Too big of a jump ?

I have done what everyone says and gone the responsible way into starting with parrots I have now got a budgie and Im thinking of getting a hahns macaw is a budgie to a hahns macaw too big of a jump ??

I believe you can start with any bird as long as you are prepared. A starter bird(in my opinion) is a bird that won't send you to a hospital with a bad bite.

How long have you had your budgie? I would wait until he/she is tamed, stepping up, bonded to you, and maybe even know a couple so old tricks. Budgies are fantastic little birds, teach him to be your buddy so that when you get a hahns macaw you won't loose interest in him. I'm not saying you would, but I know it happens to some people and it's very sad for the budgie.

Man this is a loaded question my friend .......

I'll start out with a bunch of questions first:

• Is the Budgy your very first bird?
  If not, how long have you been into keeping birds?
  How old are you?
  Do you live in a home or an apartment?

My 2 Cents, and I'm others will have different thought son it:

If this is your first bird, then jumping up to a full size parrot might be a little difficult, but maybe not impossible.
Budgies and Parrots have different needs from one another, but if you did your research you could easily learn it. Also, body language is a bit different between these two species. Learning to ready body language of birds is a PLUS for you and the bigger the bird and learning what its telling you through looks and reactions is going to save a LOT of pain ...... whn I say Pain, I mean bites as in Bird bites. A budgy's and Macaw's bite feels ..... oh quite different. So know when it's coming is a gift of know how to read the bird.

I ask your age because Parrots live a LOT longer than Budgies do. If you're in middle school or high school right now your life style is definately going to change over the next 5-10 years. In other words, you'll be moving out of yourparents home, probably going off to school, at some point living in an apartment, starting a career, getting married, starting a family, etc... these all life altering changes. You have to ask yourself, will that be fair to the Parrot? Maybe you cna make it work .... maybe not. Then where does the bird go? I have a Mealy Parrot .... he's 41 years old ..... that'sa LONG TIME to have a bird and a huge committment.

As far as the apartment goes ...... the bigger the bird the louder they seem to get (generally speaking). then again, I've heard Conures that are louder than my Mealy Parrot.

These are things to think about. Maybe none of these things even apply to you????

On the other hand ..... I have a close friend that stepped right into a BLue & GOld Macaw for his FIRST bird, BUT he has THREE peeple tha are close to him that are more less "mentoring" him through the whole thing. Do you have any on with bird experience that could help you thorugh this process?

Well, that's my 2 Cents. I'm kind of on the fence with not really giving you any direct answers, but stuff you need to think about and consider.

Good Luck and let us know what you decide.

WeimerHeimer said:

...... when I say Pain, I mean bites as in Bird bites. A budgy's and Macaw's bite feels ..... oh quite different.

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LOL Couldn't have said it better myself.

I agree with the points to think about from Weimerheimer (hope I spelled that correctly). That being said, I jumped right into a blue and gold macaw. My mom always had canaries...the differences are so great that I won't even go into that. I've always said that my "dream pet" would be a B&G. When the opportunity presented itself, I could not turn it down. I've had Josie for less that a year and at this point, I could not imagine my life without her. She was challenging there for a while but I've turned to this forum many times for help and/or advice as to what to do. I've done a ton of research and I learn something new every day about owning a macaw. I will tell you that I have had the police at my house because she learned to yell for help and she soulds like a little old lady who fell. You will need to learn to adapt your lifestyle to be sure to take good care of your new fid. If you travel alot, this may not be the pet for you as they need lots of attention and time out of their cages every day. My opinion is that it can be done as long as you are settled in your life and are ready to take on the financial responsibilities that come with owning a big bird like that. Good luck and keep us posted on what you decide.

I know it sounds silly but I have kept chickens all my life and reared baby chicks also,my budgie , joey is tame and has just learnt the chopstick trick and if not what would make a good second bird if a macaw didn't fit

Great replies. Unfortunately, I have read so many replies on different forums to questions like this that make it seem like you need 20 years of experience before you even consider owning macaw.

Being 50 years old, that doesn't sound like something very do-able.

I found two shelters to volunteer at and go there weekly. I am gaining confidence with the birds, building a network of people that will help me, and getting a better understanding of what it takes to own a bird. I think this is a great way to gain experience if you haven't owned a parrot before. This forum has also been extremely helpful.

I went from a pair of budgies to an amazon to a BG macaw...I think that i just depends on the person and the bird...

Chesphoto said:

Great replies. Unfortunately, I have read so many replies on different forums to questions like this that make it seem like you need 20 years of experience before you even consider owning macaw.

Being 50 years old, that doesn't sound like something very do-able.

I found two shelters to volunteer at and go there weekly. I am gaining confidence with the birds, building a network of people that will help me, and getting a better understanding of what it takes to own a bird. I think this is a great way to gain experience if you haven't owned a parrot before. This forum has also been extremely helpful.

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I feel it depends on the person. Rosie was my first bird, and after having her almost 2 years I feel I am very capable of taking on a large macaw.

If you think you're ready for a Hahns macaw go for it

Sometimes, "starter birds" are horrible pets to get! Not because they are "bad" birds, but simply because it's not what you really wanted. Once you do get the bird that you want, what happens to the "starter" bird? Will it still receive interaction? Or will it be "put aside" because you now own the bird you truly wanted?

