Macaw owners PLEASE...................

[mtdoramike]

I have a question:

Here's the deal. I would sorley love to adopt or give this 3 year old Greenwing a loving home. I'm going to talk it over with my wife, who isn't real keen on getting a macaw. But after viewing several videos sent to me by the owners, I'm falling in love with this bird. I know, I know, BIG MISTAKE right?

Well, the Greenwing Cha Cha lives about a 4-5 hour round trip from me, which makes it somewhat impractical for me to visit the bird a few times. The owners agree to deliver Cha Cha and her belongs cage, perch & such to my house and spend a few hours with us at my house to see how we interact with Cha Cha and how Cha Cha feels about us and her new environment before leaving him with us. They feel it would be less traumatic on him and I strongly agree.

The current owners of Cha Cha would really like for me to adopt him because of the limited conversations that we have had, they think he would be best suited with us. But like I said, I've yet to talk this over with my wife and not really looking forward to that conversation either hahahahahaha.

Now, my question is, to you macaw owners, what will I be getting myself into re-homing a huge 3 year old tame Greenwing macaw. I wish he wasn't as big as he is, but the heart wants what the heart wants I guess. The current owners raised Cha Cha from a Chick so I'm sure, he's really bonded to them. So it will be an up hill battle to break that bond and form my own. His wings are clipped, which helps. I'm also not fond of that big of a beak either.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[WingedVictory]

Mike, I have many large macaws as pets. Most of ours are rehomes, you will be glad you took the bird in!

Gary

 

[MikeyTN]

You'd be surprised that the bird would be willing to look for a new partner. He may see them as his parents since they handfed him as a baby.

Willie was handfed by his previous owner as a baby as well until he was 3 before I came along. He jump to me within 2 min when I walked in. The couple was shocked as he attacks everyone else who've tried. They beg me to take him cause of that instant bond. He's been my bird ever since and wont go to no one else. I took him home that evening.

I would highly suggest for you to go see cha cha in his environment first. Its actually less stressful when he is in his existing environment then in your environment. Then you can see the environment he is living in and decide from there.

 

[Conurekidd]

I'm no macaw owner but there easyier than macaws. My gfs dad has a few pairs. He's a breeder. And any of the macaws iv worked with are Gental giants. Any macaw iv been around seems to cling to me. But I can't take one in to keep yet. But soon will.
I have a amazon and he's my best friend. Always will be. I took him out of a bad situation a gave him a complete 180 for life. From an aggressive breeder to my snuggle bear. And I mean snuggle. No one else though haha. They can hold and pet. But only I can cuddle and flip him.
But point is he's more needy. Healthier diets. Also harder and way more dramatic bites
Best of luck with the talk. I hope the best for you.

 

[MikeyTN]

Jeremy,

That's the main reason why I suggested for him to go see cha cha in his home first.

 

[darkling]

One word here ...

Hannibal.

LOL

Seriously though, I wouldn't do it unless you and Cha Cha had an instant bond or something. Everyone keeps saying that greenwings are gentle giants but MY greenwing has been anything but gentle with me. Then again, I think his owner was just desperate to push him off onto someone else. She didn't let us interact before I brought him home and she's disappeared off the face of the earth since I did take him home. Your situation with Cha Cha sounds a little different than all that.

As for your wife.

Unless she falls in love with Cha Cha, she *will* resent the bird at some point. I wasn't on board with parrots at all when my ex got his cockatoo. I resented every minute he spent with her. I did not understand Gabby's needs and I felt like he had a better relationship with the bird than he did with me. (Well, he did but thats another story.)

Gabby picked up on my feelings and made it her mission in life to torture me every chance she got. It reached a point where she could NOT be out of her cage if I was in the room. Things didn't change until Steven and I got Harley. Once I had a bird to be in love with and I understood what they needed and why Steven had to spend so much time with Gabby my resentment went away and things got soooo much better. Gabby and I weren't exactly friends but at least I could handle her without getting attacked.

Besides, you already turned down a baby blue and gold because you didn't want your wife to run for the hills. You seem kind of attached to her. hehe I don't know. You and Cha Cha and your wife may meet and it'll be magic from the start. That's how it was with Harley. I was scared to death of macaws before I met him. If they bring Cha Cha to you, are they willing to take her back home with them if things don't work out?

 

[mtdoramike]

Is it just me seeing a HUGE red flag here? If your wife isn't "on board" or feels like she's guilted into taking the bird, this will never work out. I think if you told the current owners this fact, they'd also agree.

