# Blue and Gold Macaw



## Ssymess007 (Sep 8, 2011)

Hi folks,

Looking for advice really!

I wanted a Blue and Gold Macaw For some time now and have been doing alot of research in the last year or so and I'm now I'm a position were Im ready to buy one but before I do:

Is there any owners out there that could give me more advice, tips etc?

Also, I've seen a few but are there any documentaries etc on macaws in general that I could watch online?

All help is much appreciated

Many thanks!


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## Zoo-Man (Apr 12, 2008)

The large species of Macaw are truly beautiful, & they attract many many admirers. Unfortunatly the majority of these admirers do not prove to be good enough keepers of these large parrots. They need space, time, patience, understanding & respecting. 

Large species of Macaws need a lot of attention. They should be allowed out of their cage to exercise, & ideally fly, for a few hours a day. They need a diet which is quite high in fat, but which is varied & contains plenty of dark green & red fresh foods. They need plenty of things that they can destroy. They have voices that can carry right down the street, so any neighbours must be either deaf, or failing that, understanding. Their intelligence matches a small child, so they need to be kept stimulated mentally, to prevent them from becoming bored.

When buying a baby Macaw, never buy one that is not fully weaned or one that has been wing-clipped. Most people buy hand-reared Macaws, but many people are now finding that parent-reared Macaws are less demanding, less physchotic & are more mentally stable, but they can still be tamed down with patience.


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## patterson1980 (Apr 23, 2011)

hi not something u want to go in to on whim. they are stunning birds i have one and few other amazons they are very powerful bird and very demanding. i got vincent from breeder hes comming 2 this year i got him a 18 weeks old.

hes great boy very good talker but he only has eyes for me now where he used love my gf aswell now she cnt go near him or he would flip they cost alot to feed and avaian vet costs alot to just something to bear in mind. 

there is alot of times he screams house dwn but we love him. we build a nice aviary for them in there garage they go to it every morning after their breakfast in their cages, then out to avairy rest of day macaws need alot of space. heres few pics

him with his brothers before we got him








him getting his feathers








this the 2nd week he got home








playing in avairy









































very rewarding if u have the time but if ur out most of the day and its going to be alone then ur neighbours will hate u fter a while lol they are very very loud


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## Ssymess007 (Sep 8, 2011)

Thanks so much for the replies and pictures!

Think it might be important to add that the blue and gold will be my first bird! Only ever kept iguanas before :-S

Plus, I don't really have neighbours close by and have heard the macaw screams and know it's just part and parcel of owning the pet you love but can understand the garage! Are night times a problem?


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

large parrots are a huge investment... some are very much like raising children... really not pets but rather, family members... a nearly life-long commitment...

truly rewarding if you are truly dedicated...


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## TIMOTHY AND MATILDA (Oct 31, 2008)

We had a parrot years ago Sprout,we loved him but he screamed really really loudly most of the time,If I ever had another one I would have to be working less hours have more time and I would get a baby African grey as I feel they are more intelligent and spend more time whistling and talking rather than the screaming,although that is only :2thumb: my opinion


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## patterson1980 (Apr 23, 2011)

Ssymess007 said:


> Thanks so much for the replies and pictures!
> 
> Think it might be important to add that the blue and gold will be my first bird! Only ever kept iguanas before :-S
> 
> Plus, I don't really have neighbours close by and have heard the macaw screams and know it's just part and parcel of owning the pet you love but can understand the garage! Are night times a problem?


no they understand when its time to come in in the evenings. they get their supper and settle dwn bed at 9 every evenin:2thumb: to be honest if its ur first bird u should go for something smaller. but up to u:2thumb: u need alot of toys to keep them form chewing if u get a macaw then get a avairy dones. or ur door sills in ur house will be tooth picks ina week. but they are great birds.

not really a pet just like one of the family


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## patterson1980 (Apr 23, 2011)

TIMOTHY AND MATILDA said:


> We had a parrot years ago Sprout,we loved him but he screamed really really loudly most of the time,If I ever had another one I would have to be working less hours have more time and I would get a baby African grey as I feel they are more intelligent and spend more time whistling and talking rather than the screaming,although that is only :2thumb: my opinion


our macaw is a great talker and hes only comming 2 learning new things each day


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## Ssymess007 (Sep 8, 2011)

patterson1980 said:


> no they understand when its time to come in in the evenings. they get their supper and settle dwn bed at 9 every evenin:2thumb: to be honest if its ur first bird u should go for something smaller. but up to u:2thumb: u need alot of toys to keep them form chewing if u get a macaw then get a avairy dones. or ur door sills in ur house will be tooth picks ina week. but they are great birds.
> 
> not really a pet just like one of the family


The reason why I have never got one up until now is that a smaller bird was suggested as a first bird. However, I really don't have half as much interest in other birds than I do with the macaws so I'd literally be having the smaller bird for experience alone and without the passion for the specific breed I would feel unfair!


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## Sarah-Jayne (Jul 4, 2007)

I have not admitted this to many people, and I will probably get some stick...

I wanted a macaw ever since I can remember (I am now 28 ) I was fascinated by them as a child and went to see them in the aviary at the park every weekend. I had macaw badges, macaw toys etc.

I went on holiday to Tenerife last year, and visited Loro Parque, again because of my love of parrots in general, and macaws. I met some tame macaws whilst I was out there, and me and my fiance agreed we would do some proper research and look into getting one. Obviously I knew quite a lot already, as I had liked them for so long. 

Where we live at the moment our front room is huge, and my neighbours don't care about noise, so that wasn't a problem.

In early September we brought home our baby blue and gold macaw, we absolutely loved him, and he loved us too. 

I work during the day 8:30am to 4:30pm, and my fiance works 12 hour night shifts, 7 nights on and 7 nights off. Whilst my African grey copes with this fine, Diego our macaw soon started to resent us for it. He was used to being out the cage all the time, or in the outhouse where the breeder kept him. He absolutely wouldn't tolerate being in his cage whilst we were home at all, and he started to attack when we got him out too. 

Sending him to a new home was one of the hardest things I have had to do, and yes I am ashamed that I could not give him the care he needed, after wanting one for such a long time, it was heartbreaking. 

He is now living with a lovely family in Nottingham, who have all the time in the world for him, as the lady who bought him doesn't work, and he Dad has a blue and gold macaw too so she knew exactly what to do with him. I get to see pictures of him and I am happy he has found his forever home.

I know it might be different for other people but after having Diego I can see that macaws are not suitable for people that work, unless there is always someone else home, they need so much attention and out of the cage time. They also need to be able to fly properly, their wings are so big, and even in the big macaw cage he had Diego damaged so many feathers. So you need an aviary, or at least a flight, outside.

Anyway, just my experience, but warning you because it is so hard to give up such a cuddly, stunning animal, and I wouldn't want anyone else to have to go through that uneccessarily.


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## patterson1980 (Apr 23, 2011)

moved the avairy oiutside


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## irish_vampire (Sep 15, 2008)

Great looking flight... what wood did u use for the wall and might be a silly question... are'nt you scared of it escaping with no safety door?

I don't keep macaws just the smaller parakeets... but was always my dream bird which i know i'll never own but i can dream.


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