Mini Macaws

Just about every bird lover wants a macaw, but few people have the time or funds to devote to a huge, expensive bird- they can easily cost thousands of dollars, and an appropriately large cage will set you back several hundred bucks.

 Most people, when they think of macaws, invasion the large species: Blue and Gold, Greenwing, Scarlet, or Hyacinth. Less well known are the Mini Macaws.

The smallest member of the Macaw family is the Red-Shouldered Macaw- the two subspecies are the Hahn's Macaw and the Noble Macaw. These parrots are only 12-14 inches long- scarcely larger then the Cockatiel!

The largest Mini-Macaw is the Severe Macaw- and even it is only 18 inches long.

This is a Severe Macaw

Mini-Macaws, like their larger counterparts, are extreamly intelligent birds that can learn to speak and do tricks.

Owners of these bird report that they act like the larger Macaws- some say that their size is the only "mini" thing! This is great for people that love the feisty Macaw personality, but it also means that they have some of the same "problems".

All Macaws are noisy birds. They also need hours of daily attention- which they will often demand by screaming. They also have large beaks for their size, that could still do some damage if they decided to use them.

A young Mini Macaw costs several hundred dollars, but usually under a thousand. An adult will cost less. They are not cheap parrots- most aren't- but compared to a large macaw (especially a Hyacinth Macaw) they cost a lot less.

If you want a Macaw, don't over look these less flashy, but still beautiful, birds.

A Painting

Well, I painted this picture a few days ago. I call it "Pristine Parrot." It looks better than it does in the photo.

In case you are not familiar with birds, it is a painting of a blue and gold macaw.

Let me know what you think...

Hyacinth Macaw: A bird for the wealthy

Facts about the Hyacinth Macaw

•  A Hyacinth Macaw grows to about 3.3 feet in length, making it the longest (not the heaviest) parrot.
• Hyacinth Macaws can make a strange quacking sound.
• Hyacinth Macaws lay only one or two eggs at at a time.
• Hyacinth Macaws are not able to breed until they are seven years old.
• Hyacinth Macaws are rare, both in the wild and in captivity.
• The beak  of a Hyacinth Macaw is so powerful, it can crack open coconuts!

Hyacinth Macaws are extremely expensive, especially for breeding pairs. I read this on the Internet: “A proven healthy young pair of producing Hyacinth Macaws will cost no less than $40,000 USD while an older healthy pair will run no less than $25,000 USD. I have personally witnessed a proven young pair from a reputable breeder bring in $58,000 plus 15% auction fee on an estate auction in Florida.”Also, a bird this big will need a huge cage that can cost several thousand dollars. Hyacinth Macaws need a diet with lots of nuts in it, as well as plenty of large pellets. This can also be a large expense.

If you are able to spend many thousands of dollars throughout a Hyacinth Macaw's long (about 60-80 year) life span, and devote a lot of time to this potentially dangerous bird, a Hyacinth Macaw may be a good pet. But they are not good pets for most people!

How happy is your bird?

This quiz will help you know how happy your pet bird is.

How many perches are in your bird's cage?
A. One  B. Two C. Three or more

How many toys does your bird have in its cage?
A. One B. Two C. Three or more

How much time does your bird usually spend out of its cage?
A. My bird never leaves its cage. B. An hour or less C. Two or more hours

How much time each day do you handle your bird?
A. I don't handle my bird. B. Less than half an hour C. More than half an hour.

How often do you clean your birds cage?
A. Less often than once a week. B. Once a week C. At least twice a week.

How often do you change your birds water?
A. Once a week B. When ever it's dirty C. Every day

How often do you clean your bird's food dish?
A. Once a week B. When ever it's dirty C. Every day

Does your bird have cuttle-bone in its cage?
A. No B. Sometimes C. Yes

How much does your bird chirp?
A. My bird doesn't chirp. B. A little bit C. A lot

How much does your bird bite you?
A. My bird isn't tame. B. Sometimes. C. Rarely

If you got...
Mostly A's... Your bird is unhappy. Maybe you should keep a pet rock instead of a bird.
Mostly B's... Your bird is O.K., but your care of it could be better.
Mostly C's... Your bird is quite happy. Congratulations! You are a great bird owner.

The Danger Of Teflon To Pet Birds

  The coating on a non-stick pan (brand name: TEFLON) is very large hazard to pet birds. The Teflon company even admits it. This coating contains a chemical that kills bird birds and can make humans sick. Almost all bird books I’ve read say to throw away all non-stick pans. If the pan is over heated or forgotten, the gases are deadly to pet birds. Even if the bird is rushed to the veterinarian instantly it is almost certain death.
  I very quickly found some stories about just a few of the hundreds of birds that die each year from non-stick pans.

 In December 2002 a family lost more than 55 birds after a pan on their stove overheated when the water burned off. Despite their efforts to ventilate the house after they noticed the smoldering pan, one by one they lost three Blue and Gold Macaws, a Camelot Macaw, one Scarlet Macaw, 2 sun conures, 2 nanday conures, 2 TAGS, 4 parrolets, and over 40 cockatiels.
“As I walked into the kitchen, I saw the pan that was smoldering. The pan had been full of water and the burner turned off, but a short circuit had turned it on even though the handle/ indicator said it was off. I then noticed a sun conure flying by and dropping to the ground, also, immediately dead.
The next few hours are the hardest I will probably ever go through. One by one the birds were dying. Agonizing screaming... we opened up everything in the house. It was snowing and freezing. I placed fans everywhere to exhaust the fumes. (I lost 2 Boston Terrier puppies from pneumonia 2 days later)...” says the woman whose family lost these wonderful pets.

A bird owner reported that her Yellow Cheek Amazon Parrot was killed as she heated some water for a cup of hot cocoa. The water boiled off and her bird died.

    I just lost my Kola Bird (he was a Yellow Cheek Amazon) to Teflon poisoning. I came home from work and was heating up some water for a cup of hot cocoa. I forgot about the water on the stove. A while later I heard my boy fall off of his perch, but I didn't hear anything else so I went to investigate. He was sitting on the bottom of the cage with his head kind of bobbing back and forth. In less than five minutes, he was dying in my arms. It was the saddest thing watching my friend of twenty-one years take his last breath in my arms.

Nonstick cookie sheet was placed under oven broiler to catch the drippings; 107 chicks died.

Water burned off a hot pan; more than 55 birds died.

A woman on BirdTalk.com shares the following story:

 My husband came up with the idea for me to make stuffed green peppers for supper.
"Yum!" I said, "But I need a few things at the store." So I made up my list and off he went to get the missing ingredients.
I decided to get the ball rolling while I waited for him to get back, so I measured the rice and water ratio, put the water in the pot and turned on the unit. I sat down to check a few emails, then decided to reply to "just a couple" of them.
When Ray came back in the door, I got up out of my seat. As I turned around my nose was greeted with a strange metal burning smell. Oh no!
She didn’t use non-stick cookware. If she did all her birds would have been dead. She owned 14 pet birds including cockatoos, african greys, and macaws.
   
Don’t have an attitude of “I’ll be really careful!” Most of the birds that die this way had owners who thought the same thing. It is not worth it. Use copper, stainless steel, or other bird safe pans.  If anyone who reads this owns a bird, please don’t let it meet the same fate at these birds and hundreds of others. Remember all these deaths could have easily been avoided.