How awsome is this .

Every time I see this picture i can't help but smile

So sweet!!! :heart: :heart: :heart:

Yes it is very sweet but is it just me cos I also feel a little sad looking at the pic ??

plumsmum2005 said:

Yes it is very sweet but is it just me cos I also feel a little sad looking at the pic ??

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Why sad ? Kinda peaceful to me

Perhaps emotional?

That is actually my all time favorite Hy-Hy picture...

Yeah. That bird probably has enough power to bite that little girl's arm off... BUT he would really just rather have a great big hug!

Isn't it a pity how macaws are just such aggressive creatures?!

I was recently reading a list of the most cuddly birds and this type of macaw made the list! I've always wanted one but never had the space does anyone have any feedback?

Oh, I've always loved this pic! One of my all time favorites. The sheer size of that Hy next to that cute little girl! Wow! And the way he seems to actually be hugging her. Just amazing.

And I think I know what you mean, Plumsmum. It feels like there's a backstory to the pic. Almost like this is a glimpse into a farewell moment? Or like the little girl is being comforted for something sad?

Natoleee said:

I was recently reading a list of the most cuddly birds and this type of macaw made the list! I've always wanted one but never had the space does anyone have any feedback?

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Ten thousand dollar bird.
Two thousand dollar stainless steel cage.
Specialized Feeder = also more expensive to feed.

Stanless steel cages are not optional with these guys. They pop cage welds effortlessly. They can tear the bars of a normal macaw cage clean off!

Bite pressure training is not optional either!

Always loved them. A friend of mine in California bred them, so I was fortunate enough to play with them a lot.

They are difficult to hand feed, and take a long time to wean. I used to help out sometimes, and I got to "help socialize" (i.e. play with) the babies...

They are big and powerful, and mushy at the same time.

But any macaw can be a mush mac, just as any macaw including a hy can be made into an angry biter...



MY MAGGIE IS EVERY BIT AS MUSHY, AND JUST AS GOOFY, AS ANY HY...!!! It's really about socialization.

Most folks who pay ten grand for a bird, generally have the means to take care of them. You rarely see a big blue in need of rescue. (Thank God!)

That would be very rare.

The thing about Hys is they are generally super confident birds, and very playful.

Birdman666 said:

Natoleee said:

I was recently reading a list of the most cuddly birds and this type of macaw made the list! I've always wanted one but never had the space does anyone have any feedback?

Click to expand...

Ten thousand dollar bird.
Two thousand dollar stainless steel cage.
Specialized Feeder = also more expensive to feed.

Stanless steel cages are not optional with these guys. They pop cage welds effortlessly. They can tear the bars of a normal macaw cage clean off!

Always loved them. A friend of mine in California bred them, so I was fortunate enough to play with them a lot.

They are difficult to hand feed, and take a long time to wean. I used to help out sometimes, and I got to "help socialize" (i.e. play with) the babies...

They are big and powerful, and mushy at the same time.

But any macaw can be a mush mac, just as any macaw including a hy can be made into an angry biter...

Most folks who pay ten grand for a bird, generally have the means to take care of them. You rarely see a big blue in need of rescue. (Thank God!)

That would be very rare.

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That's cheered me, thanks.

HA! If you find one for 10 grand, you're lucky. When I see the 'legit' ones, they're all usually closer to 20 grand. :54:

JerseyWendy said:

HA! If you find one for 10 grand, you're lucky. When I see the 'legit' ones, they're all usually closer to 20 grand. :54:

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I know a very good breeder who sells them for less than ten...

Depends on where you are, of course.

Everyone's enthusiasm about them makes me want one more! Once I have a house I'm 100% owning one! So beautiful

That is a memorable pic regardless of circumstance! So much trust, vulnerability, strength, and tenderness.

Mark and I are going to have a mush mac fight here:





And I know a breeder here where you can get Hys for 7500, which is still way more than I can afford

Nope.

No fight from me. Your photos only serve to emphasize my point...

And I doubt there's a mushier bird out there than Zoe... that's MUSHIEST...

My point exactly: ALL macaws have this propensity inside them, not just the $10,000-ish birds.

It's not something that Hys have any more abundantly. It's just that Hys are a lot more confident in their ability to protect themselves if it came to that, so they allow it more readily than some of the others.

I've seen one or two "angry at people" Hys, that were NOT birds you would just walk up to and cuddle... they do exist, but they are the exception rather than the rule.