Macaw and reef tank? What precautions to take?

[Cakepro]

Well, we are about to add a new member to our family: a scarlet macaw. What precautions around the reef tanks do I need to take?

I'd love to hear about your macaw or other big noisy bird.

Sherri

[Jamesurq]

not sure the macaw will go diving for your fish if that's what you're worried about.

[Cakepro]

LOL, no. The tanks are covered by wooden canopies. I'm worried about cords, ballasts, canopy, etc.

~ Sherri

[boogs]

There's something about silicone that some parrots seem to love too - it's prolly more an issue with cockatoo's than macaws though. For our house, electrical cords weren't too bad but anything that looked too interesting (aquarium magnets, food containers, stuff hanging off the tank) might cause you some grief!

Scott

[jimroth]

My amazon has tried to gnaw the cords going to the lights -- no unsupervised outside play near the tank, please! My birds have a ledge they can walk along which leads to my reeftanks. I have had to block it.
That said, the amazon likes to take sunbaths in the MH Light from one of the tanks. It just reaches the last 6" of his prech!

[grostanzo]

I owned a Blue and Gold Macaw until he decided he loved the female Macaw my boss has at work.

They will chew and pick up anything with their beak!

My Macaw chewed through a microwave cord one morning when I wasn't looking and blew the thing up! He was very lucky nothing more than a slight burn on his face.

Macaw will also learn and trust me on this...how to open their own cages! Make sure your cage is secure when you leave him!

Has this bird been tested for any diseases? Yea, since I worked for an Exotic vet I am a freak about proper care for these guys.

If he hasn't been tested for anything...1 test I would recommend is Psittacosis. This disease is a zoonosis disease and can be transmitted to humans.

Anyway, I could go on and on here so, I'll stop now.

But yes, to your origianl question....Bird proof your home!

[Cakepro]

Well, the person that raises the birds requires that two mandatory blood tests be performed before the bird goes home with his or her new owner, and Psittacosis is one of the two diseases. I don't remember now what the other one is.

~ Sherri

[grostanzo]

Beak and Feather? Or commonly called PBFD.

[wee-reefer]

I have two conures, a Nenday and a Jenday. I let them perch on me as I work on the tank, and I also let them perch on the drawers on the stand, supervised of course. They love to get into things, so just watch out for that. Also, I don't think birds can swim very well, or at all, so no diving lessons. Blackbeard, the Nenday, will drink saltwater, and anything else (coke, beer big NO NO's) he can get his beak into. Peachy is pretty ok, she's more laid back. Good luck with your Scarlet, and raise her well.

[BlennyBabe]

Watch out for spiders that may find a way into your birds room. I lost my Red fronted macaw because I did a massive spring cleaning and disturbed several wolf spider nests. I was cleaning up outside by a wood pile that is just outside of the birds room. All together I lost 13 lovebirds and my Macaw in one night. Horrible experience to say the least. I guess that once disturbed the spiders seak out heat to hunt and find a good home. Just be sure to keep everything really tidy around your birds. They are worse than babies because they dont seem to learn.
Another death I had was from a mold that grew underneath the water bowl in my lovebirds weaning cage. It was sitting on some corn cob that was stored less than tight in the garage. the mold spread after some water spilled and I didnt notice. I feel terrible about this one because I should have known better and been more dilligent about cleaning the cage. I didnt find the mold until about a week after the bird died. I raised her from an egg and she was the sweetest thing. But since I lost all my breeders to the spiders, I wont get back into breeding and raising lovebirds for a long time.

will the bird be flighted? I had to climb a tree once to rescue a quaker parakeet. Had to chase it all around the neighborhood with its buddy in a cage calling back and fourth. That was a lucky one. How old is the macaw? Im having problems with the store bird at my work. He is in love with me and is becoming increasingly violent toward the customers, or anyone who is not me. Keep that in mind if it is near sexual maturity.

Sorry if I scared you. Birds really are worth the effort. they can bring so much joy and can really crack you up sometimes. Good luck with your new family member.

[dc]

Macaws need constant supervision and lots of things to chew. They can be on one bird demolitions. If they can touch it they will destroy it. http://birdsnway.com/ is a good place to get info. They do tend to pic the person they like the most as blenny has said, she's going to have to buy that bird!

