Macaws!

[CunningMoss]

We are interested in chameleons, but don't have any yet. What we do have (or they have us) is macaws!

Any one have macaws or an interest in them? They are very intelligent creatures that require a huge amount of dedication for.. 4-5 hours a day of dedicated care would be the minimum for giving them proper stimulation.

They have a huge learning potential, but they are not exactly easy to train. They will get emotional and aggressive if you don't give them a lot of attention (haha) and will certainly remember what you did! But they can learn quickly if your training methods are efficient and you care for them.

Ours are only about 1 and a half years old, yet they can already do so much. We document some of it on our youtube channel.

http://www.youtube.com/user/xBoogieStarx

What do you guys think about macaws?

 

[robmd1]

Love macaws i had a blue an gold..

 

[CunningMoss]

Love macaws i had a blue an gold..

ah. what happened to it?

 

[PrettyInInk87]

They are beautiful but they scare me, lol! I have a yellow-sided green cheek and he can be a handful sometimes. I cannot imagine him in a Macaw size.

 

[robmd1]

ah. what happened to it?

well I got married an it hated my wife"shoulda listened to the bird"so i sold it to a friend whos still got him..

 

[d3s5]

I've had an African Grey for 17 years and they are amazing creatures. But you are right when you say they are not easy to train. He learns what he wants. It never seemed to matter what I wanted him to know. For instance, right now he is outside in his cage on the deck asking the neighbors for some of their dinner. Our decks are close and they are barbecuing. He loves chicken.

Deb

 

[lisa h]

Too much bird for me, but before my husband and I were married he had a Scarlet and a Blue and Gold. The Scarlet died in an unfortunate accident, and the B & G was placed due to aggression. He's fine with his new family now.

I have a Bare Eyed Cockatoo, a White Capped Pionus, and a couple of Cockateils. Cockatoos and Pionus are definitely the birds for me!

Other than the Hahns, Macaws scare me with those big strong beaks, and big personalities.

 

[Winterhawk1960]

Beautiful birds......but I'm not sure that our Egyptian maus would allow them any peace at all. It would also worry me to have to find a home for one after I was no longer alive. They can live over 100 years.

 

[ataraxia]

im amazed how intelligent they are. watching them take a walnut, crack the shell like it is nothing and then completely clean the nut out without dropping a crumb is crazy.

 

[CunningMoss]

I've had an African Grey for 17 years and they are amazing creatures. But you are right when you say they are not easy to train. He learns what he wants. It never seemed to matter what I wanted him to know. For instance, right now he is outside in his cage on the deck asking the neighbors for some of their dinner. Our decks are close and they are barbecuing. He loves chicken.

Deb

Haha, that's hilarious. That's how these creatures are. They are dissimilar to dogs in the aspect that they do what they want to do a lot more without regard to what we want. But watching their actions is interesting, especially when it is difficult to influence them.

 

[allencg101]

those birds can talk!!!

 

[Texas Panther Man]

I had a blue & gold for almost 10 yrs. Best companion Ive ever had. Unfortunately I had to sell him due to a divorce and me moving into a condo at that time. I had an ex sister in law that works at Sea World in San Antonio. Buzz went to live with one of their bird ppl. She wanted a macaw and couldnt afford to purchase one on her park salary. When I gave him to her had a vocabulary of around 20-25 words. I hear he's up over 60 now and will roller skate and dunk a mini basketball. When i had him he would sit out by the pool with us and would watch tv with me at nite. He absolutely loved ice cream! Funniest thing was he would immediately start saying mmmmm good every time someone opened the freezer door. Dont miss power washing perches or cages though. Cham cleanup is a snap cmpared to a bird.