Macaws: What to expect

Hey!

I'm planning to adopt a bg macaw from craigslist. I talked to the guy, who explained his bird was young, friendly, and well cared for. He is 3 years old. I have had expierience with budgies, and have alot of book knowledge for larger birds. I dont know if I I'm getting him yet because I have questions due to my lack of expierience. I know behavior differs from bird to bird, so just answer with your expierience. How loud are bg macaws? Are they known to be sweet or biting birds? How destructive are they on a house? Even if your macaw is tame, will you still get bitten occasionally? How much time do they need out of a day? How much do they cost monthly? If you have any other advice please tell me. Thanks.

Macaws can be very destructive if left unsupervised. I'd recommend supervision at all times when he's out of the cage.

Find a video of a screaming Macaw, turn the volume ALL the way up.
That's still not as loud as they can be. Mine can give me a headache with just one big burst of screaming.

I have two Macaws and spend about $100 dollars a month on fresh foods and pellets and treats for them. This does not include toys (or the greys, but the Macs eat more)

Your first vet visit, if you get a blood panel run, will probably be about 300 dollars (price varies depending on vet/location, etc.)

If your macaw is tame, you still run the risk of being bitten yes. Birds bite, it's their natural instinct too if they're scared or mad or testing you, or think its funny, etc.

They need at least 3-4 hours a day outside of their cage.

Blue and Gold Macaws are known to be clowns, however each bird has it's own personality. I've known mean ones, silly ones, fun ones, friendly ones.

Read through the posts on this forum and others, you'll see a huge amount of stories and concerns. I think you need to read up a little more on them by your questions.

It doesn't sound like you've had up close and personal experience with a macaw? If you have a rescue near you, I would go and visit just to see what they're like. You'll hear them screaming, and will probably get a good idea of what kind of behavior some can exhibit in their cages, around strangers, etc.

Thanks Safira. Even though its not much, I have handled macaws before. I went to a large breeder once who had a few gw. I found it strange though because the gw was quiet and all the cockatoos and caiques were screaming. Idk though. I guess some are just quiet? Anyway I will definetly read up more if I plan on getting one. Thanks again.

Some Macaws aren't screamers, and some are. My GW screams a little, but I count that as normal. My Blue and Gold doesn't scream at all, but she's only 2 and we'll see what she's like after she matures more.

I've been in a room with 6 macaws who thought it was all fun to have a screaming fit. I think my hearing is permanently damaged after that, lol

Hi Kenzie,

I don't have a macaw but have been on this forum for a while and have seen lots of stories.

Macaws are loud and destructive.
It's not a matter of if you get bit, it's when
Most Macaw owners seem to prefer to make their own toys, Macaws go through them.
Macaws eat a lot and especially need good nuts in their diets as well as fresh foods and pellets.

There are a couple of users on here that have posted video's of their macaws screaming and destructive behaviours. Do a search for Plax, Wharfrat, Jerseywendy and Tabxo.

You will also see the good side of these loving and beautiful creatures.
Good luck and search deep into your heart and do a lot of research.

I have tons of posts on here as well as pics and videos as well as the other members mentioned. I have 1 GW that is absolutely amazing, the other one can be QUITE moody at times. They both came from the same parents and are very close in age, so you just never know. Just earlier I had both of them on my chair and Miri (moody one) reached down and bit the heck out of me for no reason at all. She can still be very affectionate and loving but then turn around in a heartbeat and get your attention VERY quickly.

I have a baby blue and gold and and a golden conure and wow the B&G is loud the pitch isn't as high but the volume is strong very loud bass. Also the mess is twice as much because he would toss his food outside the cage plus he likes to climb around his cage so poop would end up on the floor.

I have found having Fargo to be very easy so far! He doesnt chuck his food, he doesnt go to the toilet everywhere, he only screams in the evenings, but even thats only inbetween his talking words, but never screams in the mornings!

I have been bitten ONCE, but that one time was when he was caught and very scared, wasnt an aggressive bite!

He spends basically all day out of his cage, i timed the other day that he spent 4 hours just sitting on my chair with me! He is the most cuddly cute boy!

Destructive, very, he have JUST figured out that he cant eat the walls! So from now on that should be ok!

I have tried making toys, but he doesnt like mine, so i just buy them, his order last month was about 280 dollars in toys, he gets a big set maybe every 2 months!

