Almost any bird owner would love to take on having a Macaw. They range in size; from the smallest Macaw being the Hans macaw to the largest, the Hyacinth macaw. Macaws however require a lot of attention, living space and owner knowledge. Macaws are intelligent, highly interactive parrots. Their personality traits range from a mischievous nature, they can be nervous around strangers, tend to bond with an individual person, they can however be untrustworthy and nippy with anyone. Green-winged macaws are less intimidating and calmer then the Blue and Gold macaw and Scarlet macaw. Macaws have the ability to mimic words. Loud shrieks and squawks may become a problem and If breeding become aggressive and protective of their nest box. Their body length is 12 to 39 inches, body weight is 200 to 1500 grams, a mini is sexually mature at 4-6 years and a large 5-7 years, maximum life span is 50 - 80 years. In most macaw species it is almost impossible to distinguish a male from a female based on physical characteristics; therefore, other ways must be used such as DNA sexing.
Macaws are playful and love to chew, meaning they can be very destructive, they require frequent training to keep them well behaved. Toys must be free of ANY THING toxic. Providing large diameter fresh-cut branches from non-toxic, pesticide-free trees is suggested for macaws.
A young, hand-raised macaw is the best way to go.They should be exposed early in life to novel situations like car travel, hospital visits, multiple visitors in the household and other household pets, so that they know how to cope with these events. However, behavior abnormalities are common in hand-raised macaws, some may scream for attention and become feather pickers. They may regurgitate favorite members of the family. Discipline, leadership and patience are necessary for a macaws behavior.
Why clip the wings of a macaw that is allowed unrestricted access in the home? Some may consider it cruel, but consider the problems that could occur, numerous physical dangers or toxins and a macaw could cause significant destruction, therefore, wing clipping is recommended. The goal of clipping the wings is not to make the bird incapable of flight, but to prevent it from developing rapid and sustained flight and to prevent escape and causing damage to it's self resulting in death. Also trimming the wings may keep the bird more dependent on its owner and less aggressive. Keeping your bird healthy and happy includes feeding a fresh, high quality, toxin-free formulated diet with daily supplementation of chopped vegetables and fruit. Some diseases found in macaws are a result of malnutrition.
Over all macaws are some of the most intelligent and beautiful parrots, being the largest companion bird species. Sadly most free-ranging species are considered endangered. The most common large macaws include the blue and gold, scarlet, green-winged and hyacinth. These birds are not suitable as pets for the average person because they require extensive care and space and are extremely noisy. Most end up in bird havens with extreme mental and physical problems many are abused in in ways such being crammed in cage they can not move in at all. Remember these creatures were never meant to be in captivity, so never think you can just run into such a lifelong commitment with out the knowledge.
Macaws are playful and love to chew, meaning they can be very destructive, they require frequent training to keep them well behaved. Toys must be free of ANY THING toxic. Providing large diameter fresh-cut branches from non-toxic, pesticide-free trees is suggested for macaws.
A young, hand-raised macaw is the best way to go.They should be exposed early in life to novel situations like car travel, hospital visits, multiple visitors in the household and other household pets, so that they know how to cope with these events. However, behavior abnormalities are common in hand-raised macaws, some may scream for attention and become feather pickers. They may regurgitate favorite members of the family. Discipline, leadership and patience are necessary for a macaws behavior.
Why clip the wings of a macaw that is allowed unrestricted access in the home? Some may consider it cruel, but consider the problems that could occur, numerous physical dangers or toxins and a macaw could cause significant destruction, therefore, wing clipping is recommended. The goal of clipping the wings is not to make the bird incapable of flight, but to prevent it from developing rapid and sustained flight and to prevent escape and causing damage to it's self resulting in death. Also trimming the wings may keep the bird more dependent on its owner and less aggressive. Keeping your bird healthy and happy includes feeding a fresh, high quality, toxin-free formulated diet with daily supplementation of chopped vegetables and fruit. Some diseases found in macaws are a result of malnutrition.
Over all macaws are some of the most intelligent and beautiful parrots, being the largest companion bird species. Sadly most free-ranging species are considered endangered. The most common large macaws include the blue and gold, scarlet, green-winged and hyacinth. These birds are not suitable as pets for the average person because they require extensive care and space and are extremely noisy. Most end up in bird havens with extreme mental and physical problems many are abused in in ways such being crammed in cage they can not move in at all. Remember these creatures were never meant to be in captivity, so never think you can just run into such a lifelong commitment with out the knowledge.
A cage, if you plan on using one should be as large as possible. It should be clean, secure and safe and easy to service. It should be constructed of durable, nontoxic material (avoid zinc). Containing variable-sized perches made of clean, nontoxic, pesticide-free tree branches and have food and water containers placed at opposite ends of the enclosure.
Always do your research on any species of bird you are
planning on getting.
planning on getting.