Hyacinth macaw

MacawLoverOf3 said:

You will love your life when you have this baby but just know that your windows will rattle when they sound the alarm.

Make sure you teach your baby just how much pressure is too much because their bites can/will be a lot worse than other Macs.

I highly recommend getting an Expandable Habitats cage as the welds will not be popped and a bird really can't disassemble it from the inside. Some Hys can be really thoughtful in the destruction department.

Make sure you have a miter saw to cut up your wood supply. 2x8's cut into 3-1/2 to 4 inch wide pieces will keep them busier over the regular 2x4's.

I truly hope you are getting a baby directly from a breeder and not a pet shop or some of these baby raisers that have popped up in the last few years. Raising a Macaw is different than raising other birds but so many people think it is all the same, 10% of food at a feeding and that is it. Raising Macs people should not go by that 'rule' it is more of a science and when you are dealing with a HY, it is even more specialized. If someone is selling the bird with the bottom line of making money, those people are going to be wanting to get that baby out the door as quickly as possible or feeding it out properly. Ever look around as see so many small Hyacinths out there?????? The thing that I was finding a lot after asking what the weight of a bird was and finding out it was a small Hy, was the person was feeding a lot of pellets and hardly any fresh food. If a baby is not introduced to fresh foods when it is young, they only will eat buts and pellets and seem to be on the small size. I saw this pattern when I was doing my research looking for a baby.

Also be aware. There is a high motality rate with the babies hatching out of the egg. That is the first hurdle in babies. The next hurdle is the 3 month point and getting the baby past that point as Hy babies tend to throw themselves on their backs and end up aspirating so make sure in your contract you are not totally locked in should the people not be able to deliver you that baby because what if they can't and it might be another 2 years before that pair lay again? I add all that to cover your butt as I sure would not want to hand over my $$$ and then be stuck and not able to get my money back to put on another bird if theirs died. I sure don't want to be locked in with that type of situation so make sure, in writing, your money will be refunded if they cannot sell you a baby by X date and not just a non-refundable contract.

Ok, back on subject, bad things. Noise - check, large wood supply - check. Oh, Macadamia nut season is in the fall so get your nut supply in then and store in the freezer. I never like buying nuts that have been sitting around in a warehouse somewhere because you know that sort of situation always attracts mice and I don't want to have any thoughts in my head if the nuts that I got had those little critters in there.

Toys, everything has to be super gigantic size (when the baby is a little more grown up) or you could end up with a bird who isn't that destructive and is more interested in toys they can 'mouth'.

Sorry, that is about all I can tell you for the 'bad' side of owning one of these lovers. I have always said if more people were owned by one, they would never want any other bird, they are just special.

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Jlong1989 said:

What size cage did you get from expandable habitats? I already allocated about 3,000 for a cage and perches etc.

Mac nuts are not a problem for me to get them because I have an aunt who owns a Mac nut/kona coffee farm in hawaii

I am getting it through a pet shop I used to work for luckily he breeds his own hy's and they are BIG lol. But if you have a breeder you can recommend me I would appreciate it

I already know about the toys as I already have Macs and have worked around them for a couple of years now.

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Jlong1989 said:

also noise shouldn't be a problem I can handle noise and I live in a detached stucco, dual paned window house so I don't think I will have any problems

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MacawLoverOf3 said:

Jlong1989 said:

also noise shouldn't be a problem I can handle noise and I live in a detached stucco, dual paned window house so I don't think I will have any problems

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Don't think that dual paned windows will keep the neighbors from hearing him. :jumping40:jumping40:jumping40

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MacawLoverOf3 said:

Jlong1989 said:

What size cage did you get from expandable habitats? I already allocated about 3,000 for a cage and perches etc.

Mac nuts are not a problem for me to get them because I have an aunt who owns a Mac nut/kona coffee farm in hawaii

I am getting it through a pet shop I used to work for luckily he breeds his own hy's and they are BIG lol. But if you have a breeder you can recommend me I would appreciate it

I already know about the toys as I already have Macs and have worked around them for a couple of years now.

