Just Got A Severe Macaw

It's been a long time since I've been around birds but recently I've been getting the itch. I did all kinds of research online of different species.....watched hours of YouTube videos. I knew I didn't want a large Macaw. Many years ago I weaned a Green-Wing for a friend. She was a wonderful bird but also took up a lot of space....so I was sticking with a medium size. I made several trips to breeders and pet shops within 150 miles of the house. I narrowed it down to a Caique, Lilac Crowned Amazon, Hahns Macaw and a Severe.

The Caiques are so much fun to watch but seemed to be on the move all the time and I was afraid relaxing at home in the evenings with my Boxers next to me and my bird on my shoulder just wasn't going to happen.

The Hahns Macaw left me with the same first impression. Didn't want to stay on my arm and always moving.....just didn't seem content to focus on me.

So I was down to the Lilac Amazon and the Severe Macaw. I liked them both and initial impressions were good. Online information about the Severe was very mixed and after hours of reading peoples comments I came to the conclusion that though they have their tendencies they are also individuals. Information about the Lilac said that they tended to be more mellow than the Yellow Heads but that during mating season they could be unpredictable......but again birds are individuals.

Since the 2 birds were at the same store I went back to spend some quality time. It was a tough but I decided to go with the Severe. I just felt more comfortable with her......maybe because of my past experience with the Green-Wing......I'm not sure. I realize I'm still new to her but she never once tried to get off my arm. She was laying her head against me and gave soft squawks as I ran my finger through her feathers. I'm hooked! She should come home in a couple weeks. The Store is close to my office so I can visit every day.

I would greatly appreciate any input you experienced owners may have. I'm torn between cage sizes. Everyone says get the largest cage you can afford but once you go over 32" the bar spacing jumps to 1". Is 1" spacing ok for a Severe?

How do you all deal with toys? Any favorites? I'm thinking of buying bulk cotton rope and those bulk wood blocks on Ebay and making my own. I know I need a concrete perch to help keep the nails trimmed.

Anyway.....looking forward to her coming home.

Thanks for reading

Bob

Hello Bob, and congratulations on your baby girl!

The biggest thing with severes is thisr over bonding tendency. You've heard of one person burds? Severe macaws are the worst. You need to do EXTRA socialization work with her to keep her at least civil with other people.

As far as toys, let her guide you. Understand there are different TYPES of toys: foraging, foot, shredding, rope, preening, mechanical. make sure to provide her with all types and watch what she plays with.

One inch spacing is fine. My male ekkie - about the same size as a severe - has one inch spacing plus, and there is no danger. I would say make sure you provide a foot print minimum of 24"x36, bigger if you can.

Good luck and pics please!!

congrats! Baby severe macaws are my favorite baby LOL, they are very engaging, talkative and want loving. I must admit, I haven't been around any adults, so hard to say past that stage, but just try to socialize as much as possible. For my daughter's gcc, every time he comes out, he gets passed and "step up" training with no less than 2 people. Some days he sits with each person (5 kids & 2 adults). Just keep that up, going to other people, taking treats, etc and I would expect that he will at least tolerate others as he ages. You have a blank slate to work with, so it's easier to try and not create bad habits than correct them.

Welcome and be welcomed. You should read every speck of posts by birdmann666 , who is a macaw expert. There is lots in the macaw sub-forum.

Thanks Chris....I'll take some pics when I visit today.

Socializing with other people will be a challenge. I live alone and friends could care less about birds. Maybe there's a club in the area.

Welcome! I love my severe macaw..sissy came from an abusive situation but within months..she was wearing a harness,taking showers with me and sleeping under the blankets with me...ill give you the advice I was taught. Socializing is sometimes hard..i just bring her with me when I'm out and about...good luck..

Just "parroting" what others have said.
1 inch bar spacing is fine.
Severe macaws have a tendency to have more dominance issues than some of the other macaws, but tendencies are just that. Socialization and training are key.
As mentioned, birdmann666 has some great information on the forum. His posts were helpful (and continue to be helpful) when I got my macaw.

hah you were truly claimed! You now belong to her

Really the socialization is your biggest thing to worry about, so get all your family and friends round so you can parade your bird around them!