Getting a bird is like having another baby. If you aren't both totally on board, there will be resentment. And by the way, the bird will sense it, and will be aggressive towards your wife, making her scared or making her hate the bird.

Second red flag... you do know that the bird will choose you, not the other way around? 1 visit is nowhere near enough.

I am scared that you will get this bird, it will be nice when they come over but once they are gone it will change and then it will be up for another re-home. Not to mention the family stress.

Well, my wife wasn't totally on board when we got our Senegal, it was my idea and she after some discussion agreed with it. Our 14 year old lab had passed away about a month before getting our Sennie, so she really wasn't wanting another pet. But she knows I love animals. But my point is, eventhough she wasn't thrilled with getting our Sennie, she is always talking to her, she helps clean her area and even interacts with her on a daily basis because she has become a part of the family.

I fully expect this to be the same thing. She will reluctantly agree and then within a few days, she'll begin interacting with the macaw and it will slowly become part of the family. IT ISN'T THAT SHE DOESN'T LIKE MACAWS, she loves them and thinks they are magnificent birds. But she is shy of them due to their size and the size of their beak. She says that beak can sever a finger.

She has previously agreed to me getting an African Grey, because it is one of my bucket list birds just as the macaw is. So I'm really on the fence about this. I'm hoping that someone else will step up and adopt Cha Cha before I make a decision. So I'm going to stall it for as long as I can. But if no one steps up within the next week or two, I may revisit the idea. He really is a wonderful bird and would make someone a loving companion.


Mike

 

[mtdoramike]

One word here ...

Hannibal.

LOL

Seriously though, I wouldn't do it unless you and Cha Cha had an instant bond or something. Everyone keeps saying that greenwings are gentle giants but MY greenwing has been anything but gentle with me. Then again, I think his owner was just desperate to push him off onto someone else. She didn't let us interact before I brought him home and she's disappeared off the face of the earth since I did take him home. Your situation with Cha Cha sounds a little different than all that.

As for your wife.

Unless she falls in love with Cha Cha, she *will* resent the bird at some point. I wasn't on board with parrots at all when my ex got his cockatoo. I resented every minute he spent with her. I did not understand Gabby's needs and I felt like he had a better relationship with the bird than he did with me. (Well, he did but thats another story.)

Gabby picked up on my feelings and made it her mission in life to torture me every chance she got. It reached a point where she could NOT be out of her cage if I was in the room. Things didn't change until Steven and I got Harley. Once I had a bird to be in love with and I understood what they needed and why Steven had to spend so much time with Gabby my resentment went away and things got soooo much better. Gabby and I weren't exactly friends but at least I could handle her without getting attacked.

Besides, you already turned down a baby blue and gold because you didn't want your wife to run for the hills. You seem kind of attached to her. hehe I don't know. You and Cha Cha and your wife may meet and it'll be magic from the start. That's how it was with Harley. I was scared to death of macaws before I met him. If they bring Cha Cha to you, are they willing to take her back home with them if things don't work out?

Oh yes, the current owners are very picky about who will get Cha Cha, they have had him listed on verious classieds for several months, but the people that seem to be interested in him and comes to see him are either suspected BIRD FLIPPERS, or folks with no bird or large bird experience. So they would turn them down. I have been communicating with them for the past couple of weeks trying to help find Cha Cha a home. They really like me and would love to see me take Cha Cha, but like I told them, I have limited big bird experience as well. That is why they would like for us to meet Cha Cha.

But this is a BIG decision that I wouldn't want to take lightly. They are looking for a forever home for Cha Cha and that is a big commitment. To me it's like adopting a child, The whole family really needs to agree with it.

Mike

 

[Mike]

I agree with Jeremy about your wife, and with MikeTN about your visiting the bird in its current environment. Listen to Darkling.

I'm not saying to not take the bird. I'm saying to do it right. First, get your wife on board (without pressure). Your marriage is more important. Second, find out why the present owners are getting rid of the bird in the first place--there's always a reason and it may NOT be the reason they give you. Third, visit the bird and see how it reacts to you. Not that this is going to guarantee success like it did with MikeTN, but it's better than nothing.

Remember that any behavior can be trained out of your new bird. The questions you have to ask is, do you have the skill and the patience to do the training, or do you have the financial ability to pay someone else to train out the bad behavior--assuming there is any.

 

[mtdoramike]

Is it just me seeing a HUGE red flag here? If your wife isn't "on board" or feels like she's guilted into taking the bird, this will never work out. I think if you told the current owners this fact, they'd also agree.

