Considering getting a Macaw

[Disco_Parrot]

Hello, I'm considering getting a B&G Macaw. I'd like to be sure that I'm ready for this bird and that it'll be happy living with me.

Little backstory about me - I'm 23 y/o and me and my younger bro had/have green cheeked conure for about 11 years now. She's the cuddliest and most affectionate little fellow I've ever had a chance to own. My family had dogs and now has a few cats, they are good pets, but there's something special about parrots. I just really enjoy having her on my shoulder/PC screen when I'm studying/working (IT with lots of homeoffice) and in general.

I have moved out half a year ago because of school/job and decided with my younger brother that it would be for the best that the GCC stayed with him. I now miss having a parrot around me and I'd love to get a B&G Macaw. They are just so beautiful, intelligent and social birds and as I've said, I love parrots, so I'm considering getting one.

Now for my living situation; I'm living together with gf, she is up to it and would be delighted to shower a parrot with love. We live in an apartment, is that a dealbreaker? I'm in 4th year of uni, my school schedule is quite chill however; I don't have to spend much time in school. Job wise, I work in IT and have lots of home office, I usually go to the office once per week at most, so I spend a lot of time at home. I'm generally busy during the day, I'm always doing something productive, but since I spend most of my days at home, I'd be around the parrot a lot. Gf's situation is similar, she is student as well with chill schedule, spending lot of time at home.

I usually travel to my family's home for a weekend once every two weeks, it's ~1 hour long commute by car. Would such travelling be a problem for bird? I also plan to travel around twice per year for at least week at the time, but my brother/family would be able to care for the bird in this case. We usually spend one of the weekend days hiking/going for a trip. Would Macaw be alright with that? Like do you have to constantly be with him? With GCC, it was alright for us to spend the day out, as she had toys in her cage and wouldn't ever get bored.


I have some experience from being with GCC for 11 years, B&G Macaws are different "beasts" though. Is it much more dif***ult owning Macaw than GCC? I've read everywhere that they require lots of attention and stuff. What do you people think? Is it wise to get Macaw in my situation? Thank you for answers.

 

[noodles123]

I would strongly advise that you wait until you are settled and living in your own place (not an apartment), graduated and employed with a career you plan to stick with.



If you can't envision yourself adopting a 2-year-old kid with special needs, I would not get a macaw right now. They are far louder than a child, bite harder, and even more complicated on many levels. Plus, unlike a human toddler, they don't just accept other people, so it's not like you can just call a sitter to let your bird out etc.

They also need 10 hours dark/quiet sleep in a room each night on a schedule, meaning each morning and night you have to be there to follow this routine. Remember, in addition to 10 hours sleep, they need at least 3-4 hours out of the cage and that can be really tough when doing certain jobs or when in school.


They are also INSANELY expensive and require at least annual veterinary care


When you are done with school, your lives will change dramatically, so you should wait until you know where you will be/ what you will be doing for the foreseeable future.
Don't assume your family can watch your bird. 1. Your bird would have to be quarantined for 45 days minimum from any other birds, 2. your bird may not like your family, 3. you being gone for a week will be hard on your bird (assuming it bonds with you), 4. you live with your girlfriend, so the bird may fancy her over you (that's just something to consider).


You will have to make sure that your parents are not using any teflon/ptfe/pfoas/pfcs in their homes when you visit.They also shouldn't use anything scented in the home and standard cleaners are unsafe around birds. The teflon thing is massively important, as it can either kill them immediately or cause permanent damage with each exposure. Don't even use it in the same house-- not even on another floor.


Macaws also live over 80 years, so this would be like a marriage...forever.

 

[Disco_Parrot]

Alright, that's kind of what I have thought, I'm not really prepared for such intensive care as of yet.

Do you perhaps have any recommendations for smaller, less care/maintenance intensive parrots? I was able to give proper care and maintenance to my GCC even as a kid, so small bird should be alright for my current situation. I wouldn't mind another GCC, they are great, but I'd like to get to know a different species this time.