Thanks all for your advice and support. Here are some pics I was able to get during my last visit. She was a lot more active this time but still made little noise. I'm still waiting for that first big screech! She definitely did not want to go back in her cage when it was time to leave.

Sissy is beautiful !

She is a cute little thing!

Yeah.

The biggest thing with Severe's is if they are allowed to get way, way too attached to one person, they tend to only want to allow that one person to handle them.

With a baby this age, the important thing is to have a bird that learns to go to anyone and allow interaction with everyone. If you do that at a young age, you avoid future problems. IF YOU DON'T DO IT UNTIL AFTER THEY BECOME "SET IN THEIR WAYS?!" THEN YOU HAVE A FIGHT ON YOUR HANDS GETTING THEM TO GO TO ANYONE ELSE WITHOUT BITING.

They CAN BE great birds. But they need to be taught manners. If allowed to over bond, THEY WILL!

This was one of the macs in the "frequently dumped" category for biting issues. Bite pressure train this bird ASAP, and socialize it around strangers and it should never become an issue. People just don't do the work with these birds! Then people get bit. Then the birds get dumped. That's not the bird's fault...

Congrats!

A note on the toys: I make my flock their toys. I started doing that when vet bills got insane (I've had a bit of a run of bad luck this year), so in order to pinch pennies, I looked into making them. There's a couple good facebook groups for parrot toy making. I get lots of ideas from those groups. I hit up the "cut and cull" bins at Home Depot and Lowe's and can often times buy what would be $75-$100 worth of lumber for $5-$10. Since I'm cutting them up to be destroyed anyway, imperfections aren't at all a problem. I reuse the metal wires and hardware so I'm not spending a lot of money on those parts either. And my birds are insanely happy, though my living room floor looks more like the floor of a sawmill. My poor vacuum cleaner.

Congrats!

I have a severe macaw that I adopted from a rescue last spring. His name is pickle. Before the rescue took him in, he was kept with a hoarder who had 15 other bids and 10 Afghan hounds in a house that was quite literally falling apart. His tail feathers had been pulled out from one of the dogs. (They’ve since grown back)

What I can tell you I’ve learned from him is do not underestimate how much they understand!! If you are mad at her, she will pick up on it and act different. If you are nervous to handle her, she will pick up on it and act pushy. If she thinks you have an ulterior motive for picking her up (putting her back in her cage when she doesn’t want to go back, putting her in a carrier, etc.) she will probably either refuse to step up, or bite. Understand that parrots are wild animals and far from domesticated and that they can, and will bite. Parrots do not love unconditionally. You have to earn (and most importantly) keep their trust and respect.

Pickle was a bit bitey when I first got him, but he’s gotten a lot better now that he trusts me. If I ever have to put him in a carrier or force him to do something that he doesn’t like, he’ll act different for days. This probably has a lot to do with his shaky history, but overall he now trusts me enough to scratch his head and give him kisses on the back of his neck.

I was told he was five years old which is just about the time severe macaws finish puberty, but I’m not sold on the fact he’s gone through it yet. He definitely has bonded with me and wants to be out of his cage and with me any chance he gets, but he has no problem being held by my fiancé or friends (the ones that are brave enough) if they ask him to step up. I have others hold him any chance I can get to avoid the over bonding issues mentioned in this thread. I just don’t see too many signs of him being hormonal, though because of his background he doesn’t act like a cuddly little baby either. Be ready for that shift from cuddly baby to hormonal ball of feathers in five years! It’s different for all birds but it happens and it can be a dramatic shift.

He can be loud when he wants to, but to be honest my sun conure’s screams bug me more than when pickle is at his loudest. He has a deeper scream that’s loud but doesn’t really hurt my ears. Whenever he screams I just leave the room immediately and I don’t go back until he calms down. He might have a slight bought of screaming once a day tops.

Over all I adore my severe, and I wouldn’t trade him for anything. I actually love the fact that he’s so smart and that I need to earn his respect, but I think that’s what draws a lot of bird lovers to macaws in general. Keep yours as socialized as possible, and make sure everything you do is clear and understandable to your macaw so she doesn’t get confused and lose trust at any point. There isn’t much a macaw won’t comprehend as long as you do things in a way they understand. Always respect her as a wild animal with her own urges, desires, and wishes and remember that she will not love you unconditionally like a dog, and she will love you so much that it FEELS unconditional.