Need advice on selecting a bird

[afckjr]

Hello! My fiance and I are looking to buy a large bird. We currently just have a budgie, but have recently been researching the macaws. We would love to own one someday, but would like some experienced advice. Please give us your opinion for new bird owners! Thanks

[kensbuns]

What you have to ask yourself is do you have time for a big bird. Macaws need much more attention than a budgie. The dont like to sit in their cages all day. They need a place to play and scream and just be a Macaw!! I love the B&G's and I had one at one time. But I had to rehome him because our house was just not big enough and our neighbors complained about the noise. Did you know that when a Macaw screams it can set off car alarms. Yeah really!! It is so loud when you are in the same room with them that it is down right deafening. They need a huge cage, atleast 40x36x72. They need fresh veges and sweet potatoes and you have to cook for them!! Just some things to consider before jumping in to buy that beautiful bird. I had Bogart 3 years and I still cry and miss him. They bond to you like no other animal you will ever own. I would say start with something Medium sized and then graduate to the bigger birds. JMHO!!

[afckjr]

I see you have a African Grey? What are their everyday temperments like. We have looked at them some as well. When you say medium sized do you mean like Cockatiel?

[jimpierce7]

medium sized are Greys, Eclectus, around that size.

[svolk]

Originally Posted by kensbuns

Macaws need much more attention than a budgie. The dont like to sit in their cages all day. They need a place to play and scream and just be a Macaw!!

Budgies also do not like to sit in their cages all day, especially with their high energy levels and high metabolisms - much higher than a macaw. Budgies also need a place to scream and fly and play.

The messes are bigger with macaws, the food supply is bigger with macaws, and the screams are louder if macaws are having a fit - but this does not mean that anything smaller than a macaw needs any less quality time.

Budgies are extremely intelligent and statements like the above will only perpetuate the misconceptions that already exist about small birds.

[Ringneckmom]

I totally agree with Sarah. Whether you have a big bird or a small "eye candy" bird they all need the same amount of attention. I cook for my small birds also - contrary to popular belief small birds do need to have things like fresh veggies, some fruit and even a few other human foods. This is not exclusive to just big birds.

The main thing when talking about macaws is whether or not you can handle the bird itself. Are you comfortable getting a macaw to step up? Are you afraid of the beak? How well do you deal with getting bit, because it can happen. Macawscan bite pretty hard if they want to - though most seem to like pinching you hard enough to get bruises better. Yes, they can have loud voices - but I have heard birds like amazons and the smaller Toos "break glass" as well.

The best thing to do is to keep asking questions, research all birds, find bird stores around you or people that have different types of birds and get to know the birds and see how you are with them.
Also, be open to the fact of owning a bird besides a B & G as well, I have seen many people that had their mind set on a certain bird and then met another and were totally in love. I wanted larger bird as well when I had my Tiel - I got my first Ringneck which is considered a small medium sized bird and I am totally in love with them.

Another thing to consider and probably a very big one is - where you live and what kind of lifestyle you have. If you are in an apartment then I would wait on any really larger bird that can be very noisy like amazons, Toos, macaws, even some conures can be very loud and disturb the neighbors. The other thing is do you have time to add another bird to your flock. More animals means more time needed to spend on them, more cleaning and more mess. It doesn't make a difference if they are big or small - make sure you have the time to give this bird and your other one the love and attention they deserve.

You have started out on the right foot by asking questions - keep it up and eventually you will know what bird works best for you.
Good luck!

[GreetingCardReligion]

I guess alot of this depends on how much time you have to dedicate soley to interacting with the bird, how much space you have for cages and playgyms, how much time and desire you have to cook and prepare fresh foods for your bird, how much distance and thick walls you have between yourself and your neighbors and how tolerant they would be of the noise. How much money you have to dedicate to replacing toys that they destroy (ESPECIALLY WITH A MACAW)

To answer your question about greys, my grey is a total doll but if I work a long day and he feels like he's been in his cage for too long, he lets me know! Alot of people say that CAGs are timid or shy, but my little guy has a very strong personality and an opinion about everything!

You need alot of time and energy for a grey, to make sure that they are safely socalized and exposed to lots of people and experiences so that they don't become the steriotypical shy, one person bird.

This is saying nothing against budgies, who are remarkably bright little birds, but owning a macaw is a whole different ball game, just as is owning a grey. I'm only saying that because I don't think its true to say that owning a budgie prepares you for owning a macaw, because they aren't the same, only bigger and louder.

[Ringneckmom]

No they aren't the same as a macaw, but at the same time they should not be slighted when it comes to time, care and feeding. Whether you have a budgie or a macaw - the dedication should be the same.

With any bird - you will have to look at what that bird needs to have a quality and happy life. Research on all the birds until you find the one for you is essential. When you narrow down the list then you do even more specific research. Things like: greys require a little more calcium in their diet as do I think Ekkies? Not sure about that for Ekkies, but they do have specific things to know about their diets. Lories are specialized feeders and cannot digest seed - they require nectar and are very susceptible to getting hemachromatosis.

I think you get the idea.

Anyway, keep asking those questions.

[Valo's Moirana]

if i could ever wrap my head around that opinion that there's sort of a ranking amongst the birds based merely on their size... it's not like a skiing hill: budgies are the green and easy slopes, while macaws, greys etc are the black diamonds... let's get over that.... by now we should all know that they require equal attention and time, the only thing that increases with the size of the bird is the size of the bills paid for cages, toys, and cleaning supplies.... JMHO

i think that clara and sarah made a good point - the time devoted to any bird has to be appropriate... how's life with your budgie? how much time can you spend with him, how often do you cook for him and clean his cages and playstands? ask yourself how this time schedule changes with 2 birds, since you most likely have to keep some distance between them (at least at the beginning) due to size differences... another important question - can you handle the noise that comes with larger vocal cords... and are you willing to deal with issues that might come along during the 50yrs those birds live?

i guess my point is - if you would like to have a larger bird, research the various species... greys are great companions, macaws are gorgeous and smart birds, ekkies are wonderful as well, and the list goes on.... but if you look at clara's first posts, she starts pointing out things that you have to consider for the different species... i guess people can give you recommendations, but you have to decide whether a certain type of bird fits into your lifestyle - your lifestyle as you have it planned for the next 30-50yrs!!!

[GreetingCardReligion]

I didn't mean to imply that budgies were any less deserving of care, commitment, time and devotion!

They are just very very -different- in their personalities and how they play and how they interact with people and the sort of time required to keep them happy and social.

Greys are also very very -different- from macaws in many of the same respects.

I like greys better than I like macaws, this isn't a question of slighting, but they are different and have different demands, it's ok to point that out - imo.