 

[noodles123]

I mean, much of what I said is still true of small parrots. They all need 10 hours sleep, a bedtime routine, annual vetrinary care, at least 3 hours out of the cage daily etc etc. Quarantine would still be necessary around other birds initially and teflon/ptfe/pfoa/pfcs cannot be used.



Small birds are not as expensive when compared to a macaw, but still expensive. They don't live as long in some cases (depending on the type) but many small birds can still live 30.


They aren't as loud as macaws but they can still cause issues if they get going and you live in an apartment.


They are slightly easier to travel with in terms of cage sizes--- travel cages for macaws need to be larger than what is readily available at most retailers.


If you plan to get a macaw later, I would avoid powder down birds, as they can cause respiratory hypersensitivity in macaws. Cockatiels are cool little birds, but they are powder down and they still need someone committed to giving them the sleep, enrichment and large cage with appropriate bar spacing. I just want to emphasize though, that their intelligence is still very high (comparable with large parrots) so don't think less of them because of their size.

 

[Disco_Parrot]

Thank you for info. Given the care needed for Macaw, I don't think I'll be able to get one in in the next 10-20 years.

I have read good things about sun conures and amazons though. They should be somewhat similar to my green cheeked conure in terms of intelligence and care/commitment. Do you have any experience with these two species?

 

[noodles123]

Thank you for info. Given the care needed for Macaw, I don't think I'll be able to get one in in the next 10-20 years.

I have read good things about sun conures and amazons though. They should be somewhat similar to my green cheeked conure in terms of intelligence and care/commitment. Do you have any experience with these two species?

Amazons are one of the top 2 most rehomed parrot varieties (cockatoos and Amazons top the charts) and they are extremely demanding. I would say that they are up there with macaws in that respect. They also live 80+ years. They can be great but if you are worried about the commitment required for a macaw, the same would be true of an amazon--- they just are smaller.

 

[Disco_Parrot]

Didn't know they are that demanding; getting one wouldn't really be responsible then. I'll probably read up on Suns and how they compare to Green Cheeks then.

 

[noodles123]

When you research, avoid websites with the word "pet" in the main url. These sites tend to make vast generalizations and are often written by people without any really experience with said species. Also, avoid basing your info on websites that are selling parrots, as their goal is to sell. See my reply to OP in the following link (it contains info on all the stuff to consider/plan for before getting a parrot) http://www.parrotforums.com/caiques/89726-can-i-get-1-caique-if-i-work.html

 

[Disco_Parrot]

Yes, will avoid that. I'll read up on other people's experiences and recommendations as well. Gonna read your link, thanks.

 

[Kaytana22]

I love my tiels.. I have a pair and the male is very smart and he talks/whistles and is very sweet. But I am a stay at home so I have a lot of time to devote to my birds. If you work and are gone most the day, I honestly wouldn't suggest something that requires a lot of out of cage time, or that needs to be handled a lot. Finches/canaries are nice and budgies are also a lot less demanding *still very smart* and in pairs they are wonderful to watch and can be let out of the cage for some play time in the evening. And if you get a big enough cage, they are well suited for apartment life.

 

[Owlet]

If you're in an apartment I would avoid amazons and sun conures (and macaws) they can be very very loud. GCC are a really good and "safe" option. They're not too loud, really affectionate, very smart and easily trained. If not a green cheek you could look out others in the family like crimson bellied, painted, black capped, etc

Edit: Here's a list of all in the same genus as gcc
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrrhura

 

[Disco_Parrot]

I love my tiels.. I have a pair and the male is very smart and he talks/whistles and is very sweet. But I am a stay at home so I have a lot of time to devote to my birds. If you work and are gone most the day, I honestly wouldn't suggest something that requires a lot of out of cage time, or that needs to be handled a lot. Finches/canaries are nice and budgies are also a lot less demanding *still very smart* and in pairs they are wonderful to watch and can be let out of the cage for some play time in the evening. And if you get a big enough cage, they are well suited for apartment life.

I've heard that cockatiels are really, really loud, at least that's what my cousins that had one when they were kids told me. How are they?

