Hi, I'm hoping to pick up a Severe Macaw next week. She is 7 years old. I've been reading a lot about them. Doing my homework as you can say. I know each parrot has their own personality just as people do. What's your experience with Them? Pros vs Cons. This will be my first Macaw. I'm extremely excited. Thanks.
What's your experience with Severe Macaws???
- Thread starter Tiffany24
- Start date
Weezerj
New member
No experience....but I have read that they can become 1 person birds real easy, so socialization is important.
Birdman666
Well-known member
- Sep 18, 2013
- 9,904
- 270
- Parrots
- Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)
Well first of all, I am biased. I was the guy who rehabbed the biters down at the rescue. Severes are my all time least favorite macaw to work with, and I generally LOVE working with macaws...
ALL of the Severe's I worked with were biters... Without exception, these were angry cage bound birds that had overbonded with their person, became bitey with everyone else, and then ended up locked up until NO ONE could handle them. They did not take being "rejected" by their person very well... SO THEY WERE DUMPED. THEY WERE ANGRY, AND THEY VENTED THEIR ANGER AT ME WITH THEIR BEAKS... (One of them took my left thumb down to the bone requiring several stitches.) Which started my corny joke about how the severe macaw got it's name:
Nurse: Doctor how bad was the wound from that bird bite?
Doctor: It was SEVERE!
So the one's I worked with were screwed up by the people that raised them, and the way they were raised. Angry Severe Macaws are difficult birds to behavior mod... when they only want to interact with "their person" who is SO NOT YOU, DUDE!
ARE THEY ALL LIKE THAT? NO! There was also a Severe that a friend of mine owned, who was the most well behaved, well socialized go everywhere bird you ever wanted to meet. Absolute love! Absolutely well behaved... BUT that bird had received EXTENSIVE SOCIALIZATION... and that's the key with Severes. I doubt that anyone who had one of these birds would EVER part with them. They have that potential as well... IF... And I've known one or two other people who have ripped me for my opinion of these birds over the years because they also have great birds. In every case, those birds had extensive socialization work... and loved attention from everyone as a result.
Macaws are PAIR BOND BIRDS, and ALL pair bond birds can develop overbonding issues if not socialized with strangers. Severe's in particular tend to have those overbonding issues. They LOVE their person, at times a bit too much. Does that make them bad birds? NO! This means a well trained and extensively socialized severe can be a wonderful and EXCEPTIONALLY DEVOTED companion bird. But if allowed to overbond, they generally will, and then the ONLY person who can handle them is their pair bond person...
IF YOU GET ONE, DO EXTRA SOCIALIZATION WORK. TAKE THEM OUT AND ABOUT. GET THEM AROUND STRANGERS FROM A YOUNG AGE... DO THE WORK!!!
If you don't, they do tend to be biters... and you may be the only person who can handle your bird.
So, if you get one understand that propensity and train them correctly.
ALL of the Severe's I worked with were biters... Without exception, these were angry cage bound birds that had overbonded with their person, became bitey with everyone else, and then ended up locked up until NO ONE could handle them. They did not take being "rejected" by their person very well... SO THEY WERE DUMPED. THEY WERE ANGRY, AND THEY VENTED THEIR ANGER AT ME WITH THEIR BEAKS... (One of them took my left thumb down to the bone requiring several stitches.) Which started my corny joke about how the severe macaw got it's name:
Nurse: Doctor how bad was the wound from that bird bite?
Doctor: It was SEVERE!
So the one's I worked with were screwed up by the people that raised them, and the way they were raised. Angry Severe Macaws are difficult birds to behavior mod... when they only want to interact with "their person" who is SO NOT YOU, DUDE!
ARE THEY ALL LIKE THAT? NO! There was also a Severe that a friend of mine owned, who was the most well behaved, well socialized go everywhere bird you ever wanted to meet. Absolute love! Absolutely well behaved... BUT that bird had received EXTENSIVE SOCIALIZATION... and that's the key with Severes. I doubt that anyone who had one of these birds would EVER part with them. They have that potential as well... IF... And I've known one or two other people who have ripped me for my opinion of these birds over the years because they also have great birds. In every case, those birds had extensive socialization work... and loved attention from everyone as a result.
