' - Again, sorry but that is just not good enough. This is a living, breathing, feeling and intelligent animal you are talking about, not a toy.

I'm sorry if I'm sounding a bit cruel and sharp, but the point is this - I do understand that you belive with all your heart that you can look after this bird and I have no doubt at all that you will try your very hardest to do so, but the simple fact is you do not have the experience to provide the type of lifelong home a macaw needs and because of that alone things are virtually guaranteed to go wrong. Getting a macaw in these circumstances would be purely for your own gratification and most likely at the expense of the animals' long-term welfare.

If you want to be a devoted parrot owner with a high regard for welfare and correct husbandry - and I know that you do - then PLEASE forget getting a B&G macaw for the time being and look at something more suitable for a novice keeper. Green cheeked conures, as has already been suggested, are fantastic 'mini-macaws' that will charm the pants off you! They also come in loads of different colours - even blue - and wont chop your fingers off if they do bite, nor upset the neighbours too much when they decide to sing/shout at the tops of their lungs. Why not see how you get on with a conure for a year first and then see how you feel, rather than rushing out and getting a macaw now and ending up in a hell of a mess.

Take a look here - www.conures.co.uk and here - Hill Country Aviaries, L.L.C.

Here's a few videos -

YouTube - 4 week old baby green cheek conure
YouTube - Sweet Pea dancing
YouTube - Funny Conure
YouTube - Green Cheek Conures (Yellow sided & Cinnamon)

[Pimperella]

One of my sisters Conures.
YouTube - Tom the Yellow sided conure takes a bath

[rach666]

if this vid doesnt make you want a conure nothing will
YouTube - Bird plays dead

YouTube - Leo's Blanket Trick

[stucoady]

Conures are great little birds but even they are known for their nipping and o boy can they give a nasty nip One day I would like to own a macaw but not until I have a few more years experince of be a parent to these little chaps and other breeds as there is so much to learn.

[rach666]

Originally Posted by stucoady

Conures are great little birds but even they are known for their nipping and o boy can they give a nasty nip One day I would like to own a macaw but not until I have a few more years experince of be a parent to these little chaps and other breeds as there is so much to learn.

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stunning birds you have
they do give a good nip,but nothing compared to a conure,loving yours

[Stephen P]

Excellent advice given.

I started with budgies and cockatiels. I have got a hand reared and very tame Senegal and earlier this year was asked to rehome an African Grey. His previous owners had died and the family did not want him. He is great fun, talks nonstop, and good company. However, he took a while to settle in, adores me but is not too fond of another family member. He has to be cleaned out frequently (as obviously all my birds do) but does make considerably more mess. He also has a beak! He has not bitten me because I watch him whilst stroking him, but would not put my face up close. He has a 6' cage which takes up the corner of the living room. I can hear him down the bottom of the garden (some 200' plus) and it can make talking on the 'phone difficult at times!

Serious thought must be given to acquiring a bird that can live up to 80 years.

Start small and wait....

[Zoo-Man]

To the OP, are the rooms in your house big enough to allow a B & G Macaw to fly? As to deny parrots the most valuable exercise of flight is cruel!
What do you plan to feed your Macaw?
Can you provide enough chewable toys & branches for such a destructive bird?

[tH3 r3PtIle gUY!]

ive decided not to go for a macaw after reading all your comments over again and looking much more harder into them ive decided to go for a yellow fronted amazom ive found a beautiful youngster an 09 bird had him out of his cage plenty of times and hes been great nibbles on everything but i find that funny not annoying lol and hes great comes straight to your arm if you put it in the cage hes fantastic just wondererd if these were a better choice than a macaw really and what you guys think in terms of him being my first large bird and just everthing really ive sat down with the women selling him and shes gone though loads with me even let me borrow one of her books so i think im propbably going to go with him just wanted to point out that im sorry if i seemed subburn befor and also one last thing is there any like nasty habbits or any big down sides to a yellow fronted amazon which the lady might not of told me about thanks sam

[Ssthisto]

Ok, an Amazon is probably a *better* choice.

Keep in mind that what a parrot is like as a baby is NOT what they are like when they hit puberty. Cute, cuddly, sweet babies who nibble you gently because they're trying to get you to feed them can turn into hormonal, angsty, chomping monsters when they're trying to get their groove on and you're not cooperating.

Amazons can also be very loud.
Amazons can be somewhat aggressive, particularly when hormonal (although probably not as bad as a male cockatoo...)
Amazons can be territorial - if it's HIS cage he'll let you know with his face... the hard way.
If your Amazon bonds to someone else in your house as his mate (and there's no way to stop him from picking the person HE wants instead of who YOU want), you may have to deal with him attacking you and trying to drive you away from that person.

You will STILL have a toddler for the rest of your natural life - are you ready to be the parent of a three-year-old who can puncture your hand down to the bone and scream louder than a rock concert when he's having a tantrum or just feeling happy?

You'll need to keep up with his training, not just the step-up and step-down - when they get overexcited they can get bitey.

On the plus side, they can be affectionate, they're generally good talkers, they're not quite as much one-person birds as greys or 'toos can be, I haven't seen as many people saying they're known for feather picking, and they can be better about being left than some of the other parrot species.

A blue-fronted Amazon was my second choice, when considering that a macaw probably wouldn't work in our lifestyle... but I don't think I have time for an Amazon either. TBH, until the cats go I wouldn't consider any bird personally; if I was going to go for another bird I think I would likely go for a Jardines or one of the Pionus species.

[rach666]

Originally Posted by tH3 r3PtIle gUY!

ive decided not to go for a macaw after reading all your comments over again and looking much more harder into them ive decided to go for a yellow fronted amazom ive found a beautiful youngster an 09 bird had him out of his cage plenty of times and hes been great nibbles on everything but i find that funny not annoying lol and hes great comes straight to your arm if you put it in the cage hes fantastic just wondererd if these were a better choice than a macaw really and what you guys think in terms of him being my first large bird and just everthing really ive sat down with the women selling him and shes gone though loads with me even let me borrow one of her books so i think im propbably going to go with him just wanted to point out that im sorry if i seemed subburn befor and also one last thing is there any like nasty habbits or any big down sides to a yellow fronted amazon which the lady might not of told me about thanks sam

thats fantastic !she sounds like a very responsable seller/breeder
same rules still apply needs lots of your time and attention ie,its like having a baby but i say great choice and good luck.

you must post pics when you get it