[Cakepro]

OMG, BlennyBabe, that sounds like something out of a horror flick. Spiders seriously creep me out. Just this past weekend I had a panicky fight-or-flight moment when I bailed out of our moving car after spotting a huge black spider on the windshield right in front of me. I swear it was going to jump on me because it was crouched down and glaring at me, and it was pitchblack in the car and I just knew it was waiting for me. LOL. Luckily we were just backing out the driveway and I was the passenger. Did those spiders attack and poison your macaw?? I'm going to have a nightmare about that one. Are there wolf spiders in Houston? *Shudder*

The bird's wings are going to be clipped, at least until the children are older. They're almost-10, 11, and 12 years old. I would hate to have the bird fly out the door. We have revised our decision about which species to buy, though, and we're going with a green wing macaw. I've spoken with a handful of breeders and although they encourage us to go with a better "starter" bird, I don't want to settle for one I really don't want, and the macaws have always fascinated me. This situation kind of reminds me of the freshwater fishstore owners that would tell us how horribly complex and difficult it is to have a saltwater tank. I wasted so many years believing them.

So, we are still looking for the right breeder to buy the bird from, and we are still considering whether to buy one weaned or to take on the immense responsibility of hand-feeding a baby. My kids are tame but they're not shrinking violets, so there's always some noise in the house, and I don't want to stress out a baby. The good thing is that I am a stay-at-home mom with homeschooled kids so I have the time to dedicate to round-the-clock feedings for a few months. I just don't know yet. While we're contemplating all this, we have some time to decide, and we're also cage-shopping. Holy cow, who knew stainless steel cages could cost so much?!

DC, your bird is a beauty. Thank you for the link.

~ Sherri

[dc]

Thanks, he's cool! Greenwings can be huge. I've seen them almost as big as a Hyacinth. Oscar is a second generation hybrid. Inbetween a GW and a B&G for size. If I actually bought one I would get a Hahns. Small with a real big attitude. Probably not so loud. I can hear Oscar scream all the way out to my mailbox. About 200ft away, during breeding season. Personally if you're not experienced, I would go with a weaned. Even the professional I know has asperated a chick or two. A lot of money.
LOL, yes cages are pricey. I have a Kings cage and it was $900.

[BlennyBabe]

If you do tons of reasearch andhave a breeder that will let you take a chick thats a few weeks lod, I say go for it. Those babies really attach to you and think you are the coolest thing in the world. Most breeders wont let an unweaned chick go though because they know how hard it can be if you dont know what you are doing. If there is a breeder close by maye sure she shows you exactly how she does it.
The bird at my work is a green wing who is huge! Hes 10 years old right now. Since I left work to come to school, he has taken to another girl but still bites everyone. He will attack her if I walk in. Hes not a two person bird. He is the store bird, so hes not for sale. He doesnt talk much, but has tons of personality. He has lived in the pet store all his life and he know what he can and cannot do. He also makes whining kitty and puppy noises. its cute, but he does it when he wants something. If you are eating a bananna, prepare your ears... I would love to have him, but hes nothing compared to my Red front
They are the smallest of the large macaws. They have huge vocabularies and are quite social. I would definately get another one. Totally awesome birds that arent too big.

[grostanzo]

If you don't have any experience with hand feeding a baby bird then I would go with a newly weened bird. As Debi said when these birds feed they get wild with the bobbing and it would be very easy to aspirate it. If food gets into the lungs an infection will set in also even if it's just a small amount. The bird will still bond with you even at that age.

[Twister]

Hi Cakepro...

I hate to be the "bad guy" here but are you truly, truly sure in your heart of hearts that you want a macaw?!? PLEASE reconsider! I'm saying this not because I dislike them or think they are bad pets but because I think they are awesome while at the same time probably the most difficult bird to own!!

I have been keeping birds for almost 20 years. I too longed for a macaw. What could be more impressive than a beautiful Blue and Gold?!? I was so excited when I could finally afford to get one!! He lasted for 4 years before I finally put him into a breeding program full time. This broke my heart and I live with the guilt every day which is why I am asking you to reconsider.

