Macaws

Large birds like this are actually a very bad idea as pets. The GREAT majority of people that have them simply can't cope with their needs and the poor birds end up going from home to home picking up more and more behavior problems. They are very messy, pooping all over the house throwing toys, food, and water everywhere. They are curious and get into everything! They are extremely intelligent and need constant access to mental stimulation. They are VERY destructive going through expensive toys at an incredible rate and are quite happy to tear apart your walls, panelling, electronics, furniture, and more. They are very social and require at least several hours a day of attention every single day. They are incredibly loud and will sound off when it pleases them! And then they mature and things really get hard! When they hit breeding age they become unpredictable at best as their hormones make them very moody. When you live with a bird it's not a question of if you'll be bitten at some point, it's only a matter of when and how much damage they'll do! You WILL be bitten at some point! A macaw can easily break a finger or hand, rip off noses, lips and ears, or put out an eye! Very many of them get frustrated and end up plucking their feathers out even progressing to ripping horrible wounds in their own skin so the once beautiful bird you had looks like this horrible little goblin that needs constant vet attention and ugly collars and sweaters to protect them from themselves. And yes, they can easily live to 60 or more years which means you have a dangerous, destructive, temper tantrum throwing child in your home for the rest of your life!! IF you can honestly handle all of that please please please NEVER BUY a large bird!!! When you buy from a breeder or pet shop you encourage further breeding dooming future birds to lives of misery. Please adopt!! There are so many wonderful birds in rescues looking for homes so that you can both save a bird in need and help prevent more breeding. I'll be more than happy to help anyone who contacts me find a rescue if they'd like to adopt a bird!

It's true. Macaws and most parrots live over 40 years. Many birds outlive their owners. There's a bird store I go to where some people have willed their birds to the store. One is a 45 year old green naped amazon parrot that talks like the little old lady that owned him. I agree that parakeets are a pretty good idea as a starter bird. They are small, cute, friendly, quiet, and low maintenance. If you want a more talkative bird, cockatiels are great. They talk and whistle more than parakeets, but they can get pretty loud when they want attention. They live an average of 17 years, but a neighbor of mine had one that lived to 36 before it passed away.

I don't have a macaw. In fact, I never thought of having a bird as my pet. I am just not a person who likes birds. If they can live up to 60 years old, perhaps your children or your grandchildren can also take care of the macaw. :)

My grandparents owned a large scarlet macaw.. they are a handful! They need a lot of space and demand as much attention as a small child and they love to clown around and play. They are so incredibly intelligent and if not constantly intellectually stimulated they can literally go insane. They are also very very loud since their voices are meant to be heard over long distances in the forest. If you are on the phone or trying to have a conversation with someone in the same room as the bird, they try to get in on the conversation too and it's impossible to talk over them. My grandparents had him for about 2 years but his loud voice was just too much for my grandfather so they gave him to someone who already had a couple of macaws. You have to be a true bird lover and know a lot about them to take proper care of them. I had a friend who took in abused animals and she took in a macaw that had been abused,isolated and kept couped up all the time. The poor thing was completely insane. He pulled out all his own feathers, squawked constantly, shook all the time and if you tried to go near the cage he'd smack his head and wings against the bars. It was just incredibly sad. She tried for a year to bring him back to some kind of normalcy but he was too far gone and she ended up having to put him down. It is definitely a life time commitment. You're right 60 yrs is not an unusual lifespan for a macaw. If you're not up for a lifetime commitment maybe a couple of parakeets. I grew up with a parakeet that lived to be 13 yrs old. He would talk, play, kiss, and he loved sitting on your head and pick at your hair. He was a lot of fun. He loved to tease our dog and cat too. He'd stick his whole head inside the dogs mouth and pick at the dog's teeth, it was hilarious. Then he'd go over to the cat and pull her whiskers. They all had a ball together. Birds are a trip.

I haven't had macaws, but Yellow-naped Amazons. Most parrots can live forty years or more (e.g. Amazons, African Grays, Cockatoos, Macaws) and most people, I've found, don't realize that when they buy them. For many people, having a bird is a novelty and, sad to say, that novelty wears off fast. It requires a lot of time and effort to care for a bird and they require a lot of attention. I've seen so many horrible things over the years, nothing that I care to dreg up right now, though, sad as it is.

we have many macaws in our farm , we are the macaw breeder in chennai , india , macaws are so affectionate birds, and they are super strong , they easily kill another animale when they really need in the situation arises ,, and life span is 80 years, and some reported lived more than the 100 years, Thanks Kumar Chennai

I neveer own a macaw but I know some information about them . They LIVE FOR 60 YEARS IN THE WILD AND 45 UNDER CAPTIVE .THEIR AGE CAN BE INCREASED TO SOME EXTENT BY GIVING THEM SOME SPECIAL FOOD

Just make sure you are up for that kind of commitment, I have a B&G macaw, I got her when she was 3 weeks old, and it's a LOT of work, a LOT!, I don't mind because I love her, and she loves me and it's worth it, but you have to be commited so that your bird doesn't end up having to be adopted or sold to somebody else, because that's hard on birds.Good Luck!