Cost of Macaws

Davinchi · Aug 7, 2013

I just had a quick question for the Macaw enthusiasts out there. I am originally a African Grey owner but have been looking to add a Macaw to my flock. I have been leaning towards getting a Catalina but ran across an add for a hyacinth macaw. Are those macaws really that much more expensive than the others? I know they look very beautiful but the price differences that I have been noticing are pretty drastic. Just curious. Thanks for any info you experts can provide me.

Merlee · Aug 7, 2013

Macaws are not much more to maintain than other birds because they all need food and toys. The biggest expense is the cage. Owning a hy is a totally different story. I am sure some one will add regarding hys.

brianlinkles · Aug 7, 2013

Merlee said:
Macaws are not much more to maintain than other birds because they all need food and toys. The biggest expense is the cage. Owning a hy is a totally different story. I am sure some one will add regarding hys.

I am going to respectfully have to disagree here. I own several different types of birds and a macaw is a different type of bird to own. They are wonderful but not in the same category as a grey or my rb2. They go through toys which are usually in the $25-$40 dollar range in sometimes as quickly as a couple of hours sometimes they may last a couple of days. They are very, very messy. I knew birds were messy but not until I added a macaw to my flock did I realize how messy birds could be! LOL Again, they are wonderful, funny, smart & endearing but they are lots of work as well. That said I say if you are prepared then "go for it"! They are terrific! The hys are much more money than the other macaws because they are very endangered and there just isn't that many of them. The cost on these birds is high because of this fact, there aren't that many to go around and as we know when something is in demand and there aren't many to go around the cost will increase. They are also not easy to breed, they wean very slowly on top of that. Hy's are not easy birds to breed so that adds to the cost as well. If one is in your budget you will not be sorry. They are such amazing, gentle birds! If you like the temperament of a hy then you might want to look into the green wing macaw, they too are a big (second largest after the hy) and very gentle macaw. They run about $1600 around here.

JerseyWendy · Aug 7, 2013

I agree with Lynn. I've had an Amazon for MANY years, even added a second one to the flock and then decided to add a Macaw a little less than 5 years ago.

Niko can be quite destructive, just as Lynn mentioned, a $40 (and up) toy can be gone within hours.

Than I added a second macaw, Ripley, the Green Wing, and let me tell ya, he can put a beaver to shame.

I now make the majority of the toys myself to save a LOT of money. The lumber yard knows me by my first name. :54:

Then there's the "noise" factor. Niko was always relatively quiet, and then there's Ripley. :11: When he has his moments....and he had THOSE moments for numerous hours just yesterday....it's impossible to have a conversation downstairs, watch TV, or listen to the radio because his voice overpowers everything.

Messes??? Here, have a look. :52:
http://www.parrotforums.com/macaws/27542-macaw-chores-big-mess-makers.html

As for cost...here's a GREAT thread on what people paid for their macs:
http://www.parrotforums.com/macaws/21131-how-much-did-you-pay-your-macaw.html

Karigan · Aug 7, 2013

I have to ask, where did you find this Hyacinth? There are countless scammers out there, and I'd hate for you to be caught up with one.

sonja · Aug 7, 2013

I took your question to mean the purchase price of a "regular" macaw vs. a Hy? If so, then yes, Hys are significantly more expensive to purchase than other types of macaws. In fact, if you find a cheap Hy, it is a scam.

Davinchi · Aug 7, 2013

Yes. I was talking about the purchase price. I am not in the market for one, just seen one priced really high and was curious. If I can find one, I am going to get a Catalina. I love their coloring.

Karigan · Aug 7, 2013

Harlequins have similar colouring as well, just to broaden your search.

Davinchi · Aug 7, 2013

Karigan said:
Harlequins have similar colouring as well, just to broaden your search.

Thanks. I will look into those too.

Echo · Aug 7, 2013

JerseyWendy said:
I agree with Lynn. I've had an Amazon for MANY years, even added a second one to the flock and then decided to add a Macaw a little less than 5 years ago.

Niko can be quite destructive, just as Lynn mentioned, a $40 (and up) toy can be gone within hours.

Than I added a second macaw, Ripley, the Green Wing, and let me tell ya, he can put a beaver to shame.