I have 20 years of experience with birds and I was unable to handle a macaw! You have no experience, 3 children and I'm sure as a direct result a very busy life! These three things do not combine well with a macaw. Even though I am terribly guilty, I do not think that macaws should even be sold as pets. I sure do not want to offend anyone here, I know that there are many of you who have fantastic macaws! Even some of you who have never had birds before are lucky...I just don't think it's the norm.

All I'm saying is please make sure that a macaw is definitely the bird you want and then research it to death. Consider this...a full grown macaw has the capacity to grow into the intelligence level of a 3 to 5 year old child...and then stay that way perpetually! So..imagine one of your children, perpetually at 3-5 years old. Are you prepared for this? And the noise! OH MY!! Our B&G would wait until the exact moment that you were in front of his cage before emitting the most earsplitting squeal you have ever heard in your life. I am not exaggerating when I say that my ears would ring for at least 2 or 3 minutes after this! He loved the drama!

It is my personal opinion that macaws and children do not mix well...especialy children the age that you are speaking of. I will agree that a younger bird will adapt better to your household, however I would strongly discourage against weening a bird of this size yourself. As grostanzo and Debbie said, aspiration is a very real concern in feeding baby birds. Have you thought about the mess? Birds can be incredibly messy. While our macaw was fairly fastidious about not pooping on us, he was more than happy to throw as much newspaper/corn cob whatever he could find, out of his cage and onto the floor. Have you considered the danger? Macaws have approximately 2 THOUSAND pounds per square inch of biting pressure! This means it could literally remove a finger without so much as a blink! I know of stories of children losing fingers to these large birds, in the blink of an eye. Did I mention the noise? The squealing is the least of it! At least twice a day your macaw (particularly in the Spring and Fall) will have screaming fits that 3 of your children, and half the neighborhood kids combined, could never dream of matching in volume!

I certainly hope that I have not offended anyone here in any way since that definitely is not my intention. I feel VERY strongly that a macaw is probably the WORST mistake for a first time bird owner that I could ever imagine. While my concern is for your family too, it's mostly for the poor bird, who like my Merlyn, will lose his family because they just couldn't handle him. I live with that every day and my heart breaks....not to mention the fact that, while I am absolutely certain (I check frequently) that he is very happy and healthy in a breeding program, he is now contributing to more macaws being sold as pets.

Again, my intent is not to offend at all, but I would rather offend every person on this board a million times, than see someone purchase a bird that they just are not ready for. I'm not saying that you are not, but if you have never had birds before, please, please trust me when I say that, IMO, this is not the bird to begin with.

Sorry this was so long....I guess I just feel really strong about this because it wasn't that long ago that we made the decision to put Merlyn into a breeding program. It took us two YEARS to make that decision! I would never wish that decision on anyone...it was agony.

wend

[dc]

Well I can't argue with a single thing Twister says. 4 must be the age of puberty as that's when Oscars previous owners gave him to me. LOL I've had him 6 years. Did you say they were noisy???

[grostanzo]

Twister,

Great post! I agree totally! A good first bird for her would be a hand-raised cockatiel. Even though, alot smaller in size, still makes a great pet! Even though I feel a greenwing is more stable than a scarlet still alot of bird there.

[Cakepro]

Thank you all for you warning me. I appreciate the time you spent telling your story, Wendy, and I'm sorry it's been so traumatic. I will definitely factor it all into my final decision.

Of course, the truly deciding factor may be when I take my husband to the very loud aviary and he gets a real idea of what they sound like.

A LFS/pet store had a pair of scarlet macaws you had to walk past to get to the fish, and dear God in Heaven, those birds let out some ear-piercing squawks. I'm okay with that but my usually sweet and very tolerant husband might not be.

Are birds sensitive to loud music and bass? I don't really jam the stereo too loud any more because I'm sure the fish don't much like it, but I'm curious about a bird's sensitivity to loud music.

~ Sherri

[grostanzo]

I found with my B&G Macaw, the louder the environment got, the louder he got.

