Researching owning a Macaw

Hello I am Francisco and use to have a Lilac Amazon which was my closest pet I have ever owned, but one day while she was on my shoulder the screen door shut and she got startled and flew away. This was over ten years ago. I am now thinking of owning a Macaw and now researching on what would be the best as my wife and I have lots of time to provide love and attention. We are leaning towards a Harlequin, but have been told that a Blue and Gold are more gentle for a first time Macaw owner. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I am new to this site.

I have a B&G he's a twentyfive year old and we've had him for five years.

He is awesome and beautiful and a true character
but he is a pain in the butt and so much freaking work.
we are two adults.
and one of us (the one that is not me.) likes to live in a clean house.
So we have to clean constantly.

I would not trade it for the world, but on some days I would trade for much less.
He loves us, but he is a brat and a biter, that cant be trusted near your face.
unless you hold his beak really tight because he would love nothing more than to bite my nose off.




I'm sorry to vent and don't want to discourage you.
it would be great if you got a rescue.
many need a good home.

though we have two amazons that are the sweetest,
they would fool anyone into thinking that caring for companion parrots is easy.
Max our big mac is another story. He's a holy terror.

if you can visit someone to see what the day to day is like with a macaw.

and visit a shelter and see if you can catch ones eye and get a romance going.

many on here with mushy macs with a different POV.

Welcome and happy adventure!

Hello and welcome!

Blue and golds are great! But you can do even better with the gentle, mellow department. You might consider a red fronted macaw, a blue throated macaw (if you can find one available in your state), or even a green wing macaw - often referred to as the gentle giants. All three are noted for their uniquely gentle personalities, even more so than the rightly oft touted blue and gold.

Welcome to you, Francisco, and your wife.

Macaws are very complex parrots with a very high reward potential. Beautiful, intelligent, but capable of much noise and destruction with that powerful beak. Please do your research and spend time at a sanctuary/rescue if possible to learn more first-hand is a macaw is a good fit. I also second the recommendation of a Green Wing as "gentle giant." Mine was a spirited but overall very gentle companion.

Thank you to everyone for your replies and recommendations to my Wife Yemima and I, it is very much appreciated. :red:

I would love to adopt, but the process to adopt is very strict with their policies as I do not live in the same state, so I am seeking those who would like to rehome their pet Harlequin Macaw.

Oh, I love Harlequins!! Beautiful hybrids. I just love their colors. Sure, MACs can be intimidating, but if you get one young and set boundaries and show lots of love, they can turn into the mushiest parrots!! Be sure to read all the threads (the first 10 pages) in the Macaw forum and also check out Birdman666's threads, he has great advice on owning macaws!

As far as gentleness goes, all macaws will be different but Greenwings are going to be less feisty/testy than, say, a Scarlet. If you're set on a hybrid I highly recommend finding a breeder in your area that you can contact and, when the baby is born, you can visit throughout the weaning process and begin that bonding experience early. Otherwise macaws are great but will definitely require work on your part to train, socialize, and become a well-rounded member of the family.

Thank you so much for the advice, I truly appreciate it!:14::red:

risseman said:

Hello I am Francisco and use to have a Lilac Amazon which was my closest pet I have ever owned, but one day while she was on my shoulder the screen door shut and she got startled and flew away. This was over ten years ago. I am now thinking of owning a Macaw and now researching on what would be the best as my wife and I have lots of time to provide love and attention. We are leaning towards a Harlequin, but have been told that a Blue and Gold are more gentle for a first time Macaw owner. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I am new to this site.

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Hi Francisco, taking on a Macaw is quite and adventure, make sure you do your homework right! Registering to this forum definitely is step in the right direction.

I have made a small list of things to have, before getting a parrot.
Also a good read to learn what it is all about to own a macaw parrot.


Hope it helps, let me know if it dose.

Have fun with your new pet!