All about scarlet macaws?

Very interested in a 7 month old scarlet macaw. Have spent about 7 hours total with the bird spread over 2 days. He/she don't know sex yet is starting to say hello. Held him almost the whole time. Very gentle never nips goes to everyone. Lifts his wing to be scratched under there.

I'm being told he/she is an exceptional scarlet. It seems from what info I can find this is not necessary the norm for a scarlet macaw.

Please provide as much info as you guys can about scarlet's and your experience with them?

Is this an exceptional scarlet?

Thanks

Anybody have any experience with scarlet's?

Casey said:

Anybody have any experience with scarlet's?

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I've never owned a Scarlet. But I've spent time with a couple who were very gentle birds. One of them had a bent tail tip and the first time I met him he allowed me to unbend his tail and he'd happily step onto my arm and remain there quite contently. When it was time to go, he didn't want me to leave. I wish I'd been prepared to bring him home with me. Sadly, I couldn't do that.

Scarlets tend to hold a less than stellar reputation as being nippy birds. However, I've found that some of them are exceptionally gentle and not nippy at all. And they are an astonishingly beautiful species in my opinion!

Plax, thank you very much hopefully more people with scarlet experience will chime in.

They are used to create hybrids so that must tell us something.

I know 6 scarlets, when they were young birds, they were very sweet, never nippy or known as biters. Out of the 6, 2 remained sweet birds but have their moments. 1 cannot be handled, 3 others are nippy at times and not good with strangers.

Remember, all Macaws are different. Depending on their up bringing, they can be very sweet or hands off. It's true that Scarlets are known to be nippy as they mature, with a lot of work, I'm sure that you can raise a well adjusted Macaw.

If I were you, I would lean more towards the Green Wing Macaw. You have the best of both worlds, the beauty of the scarlet and the sweetness of the HY Macaws.

Best of luck to you Joe

I've raised alot of amazon babies (not much different than macaws), they have their own personality, if your find a baby that has a gentle nature. That's your best bet for a great pet. I can read fledglings so well now, which will be problems and which will be cuddle bugs. Yes their early socialization is everything, but if you can find a sweet baby your chances are better. Always go with a bird who picks you. The right bird,right owner can break any stereotypical mold. The sweetest zons i know are members of the "hot three".

No scarlet owners want to chirp in?

OK, OK I just found this post! YES I am a Scarlet owner and I have also a B&G and a hybrid cross between a Scarlet and a B&G called a Catalina. My other two birds were rehomes but my Scarlet Clifford I got when he was 7 months old. He did not sell for Christmas 2003 as they had an awful price of $2,700 on him. I went in on January 6th 2004 and they made me a special offer on him of $1,800. and I was good with that. The manager of the pet store was out on maternity leave and raised two macaws side by side her human baby. One was Clifford. In the very beginning, my wife could handle Cliff, but he soon became attached to just me. Initially he was murder on my ears as wind was a foreign thing to him and when it would blow him around outside he would attack my ears thinking I was responsible for the wind. That was the "terrible twos" and fortunately we are past that. Clifford is now 9 years old. He does not play nice with Doogie my Catalina so I let them out at different times. He and Kayko my B&G can be out together as Kayko is timid and just cows down to Cliff's aggressiveness. There is no way I can put him on anybody else's arm. Cliff is a very good talker and knows about 30 words and phrases. I tell people that having a Scarlet Macaw is like having a blonde wife; they are very pretty, but they have temperment issues you are just going to have to deal with. Cliff LOVES to have his head rubbed and search for pins. He is especially fond of raspberries, and bananna slices and riding in my truck where he can see where we are going. He is out in public A LOT and will stay put on my shoulder. What other things about them would you like to know?? I bought him because I saw this picture of him with the petshop manager's baby (don't try this at home) Click on picture to enlarge

My previous boss had a scarlet and it was not friendly. It loved the owner, a guy, and the bird wasmok with other guys but not with girls. His macaw would chase me or other people from a desk or table if any female was too close to the owner. The scarlet would lunge and bit some female employees. They had scars to prove it.

His bird actually made it impossible for him to date. It was really aggressive to all women and it scared off a lot of them, too. Of course he did not want to give the bird up but then no woman wanted to live with him and that bird. Sorry if this experience is too negative but many scarlets are 1 person birds and selective with people. My boss had it since it was a baby but he must not have socialized it properly.