[NewMariner]

I was looking into a macaw as I think they are very beautiful creatures...Then I started looking towards the Cockatoo......very noisy

Anyway, what my wife and I were deciding on getting were a male and female pair of eclectus.......very beautiful birds together, and they will keep each other company when your away.....

I havent gotten the money yet for these two, but I will someday...and these are what we are gonna get....

[dc]

Cockatoos are pretty needy, and they throw a lot of dust. If you have allergies, pass on them. A Hahns is about the size of a Amazon. Still would be my first choice for a Macaw. It really depends on what the bird is used to. Oscar is right next to the TV. I usually have it on the blues station cranked up. Doesn't seem to really affect him at all. He's either in a noisy mood or not.

[needyreefer]

I have an african grey and for cages I would look on ebay. you can save lots of money! Also just be really sure to watch the cords, they chew everything!

[katspaw]

I have been keeping large birds for a few years now. Right now I have a small parrot ( white capped crested pinous). He was hand raised and very friendly to me til I had to go away for a week and my husband took care of him. I believe in free range within their room, so the bird is only locked away at night time. After returning from my trip, Rainie flew to me and landed on my head, reached down and bit me on my forehead. Rainie is kept at work, and this attack was done in front of a customer. Who ran screaming from the room, as I wiped the blood streaming down my face. That was back in 1998, same year I got my saltwater tank. After that, he has never gone on me again, but he has pooped in the tank one hot summer day and I had left the lid cracked for added ventalation. After I upgraded my tank in 2001 to the 255, he flies over to the canopy and pulls at the wires to the VHO lights. He doesn't bite them, just trys to rip them out. Now my husband can do anything he wants with this bird, including turning him on his back and scratching his belly. If I go near his cage he reaches out to bite me. I have tryed over the years to pet him again, and he will let me for a second or too then quickly trys to take a piece of my finger off. Of course I am stubborn and keep trying to be friends with him as he is only 8 years old, and will be with us for a long time. But after so that he is holding his grudge against me, I don't think it will happen.

Tracey

[Twister]

Of course, the truly deciding factor may be when I take my husband to the very loud aviary and he gets a real idea of what they sound like.

A loud aviary won't necessarily be a good measure of how loud the macaw will be in your home. Although aviaries are loud, you seem to adjust and think, "well, considering how many birds there are, it isn't that bad, I'm sure just one will be fine". It's a different ballgame altogether when you have one in a totally silent house who amushes you the minute you walk past their cage! If your husband is not fond of loud noises, he will like this even less.

As for the loud music I guess you should ask yourself, "would I subject my children to loud music for long periods of time?". While the loudness of the music will not affect the parrot, the tone, beat, screaming, whatever it is in the type of music you listen to, may affect him. Loudness does not affect birds since they are so loud themselves. In fact, doctors who study hearing impairment are studying parrots (and I believe macaws in general) to try and understand how they are capable of withstanding such loud noises. It seems that parrots have the ability to repair their own cilia (sp?)...those are the little hairs inside your ear that vibrate and help you hear and distinguish sound. This is why birds can be so loud and not have it damage their ears. Make no mistake though...the screams and squeals that a macaw is capable of rendering can cause hearing damage to members of your family should they be close enough to the parrot when they occur and should your parrot develop the "ambush" habit that mine did. It was one of the main deciding factors in no longer keeping him.

Your most important factor should be your children. I am horrified every time I see zoos or the like introduce their "pet" macaws to people after the show and allow these perfect strangers to kiss the birds on the beak!! As katspaw experienced, even your favourite pet can attack you! Macaws, and parrots in general, are NOT domestic animals. I don't care if they are bred in captivity, they are wild animals that we have decided to try and domesticate. Domesticity cannot be ingrained in the lifetime of one animal, it takes generations. Since parrots can live well in excess of a 100 years (or in the case of a macaw a possible 120!) domesticity will come a very, very long time from now. Until then, children will always be at risk around these birds. While I would hate to suggest a cockatoo for a miriad of other reasons, this would be a better choice for your children, since they can be quite loveable. However, they also have the capacity to become so neurotic as to chew holes in their own flesh, at times to their intestines! So again, not a bird for a first time bird keeper.

I still have to emphatically say, that IME and IMO, you should NOT consider a macaw as a first time bird.