I now make the majority of the toys myself to save a LOT of money. The lumber yard knows me by my first name. :54:

Then there's the "noise" factor. Niko was always relatively quiet, and then there's Ripley. :11: When he has his moments....and he had THOSE moments for numerous hours just yesterday....it's impossible to have a conversation downstairs, watch TV, or listen to the radio because his voice overpowers everything.

Messes??? Here, have a look. :52:
http://www.parrotforums.com/macaws/27542-macaw-chores-big-mess-makers.html

As for cost...here's a GREAT thread on what people paid for their macs:
http://www.parrotforums.com/macaws/21131-how-much-did-you-pay-your-macaw.html

GREAT eye opener seeing these videos! To all thinking of getting big/multiple birds, A MUST SEE!
Ps: you keep everything soooo clean!! And that's a LOT OF work.

I have 10 birds where the biggest is a CAG and the smallest a Lovebird. It takes me AT LEAST 1 hour per day of cleaning time. Sometimes longer.... I have 6 large cages to clean and the whole bird room gets messy with toys/food/poop flung everywhere.

MikeyTN · Aug 7, 2013

Hyacinth macaws are super expensive because of their breeding habits and also their expensive diets. They require lots and lots of nuts as their main diet and they tend to go through cages cause of their big strong beak. That's something to consider!

Yes macaws tend to go through their toys pretty good as a fast rate but as they mature they don't go through half as much as they would when they're younger. I probably buy one big giant toy for Willie about every 6 months to a year. Lola the younger one of the two, now she goes through toys like toothpicks. When Willie was younger, he used to do the same thing and I'm always buying him new toys.

I don't consider my macaws to be messy birds as I find other types of birds a lot more messier then others. My messiest bird that I own is actually my Lory and next to him would be the ekkies. That's because they throw their food everywhere and my macaws don't really do that. Everything is pretty contained in their cage.

JerseyWendy · Aug 7, 2013

Now I KNOW both my macs were lories AND beavers in their previous lives. HAHAHAHA!!!! My walls, flooring and carpet don't stand a chance. And I swear, I must have a bullseye on my head because I can't tell you how many times Ripley flings something and it hits me right smack in the head. :54:

Merlee · Aug 7, 2013

I guess I am the odd man out so to speak compared to the rest of the people responding. My macaw has been easy on toys and not bad when it comes to noise or messes. I have been blessed with an easy macaw. lol.

JerseyWendy · Aug 7, 2013

Wanna switch????

(JUST kidding)

ZoeynHarley17 · Aug 7, 2013

My macaws have absolutely no interest in toys.. absolutely none. I have like 5 hanging from the ceilings over their cages (A for effort) but they don't play with them at all, they are mere decorations haha.. it also might be because they are rarely alone, I spend a lot of time with them outdoors so maybe their interests vary. Messy birds is a definite, they make the biggest messes, and my Harlequin is a soup maker, I change his water about 8 times a day.

based on cost I got my blue and gold zoey as a rescue I paid a 400 dollar rehoming fee. she was tortured, and extremely aggressive (not at all anymore, shes the love of my life now)
and Harley I got at an exotic bird store on consignment he was 900 dollars and is 3 years old and a sweet heart.

FreedomAndForgiven · Aug 8, 2013

Karigan said:
I have to ask, where did you find this Hyacinth? There are countless scammers out there, and I'd hate for you to be caught up with one.

Yeah around here one starts out at $10,000 to $12,000 with the ones that seem kind of purple starting at $18,000 to $20,000 if I could afford one, and the diet for one I would get it in a heart beat, but I don't see me getting that kind of money anytime soon.

WeimerHeimer · Aug 8, 2013

We have a number of Conures, Amazons, 'Toos, and Macaws. I'd have to say my Goffin Cockatoo is the messiest bird with food. Out of my three Macaws my Military Macaw is the messiest with his poop .... he's a "poop shooter". Sorry folks, ... but it is what it is. He'd rather shoot his poop outside the cage than in his cage. With that being said ... I think it's hard to "generalize" by saying a particular species is messier than others .... it's more of a personality thing IMHO.

