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I've been doing some reading online and in the BirdTalk magazines on Macaws. I've heard plenty of varying opinions from different people on the various species. I did read the prior post with everyone posting in regards to their own Macaws, and I'm just curious about certain species. I'd like to know more about Scarlets, B&Gs and Military Macaws for their amazing qualities as well as their downsides. I've heard plenty of good things about B&Gs, people say they are the best for family pets and they're very well-rounded but I've heard exactly the opposite from plenty of people. Scarlets I've heard are THE most nippy of all the Macaws and regardless all Scarlets are like this...I don't really want to believe that ALL Scarlest are nippers as I think part of that has to do with socialization and training. I've read that Military Macaws make great fairly well-rounded pets with them being a lot like Cockatoos that they are a bit more demanding and need that extra attention and are quite cuddly, but I've also heard they are the WORST of the Macaws for pets. LOL. Amazing how opinions differ isn't it? With my personal experience with these guys...we had a Military in our store last year which we handfed from about 3-4 months of age up until weaning, and after weaning he turned into a total brat, VERY nippy and OMG stubborn! I think that a lot had to with us being short staffed and he had a lot of pent up energy because he didn't get out quite enough -- which is the problem with pet stores. Another store had a B&G, but again, I don't think he was very well socialized as he seemed kind of afraid of me, and of course they left me alone with him so he had no familiar face to comfort him. He automatically tried to bite me and while I was holding him he got my nose really good, hurt for days...lol. Now at my store we have a 4 month old Scarlet Macaw, and I will say she is "beaky" in the sense that she likes to ALWAYS have something in her mouth, a piece of shirt, a button, zipper or even a finger, but she always has to be playing with something in her mouth, lol. It's funny really. But I am working VERY hard to make sure she is well socialized, and she always gets out for at least an hour a day, most days she is out on her playstand all morning while I clean the floor cages, entertaining herself, and I get EVERYONE to hold her. So far she is VERY friendly, a social butterfly. She's not afraid of anything, she in fact HAS to visit everyone, she will actually try to get to new people if she sees them because she wants to give them a cuddle! She's quite sweet, does apply pressure sometimes but is learning to "be gentle" and "let go" and listens/understands quite well. I'm even thinking about taking some time to clicker train her! =D Anyways, just wanting general opinions of people's experience with these three species and generally what they're like. Do you think that socialization in the first year has a lot to do with the way they behave/act? For instance, if Scarlets are generally "nippy" birds do you think with proper socialization this could be a different story? Are the generalizations true or just individual traits? (I know there are always exceptions to every rule....like when I tell people that my Umbrella is as quiet as a mouse they look at me like I've been smoking something! LOL) Just curious really, like to expand my knowledge of all species...helps with talking to customers too!
Sarah |
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Repost to keep with thread it was replying to: Subject: Re: Macaws as pets - in general.
| Hello Sarah,
My name is Pam and I live in Michigan. I have had I think, about one
of every bird out there, except the Cockatoo! I used to run Guardian ANgel
Parrot Haven & Rescue out of my home, but had to close due to my health. I
currently have my baby, Oscar she is my B & G. Love her to death. We had
her before I opened the rescue...she should have been mean considering the
way she was treated. The family we cought her from sold her to us at $500
00. We put down $50.00 and walked out the door with her and everything that
was hers. I cannot imagine it here without her! She talks, loves to say
What??, Shut Up!, (Webbie, my grey tells her that). She will start the
macaw squawk really loud when someone comes up the front walk. So I always
know when someone is here! She was a he when we got her, or so they told us
Then about two years ago she laid an egg...makes her a girl in my book!!
She loves to be held, her showers, walnuts she can crack open, paper she
can tear up.
Is she loud, you bet she is, she is hormonal, when she is that way, she
gets downright moody with us, and her toys. She will even have a temper
tantrum and throw her toys off of the play area to the floor!! It is so
funny to watch her do that! I try very hard not to laugh!
When we first got her, it took us about 3 weeks to gain her trust, she
was scared, and with new people and in a new place. Her old home kept her
locked in the cage 24/7 and when she called Pete (husband) he ignored her.
