Macaw Questions

[bug_n_flock]

If you have to "save up" to afford the purchase price, you cannot afford a macaw. Period.



But I am getting the impression you are going to do what you are going to do despite what anyone here has to say.



Declawed cats bite far more than non declawed ones. You still live with your parents, I just... there are so many red flags here I can't even list them all. But whatever, I think you are going to do what you want to do. I mean, you don't even HAVE the bird yet and you are saying you would rehome it if at any point it becomes too much if I am reading your comment right. We are telling you right now it will be too much for you. Please, PLEASE don't ruin a macaw. While saving up, spend some time at a rescue playing with macaws. At LEAST that will give you some hands on experience before you do what you are going to do.



What sort of pilot are you going to be where it is a 9-5 job? Because all the commercial airline pilots in my family do not work 9-5.

 

[MagicSmokeBirdKeeper]

If you have to "save up" to afford the purchase price, you cannot afford a macaw. Period.



But I am getting the impression you are going to do what you are going to do despite what anyone here has to say.



Declawed cats bite far more than non declawed ones. You still live with your parents, I just... there are so many red flags here I can't even list them all. But whatever, I think you are going to do what you want to do. I mean, you don't even HAVE the bird yet and you are saying you would rehome it if at any point it becomes too much if I am reading your comment right. We are telling you right now it will be too much for you. Please, PLEASE don't ruin a macaw. While saving up, spend some time at a rescue playing with macaws. At LEAST that will give you some hands on experience before you do what you are going to do.



What sort of pilot are you going to be where it is a 9-5 job? Because all the commercial airline pilots in my family do not work 9-5.

I can afford one, that's for sure. Note that I'm 17 making only about 25k a year. I spend a lot of money on my fish already, maybe 120$ a month (i need help lol). I just am trying to make wise financial decisions, as well as, Christmas...so I dont think I need to say anything else.

How many people in your family fly? I mean, the commercial flying you're refering to is just a fraction of the industry. I already have a job offer in Guam for tourism, which is my end goal. I wanna make a median salary, not a whole lot. Flying cessnas, pipers, small aircraft in island hopping is my goal. I'm not doing flights internationally or even long domestic flights, so a 9-5 job is 100% capable.

I would like to see a study that shows how declawed cats bite more than clawed ones. I'm not saying it's not true, I'm sure it is, I'm just curious as to where you heard that.

I would basically do what the other people I've seen on here do, and while the bird is out, it will be in my eye sight 24/7. No exceptions. If the cat came in and I had the bird out, I'd "shoo" the cat out of the room.

Sorry that I made y'all concerned. I may have not cleared things up very well.

 

[MagicSmokeBirdKeeper]

p.s. i dont know if you saw this but here is my situation with my cat:

My cat is almost 24/7 on the roof, and only comes inside at night, at which point the bird would be sleeping in it's cage. I live in a 5000 sq ft house, so there is a lot of room for them to be separated for sure. My cat is a female, and is very gentle and scared. If the bird went after her, she wouldn't try to defend herself. She would run, and hide. The cat, if the mac didnt attack her, would keep her distance and just look. My cat is afraid of my didgeridoo, so that should tell you how afraid she is of things. She is also declawed.

 

[bug_n_flock]

The more you write the more concerned I get. Merry Christmas, I shouldn't keep writing here it is just making me upset more and more.



This is really a bad call you are making. Please get hands on experience with macaws before you do this if you insist on doing it. 120$ a month is NOTHING to cover the care of a Mac. Doesn't even come close.

 

[noodles123]

At 17, that's good money, but I would say that I spend at least 2k on Noodles yearly, not to mention the cost upfront, which was a lot in terms of cage/setup (and a macaw would cost even more). You are asking honest questions and that is great! Sometimes we may come off as harsh, but it's only due to our experience/love for parrots. The forum is full of very honest information and many experienced members, so this all comes from the heart. I think that you have great potential, but your life is just beginning and before having a parrot, you really need a set work schedule, independence from family etc and a significant amount of extra money (excluding living expenses etc).