If you're in an apartment I would avoid amazons and sun conures (and macaws) they can be very very loud. GCC are a really good and "safe" option. They're not too loud, really affectionate, very smart and easily trained. If not a green cheek you could look out others in the family like crimson bellied, painted, black capped, etc

Edit: Here's a list of all in the same genus as gcc
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrrhura

How loud are Suns compared to Green Cheeks? Also do you have any experience with other pyrrhura species? My Green Cheek is not particularly loud, she sometimes gives loud SQUAAWK when content, but most of the time she's pretty quiet.

 

[noodles123]

Here is an example of one squawking, but they can get up to 125 decibels-- would watch with headphones for a better experience (considering when I record my U2, it sounds MUCH quieter on the recording than in real life--headphone probably would make it slightly more realistic but hard to say)...I imagine that is true of most (recorded vs in-person). [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3r2fvRZmLg"]Sun Conure Screaming - YouTube[/ame]


the neighbors would most definitely be able to hear this though.

 

[Owlet]

I love my tiels.. I have a pair and the male is very smart and he talks/whistles and is very sweet. But I am a stay at home so I have a lot of time to devote to my birds. If you work and are gone most the day, I honestly wouldn't suggest something that requires a lot of out of cage time, or that needs to be handled a lot. Finches/canaries are nice and budgies are also a lot less demanding *still very smart* and in pairs they are wonderful to watch and can be let out of the cage for some play time in the evening. And if you get a big enough cage, they are well suited for apartment life.

I've heard that cockatiels are really, really loud, at least that's what my cousins that had one when they were kids told me. How are they?

If you're in an apartment I would avoid amazons and sun conures (and macaws) they can be very very loud. GCC are a really good and "safe" option. They're not too loud, really affectionate, very smart and easily trained. If not a green cheek you could look out others in the family like crimson bellied, painted, black capped, etc

Edit: Here's a list of all in the same genus as gcc
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrrhura

How loud are Suns compared to Green Cheeks? Also do you have any experience with other pyrrhura species? My Green Cheek is not particularly loud, she sometimes gives loud SQUAAWK when content, but most of the time she's pretty quiet.

Cockatiels can be chirpy but the volume is not that bad.
I don't really have experience with non-gcc pyrrhura but theyre all very similar in behavior

 

[Disco_Parrot]

Thank you for info, Sun would probably be too loud for an apartment. I've read up a bit on Cockatiels and they seem to be less noisy and need less attention overall, but have perhaps less of a "personality". From the experience with my GCC, I have found the care/attention she needed alright and didn't mind it, so if I were to decide between Cockatiel and GCC, I'd probably go for GCC, as I enjoy the playful and snuggly nature of it.

 

[noodles123]

This is just worth noting when it comes to bird and lots of touching- Keep in mind, that "snuggles" are technically sexual in many cases for adult birds. You have got to be careful about what can happen if you inadvertently lead your bird on. Petting should, for the most part be on the head and neck. Avoid those snuggle huts and tents too, as they have other health hazards besides hormones.

 

[Disco_Parrot]

I think that's a misunderstanding, by snuggling I mostly meant my GCC being on my shoulder and "snuggling" to side of my neck. I avoid petting her on back and stick to head/neck.

 

[noodles123]

All parrots (even budgies) can be obnoxiously loud (at times, you could hear our parakeet outside of the house from the street when mid-scream-fest). Now, there is tiel/ budgie loud, and then there is the other side of the spectrum where you have the LOUDEST ones (like cockatoos etc, who you can quite literally hear down the block when they get going). I can tell you that all parrots can get really annoying if upset/screaming non-stop, but that cockatiels, budgies etc aren't going to cause your head to explode in comparison to larger parrots who decide to scream...

 

[Disco_Parrot]

I'm used to my GCC's occassional screams, don't really mind that, it's what comes with owning a birb; I probably wouldn't get used to cockatoo screams in an apartment though.

 

[noodles123]

I'm used to my GCC's occassional screams, don't really mind that, it's what comes with owning a birb; I probably wouldn't get used to cockatoo screams in an apartment though.

oh heck no- you are correct lol. No cockatoos in apartments!!