Questions on my Macaw

So, I received a military macaw around a month ago from a friend who couldnt care for it because she was always busy, so now I own a military macaw, many of my family members owned parrots and birds before but I dont live anywhere near them to ask them questions, so now i've resorted to asking questions here. I've narrowed my questions down to 3 main questions.

1. Where do I keep my macaw?: So I want my macaw to live in a green environment with fresh air but backyard has squirrels, other birds, and raccoons, i've thought about keeping him outside but i've wondered if thats the safest place for him/her to be in, we also have a variety of bugs and wasps. I am also worried about how cold and hot it can get outside.

2. Tips on how to get my macaw to like me?: Whenever I feed my macaw he/she always does this thing like hes scared or mad where he/she ruffles his feathers, his/her pupils shrink, she/he opens their mouth, and sometimes ( but rarely ) hisses whenever I walk up to give them their food. Is this something all macaws do? I really dont want to risk losing a finger giving them their food.

3. My macaw is lonely?: Sometimes I'll walk up to genji I always say "Hi Genji!" and he always squawks, but sometimes whenever I leave he keeps squawking until I come back, sometimes when he hears our conversations he almost always releases this loud scream so we can pay attention to him or sometimes I feel like he feels like no one pays attentiont to him so he tries to get our attention, I've been thinking about getting another macaw like a hyacinth macaw but I dont know how he will act around other parrots.

If anyone can provide answers for all 3 that would be great, thanks!

- EmeraldQuetzal :red:

The best thing you can do right now is put his cage or stand in a high traffic area of the house, usually living room or bedroom. If you bounce around the house alot maybe think about getting a stand or 2 to put in different parts of the house. Even if you are not interacting with him being able to see you is better than just hearing or nothing at all.
Birds are flock animals and they are always close to their flock mates in the wild, you are now his flock!
Simple answer but it should help with all 3 of your questions.

Save you a ton of time! Pull up a chair along side your MAC and READ out loud everything you can find written by Birdman666 - both his Threads and Posts in the MAC Forum.

Also read the Topic Forums in the second half of the List of Forums. The combination of read to your MAC and reading the Forums: You will gain knowledge and your MAC will develop a comfort being with you!

Welcome to the forums, thanks for joining! The macaw sub-forum contains an incredible amount of information! As Sailboat mentioned, the posts by Birdman666 are invaluable!

Where do you live? Macaws can tolerate a reasonable temperature range, especially when they acclimate over a period of time. Definitely use caution with an outside aviary, as some wild critters will be a threat. Mosquitoes are a particular hazard depending on location and types of diseases spread.

A few links to help with the other questions:

http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/macaws/56384-big-beak-o-phobes-guide-understanding-macaw-beaks.html

The second link is a great place to begin in the macaw sub-forum!

Thank you all for the help, me and my macaw live in the southern part of california near los angeles, my macaw still hasnt formed a trust with the rest of my family but he is warming up to me, the one thing I am worried about is him is how he acts around little children, I am afraid he might hurt them after I have seen how strong his bite is.

EmeraldQuetzal said:

Thank you all for the help, me and my macaw live in the southern part of california near los angeles, my macaw still hasnt formed a trust with the rest of my family but he is warming up to me, the one thing I am worried about is him is how he acts around little children, I am afraid he might hurt them after I have seen how strong his bite is.

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Macaws generally are not safe around children. They can easily be frightened by their random, sudden movements and endless energy. It's best to keep them separated from each other at all times unless supervised. Even then, I would not allow your new macaw around children at all. Not knowing the history of the bird, it is better to be safe than sorry. All it takes is one finger to go poking into his area and whoops, little finger bit and blood drawn.

While I am considering putting Genji in my room I am worried about a couple of things like how much space will he take up, the amount of noise he makes, and how will I cleanup after him, you see, Genji is a large macaw and he takes up alot of space, he also squawks very often and sometimes screeches, there are some places around my bed that could act as perches, but the main thing I am concerned about is his feces, he poops alot of feces because he's a big bird, my room also has carpets were cleaning up could be a difficult task.

EmeraldQuetzal said:

While I am considering putting Genji in my room I am worried about a couple of things like how much space will he take up, the amount of noise he makes, and how will I cleanup after him, you see, Genji is a large macaw and he takes up alot of space, he also squawks very often and sometimes screeches, there are some places around my bed that could act as perches, but the main thing I am concerned about is his feces, he poops alot of feces because he's a big bird, my room also has carpets were cleaning up could be a difficult task.

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I have bolded your concerns. Basically macaws can take up a huge amount of room. Their cages can be something like 5-6 feet tall and a few feet wide, so again, it is advised against keeping a macaw in an apartment without much space. He'll also need space outside of his cage every day to give him the proper exercise and playtime he needs and enjoys. A playstand would be a wise investment, and you'll need some toys to keep him occupied and happy!

The amount of noise he can make sounds very typical of a macaw. They often vocalize with VERY loud calls/squawks/screeches on and off all day, but most I hear are typical in the morning and at evening times. And it truly is ear-piercing!! There is no getting around this really, birds are wild animals and they need to vocalize sometimes. Again, not recommended for an apartment!!

As for cleaning up, yep macaws make a lot of poop and mess! It just comes with the bird, and you'll have a whole lifetime of getting really good at cleaning ahead of you! Tile floor is best for keeping birds in (as its relatively easy to clean up) but carpet may be very difficult. Sometimes you can train birds to be potty-trained so they'll go only in their cage or onto a potty pad or on their play stand, but it takes work to train them to do this.

Again, good luck to you!

Thank you all for the help, but there is one final thing, I feel like my macaw is lonely and im thinking about getting a friend for him but I dont know how he will react

EmeraldQuetzal said:

Thank you all for the help, but there is one final thing, I feel like my macaw is lonely and im thinking about getting a friend for him but I dont know how he will react

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It is hard to assess whether Genji is lonely and would benefit from another macaw. There is no guarantee they would get along, and if they decide to bond together you may find the relationship is less than rewarding for you. Tame macaws do demand a fair amount of attention, and you may find you and your family + friends provide all the stimulation necessary. Having a cage filled with challenging toys is helpful. Many macaws are voracious chewers and can transform wooden blocks into toothpicks rapidly! One alternative to expensive store-bought toys is to purchase untreated lumbar pieces from local stores. Untreated is necessary to eliminate various chemicals used during processing.

You asked about placing Genji outdoors. I too live in SoCal, but the weather varies depending on location. While there are many outdoor aviaries in our area, the temperature can dip below freezing inland and be quite warm in the summer. I had a pair of Goffins outdoors in Vista (northern San Diego) for many years and they did very well. The key is to slowly acclimate them rather than transferring them outside during the peak of winter or summer.