I would truly suggest that you wait until you know what your life will be like, but I'm not trying to tell you what to do---just strongly suggesting. Travel etc is hard on birds, and at 25k a year, one serious vet bill could really put you over the edge. Again-- you are making way more than I did at your age, but between groceries and other living costs, a parrot is going to be A LOT on top of that, not to mention the fact that you are saying you travel etc.



I have a TON of respect for your sincerity and genuine interest...I just want you to think about having a child with special needs right now and if that seems complicated, maybe wait a bit longer.



Merry Christmas/Happy holidays and please do stick around. We all wish you the very best!!!


I also would suggest hands-on experience before taking the plunge. It's honestly harder than having a kid in many respects, so just keep this all in mind, but please know that we welcome you here.

 

[MagicSmokeBirdKeeper]

Thanks all for your info!

Quick note to bug n flock, if noodles123 spends about 2k on his bird a year, that's about 160$ a month...So your comment of it being "NOTHING" to cover the macaw compaired to what I spend on fish, well, I think you know what I'm saying

Thanks all for your valuable information! I'm going to take strong consideration for all of your guy's information, and will continue to consume more. I understand these are animals that require a lot of attention and maintenance, which is something I think I can give to a single bird.

I will keep you guys updated when I get one, a few months down the road.

(p.s. about the traveling thing, I would only move to guam and from an apartment to maybe a house eventually, I'm not going to be flying all over the world, I wanna stay stationary. )

Merry Christmas, all!

 

[noodles123]

Thanks all for your info!

Quick note to bug n flock, if noodles123 spends about 2k on his bird a year, that's about 160$ a month...So your comment of it being "NOTHING" to cover the macaw compaired to what I spend on fish, well, I think you know what I'm saying

Thanks all for your valuable information! I'm going to take strong consideration for all of your guy's information, and will continue to consume more. I understand these are animals that require a lot of attention and maintenance, which is something I think I can give to a single bird.

I will keep you guys updated when I get one, a few months down the road.

(p.s. about the traveling thing, I would only move to guam and from an apartment to maybe a house eventually, I'm not going to be flying all over the world, I wanna stay stationary. )

Merry Christmas, all!

Just keep in mind, a macaw will cost a lot more overall (due to size etc). Merry Christmas and please do keep up posted!!

 

[bug_n_flock]

Noodles doesn't have a Macaw, she has a Cockatoo. And she is just one person. One data point is not the end of the story. You ask for studies on cat bites, but want to take one person's estimated yearly costs on a different species as your planned budget? Doesn't make sense to me. Macaws are not apartment birds, moving with a macaw... I just... really I can't. This is bad. I also want you to stick around. PLEASE stick around. But please get hands on experience with macaws, and be open to a different species, or maybe wait and get a Scarlet after you have moved to a house in Guam. Please don't let me chase you away because I think you are making a mistake. Please. This place is too valuable a resource to discount it because I disagree with your choice

 

[MagicSmokeBirdKeeper]

Noodles doesn't have a Macaw, she has a Cockatoo. And she is just one person. One data point is not the end of the story. You ask for studies on cat bites, but want to take one person's estimated yearly costs on a different species as your planned budget? Doesn't make sense to me. Macaws are not apartment birds, moving with a macaw... I just... really I can't. This is bad. I also want you to stick around. PLEASE stick around. But please get hands on experience with macaws, and be open to a different species, or maybe wait and get a Scarlet after you have moved to a house in Guam. Please don't let me chase you away because I think you are making a mistake. Please. This place is too valuable a resource to discount it because I disagree with your choice

I respect your concern. I wont be moving to Guam for at least 4 years, and not again for at least another 3-4.

Cockatoo, macaw, both big birds, right? I looked, and it seems they require about the same amount in food and equipment.

I will however be checking out some rescues to learn more about them. I will be back once I think Im ready, per your guy's standards and will document the entire journy on here

Thasnks agan!

 

[Ira7]

There are some other species which may better “guarantee” a “cooler” bird...a smoother temperament in general, and quieter. But not a 100% guarantee.

For example, Orange Winged Amazons are mellow compared to other Amazons.

So, look at other species besides Macaws.

