curious about severe macaws

[jimpierce7]

I am still new to the bird thing, but I have surely found a new love, and as I understand it, one that will live quite awhile. I currently have a Peach face Lovebird and Senegal, both just turned one year old this month! I have seen a few Severe Macaws and find them to be astonishing birds. How are they as pets? Benji (lovebird) and Zoey (senegal) are opposites. Benji wants to be watched and not touched, even though he will act as tho he wants to be played with, it is only an act Zoey on the other hand is very loving and wants to be held and played with all the time. They like to get each other going with the noise but it isn,t that bad at all. How well will a Severe fit in here?
Jim

[The Outlaw]

Hi. I have a charming little male named Chi Chi who is probably almost 6 years old. He's clever, beautiful, mechanical, ornery and can be noisy. That is why they aren't the most popular of macaws. Their screech can peel paint. However, he rarely fusses and will stop if scolded.

He is probably the smartest of my macaws, learns tricks quickly and is hated by absolutely every other bird in this house. He lacks "bird" skills. My amazon hates him with a passion. I think he probably called her fat.

My Chi Chi is totally devoted to me and would happily live on my shoulder. He isn't user friendly with others, however, and can be nippy. He's pretty typical of mini macaws and conures in general.

To the patient owner with a good sense of humor, they are terrrific pets. If however you lack self control and can't take the occasional nip, please pass. These little guys are not for everyone, but absolutely one of my favorites. In fact, its the ONLY mini macaw I'd even consider.

[Alyce Johnson]

I posted on the main bird talk board about my Berta's recent injury to her beak. Maybe someone (or many someones) who know about macaws would be willing to check out that rather lengthy post and tell me what they think happened to her? Any advice you might have about how to keep her safe in the future?

Also, is it really OK for her to eat mostly nuts? My avian vet seems to think so, and he's supposed to know these things. (He wrote the entire veternary section in the large Macaws book.) But what do other owners think? She also likes bread & pasta etc but isnt esp fond of veggies... What should she be eatting (if not the nuts, that is)?

[The Outlaw]

I just read the thread on the dislocated beak. Fascinating. I haven't a clue what happened and probably would agree with the vet's guess.

As for the diet of mostly nuts, that's not what I have been taught. I would think that a more balanced diet for most macaws, with the exception of the Hys, would be:

40 percent fresh veggies
10 percent fresh fruits
10 percent nuts
20 percent pasta, rice and other carbs
20 percent fats and proteins

Frankly, nuts are very high in fats and some acids. Most macaws should be limited to no more than 2 English walnuts per day on average. Peanuts are technically not nuts at all, but rather legumes such as beans. Select vitamin rich veggies that are dark green or yellow/orange for the best bang for the buck. Berries are a wonderful fruit alternative, high in antioxidents and relatively low in sugars. Choose brown rice over white and whole wheat pasta. I also make bird breads and often stuff pita bread with veggies and cooked chicken as an evening meal.

[Alyce Johnson]

Thanks for answering my question Outlaw.
I'm sorry to post it in the wrong place - I'm not too swift with computers and just today figured out how to start a new thread on these specialty pages - for some reason I didnt get it before. I'm still learning my way around the technology (and the birds). Thanks again - and my apology to the person who started this thread, too.

[wingnut]

I have 2 Severe Macaws, they are absolutly my favorite of all the birds. One is only my bird, she will take the finger off of anyone who comes near me but to me she is totally devoted and would do just about anything for me, except, go to bed when I want her to:) The other one is still a "baby", he has just hit his terrible two's and the biting has started. They love to please but they are big babies and stubborn.
My favorite characteristic of my Severe's is that they are so playful! I can lay on the floor with them and they will wrestle with me, they love to hang upside down, they play fetch and they love to chase the dogs.
Down side to a Severe, they are LOUD! But they are only loud when they want attention - if I've been gone all day and they see my car pull up, they start screaming or if it's been too long since I've been in to see them, they will call out for me.
One talks the other does not, it just depends on the bird as with any other.
As for fitting in with your other birds, I wouldn't reccommend putting them together, mine are not nice to my other smaller birds.

[Irish]

Outlaw hit it well when she described them as "ornery" and "noisy", at least from our experience. Our 6 y/o Severe absolutely loves my spouse, and actively hates or barely tolerates the rest of us. Eddie bites HARD, and both of us have several nasty scars from his "attentions" during the first couple of months he lived with us. Since then, he adores my spouse--reguritates, gets all "in the nesting mood", etc. For the rest of the world, he'd rather tear out our jugular than look at us....

During the day when my spouse is at work, Eddie is quiet as a mouse, except during feedint time, when I risk life and limb because he's busily trying to attack me through the feeding doors. However, when my spouse comes home from work, and until Ed's bedtime, he screams. He screams at first for excitement, and later, any time my spouse leaves his sight. Eddie particularly enjoys being on spouse's shoulder for every activity from personal hygiene to dinner prep to cleanup, to watching the telly.

Personally, I think they're pretty much one person birds. He also despises all of our other birds. If I were to have the option to do it all over again, I doubt I would have brought Eddie into a family setting....

I have a friend who has one, and it loves her and only her, too. I've never yet met one that loves the whole family. If you don't mind that, though, they are fun and entertaining, and our Eddie has a vocabulary that I think must rival most Amazons, and he's pretty amazing at picking up new words quickly.

[Abyssinian1]

My experience with Severes is a bit limited, as Corinna is Dave's bird and has been for 13 years or so. I'm the one marrying into the family.
Unless you socialize these birds and get them used to being handled by more than just one person, you will end up with a one person bird. Outlaw is right they do have a screech to them and love the shoulder ride more than anything else. Corinna has also resisted the last six months of my attempts to make friends with her (sitting outside her cage, talking to her, giving her almonds, holding cardborad through the bars for her to play with and shred, etc.) Maybe a few more years and she won't actively attempt to attack my hands. Dave has to be pretty mindful of where she is when we sit on the couch - she'll bite fingers and toes if she gets a chance. Oh well.

That being said, if she's with Dave, she's really fun to watch. He can do things like flip her on her back, play with her, hold her upside down and she'll preen while he's holding her like a popsicle. I think, for Severes, the world consists of their human mate and then there are the rest of those pesky people

[puffinp]

Since Jim Pierce is a "SISSY" Would NOT suggest a bird that bites

[homebird]

My friend who has a Jardine [about 15yrs old] - great family bird - usually well adjusted - gave her a big bite the other day. This is the answer I got when I asked how he was doing; she said 'he'd had an accident" - meaning, after she told the whole story, he'd made an accident by biting & could have suffered a near death experience from her hands [just an expression of her anger & hurt really!!]
Her finger was quite a mess.

edit: is this thread from before Jim got Sophie the Ekkie?