So after 7 months he has been an angel, of course im ready for that to change when his hormones kick in

Have a read through my posts, you will read lots of stories, and the one with pictures of my bites

My "rules" on having a Macaw

Please take with a grain of salt

(I will update as I think of more)

1. SAY WHAT?!?!?!? I own YOU, you don't own me!

2. That bite wasn't hard, I'll show you hard!

3. About that new bird you just got......you just thought I was hard to deal with before!

4. Yes, I will yell at the top of my lungs when you're cooking food in the kitchen and you won't let me out.

5. You know those little scars I leave with my claws?? Don't worry, I plan on chewing them off later.

6. Of course I'm nicer to your wife....you're an ..........

7. You know those Zon's in the next cage?? I told them to hate you or they were TOAST!

8. When I'm screaming at the top of my lungs, it means I NEED something, MORON!!

9. Yes, I will continue pooping on the floor............DEAL WITH IT!!!

10. We know you're really tired of all the food we scatter everywhere daily and you have to clean it up.............WE DON'T CARE!!

kenzie said:

Hey!

I'm planning to adopt a bg macaw from craigslist. I talked to the guy, who explained his bird was young, friendly, and well cared for. He is 3 years old. I have had expierience with budgies, and have alot of book knowledge for larger birds. I dont know if I I'm getting him yet because I have questions due to my lack of expierience. I know behavior differs from bird to bird, so just answer with your expierience. How loud are bg macaws? Are they known to be sweet or biting birds? How destructive are they on a house? Even if your macaw is tame, will you still get bitten occasionally? How much time do they need out of a day? How much do they cost monthly? If you have any other advice please tell me. Thanks.

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Based on the blue and gold macaw I own, you can expect the following:

Loud screaming in the morning and at night. They can scream an alarm when strangers approach your house. The noise can be heard quite a distance from your home.

They can be sweet one moment and be aggressive another without provocation. I have learned to never trust a bird 100% and keep it away from your face.

Macaws are very destructive so they must have toys to keep them busy. They can destroy whatever is within reach. Until you know your bird, I would never leave it unsupervised on a play area.

Monthly costs depends on how you maintain it. What type of food you decide to purchase, preferably pellets, as well as the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables. Also take into consideration how often you need new toys. I purchase a 17 pound bag of Zupreme Fruitblend pellets and the price ranges from $45-$62 depending on where it's purchased. This lasts me roughly 6 months. You can purchase smaller bags at pet stores but will cost more by the pound in the end.

The less time in the cage the better. A separate play area is highly recommended.

Also take into consideration you will need something to help it bathe. Many members purchase some sort of stand or perch to use in their showers.

Hi Kenzie and welcome to the forum! I was in the same boat you are when we were thinking of purchasing a macaw. Before, I had owned a parakeet, cockatiel, and a sun conure, but never anything larger. When I brought up the idea of a bird, I was thinking a green cheek conure, but my husband has always wanted a macaw. I had never handled one so I was incredibly nervous when we first brought Tiki home, but I have realized that you definitely cannot be afraid of them. They will take advantage of it. Ours is a little younger than the one you're looking at...she will be 1 on May 1st, but so far, she's been wonderful. She can be VERY loud....she's gotten louder the longer we've had her. She does the typical macaw thing in the evening, and will now have a fit when I have to put her up. She's only bitten me really good twice, and both times were mostly my fault. The longer you're around them, the better you can read their body language. Ours is clipped and cannot get away from her playstand, so we haven't had any destructive problems yet....but I'm sure if she could get her beak on something, it wouldn't take her long to completely destroy it. I was anticipating it costing more than it does....since we already buy produce for ourselves, I just add a little more every week for Tiki. We bought 25 lbs of her food in February, and it should last us until June or July. We found her cage on craigslist for $275. It's like 6 feet tall, 4 feet wide, and 3 feet deep. It's huge! The toys can be expensive...we're going to try and make our own, but look at spending at least $100 a month or so on toys....she completely destroyed the last one I got her in like 8 hours. She was very proud of herself. Vet visits are more expensive, obviously since he'll have to see an avian vet. We found one near us that was $60 for a visit plus nail clipping, which was great. I had no idea what we were getting into when we purchased a macaw....I had done my research and knew the basics on what they required and basic care, but it is completely different when you've brought one into your household. She is a very sweet bird, and has hardly ever been too rough....but then again, she's also young, so I'm sure that has something to do with it. Good luck if you decide to bring him home. I'm sure as long as you have done your research and are prepared, you'll do just fine. Definitely keep up with this forum...many of my questions have been answered by other posts or by some of the great members on here. It's helped me out a ton.