 

[SailBoat]

Hmmm, Guam as a central location for an island hopping small plane pilot without a commercial license in a Worldwide market filled with pilots with long resumes' looking for a ride until the World market returns to some level of normalcy.

May want to check whether Guam will allow you to bring your Mac with you and the paperwork needed, if they will. Long trip for a Human, for a Parrot, that could be a problem. For your Fish, could be a serious problem.

Enjoy...

 

[Birdman666]

An amazon and a cat are not likely to get along very well either...

And if you're going to Guam, your bird will have to go to a US quarantine facility every time they leave the Country and come back... and that is a hell on earth for them.

 

[noodles123]

Noodles doesn't have a Macaw, she has a Cockatoo. And she is just one person. One data point is not the end of the story. You ask for studies on cat bites, but want to take one person's estimated yearly costs on a different species as your planned budget? Doesn't make sense to me. Macaws are not apartment birds, moving with a macaw... I just... really I can't. This is bad. I also want you to stick around. PLEASE stick around. But please get hands on experience with macaws, and be open to a different species, or maybe wait and get a Scarlet after you have moved to a house in Guam. Please don't let me chase you away because I think you are making a mistake. Please. This place is too valuable a resource to discount it because I disagree with your choice

I feel like I am being used as a weird example, when I always said this was super (more than my bird's cost) expensive and that cats could kill...? It's awkward, but I hope everyone comes back tomorrow and the next day. I love you all! This sort of conversation is seriously important!

 

[MagicSmokeBirdKeeper]

Hmmm, Guam as a central location for an island hopping small plane pilot without a commercial license in a Worldwide market filled with pilots with long resumes' looking for a ride until the World market returns to some level of normalcy.

May want to check whether Guam will allow you to bring your Mac with you and the paperwork needed, if they will. Long trip for a Human, for a Parrot, that could be a problem. For your Fish, could be a serious problem.

Enjoy...

I legally have to have my commercial pilot's license to make money flying.

I'm not going to take my fish with me, I've already arranged giving some to a friend and the rest to a local retailer. I will, however check if I need some paperwork required for bringing a mac.

My friend lived there for 15 years, and he says that the laws on animals are very relaxed. It's U.S. territory, so it's still got federal laws similar to the contiguous States.

However a new question arises: Do people ship birds, or chicks if I bought one online at some point? I almost always buy my fish online, but I'm not sure if you can do it for birds or not.

 

[bug_n_flock]

We're cool, Noodles(human). I know you treat Noodles(bird) as your very own child and take her health and wellbeing as seriously as you possibly can. Never meant to imply anything else. Magicsmokeparrotkeeper just focused in on your 2k estimate to comment to me about prices and the next thing you know you are being used as an example. My apologies. Hope you have an awesome holidays.


As a point of clarification, don't you need to be at least 18 years old to be a flight instructor?

 

[MagicSmokeBirdKeeper]

We're cool, Noodles(human). I know you treat Noodles(bird) as your very own child and take her health and wellbeing as seriously as you possibly can. Never meant to imply anything else. Magicsmokeparrotkeeper just focused in on your 2k estimate to comment to me about prices and the next thing you know you are being used as an example. My apologies. Hope you have an awesome holidays.


As a point of clarification, don't you need to be at least 18 years old to be a flight instructor?

Sorry, I don't understand you're first statement, haha, I'm probably just tired. I've been working all day lol.

And yes, you are correct. I do need to be at least 18 to be a CFI (certified flight instructor). I still need 1 more year until I have all 3 certificates I need to become a pilot commercially. So at that point, I can apply at places like Delta airlines, or whatever. But I need more hours flying. At the point when I become a CFI, I'll have about 250 hours flying, and working about a year as a CFI, I should have about 1,000. Enough to get a job at a small airline.

However, I still need to save to be able to move to Guam, so I'll still be here, like i said, for another 3-4 years.

Happy holidays to you all, as well!

 

[Scott]

I'm not yet working a 9-5 job for another maybe 3-4 years, as I am a pilot and need to get hours as a flight instructor before I get a regular job.

I'm not new to exotic pets (at least, ones that are fish). I keep piranhas, arowana, a lot of hard-to-keep fish.