If you have the space, time and money for the bird that you want, and you've done the research, then by all means, get the bird you want! If you don't, then you need to do some rethinking.

We went from a Quaker to a Catalina Macaw, and we were her fourth family. She had a hard time adjusting at first. I think it depends on your dedication and your expectations. They are all different individuals regardless of size.

If I didn't fit a mini macaw then what would you recommend for me

Henryandjoey said:

If I didn't fit a mini macaw then what would you recommend for me

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Just go for it. I personally never had any birds before and my beginner bird was cag , I brought him so young that I had to spoon feed him (never done it before) 2 years later we are good buddies.

Hi Henryandjoey, welcome to the forum. I personally think that it is not too big of a jump going from a budgie to a Hahns macaw. They are one of the smaller species. Although I have never owned one, what I've read is that they are a good choice when one is considering moving up to a macaw.

Until last yr. I never owned a macaw tho' I have owned parrots for years. I have had a budgie in my life since I was a small child. I can't say that owning them really helped me much once I got my macaws. I do enjoy my macaws and I would not want to go through life without one in my world.

My family had aviary birds, and my sister had a coakatiel but i jumped straight to an eclectus. And even with everything that has happened i don't regret it for a moment.

A big part about medium to larger sized parrots is not being scared of them, and knowing their body language so you can avoid or divert negative interactions and biting. Otherwise i agree that as long as you are properly mentally prepared for the cleaning/noise/care/training and possible bites that there is no reason you cant just get the bird you want.

A big part about medium to larger sized parrots is not being scared of them, and knowing their body language so you can avoid or divert negative interactions and biting. Otherwise i agree that as long as you are properly mentally prepared for the cleaning/noise/care/training and possible bites that there is no reason you cant just get the bird you want.

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well said

My 2nd go around with birds began with a Hahn's, great choice but they can definitely be nippy! A great choice all the same. While the large Macs has amazing beak strength, the Hahn's beak is VERY sharp compared to the big ones. Do a search for a sticky called So you want to own a parrot, GREAT info in that one!!! Good luck!

My first parrot was an amazon, which I think are not considered beginner parrots but it has worked out fine for me.

I don't have experience with hahns macaws but they are a species I would love to have!

No matter what is plastered all over the internet about beginnger birds...Do not get any bird that you do not want.

I don't really agree with the concept of starter birds, as someone else mentioned, getting experience in other ways is preferable. Getting some experience at a rescue and then going on to some bird sitting would be perfect. But at least getting some species specific experience from somewhere. Even if you have to volunteer at a pet store
Making a purchase of a pet for practice is in my opinion a horrible idea. I don't know why it became such a popular concept. Probably warped from the idea of having experience prior to the purchase of a difficult species.

You appear to be a bit undecided on the species you want... that is a huge indication right there that you require more species specific experience A budgie wont give you appropriate experience for any other species (other than a budgie) that I can think of off the top of my head. And we can't give you recommendations because we don't know your personality, preferences and lifestyle

To narrow it down to a species you want....

• Think about where your life is likely to go long term.
  If you are young and plan to settle down and have children, you need to choose your pet wisely because rehoming due to an expansion on the family is not cool. If you want to plan a family eventually, look at species that are normally adaptable.
  If you plan to go off to college soon/eventually, its best to put getting a new pet off until you are done.
  
• Think about what attributes you want in a pet.
  You might like the look or the positive personality quirks of one species, but you need to think of the whole, negatives included. Someone mentioned that Hahns have a small but very sharp beak... that's important to consider.
  I have no problem with the strong bite from a cockatoo... but the nasty slicing beak of a budgie or cockatiel gets me every time. OUCH. I prefer strong bites to sharp bites. Others may prefer the opposite.
  
• Think about the noise levels.
  Even more important than anything else (IMHO) because it seems that noise is an even more prevalent reason for rehoming than biting or behavioural issues. The type of noise, how often they make it along with the volume are all important. If you hate high pitched sounds, don't get a galah or a sun conure LOL If you are in an apartment, think very carefully about noise.
  
• Think about your age and the life span of the bird.
  If you are rather young it is more feasible to have a starter bird... if you are more experienced in years then going straight to the species you want is probably best.
  
• Consider the amount of time you have to offer.
  You will need to be able to maintain an approximately equal level of care and attention throughout the birds entire lifespan.
  
• Lastly... you have probably considered all this, but just in case...
  Parrots are noisy, messy, emotional, intelligent, complicated and bitey. And they require a large amount of patience. If you have a problem with the possibility of any of these, it might be best to stick with your budgie Any "upgrade" on a budgie is guaranteed to be an upgrade on all of those attributes lol
  Even little green cheeks throw their food all over the place. And by that I mean you will be cleaning bits of food off the floor, walls, curtains etc. They are a lot of work but totally rewarding.

julya said:

My first parrot was an amazon, which I think are not considered beginner parrots but it has worked out fine for me.

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Are they considered good pets?

Henryandjoey said:

julya said:

My first parrot was an amazon, which I think are not considered beginner parrots but it has worked out fine for me.

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Are they considered good pets?

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My first parrot has been an amazon as well and he is amazing.
With any parrot do the research on them, there are many good sites with tons of info and check out this forum under the species your considering to get an idea of personalities, issues and concerns.