robertm@hpgrla.gr.hp.com (Robert Moss) (04/26/91)
I am thinking about getting a macaw and am interested on any feedback from
other macaw owners. I plan on getting a baby, but I am not sure whether
I should go for a 5 week old, or a 3 month old (partialy weaned) bird. Some
breaders think one imprints better on the younger birds, others will only
sell weaned birds (they seem to care more about their health). I have limited
my search down to 4 varieties, but need help in pruning my list.
Hyacinth: +Mellow,+Intelligent,+Puppy dog like temperment,
-Price
Green Wing +Mellow,+Intelligent,-Easily frightened,
-Needs lots of attention
Scarlet -Nippy with strangers,-Family oriented bird,-Noisey,
-Susceptible to personality problems,
-Needs lots & lots & lots of attention
Blue & Gold Reference with which above +,-'s compared to
I think the Scarlet's have too many disadvantages to remain on the list, but
am welcome to suggestions (some breeders say a hand feed macaw is a handfed
macaw, when it comes to temperment).
I am looking at the bird as a lifetime pet. So my decision will not be taken
lightly. I would like to have a bird that is intelligent, but can bear life
in its cage while unsupervised (while I am at work and at night). I can
probably spend a good 1/2 hour in the mornings and an hour of so in the
evenings with the bird (though it will likely be out of its cage for the entire
evening). I also would like the bird to be personable and friendly (including
towards strangers). From what I've heard about them, I would go for the
Hyacinth if they didn't cost $7000. So what do you netters think.
Also, I am questioning cage sizes. Some cage manufacturers sell 24" x 36"
macaw cages, while others say 36" x 48" is required to keep the tail feathers
in good shape. The median is on the order of 28" x 44". So what is the real
scoop (I know bigger is better, but what is a realistic size).
-------------
Robert Moss
robertm@hpggrl.HP.COMrdmiller@matt.ksu.ksu.edu (Ruth D Miller) (04/30/91)
In article <1970001@hpgrla.gr.hp.com> robertm@hpgrla.gr.hp.com (Robert Moss) writes: > > I am thinking about getting a macaw and am interested on any feedback from >other macaw owners. I plan on getting a baby, but I am not sure whether > > Hyacinth: +Mellow,+Intelligent,+Puppy dog like temperment, > -Price > Please don't think I'm trying to be nasty here, but all I've heard and read says that unless you plan to breed them, it is very irresponsible to keep such a severely endangered bird as a Hyacinth Macaw as a pet. Ruth
mep@cbnewsd.att.com (mary.e.pasternak) (04/30/91)
In article <1970001@hpgrla.gr.hp.com> robertm@hpgrla.gr.hp.com (Robert Moss) writes: > > I am thinking about getting a macaw and am interested on any feedback from >other macaw owners. I plan on getting a baby, but I am not sure whether >I should go for a 5 week old, or a 3 month old (partialy weaned) bird. Some >breaders think one imprints better on the younger birds, others will only >sell weaned birds (they seem to care more about their health). I have limited >my search down to 4 varieties, but need help in pruning my list. > > Hyacinth: +Mellow,+Intelligent,+Puppy dog like temperment, > -Price > Green Wing +Mellow,+Intelligent,-Easily frightened, > -Needs lots of attention > Scarlet -Nippy with strangers,-Family oriented bird,-Noisey, > -Susceptible to personality problems, > -Needs lots & lots & lots of attention > Blue & Gold Reference with which above +,-'s compared to I'd also add -Needs lots & lots & lots of attention to the Hyacinth and add -Noisy to all of them. (Until you've had a macaw scream in your ear, you don't know what noisy is :-)). However, I'd also add that some of these attribute seem to depend on the bird. Just like people, dogs, cats and any other intelligent creature, birds have different personalities -- not all the personality differences can be attributed to species (although it's a good place to start). Regarding cage size: we've had a miligold macaw for about 3 years now and she spends daytimes (when we're at work) and sleeps in a 48" wide x 28" wide cage. Her tail feathers are in good condition -- not perfect, but much, much better than many of the macaws I've seen. My vote would be for as big a cage as