Macaws are PAIR BOND BIRDS, and ALL pair bond birds can develop overbonding issues if not socialized with strangers. Severe's in particular tend to have those overbonding issues. They LOVE their person, at times a bit too much. Does that make them bad birds? NO! This means a well trained and extensively socialized severe can be a wonderful and EXCEPTIONALLY DEVOTED companion bird. But if allowed to overbond, they generally will, and then the ONLY person who can handle them is their pair bond person...
IF YOU GET ONE, DO EXTRA SOCIALIZATION WORK. TAKE THEM OUT AND ABOUT. GET THEM AROUND STRANGERS FROM A YOUNG AGE... DO THE WORK!!!
If you don't, they do tend to be biters... and you may be the only person who can handle your bird.
So, if you get one understand that propensity and train them correctly.
Last edited:
I have two Severes and I love them. They are both friendly and they love to be the center of my attention. I got them both when they were older. One came from a pet store and one came off of Craigslist. They are really funny and they pick up phrases really fast.
Ok - now I want to go home and play with them.
Ok - now I want to go home and play with them.
CaliBirdGirl
New member
- Nov 29, 2015
- 4
- 1
Hi,
I have a beautiful severa macaw buddy. He has a sweet happy little personality and is very very cuddly. He loves to run errands with me and pretend to fly in the car as we drive down the road. He likes to ride on my shoulder and hang on my flannel "bird" jacket. He likes to crawl inside the jacket down my shoulder to the sleeve cuff and stick his head out of the sleeve, dangling his little white face and his eyes bright saying “ye-ah!, ha ha ha”. He loves to go to restaurants and sit on outdoor table and eat with me and the family. He is good around strangers when we are in public and handles large crowds at the farmer's market and festivals well. People want to touch him and he’ll let them touch his tail. He trained me to all his words. He still learns more words, sings and laughs. He understands the context of the words and makes sentences. He is playful and likes to roll around the floor with me to do exercises and get his tummy tickled. Loves to be cuddled and kissed on his little white face. He kisses back with a "kissy" noise. He does squawk in the morning for all of 3 minutes when I put him outside and at dusk when I bring him in. He is pretty quiet through out the day except for his cute macaw mumblings and chatter. He mostly uses his words to explain what he wants. He likes to play in paper bags, boxes and the bathroom. When inside his cage door is mostly open during the day and he hangs out on top. Sometimes we find him wandering the house looking for people or in a corner destroying some pile of cardboard, toys, phone books and stuff we've left for him, or shoes, he loves to chew shoes. He loves to take showers especially if you are in there with him. He's a nice kitchen counter size and enjoys making dinner. When I'm at the computer he loves to sit on my knee and purr. I love my severa's macaws talking voice. It kinda sounds like a bigger macaw but smaller. Very happy. I recommend these things to have more fun with your Severa macaw:
1) Watch this video. Webinar Recording: Training Rescued and/or Re-Homed Parrots You will feel equipped to handle your new bird. Learn as much as you can about training. Your Severe macaw will joyfully respond to training. Training also enhances your "trust" account with your bird. If you are introducing other family members and friends to her, give them confidence by first explaining to them how to handle the bird. Then have the new person introduce themselves by giving your birds treats. Allow her to acclimate to the new person. This way she’ll be happy to play with everyone. It's best not to use vacuums and brooms around her especially when new to your home.
2) learn her body language. You'll be warned if she is upset and you can step away from being bitten.
3) After she gets acclimated to her new space (first couple of days) show her around the house/backyard and explain things to her. Tell her about things she can play with. Open the cupboards and let her look inside. Mine loves to look in the cupboards as we empty the groceries and see what we bought and where it's all going. He happily shouts "look at that!", "mmmm want some?".
4) From the beginning have a routine daily. Try to spend the same amount of time with her daily.
5) Eat a meal with your bird every day. Put her on the kitchen table and have breakfast with your macaw, even if it's just a bowl of cereal. Talk to her about what you are doing...she's your audience. Look up “birdtricks diet” on youtube. Diet is extremely important.
6) Harness train your macaw so you can take her in public without her wings being clipped. Spread the love by talking to people about your bird. You can look into flight training too.
7) Keep her flighted, she'll feel more confidant. Teach her "recall" flight training in the house. Use a special perch for training, no toys dangling off of it, just a bare perch on a stand. Use this perch every time class is in session. Look into clicker Trick training her so she can show off.
