Best source of information

[MrBackpack]

So, I really want a Green-Wing Macaw as my bird companion, and my first bird in general.

I am in the pre-planning stages and am trying to gather as much information as possible but I am finding the sources in stores and online to be a little lacking overall. Most of the books that I can find seem to be aimed at children or are severely lacking in REAL information.

Can someone direct me to a reasonable source of information?

 

[nyspy]

What kind of information are you looking for? The first thing you're going to need to realize and I don't know if you do is that getting a bird as a pet is a LIFE investment in time and dedication.

A macaw WILL most likely outlive you. If you have questions, ask away.. I'll answer as much as I can.. I have big bird experience and my little stinker is a Blue and Gold Macaw who was also a rescue / rehabilitated bird (I rehabbed him).

 

[Blueridge]

A Green-Wing Macaw is a very uh... not a good first bird.. But I'm sure you've heard this many times already.

This is a good website I think
All Macaws

Also, you can read some of the posts in the Macaw section of the forums.

Have you heard of Mini-Macaws? Such as the Hahns (Red Shouldered) Macaw? They have almost all the greatness of the big guys in a cute little miniature version. They are better for new parrot owners, and you can still tell everyone that you have a Macaw!

Of course the Green-Wing Macaws are great birds too. If you feel like you up to the challenge, then I wish the best of luck to you!

Hope I helped some,
- William

:37:

 

[MrBackpack]

What kind of information are you looking for? The first thing you're going to need to realize and I don't know if you do is that getting a bird as a pet is a LIFE investment in time and dedication.

A macaw WILL most likely outlive you. If you have questions, ask away.. I'll answer as much as I can.. I have big bird experience and my little stinker is a Blue and Gold Macaw who was also a rescue / rehabilitated bird (I rehabbed him).

I am VERY much aware of this, this is a big deciding factor in my decision to own a bird, I want a lifetime companion.

A Green-Wing Macaw is a very uh... not a good first bird.. But I'm sure you've heard this many times already.

Actually, I've heard this about all macaws. I've gravitated towards the GW because I'd heard that they, potentially, have the personality of a BG with the looks of a scarlet.

 

[nyspy]

I'm glad you've done the research to know what to expect. So here's my .02.

When it comes to birds, think of it like raising children. There's no single good source of information. Like children, every bird is different. I'm just going to refer to them as children from this point on.. I hope you don't mind.

The one most important thing about owning a bird (any bird) is trust and patience. No matter what happens, you can't show anger. You can express disapproval, but it has to be constructive and kind.

If you think you're going to get through owning a macaw for even a year without ever getting bitten.. uhm.. not going to happen. Is it going to hurt.. oh yeah.. It's going to REALLY hurt.

All birds will get hormonal occasionally. If you're lucky, not more than once a year. If you're really unlucky, it's going to be a quarterly thing.. There's just no way to tell.

A macaw will just randomly turn on you at any moment. You'll never see it coming.. One minute, they're going to be the sweetest thing in the world and the next.. BAM! Your finger is in their beak and they're clamping down hard!

Nothing you can do about it, but express disapproval, don't show them a reaction. It's just the way they're wired. Think of it as a really Bipolar significant other and you'll get an inkling of what it's like.

My macaw gets VERY angry with me when I'm away for business. While I don't go away much, he will always get very upset and show it when he sees me come home. He's pretty much a little pain in the butt (biting, etc) until I get him home. Then over the next few days, he'll calm down and become sweet again. When I got a girlfriend, he just.. GOT ANGRY. I couldn't even touch him until I dumped her. It was just his thing.. He's apparently decided I'm his mate.. I didn't realize it until he showed me the ultimate sign of affection after she was gone.. He regurgitated on me.

ok.. enough with the stories.. you wanted information. I started a blog for my macaw and actually put together a few pages of solid information. Specifically, how to gain a bird's trust and bird-proofing your house. My macaw is cageless. It's just what I decided. He walks around the house like it's his. He feels safe enough to sleep on his back in the middle of the floor. He visits me when I eat and lay in bed. He goes up to the bedroom perch and goes to sleep when he gets tired.

He's also a rescue. Let's just say he was a complete headcase when I first got him, but he's turned into the most wonderful, loving little guy and I couldn't even imagine my life without him.

Nutrition: You're going to spend money feeding him. Birdseed and pellets alone ARE NOT enough. Fruits, veggies, a bit of protein. All of these are things you'll need to regularly give him.. (daily).

Attention and Time: spend a few hours a day at a minimum with him. If you don't, they get neurotic. They'll pluck and self-mutilate. Play with them, train them.. they're super intelligent.. If you don't challenge them, they're going to get bored and start doing some serious damage to your house / home.

Health: You think a regular vet is expensive? You haven't been hit with the avian vet bill yet. A bird NEEDs an avian vet. Don't even think about going to a regular vet unless you're willing to risk his life.. Let's just say that there are many stories out there of people taking their birds to a regular vet only to have them killed accidently.

There are so many things you'll need to know about and much of it is bird specific. Every bird will exhibit their own personality and require different methods of dealing with them.