Getting a bird is like having another baby. If you aren't both totally on board, there will be resentment. And by the way, the bird will sense it, and will be aggressive towards your wife, making her scared or making her hate the bird.

Second red flag... you do know that the bird will choose you, not the other way around? 1 visit is nowhere near enough.

I am scared that you will get this bird, it will be nice when they come over but once they are gone it will change and then it will be up for another re-home. Not to mention the family stress.

Jeremy, may I ask if your married and if so, for how long? The longer a couple is married the more compromise there needs to be. We used to have two cats that passed away over the years. They were gotten for my daughter on serparate occassions by my wife without my knowledge. I came home from work and BAM there is a kitten. Needless to say I HATE cats. Now did I fuss about it, yep, did I mistreat the cat, or allow it to cause a problem between my wife and I, NOPE!

I learned to adapt. Why, because I love my wife and child and I wanted them to be happy even if I was thrilled about the new additions to our family. I would expect the same from them if it were something that I really wanted. Marriage is one big compromise. The problem with kids today is noone is willing to compromise, so it's time to split up.

Now if my wife were totally against the idea, I would respect her wishes. But I would hope that she would be open minded like when we got Tiki Our Senegal. She was against it in the beginning, but once she agreed and we got her and she see's how happy Tiki makes me, she realizes it was the right thing to do. So now when folks come over, she is the first one telling them what Tiki is and how sweet she is MOST of the time. She's beaming like a mother with a new born (welllll, that's stretching it just a little) but you know what I mean.

 

[WingedVictory]

Mike, If your heart is with the bird I would consider bringing the bird home. We are a family that has all the species of macaws as pets and know how they react to a new home. Most will acclimate to people showing them love and attention. If you visit the bird don't expect it to be immediately attached to you like it is the owners.

A large macaw is a commitment in both time and money and yes there is always a mess to clean up. Doing your homework and asking questions is an extremely good way to find information about these birds.

Gary

 

[mtdoramike]

Mike, If your heart is with the bird I would consider bringing the bird home. We are a family that has all the species of macaws as pets and know how they react to a new home. Most will acclimate to people showing them love and attention. If you visit the bird don't expect it to be immediately attached to you like it is the owners.

A large macaw is a commitment in both time and money and yes there is always a mess to clean up. Doing your homework and asking questions is an extremely good way to find information about these birds.

Gary

Thanks Gary, I'm not totally giving up on the idea of giving Cha Cha a home. But I'm hoping someone else will step up and adopt him before I wind up having to make that decision. Don't get me wrong, I would LOVE to give Cha Cha a home. But it's a huge commitment so I want to digest everything that Jeremy, Mikey & Mike have said before I make a final decision.

If I DO decide to adopt him, I may see if the current owners will place him here with me for a few days to a week and see how things go with everyone before the final deal is done. I don't know if they will go along with this or not. But maybe someone will step up before I look into that.

I'm helping them advertise Cha Cha on several local sources, so you never know. I would be very surprised if someone doesn't meet the owners approval within the next week or so. If not then maybe it's meant to be.

 

[mtdoramike]

Weeeeeelllllllllllll, I crossed that bridge today and mentioned to my wife about Cha Cha and that was thinking of giving him a home unless someone else steps up. She didn't completely shut me down. She ask about Cha Cha and I showed her the videos of him that I up loaded onto You Tube for the owners. Here is her main concerns:

1. If we for someone reason need to go some where for several days or a couple of weeks, what would I do with a Macaw? Our Nephew watches Our Sennie Tiki if this happens now, but not sure he would be comfortable watching a big macaw in his home. I usually take Tiki and her cage over to his house, that might be difficult with a macaw. So that is one hurdle I will have to overcome. She said that I would probably have to stay home with the birds, which aint bad considering we usually only go to she her family anyway. So no big deal there.

2. Macaws make noise and since they are a large bird, they have to be louder than our Senegal is. But I'm not toally sure about that because Tiki has a squawk that I think could wake the dead and since she's molting and moody, she tends to be more vocal lately.

3. The last thing is handling the bird. But like I told her, that doesn't bother me, I'm not intending to jump right in the cage and grab him. I figure to wait a couple of days and let him come to me when he's ready. which should be relatively easy since he's already tame. But it's letting him get used to his new surroundings and us.

I've heard more than a few people would rather get bit by a Macaw than Sennie. I know why, those little beaks are like sharp needles and will draw blood every time. Plus Sennies are quick and will get you before you know it.

So we'll see how it goes.

 

[MikeyTN]

We're waiting on you Mike!!!

