Need help Deciding on own a bird breed.

My fiance and I have come to an agreement on getting a new larger bird baby. However, I'm not sure which is better for us. The 2 breeds I'm having to choose from are the African grey and the macaw. We are experienced small bird owners but are looking for something a bit larger. I'm leaning more towards the macaws. But if anyone could help with deciding who are experienced with both or one of each breed who can help with tips and tricks of owning one of these breeds please let me know. If you can include owning experience and everyday life with your bird that would be amazing as well!

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Welcome to Parrot Forums, a place where those who love Parrots come together to share their experiences of Parrot Ownership! i.e. The Parrot Owning the Human.

All Parrots are intelligent, but the larger Parrots are very intelligent. Therefore, understanding their needs, wants and most importantly, their Body Language is very important to your success.

The 'Species' that you are looking at are members of the most intelligent members of the Large Parrot family. Foreknowledge, is the foundation of success with either of these two Parrots.

Success begins at reading with understanding the two Forums that cover those two Species here within the Parrot Forums. It also, is very important to determine if you are living in an Apartment or in a single family home that has distance between your home and the homes on either side.

MAC's are more than capable of sound levels that can wake-up individuals on either side of your home, unless you are living in the country with a country mile between you and others. Okay, maybe a bit over-stated, but you get the point. Grey's can create sounds across a very wide spectrum and can have those in the apartment next to you trying to answer their mobile phones or leaving their apartment because they believing that the Fire Alarm is on!

Babies grow-up and your level of success in working with them when they are very young will have some effect as they transition to Adulthood. The transition from sweet little baby to an Adult can be demanding. I would strongly recommend that you consider an older Adult Parrot for two reasons:

- Both of these Parrots can live into their 60's, 70's, and older. Take your current age, add the life potential of either Parrot and you will see the likelihood of their outliving you!

- Older Parrots allow you to see their personality fully in place and therefore it becomes; What you see is what you get! Also, they have the ability of choosing you!!! At first this may not make sense, but it is real! Parrots need to trust before they bond. Letting the Parrot choose you gets you a very long way along that very important road to a successful relationship!

Your reading those two Forums can provide you far more information then having someone list them here. Once you have completed those reads, come back with specific questions!

Enjoy!

It really depends on what you're looking for out of a bird as well as you as an individual. Both Macs and AGS are intelligent. To my understanding, AGs tend to be a bit more timid and MACs a bit more "velcro-bird-ish". A lot of people really find the idea of a "lap bird" very appealing and well cared for macaws certainly have a reputation for being just that. They don't call them "mush Macs" for nothing Both would need large cages, a macaw a bit larger than a AG, so consider your home and how much room you really have to include a cage, a play stand etc... To my understanding, if you are limited on room, TAGs have slightly smaller housing requirements than CAGs. There is also several species of mini-macaws to consider as well, so it's not just the big guys you have to choose from! I'd also recommend putting in some time at an avian shelter/rescue and get to know some macaws and AGs. See how loud they are in person, how you feel around larger birds, and if you're lucky, you may even connect with a bird up for adoption in need of a loving home There are so many out there waiting to be adopted (my zon is a rescue and he is a character and a half, love my boy).

On a personal note, I personally prefer and feel most confident around a medium-large bird and find the ginormous XL macaws a tad too big for my taste/a bit intimidating (and I grew up with parrots). I have been bitten by my fair share of med-large birds, including having been sliced to the bone by a small G2 and taken several facial bites over the years. I know I personally do not wish to be bitten by any avian with a beak 2X the size of the birds I've been bitten by! And bite they will! No owner of large parrots doesn't get bitten on occasion. Even a AG can inflict a nasty bite, so I'm not just singling out macaws. Once you get out of conure size range, you get into birds big enough to do serious damage that could require an ER visit or even reconstructive surgery. Of course, a happy and well adjusted parrot doesn't just bite for no reason, but at some point in your lifelong relationship wth your bird, every parrot owner gets bit. It's an important factor to consider!

Welcome to the forums, thanks for considering our collective experiences as you ponder a choice. As others have noted, read as much as possible from the forums!

Two helpful threads:
http://www.parrotforums.com/congo-timneh-greys/59366-cag-101-a.html
http://www.parrotforums.com/macaws/56384-big-beak-o-phobes-guide-understanding-macaw-beaks.html
(the second focuses on the beak but highlights macaw personality)

I have experience with both species and if forced to choose prefer macaws. Their penchant for hands-on relationships endears them to me more so than the stunning intellect of Greys. (macaws are not lacking in intelligence, though!)

Just anecdotal, but I've never been seriously bitten by a macaw. While their ability to injure is prodigious, mine have done little more than pinch and on one or two occasions mildly break skin.