8) Coconut oil in birdie bread. A tsp a day will keep her feathers nice and shiny.
9) Teach her to play by herself. She should be able to entertain herself for a few hours a day while you are out. Get her or make her lots of foraging toys. Variety of chew toys put in cage and make a play area for her on the floor. Watch Harley or Max the cockatoo on youtube and you'll see. You can learn a lot about how to keep a Severa busy by watching these guys.
10) Socialize her to interact with other people as much as possible. Train the people. It's all about training the people. Introduce her to other animals too.
11) 12 hours sleep in a dark, quiet room. You can use a smaller sleeping cage if you like. Cover it.
12) Give her a Timothy Grass tube to rest in. Macaws need to be able to hide during the day for a little while. They like their private time. Tie it to the ceiling of the cage with leather strips or twine, she'll also chew it up in about 2 weeks and you can get her another one.
13) If she starts getting crabby it will usually be during the summer. Hormones. Severas mate in the summer. Act on this quickly. Watch Barbara Heidenreich's video on hormonal birds. Make sure your bird is getting her 12 hours beauty sleep in a dark room. Also make sure she is fed and cuddled before bedtime. Take her to the vet so you can get it under control quickly. Squawking is normal in the morning "sun's up! and evening "good day sun!" but catch behavior issues early. Check out Goodbirdinc.com for more training videos or watch free training videos on youtube.
14) When you leave the house put on videos of other birds talking, pre-school TV like Sesame Street or nature documentaries. Watch a few minutes of Sesame Street with her and call out the letters of the Alphabet or the word of the day. She'll learn how to talk fast when everything has context. Hold an apple and say "apple". Watch videos of Alex the Grey parrot for more ideas.
15) If you have to go on vacation and board your macaw make sure the boarding place is trained in “positive reinforcement training” for birds. Interview them. Test it. Choose your boarding place and leave her there for a few hours. Lavish attention on her when you pick her up. Then do it again for a longer period of time till you work up to over night. This way both you and your bird can evaluate the boarding place and she can get used to the staff. Do this periodically just to keep her used to the idea. Also have her used to a friend taking care of her while you are gone either in your house or at the friend's house. Train your friend.
16) Take her outside and introduce her to the trees, rain, go to the park. They want to learn.
17) Join or create a parrot meet up group or sanctuary in your area so you can socialize her with other birds or even take a break if you need to.
18) Train her to wear a "flight suit" to catch the poops then you can let her wander around the house all day or take her in public on your shoulder. Also get her used to wearing birdie "hoodies" so you can have fun dressing her up.
Hope this helps. 
:smile015:
I have a beautiful severa macaw buddy. He has a sweet happy little personality and is very very cuddly. He loves to run errands with me and pretend to fly in the car as we drive down the road. He likes to ride on my shoulder and hang on my flannel "bird" jacket. He likes to crawl inside the jacket down my shoulder to the sleeve cuff and stick his head out of the sleeve, dangling his little white face and his eyes bright saying “ye-ah!, ha ha ha”. He loves to go to restaurants and sit on outdoor table and eat with me and the family. He is good around strangers when we are in public and handles large crowds at the farmer's market and festivals well. People want to touch him and he’ll let them touch his tail. He trained me to all his words. He still learns more words, sings and laughs. He understands the context of the words and makes sentences. He is playful and likes to roll around the floor with me to do exercises and get his tummy tickled. Loves to be cuddled and kissed on his little white face. He kisses back with a "kissy" noise. He does squawk in the morning for all of 3 minutes when I put him outside and at dusk when I bring him in. He is pretty quiet through out the day except for his cute macaw mumblings and chatter. He mostly uses his words to explain what he wants. He likes to play in paper bags, boxes and the bathroom. When inside his cage door is mostly open during the day and he hangs out on top. Sometimes we find him wandering the house looking for people or in a corner destroying some pile of cardboard, toys, phone books and stuff we've left for him, or shoes, he loves to chew shoes. He loves to take showers especially if you are in there with him. He's a nice kitchen counter size and enjoys making dinner. When I'm at the computer he loves to sit on my knee and purr. I love my severa's macaws talking voice. It kinda sounds like a bigger macaw but smaller. Very happy. I recommend these things to have more fun with your Severa macaw:
1) Watch this video. Webinar Recording: Training Rescued and/or Re-Homed Parrots You will feel equipped to handle your new bird. Learn as much as you can about training. Your Severe macaw will joyfully respond to training. Training also enhances your "trust" account with your bird. If you are introducing other family members and friends to her, give them confidence by first explaining to them how to handle the bird. Then have the new person introduce themselves by giving your birds treats. Allow her to acclimate to the new person. This way she’ll be happy to play with everyone. It's best not to use vacuums and brooms around her especially when new to your home.