I had people come over to check Willie when I was out on vacation. He did just fine.

 

[JJones1719]

MT, just some advise here. The best way to answer your questions is to answer them as I handle these issues with both my Eclectus and GW Macaw. When I go on Vacation or away for the weekend, rather then packing up my birds, I have a Family Member or Friend stop 2 times per day to change their paper, feed and give fresh water. Let them out to play on their playstands and gyms

I would advise you to jump right into the cage to handle a new homed Macaw. Don't let time go by without interaction from you, your family with a new Macaw, it is said that it gets very hard to handle an new homed Macaw after 24 hours of no contact, so I say jump on in. This is what I have done with both my boys. After a few hours bring home my boys and letting them settle into their new cages and perches, I went right into thier cage, offered my arm, prepared for the bite and to my surprise, no bite, they stepped right onto my arm, no worries.

As for how loud a Macaw can get, yes I supposed it's true that Macaws can be loud at times but the GW Macaw out of all Macaws is the most quiet. My Eclectus can rattle your fillings in your teeth more so then my Macaw. It is never okay for any Parrot to scream just for the sake of screaming, if they are, it's time to seek an Aviary vet ASAP as there is a reason for this. Remember Parrots are pray animals and it's in their nature not to bring to much attn to themselves.
Just a tip here, both my boys are scared of Cam Corders or Cameras, if they get to excited, from across the room, I point my Can corder or Camera at them and both shut up. too funny. After they calm down, I remove the camera, give them a treat for being quiet and praise this behavior. I hope the best on whatever you and your family decide to do. Best of luck Joe

 

[AndrewH]

Macaws are a huge commitment. Two things: loud (some are only loud occasionally; others more often); 3 is very young and you must be prepared for changes in a handful of years...they can really become more challenging after reaching maturity.

...oh yeah, they are very messy too, but I assume we all know that.

 

[mtdoramike]

OK, here is the update on me & Cha Cha the Greenwing. I spoke to my wife this weekend about Cha Cha and although she has some apprehension, she said it was up to me whether or not to give him a home. But, isn't there always a but..........She decided to bring out the big guns. hahahahahaha. She started by bringing up Tiki and how I spend almost all day with Tiki, whether it's sitting at the computer, working in my hobby room or just sitting watching TV. Tiki is usually with me , if not then she is squawking or chirping looking for me.

My wife asked how bringing a second bird also a BIG second bird into the house, just how that would affect Tiki and how Tiki is used to spending most of her time with me. Tiki would get the short end of the stick because then she would have to share my attention with Cha Cha. She also brought up how I have always been a one pet person and how this would affect me as well since now I would have to split my affection between the two birds.

She didn't want one bird being left out and ignored. She has some valid points. Yes, I've always been a one pet person, mainly because being a cop for over 20 years, I worked strange hours, and for the past 15 years, I was always on call when I was off and would have to leave at the drop of a hat or phone call. But now that I'm retired, I have nothing but time on my hands which is what I told her.

As far as Tiki goes, I told her that Tiki would probably like having another bird in the house and as long as I spent time with Tiki fist, then hopefully jealousy shouldn't be an issue. But that's speculated on my part. Cha Cha being messy wouldn't be that big of a problem, but like she pointed out bigger bird, bigger mess.

Here;s a picture of Tiki starting her day with me at the computer and her sitting on my knee, which is where she likes to spend most of her time.:31:

 

[JJones1719]

Mike, I owned Guapo my Male Eclectus for 2 1/2 years before getting Neleno my GW Macaw. I too spent so much time with Guapo before Neleno.
After bringing home Neleno and sharing time with both, either seperate or together, the relationship I have with Guapo is as strong today as it ever was.
The good thing about Parrots, they let you know when they need your Attn and when they want to play in their cage or Gym.
I spend time with both my boys, I take them out, sit on the couch, place a news paper between my legs, After one goes to the bathroom, I allow them onto my couch while holding and playing with the other. I load up my couch with all their favorite toys. sometimes they play together but most of time they play seperate.
I also take both my boys for walks outside, drive them to the pet stores, go to bird club meetings and so on.
I have never had an issue with either one of my boys and together now for over 5 years. The one thing that you will find out, birds pretty much adjust to your schedule. Best of luck Joe

 

[MikeyTN]

Joe,

We think too much alike...lol....

Mike,

There are some valid points there, especially when you get multiple birds. Willie gets upset if im holding another bird other then him. I keep him put up when I have other birds out cause he will try to attack them. He's a very possessive bird!!!!