As far as toy expense goes .... make your own. Here's the trick of the trade ....... Make sure you use safe wood and safe chain & quick links (stainless steel). I go to Lowe's or Home Depot and ask them if they have any "WHITE Cull Wood". Cull wood is the wood that comes in that can't be sold as first grade because it is either so twisted and warped or it's split Rather than throw it out they will pull off the respective piles on the retail racks and make piles of it and sell it as "cull wood" at a considerable discount. Make sure you ask for WHITE wood, otherwise you'll get pressure treated wood and that's NOT good for the birds .... Not Good! A pile of cull wood will run you between $50-$100 depending on the size of the pile they have. That sounds like a lot of $$, but I will tell you this, .... a $50-$75 pile of cull wood will last you for MONTHS.

So, just cut the wood in random lenghts, drill a hoole down the middle, slide the chain through, and thread the pieces of wood onto the chain, link off the end of the chain, add a quick link, hang. Believe it or not .... your toys don't have to be dyed the bright colors you buy in the store. The birds will enjoy those equally as much.

Good Luck!

FreedomAndForgiven · Aug 8, 2013

WeimerHeimer said:
We have a number of Conures, Amazons, 'Toos, and Macaws. I'd have to say my Goffin Cockatoo is the messiest bird with food. Out of my three Macaws my Military Macaw is the messiest with his poop .... he's a "poop shooter". Sorry folks, ... but it is what it is. He'd rather shoot his poop outside the cage than in his cage. With that being said ... I think it's hard to "generalize" by saying a particular species is messier than others .... it's more of a personality thing IMHO.

As far as toy expense goes .... make your own. Here's the trick of the trade ....... Make sure you use safe wood and safe chain & quick links (stainless steel). I go to Lowe's or Home Depot and ask them if they have any "WHITE Cull Wood". Cull wood is the wood that comes in that can't be sold as first grade because it is either so twisted and warped or it's split Rather than throw it out they will pull off the respective piles on the retail racks and make piles of it and sell it as "cull wood" at a considerable discount. Make sure you ask for WHITE wood, otherwise you'll get pressure treated wood and that's NOT good for the birds .... Not Good! A pile of cull wood will run you between $50-$100 depending on the size of the pile they have. That sounds like a lot of $$, but I will tell you this, .... a $50-$75 pile of cull wood will last you for MONTHS.

So, just cut the wood in random lenghts, drill a hoole down the middle, slide the chain through, and thread the pieces of wood onto the chain, link off the end of the chain, add a quick link, hang. Believe it or not .... your toys don't have to be dyed the bright colors you buy in the store. The birds will enjoy those equally as much.

Good Luck!

Lucy our B&G aims it out of her cage also or off the base of the playstand. Phoenix is the super pooper though. Mess wise with food it has to be Phoenix because he will look at you, and then motorboat his bowl of food. Though all the birds enjoy feeding the dogs lol. Phoenix will destroy toys while Lucy has had some of the same toys she loves playing with for 6 months now, and they don't look tore up. Now Gizmo our new Goffin trashes toys, but she is smaller then Phoenix so it's not as messy.

calieckies · Aug 12, 2013

There are a few Hy breeders local in Socal if you are looking for a Hy - I recommend to use extreme caution when purchasing one online. I ALWAYS ask them to send me a video. I ask them to do a few specific things in the video also to show me that it is legit. I also only use paypal so incase something happens and I don't get the bird I have a way to get my funds back. Never money transfer or western union.
Also in Socal there are a TONS of macaws on clist have you looked there?

Davinchi · Aug 12, 2013

calieckies said:
There are a few Hy breeders local in Socal if you are looking for a Hy - I recommend to use extreme caution when purchasing one online. I ALWAYS ask them to send me a video. I ask them to do a few specific things in the video also to show me that it is legit. I also only use paypal so incase something happens and I don't get the bird I have a way to get my funds back. Never money transfer or western union.
Also in Socal there are a TONS of macaws on clist have you looked there?

Yes. I am looking on there also. I am not in the market for a Hy even though they are beautiful. Bring in the military, they are a little out of my price range..lol

Holding out for a Catalina or maybe a scarlett. Have seen a few militarys at the local bird store, but not sure that is what I am looking for either.

Cost of Macaws

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