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I have 3 EH cages. The first one I bought back in in 1994 and at that time they made the cages with the doors centered in the middle. The second cage I bought they made special for me to match my first one. Both are 4x3

The third cage I bought used and is 4x4 with a 2 ft wide panel as the door. That cage has the paper roll on the side of the cage but I prefer the paper stored under the cage like my other two.

The advantage with EH cages is their flexibility. If you bought a 4x4 cage now and wanted to add another 2 feet to it, you can get the additional parts and expand it to a 6x4. The 4x4 cage has 2 single bowl feeding doors but my other ones have 2 doors that hold 2 bowls on each door which I like much better. Get a couple or 3 of their shelves. I have them under their food bowls and I can just place blocks of wood and they chew on them when they want.

I have to assume you have never seen these cages in person unless you know someone who does own one, but rest assure, this is a quality cage, not like some of the stuff that is out there.

Recommendations for breeders would be Kashmir Csaky or Rita at Avian Adventures Aviary.

You are super lucky to have an Aunt with a Mac tree but after the Japanese Tsunami you might want to keep in mind any radiation fallout on the Islands now. I had seen a YouTube video and the person recording it said something to the effect that what they were filming in the sky, they were not buying that the government was telling them was safe. I have a friend with a Hy who was teasing me about how Batman was glowing after eating the mac nuts from Hawaii.

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Mirren said:

If it's not too rude to ask- roughly what does a hyacinth cost in the US?
In Australia they're worth about $40,000 each, so my eyes bug out at the thought of anyone buying one, but it's probably nothing like that up there?

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Mirren said:

If it's not too rude to ask- roughly what does a hyacinth cost in the US?
In Australia they're worth about $40,000 each, so my eyes bug out at the thought of anyone buying one, but it's probably nothing like that up there?

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Mirren said:

If it's not too rude to ask- roughly what does a hyacinth cost in the US?
In Australia they're worth about $40,000 each, so my eyes bug out at the thought of anyone buying one, but it's probably nothing like that up there?

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Alwese said:

Mirren said:

If it's not too rude to ask- roughly what does a hyacinth cost in the US?
In Australia they're worth about $40,000 each, so my eyes bug out at the thought of anyone buying one, but it's probably nothing like that up there?

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It varies a little according to where you are in the USA. There are far more "bird people" in Florida, Texas, and California. I know for a fact I can buy a Hyacinth here, male for $8,500. dollars and $10,000 for a hen. There are waiting lists as well. The owner of the Ashley Furniture Home Stores lives near here and has a massive aviary raising Hyacinths and even Toucans.

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Birdman666 said:

Well, the downside to Hyacinth ownership isn't the bird's behavior, it is the unforseen expenses:

1. The high cost of macademia nuts and palm nuts... which are staples of their diets.

2. The high cost of stainless steel cages. Keep in mind that these guys can pop cage welds on "normal" wraught iron macaw cages.

3. With big strong beaks comes large toys, which get turned into toothpicks at an amazing rate.

4. BITE PRESSURE!!! Yeah, bite pressure training these guys (though easy to do) IS NOT optional!!!

5. These are the most toddler like, of the most toddler like parrots out there. THEY ARE UBER-ATTENTION ORIENTED. Don't even try to ignore one. They won't let you...

6. LOUDEST... They don't tend to be screamers AT ALL... but when they do go off, which is usually once or twice a day, well... they are the loudest thing in the room. Even if that room is an airplane hanger... with a jet plane in it... and the plane is revving the engines... 'nuff said.

7. Don't Piss him off! (See Bite Pressure, above!) [Okay, that last one was a joke. But it is worth mentioning...]

Other than that, these are big old mushy lap birds, that tend to love everyone... smart as they come. Easily trained. Amazing to work with...

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