Thinking about it more due to you're guy's information, when I do finally get a 9-5 job, I'll keep it in the cage while I'm gone, and every time I'm home let it out of the cage to do whatever, and give it attention.

It is possible to keep multiple parrots and have career as professional pilot. I did so for decades before retiring in 2018. My typical schedule was four on, four off or thereabouts. House always attended in my absence by live-in girlfriend and/or close family. My birds quickly became accustomed to the cycle and developed accommodative behaviors. Last day before leaving on a trip was weekly cage cleaning, so they knew what was about to happen. Learned to say "goodbye" before putting on uniform, or else! They were more clingy than normal first day back!

hmu via PM if you have any aviation related questions!

 

[MagicSmokeBirdKeeper]

I'm not yet working a 9-5 job for another maybe 3-4 years, as I am a pilot and need to get hours as a flight instructor before I get a regular job.

I'm not new to exotic pets (at least, ones that are fish). I keep piranhas, arowana, a lot of hard-to-keep fish.

Thinking about it more due to you're guy's information, when I do finally get a 9-5 job, I'll keep it in the cage while I'm gone, and every time I'm home let it out of the cage to do whatever, and give it attention.

It is possible to keep multiple parrots and have career as professional pilot. I did so for decades before retiring in 2018. My typical schedule was four on, four off or thereabouts. House always attended in my absence by live-in girlfriend and/or close family. My birds quickly became accustomed to the cycle and developed accommodative behaviors. Last day before leaving on a trip was weekly cage cleaning, so they knew what was about to happen. Learned to say "goodbye" before putting on uniform, or else! They were more clingy than normal first day back!

hmu via PM if you have any aviation related questions!

Wow, that's awesome, man! I'd love to know more about your schedule with your birds, and flying. As mentioned, I plan on only flying small aircraft in my entire career, so my days should be a regular work day. That's what I heard from my friend's dad, who used to do the same thing in Guam before flying 787s internationally.

 

[Scott]

Wow, that's awesome, man! I'd love to know more about your schedule with your birds, and flying. As mentioned, I plan on only flying small aircraft in my entire career, so my days should be a regular work day. That's what I heard from my friend's dad, who used to do the same thing in Guam before flying 787s internationally.

Once you taste flying, the sky's the limit! You may be fully satisfied flying small aircraft in island setting, or eventually find the lure of jet transports intoxicating. Very possible for Guam operators to have "out and back" flying in single day or with limited layovers. I flew for United which inherited South Pacific flying from Continental via merger. Guam base offers unique flying but I never personally knew anyone who did.

I never aspired to long-haul widebody flying with up to 9 day trips. Far too long to leave my birds, so I was happy being senior on "junior" equipment such as A320 and B737. That permitted choice trips, holidays at home, great flexibility. I'd strategize late check-ins allowing feeding/watering of birds early morning, then drive to the airport. In more recent years, FaceTiming with the flock was common as they are highly responsive to video/audio on tablets/smartphones. First day back, we'd hang out, do basics such as shopping/errands and recuperate. (fatigue is hardest part of the job!) Second/third day socializing with friends/family flock. Last day off doing laundry, cleaning cages, preparing veggies/fruits for birds during my absence. Bottom line, flock had plenty of 1:1 time so they were almost ready for me to leave. Rinse and repeat!!

 

[bug_n_flock]

Hey kid(not used in an insulting way), I genuinely wish you well in your endeavers. When I was younger I really wanted to fly for a living. That feeling when the wheels lift off.... no words describe it. But here I am, nearly 30, married to my best friend together doing a bird farm thing in beautiful country up in the mountains LOL how could I possibly complain? I love my life. But in another timeline, maybe I would have chased the dream. Totally 100% wish you well. What a way to earn your groceries.



My uncles are/were pilots. One has passed to the great airplane in the sky, and the other is retired now and not always doing so well. They both started in the Coast Guard together flying. One went on to fly for Delta, the other Southwest.


I have no ill will towards you at all. I just really, really am passionate about birds, all types, but especially parrots. They are completely amazing animals and deserve the absolute best care possible.