[nicola mulvey]

hello to all, i have just joined this group as my friend has told me i can get good info abut owning a greenwinged macaw.

i an going to be looking at one later today. i do not know the breaders history so i'll be working on my own judgement.

is there any signs to look out for other than having an active healthy bird and clean envioronment?

the main reason for coming on this site is to find out what experience others have had with this species of macaw. have you found them to be too loud for housing in a semi-detatched house for example, or any other facts you think a new owner might need to know.

thanks for any information you can give. nicola :2thumb:

 

[Schip]

Having bred these birds I wouldn't want one in my house as they can be extremely loud indoors. I used to lay mine on their backs in my arms like a baby to rock them to sleep and gave them those large chinchilla cardboard tubes to play with, some used to try to sleep in them lol.

They are better natured from my experience than Blue and Golds but obviously larger love attention are very efficient at 'chewing' usually the door frame they've somehow managed to get onto whilst you turned your back. Another fav 'toy' of theirs and most birds is the remote control great for a quick nip - usually straight thru the damn thing lol.

You want good clean feathers around the vent area especially, if it is a handreared bird you may well fine the longer tail feathers a bit messy as in split in some area's where they've climbed about their cage and damaged them. Eye's and nostrils need to be clear and open, a crusty blocked nostril is not a good sign same with a watering eye, a nice dark beak and feet not dusty looking as this could be a sign of disease also.

If you feed fresh produce please remember to clean it away at the end of everyday as just one day's worth of left over fresh food can produce enough mold spores to cause a potentially deadly fungal infection in a young bird. Lots of toys are good too especially if you work and leave the bird alone, mine used to love rope type toys that they could unwind and use their brains whilst playing with it more than wooden toys that they could just chew to bits. Used to find the more robust food toys where the bird had to figure out how to get the food out were destroyed if they couldn't figure it out, either way they got the food!

 

[Vase]

Make sure that baby is 'closed rung'. A hatch certificate is always a bonus too. Some breeders get DNA tests done so you can be sure of the sex of your baby, especially with birds that are not sexually dimorphic. Might be worth enquiring about this.

A good breeder will not only keep the bird/s in good, clean conditions but will offer a wide range of foods at an early age. Nothing worse than a fussy parrot.

: victory:

 

[AZUK]

Look for Bright eyes, clean vent and good feather condition.
These are by far my favorite Macaws but as with all Macaws can become quite personal so make sure your new addition takes to you, there can be nothing worse than getting a new Macaw only to find out that it prefers your partner rather than you.
These Birds are extremely loud (mostly in the morning and evening) and can be messy and have an odour of the own (personally I love their musky smell).
Bear in mind that these Birds require a lot of interaction, liken it to that of a three year old child, they need stimulation and plenty of fuss.
All that said they are amazing animals and the rewards of owning one are out of this world.
Good luck.

 

[Dan]

Yeah, i currently spend my mornings looking after approx 3-400 parrots/parakeets etc etc and i can tell you now that fussy ones are a PITA.
The breeder should be feeding a range of fruit (dusted with calcium) and a seed food aswell (something like Versele laga ideally) and the water should have vits added.

When it comes to the adults, don't be put off too much if some adults look like big chickens (ie have plucked) as this isn't always a sign of a current problem.

Worth asking if his flock has been tested for any diseases, where the parents came from and how many chicks he has had from the parents of yours. If it is a high number then just make sure the one you're looking at is healthy to look at.

I think you're brave taking on a GW to be honest, they are damned loud when they want to be (which is often) to the point where you'll think your ears are going to bleed. On the other hand they are the best of the 3 more common big macaws in terms friendlyness.