2) learn her body language. You'll be warned if she is upset and you can step away from being bitten.
3) After she gets acclimated to her new space (first couple of days) show her around the house/backyard and explain things to her. Tell her about things she can play with. Open the cupboards and let her look inside. Mine loves to look in the cupboards as we empty the groceries and see what we bought and where it's all going. He happily shouts "look at that!", "mmmm want some?".
4) From the beginning have a routine daily. Try to spend the same amount of time with her daily.
5) Eat a meal with your bird every day. Put her on the kitchen table and have breakfast with your macaw, even if it's just a bowl of cereal. Talk to her about what you are doing...she's your audience. Look up “birdtricks diet” on youtube. Diet is extremely important.
6) Harness train your macaw so you can take her in public without her wings being clipped. Spread the love by talking to people about your bird. You can look into flight training too.
7) Keep her flighted, she'll feel more confidant. Teach her "recall" flight training in the house. Use a special perch for training, no toys dangling off of it, just a bare perch on a stand. Use this perch every time class is in session. Look into clicker Trick training her so she can show off.
8) Coconut oil in birdie bread. A tsp a day will keep her feathers nice and shiny.
9) Teach her to play by herself. She should be able to entertain herself for a few hours a day while you are out. Get her or make her lots of foraging toys. Variety of chew toys put in cage and make a play area for her on the floor. Watch Harley or Max the cockatoo on youtube and you'll see. You can learn a lot about how to keep a Severa busy by watching these guys.
10) Socialize her to interact with other people as much as possible. Train the people. It's all about training the people. Introduce her to other animals too.
11) 12 hours sleep in a dark, quiet room. You can use a smaller sleeping cage if you like. Cover it.
12) Give her a Timothy Grass tube to rest in. Macaws need to be able to hide during the day for a little while. They like their private time. Tie it to the ceiling of the cage with leather strips or twine, she'll also chew it up in about 2 weeks and you can get her another one.
13) If she starts getting crabby it will usually be during the summer. Hormones. Severas mate in the summer. Act on this quickly. Watch Barbara Heidenreich's video on hormonal birds. Make sure your bird is getting her 12 hours beauty sleep in a dark room. Also make sure she is fed and cuddled before bedtime. Take her to the vet so you can get it under control quickly. Squawking is normal in the morning "sun's up! and evening "good day sun!" but catch behavior issues early. Check out Goodbirdinc.com for more training videos or watch free training videos on youtube.
14) When you leave the house put on videos of other birds talking, pre-school TV like Sesame Street or nature documentaries. Watch a few minutes of Sesame Street with her and call out the letters of the Alphabet or the word of the day. She'll learn how to talk fast when everything has context. Hold an apple and say "apple". Watch videos of Alex the Grey parrot for more ideas.
15) If you have to go on vacation and board your macaw make sure the boarding place is trained in “positive reinforcement training” for birds. Interview them. Test it. Choose your boarding place and leave her there for a few hours. Lavish attention on her when you pick her up. Then do it again for a longer period of time till you work up to over night. This way both you and your bird can evaluate the boarding place and she can get used to the staff. Do this periodically just to keep her used to the idea. Also have her used to a friend taking care of her while you are gone either in your house or at the friend's house. Train your friend.
16) Take her outside and introduce her to the trees, rain, go to the park. They want to learn.
17) Join or create a parrot meet up group or sanctuary in your area so you can socialize her with other birds or even take a break if you need to.
18) Train her to wear a "flight suit" to catch the poops then you can let her wander around the house all day or take her in public on your shoulder. Also get her used to wearing birdie "hoodies" so you can have fun dressing her up.
Hope this helps.
:smile015:
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #7
Thank you for the information. �� I love the Train the people! I will definitely watch the videos. I'm use to smaller parrots. I raise Gcc's. She will be vet checked when I get her. She will be in quarantine for a month and until I get results back to insure I don't spread anything to my other birds. I will post a picture when I get her.
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