She wanted to go out with them down by the pond. So, I am sure she also had
trust issues. Has she ever bitten me, oh yeah!! Had a bruise for two weeks
to prove it. My fault not hers, tried to pick her up from the shower, and
she started slipping and grabbed for bare skin, which she did get!!
Would I trade her in, not for any money in the world!!! She is our
baby!!
I truly think that people need to know and understand that Macaws,
Cockatoos, any bird for that matter, are wild animals. They will act on
instinct, which means biting if they do not feel safe, screaming, chewing on
wood, etc. They are not disposable, and certainly deserve to have it better
than they do in some places. If nothing else, like other animals, they can
learn to trust, and love if that is what they receive from the owners.
Heck, there are still times (hormonal) that she will try to bite us, not
hard, just a "get out of my space bite"! She will actually tell us she
wants to go to bed when it gets around 6 pm, and you better move then, cause
she just gets louder, and if you ignore, she starts yelling. I do love
her!!
Pam
Mom to Ms. Oscar Ms. Webbie |
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I had a male scarlet about 10 years ago. I hand fed him from when he was a full size baby with a short tail to maturity. I can't remember exactly how old he was when I got him but he was a baby. At age three he decided he was boss and boy did he hurt me. I read all about these people saying to stand your ground and don't let them know you are hurt. Baloney. When they tear your arm open and blood is pouring off your elbows you have to get them off and go stop the blood. My vet witnessed one of his attacks on me once. She was horrified at the damage he did. We had to treat my injuries before we could continue his exam. I loved that bird but I couldn't keep him so I gave him to a breeder friend who had pet macaws. He did the same bites to her but calmed down considerably when she got a younger green wing to keep next to Rio in another cage. His sister was exactly like him. I knew her parents well and they bled as often as I did. They had a houseful of B &Gs and green wings and said the female scarlet was far and away the worst biter. It took less to set them off than the other species. Some peoples' personalities can handle those attacks. I cannot. I know that lots of people here at BB have them and love them and may not get those attacks, but I bet some do and can handle them better than I can. Annie |
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| | From:  ¨SHERRÝ | Sent: 11/8/2006 5:04 AM |
I have 2 macaws. One is Calie Joe, a yellow collar Mini macaw and Kocham, a B& G. I got Calie the day he turned 6 mo old. He is little, but he is totally all macaw. He is sweet, loud, and a clown. He bites and bites hard. It seems like he is totally tuned in to my fingernails and almost always manages to catch me just at the cuticule. He makes me bleed every couple of weeks. I wouldn't trade him for anything. He is special. Kocham was totally another story. He was in really bad shape when Nay got him. The vet was totally amazed he even made it. Nay kept him for 2 months be for he came to me. He was 2 yrs old when I got him. Nancy's Ms. Morgan is his sister. they were both in bad shape. I took a lot of time trying to make sure he learned he could trust me. I went back to hand feeding him when I got him to my house. At least 2 times a day, on the kitchen bar, cuddling in a towel, we used a syringe then a special spoon. He still gets hand feeding from the spoon a couple times a week, and he is 5 1/2 now. He didn't have any wing feathers and his wings were underdeveloped so he could not fly. He was bathed 2 times a day. I made a perch for the shower and used a hand held shower head to (gently) spray him.. He loved it. he had very few baths and now he asks for his shower every night. Longer, very longer stories about him, but that was to say this..... Kocham has bitten me and bitten me hard and badly. I have not had to have stitches, but he caught my mouth one day and split my lip about an inch long and almost all the way through. Sterie strips are a good medicine cabinet supply starter when you are owned by a macaw  . He has bitten me on the arm and made me bleed. Most of the time, it has been because I didn't pay attention to his body language, letting me know he was in no mood to be messed with or didn't want to do what I wanted at the time. Most of the time, I can now do almost anything I want with and to him. He seems to trust me completely and he seems totally satisfied with his life. I travel with him. I think even Nay was shocked at how vocal and pleasant he is. He talks all the time, he tries to sing, he loves to dance with me. He is full flighted and I'm lucky I have really high ceilings for him to enjoy. He fusses at the dogs and tells Calie to "shut up" when he is hollering. He is very much a part of our family now.. I can not imagine my life without him in it. I have never had the other types of Macaws, I think the Greenwings and Scarlets are beautiful, but With Kocham's start, he hates other B&G's, so I know I will never bring another B&G home (unless it was Elvis, LOL) but I would love to have a whole house full of Macaws.. They are truely awesome creatures. I hope this made sense, I tend to go overboard when talking about my guys.....  Sherry:) |