you can afford and have room to keep. Also, when shopping for a cage, there are a number of considerations (a recent issue of Bird Talk goes into many of them), including: - what's the cage made of? if it's steel, what's it coated with? powdered-coated paint and nickel coatings seem the best. make sure that whatever it's made of, the coating/material is non-toxic. cages get plenty dirty from food and droppings, so I'd go for an easy-to-clean material. if you can afford it, go for a stainless steel cage. - does the cage breakdown (e.g., needs assembly)? this can be a disadvantage (if you're not mechanically inclined) or an advantage (you can get a bigger cage into the house because you're not limited to the width of the doorways, you can take it apart to clean it on the back port or in the bathtub, you want to travel with your bird, so it'll fit in the (large) car. if you can't tell, I vote for cage's that breakdown. - is the door big enough to easily get the bird in and out -- especially important with a bird as big as a macaw. it's amazing how many large cages are sold with tiny doors. - how much time will the bird spend in it? one popular option is to have a playpen on top of the cage, making the cage double as a playing area. Mary Bamford
stewartw@cognos.UUCP (Stewart Winter) (05/02/91)
In article <1970001@hpgrla.gr.hp.com> robertm@hpgrla.gr.hp.com (Robert Moss) writes: > I am thinking about getting a macaw and am interested on any feedback from >other macaw owners. I plan on getting a baby, but I am not sure whether >I should go for a 5 week old, or a 3 month old (partialy weaned) bird. Buy the older baby. They will bond to you just fine, if they have been socialized at all properly. The risk with the younger babies are greater (less time for congenital problems to show up, etc.) If you go for the younger baby, be very careful to have a contract which permits you to get your money back based on the results of an autopsy (not great protection but better than nothing). > Hyacinth: +Mellow,+Intelligent,+Puppy dog like temperment, > -Price There rarity does mean it should be considered for breeding. You may be able to find a breeder who would be willing to trade your bird for another baby once it is mature, but do you want to go through that? > Green Wing +Mellow,+Intelligent,-Easily frightened, > -Needs lots of attention > Blue & Gold Reference with which above +,-'s compared to I find greenwings and B&Gs to be fairly similar ... if you talk to enough people you will hear that (a) B&Gs are great, greenwings not as nice and (b) Greenwings are great, B&Gs not as nice. I think the main consideration is that GreenWings are larger birds (which means a bit louder, a bit stronger, a bit more ...) > Scarlet -Nippy with strangers,-Family oriented bird,-Noisey, > -Susceptible to personality problems, > -Needs lots & lots & lots of attention Scarlets tend to become a one person bird, and are more aggressive, but I've seen some nice ones too. Don't forget that Scarlets (like the Hyacinths) are on CITES I (endangered) ... and although somewhat more common in nature, their habitat is rapidly disappearing. They are NOT bred as often in captivity (percentage wise) as Hyacinths because of their temperment and females seem hard to come by. Also, far too many scarlets (personally I think one is too many) are being hybridized. I suspect that in the long run, they will be rarer in captivity than the hyacinths. I'm wondering why militaries aren't on your list. You might also consider the 'mini' macaws. Although smaller, most are similar in many ways. >Also, I am questioning cage sizes. Some cage manufacturers sell 24" x 36" >macaw cages, while others say 36" x 48" is required to keep the tail feathers >in good shape. The median is on the order of 28" x 44". So what is the real >scoop (I know bigger is better, but what is a realistic size). I'd say 24" in any dimension is a bit small. We have our pairs in 3x5x6 and they are quite content. Stewart -- Stewart Winter Cognos Incorporated S-mail: P.O. Box 9707 VOICE: (613) 738-1338 x3830 FAX: (613) 738-0002 3755 Riverside Drive UUCP: stewartw%cognos.uucp@ccs.carleton.ca Ottawa, Ontario The bird of the day is .... Illiger's Macaw CANADA K1G 3Z4