Adult macaw behaviour

Illigers

New member
Jun 19, 2018
4
7
Hi everyone,

I am not here and was wondering if anyone would have some experience they wanted to share regarding hormonal macaws. There is a lot of info out there, but also a lot of contradictory experiences.

We are interested in adopting/buying a large macaw somewhere the next couple years. This has been a secret dream since I was 11 so absolutely no rush and I want to have a larger aviary before we do. But then, what worries me is all the stories about macaws who grow up (7-15+ years) and go through a terrible hormonal phase. That I think I can deal with, although it will undoubtedly be challenging, but I worry about the normal behaviour once sexually mature. How likely is it both my and my partner can maintain a close relationship with the macaw? I read a lot most become hands off when mature, I am looking for a more hands on(not cuddly but hands on play) bird, all of mine have been hands off this far and not very playful. That’s okay but with a macaw I would think more playful, more Hands on? All of mine have been rescues(14 over my life, 9 at the moment). We may buy a baby macaw because we want to train him/her for free flight and free flight birds are rarely up for adoption and it is more risky to train an adult to free fly. I am also afraid that during the hormonal phase free flying will become near impossible and the bird even more frustrated because that freedom suddenly disappears.

Also what are your experiences with raising two of the same species, specifically macaws? Most my birds have a same species buddy and I would prefer it for the macaw as well.
 

PrimorandMoxi

Well-known member
May 29, 2015
474
658
New Jersey
Parrots
Max (23yo) Blue and Gold Macaw,
&
PRIMOR (8yo) Red Lored Amazon,
&
ABBA (33yo) Red Lored Amazon - RIP
I'm not here either (I'm supposed to be working)

Birdman666 on this site has so much info for you to research.
The good, the bad, and the ugly.

We took in Max our B&G when he was in his twenties and we've had him for ten years. I think he was well taken care of by his previous owners but neglected. They sure were in a hurry to unload him, no questions asked, and we haven't heard a peep from them since.

Max though standoffish is definitely not handsoffish.
He constantly wants to play flirt,
Max is a card, he is a clown, he is a monster.
His wings are not clipped, though he makes no effort to fly,
He lives on various perches and not in a cage.
Over the years Max bonded to my partner and I became the third wheel.
I feed him, I clean up after him and I get bit.

Recently I have really been trying to reset our relationship and it is working...
I think?



Visit and hang out with some Macaws if you can.
I'm in NJ and anyone is welcome to see what it's like with us.
Especially to help someone make such a big decision.

I love this bird so much but he drastically altered my life.
 
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Illigers

New member
Jun 19, 2018
4
7
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #3
Thank you for the reply and info! I have looked up several of his posts(over the years actually!) but there is soo much info that I find it hard to look up info by him on my specific question. Have started reading up again though and I make notes to save the info.
It is good to hear your relationship with Max seems to be getting more close, I would be disappointed to become main cleaner and nothing else. Not that that would be a deal breaker, two of the birds have chosen my partner as preferred, and some prefer other birds over humans and that’s fine too. So as not too give the impression that we would get rid of a bird if things turned out different then expected.

Sadly I live in the Netherlands. I would love to meet Max if I were in America! I have visited one person so far but the macaws were still fairly young(oldest 4 years old). Still looking for other people to visit and learn more. There are no rescues like those in America, I would love it for a bird to be able to choose us! We do have two rescues but very different, one just helps birds find new homes without actually caring for them(more like a safe Craigslist) and one requires you keep the birds clipped after adopting which is not my preference.
 

wrench13

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Hi there, welcomen. The unfortunate thing about message boards and forums is that people sometimes only post what they want other people to read. If they had a bad experience with a macaw and puberty or hormones, and they rehomed the parrot because of it, or seriously diminished the out-of-cage time, or started to neglect the bird, they might not want to post a message about that or be willing to chat about it. I am not saying that everyone does that, not by any means, but you must keep that in the back of your mind as you seek information on your question.

I would like to think that ParrotForums is the exception to the above, and we do have several members who have a lot of long time experience , birdman666 being the one who comes to mind immediately. I have often taken his advice and used it to mold my relationship with Salty, my little yellow shoulder Amazon, even though his posts are usually about Macaws. Sailboats is another long term member who has a LOT of experience with parrots, but his is mostly about Amazons, and frankly he is a lot more active on the Forums and he has/will post sound advice when he contributes.

I myself am guilty. We took on a Quaker parrot when my kids were small, in the 2-6 yr old range, and at first he was OK with everyone. But, as he got into puberty, his nature changed radically, and he started biting everyone, including the kids. THis was a good 20 years ago, so no internet message boards, and little published hard info was available. We wound up rehoming him to a neighbor who had experience with parrots ( she still has Brody). Am I proud of what we did? No, I am not, but I for one am willing to talk about it, despite what ever negative light it puts me in, mostly to be able to share my experiences and hopefully help another parrot owner.

Now for your specific question, I can only say that all parrots, including Macaws, have a hard time of puberty and the successive mating seasons. BUT, every parrot is its own bird. The difference between 2 individuals of the same species can vary wildly, with many factors (some well understood and some that still elude modern aviculture) that can influence behavior during those periods. However, a well adjusted adolescent , who has had a positive life up to the point of puberty and full adult mating seasons, is more likely to once again be that individual. With Macaws, that period is measured in years, as you already know.

Good luck in your search!
 

SailBoat

Supporting Member
Jul 10, 2015
17,646
10,008
Western, Michigan
Parrots
DYH Amazon
A belated welcome to Parrotforum!!

What other Parrots do you have? It kind of helps to know as that sets the foundation for a discussion regarding Puberty, Hormonal Season and really big parrots!!

Lots of individuals 'want' Macaws and fall in love with them prior to gaining a solid understand as to what is involved. Macaws are a Very Large Parrots and they have a Very Large Bill, and they Know It! Near all are lovers "once they understand" you are not fearful of them and will not be bullied by their lunging at you. The reason Macaws end-up being 'sold' is that the Macaw is in charge and they are not really good at it, the relationship falls apart, and the Parrot ends up locked away in a cage.

Hormonal Season is far more a discussion as part of the Big Hot Three in the Amazon World. Because Amazons tend to be very expressive with their Body Language and their eyes. Far too many people place Amazon body language as a scale for other Parrots. And, because the Big Hot Three Amazons can be dangerous when they have a Chemical Rush, it also stated as standard for other Parrots. Most Parrots will have grumpy/ bitty days, or maybe a week or two, but one would not see a rush /flow of Hormonal Chemical.

Point being, Macaws do have puberty and like most mid-to-large parrots their personalities 'can' change. In my opinion one is better to have an Adult Parrot Choose You and your partner than to hope that the transition goes well. Plus, what you see is what you get with an Adult.

Birdman666 is far more experienced with Macaws than I am, only from the standpoint that I choose to be an Amazon Snob. Within the Macaw Forum, just read everything he has provided there.

Free flight is a fragile dream of many and although it is more common in Europe then in North America, safe areas to free fly are dwindling and more groups are moving to indoor facilities. There is a serious problem with free flying a Parrot as if they are spooked it can be as along as 7 seconds before their mind switch to where am I from got to fly fast!! Watch any bird outside flying and count five seconds. Note the distance. That is a minimum distance your Parrot will travel. You must have a Parrot Very Well Trained with Recall Abilities, before you begin free flight training.

What Parrots do you have?
 
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