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Just my opinion: I have never had a macaw as a personal pet nor as a rescue. I would not want one because of their size and personalities. I figure that their cage should be about the size of my spare bedroom and that I should have a personal trainer to go with a bird of that temperment. Cockatoos, Amazons, and macaws frequently end up in rescues and sanctuaries because the original owners did not realize that they all make huge noise and have personality issues and, in the case of the macaws, are large enough to push the dominance routine to the max. Anyone operating a pet store would be doing the birds a giant favor if they didn't sell macaws at all ~ referring perspective buyers to the breeder, instead. And, if that isn't palatable, the store should sponsor classes on the ownership of the large birds and insist that the buyer attend six-weeks worth of classes before ever putting money down for a bird. Abundance weaning and socialization of baby birds is so important to their future behavior but how many buyers know anything at all about hand-feeding a baby? How many buyers understand the various phases that the bird will go through, including the annual hormonal surges that can turn the sweetest bird into a threshing machine? In my opinion, pet stores are responsible for a lot of misinformation and total lack of information in many cases, and that affects the lives of every animal and bird and reptile that they sell. Store employees should know all of the facts on everything they sell and pass that information along to buyers, even if it means missing sales. Obviously, this is a soap-box issue for me. I will now step down. |
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birdlady, I 100% agree with what you're saying in regards to pet stores!! Unfortunately I have very little choice in what parrots we get, but since I run the bird department it is MY job to educate the staff where I can and I am there to ensure that all the parrots receive the best of care and socialization on a daily basis. I in fact told one of my staff who thought they had our Scarlet sold to a girl who only had experience with a Green Cheek Conure that she could NOT sell the Macaw to her and that I would HAVE to talk to this girl (to talk her out of it of course). But I feel that we have the right to refuse to sell any parrot to anyone, and I try my VERY best to talk anyone I feel is not ready out of getting what they thought they wanted.
I do agree tho, it would be much better off if parrots such as Macaws & Cockatoos especially were not sold in pet stores because just ANYBODY can get one. On the other hand though, what deters people is that they cost twice as much as breeders, and I find in the end only the experienced bird people actually spend the extra money for the Macaw, Cockatoo, Amazon, Grey, etc. The last Cockatoo we had in was a Bare Eye and I was talking to this lady for 15 minutes about him, but she had a Macaw and 4 other fids at home so she knew what she was getting into. Sadly not always the case.
But anyways, I COMPLETELY agree with you, and I KNOW that the staff in my store aren't fully educated, that's what I'm there for! If they have questions, or concerns, they feel very comfortable with coming to me! No stupid questions. =D The lives of each and every bird that comes into our store is important to me, and I do MY best to ensure they go to the perfect home.
Thank you to all who posted. Hopefully some Military and Scarlet people will post as well with their opinions.
Oh, and at my store ALL of our babies are abundance weaned, and the majority of them take a month or more longer to wean than some other stores because unlike some other people, I don't care about the $$ I get from selling them (and I get department bonuses for sales...pfft WHO CARES) I care about the birds, their health and wellbeing!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR AMAZING OPINION!!!
Sarah |
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I have a friend that has a military, and two B&Gs.One of the B&Gs she got as a baby, just weaned. He rides in parades, is found at most of the resturants around the lake, and is a total smooge. But then he's been around people since she purchased him 9 years ago. The second B&G came from an abusive situation. She's had her 3 years now (she's 7) It's taken a lot of time and patience to bring her around, and this year she joined her partner in crime on the lake front. (she also used to be a biter) Number 3... the military, was also from an abusive situation, and now sits near the alter a church every Sunday. He converses with the kids in both english and spanish. He is still not comfortable with stepping up on a stranger's arm though. or petting. He's never bitten anyone, simply because his mama watches his body language, and she will remove him from a situation where he feels threatened. Only 3 of her 9 parrots did not come out of abusive situations, but because of her patience and her care, all of them make appearances on a local cable program where they show off for the people and cameras. |
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