There is one thing I can recommend (that I believe is universal). If you're going to get a bird, consider rescuing one and not getting one from a breeder. There are too many "throw away birds" that have been abandoned by irresponsible former owners. The problem is these birds are scooped up by the "animal traffickers" and sold for profit to other irresponsible owners.

If you're committing to a macaw or any bird for that matter, you should be dedicated enough to take the good with the bad. Get the bad out of the way up front. The worst time you're ever going to have with a new bird is the beginning. If you gain a bird's trust up front (rehabilitate), then everything after that is a walk in the park. Why? You've seen the worst of the bird.

I will only rescue animals. I occasionally will rescue and rehabilitate a bird, but it's only because I see the bird in such a horrible situation, I can't bear to see it suffer. In fact, I'm going to drive 8 hours round trip tomorrow to rescue a macaw. He's going to be my second macaw and buddy to my little stinker.

If you have any specific questions, please feel free to ask me. I'll be more than happy to help.

Sorry for being so negative, but I see so many people get into birds, because they think it's cool to have a bird that talks.. Wrong reason to get one if that's all you want. They're much more intelligent and loving than dogs in my opinion.

Here's my birdy blog: My Macaw

It definitely gives you a glimmer of what macaw ownership is like. In the short time Pretty Birdy (my macaw) has been with me, he's probably caused close to $7-8K in damage. Have I ever lost my temper with him? Absolutely not. I laugh it off. As for the bites? Let's just say my arm looks like it's been through a blender. Would I do it all over again? Absolutely! Am I still getting another macaw tomorrow? Absolutely.

Ask me anything and I'll be more than happy to help with advice and whatever else I can!

Cheers.

 

[MrBackpack]

I'm a welder and a prop maker, I have the arm scars to show for it to. I'm expecting to get bitten, lots, and I'm going to need to grow myself to keep myself in check for when it happens, but I think that I can do it. Might need some help with how to be constructive about it though.

I am very much considering adopting, there are a few BGs on my local craigslist that I could go and get tonight/day, and there's one in a trashy local pet shop that I know that I could not help.

I cannot let the bird go cageless until my wife's cat passes on and he's a kitten.

Also, I would never take a bird, or any other exotic pet, to a regular vet, I used to own several exotic rodents and fish and have lost the majority of them to the poor care that they received at the neighborhood vet's office.

Am I expecting a bird to my best bud right out of the gate, no, a few weeks, no, maybe after a couple of months they could be my friend. I know that its going to take time and I am more than willing to invest the time required, as is my wife; we're in this together.

Its always been my dream to own a macaw, and I really want to go through with it.

 

[MikeyTN]

Actually, I've heard this about all macaws. I've gravitated towards the GW because I'd heard that they, potentially, have the personality of a BG with the looks of a scarlet.

I think your thinking of a Catalina! Greenwing's looks are far from a scarlet other then being a macaw. A Catalina have the beautiful colors of a Scarlet and personality of a B&G as they are hybrids of them two.

IF you have your mind made up on a macaw, go visit a few, don't have your heart set on a specific type of macaw and see what gravitates towards you. I wanted a Scarlet to begin with but I end up with two B&G. They kinda just landed on me and they liked me from the beginning so here they are. I've been playing with both of them since day 1. Although Lola required some training but she came along just fine. I have her trained in a few days after having her and I love her very much.

 

[nyspy]

Then I would say.. GO FOR IT! Letting a bird go cageless is something you just "decide" to do eventually.. lol. I definitely do not recommend it right away. I will say that a full-grown macaw is more than capable of defending itself from a housecat. Let's just say I've seen macaws terrorize even the boldest of tomcats..

Maybe I've just got a super soft heart, but I usually look for the most terribly abused birdys to save. Never had one that didn't make a remarkable recovery! In fact, my very first rehabilitation was a really abused cockatoo.. poor little guy had no feathers and was self-mutilating..

If you see a bird @ the pet store that is truly being treated poorly, I would recommend calling the humane society or simply having a very "stern" and "candid" conversation with the owner. You'll be surprised at how quickly they'll be willing to let the bird go to you just to not get fined, arrested, etc.. You won't get him for free, but probably in the neighborhood of an exorbitant "adoption" fee.. if you get my drift.

I'm actually flying back to Florida tonight (at 3am), picking up my birdy from the avian vet (who boards him) and jumping in my car and driving 8 hours to go get the other little guy..

I'm more than happy to help you with advice, etc. In fact, if you're in the area, I could probably help you find a rescue here in Florida. (even if you're willing to travel here). Florida seems to be the place all abandoned macaws go.. **sad.

I'm going to PM you my telephone number.. and if you need to reach me, the contact form on my birdy's blog goes to my direct email. Some things to do to get ready for birdy..

1. Perch / Playstand
2. Chemical Free cleaning of house
3. Lots of fresh nuts!
4. Get some good Organic Pellets (NOT ZUPREEM)
5. Go and visit your local Avian vet and get his/her number and emergency call procedures
6. Birdy first-aid kit
7. Toys for his cage! Look @ my blog post about setting up a cage for birdy!
8. Fresh Veggies / Fruits (NO AVOCADO)
9. A birdy "perch stick" you'll need one to transport birdy if he gets ornary (and he will).
10. Bandaids! (for you)
11. A shower perch for birdy's bath.