Blue and Gold, Scarlet, or what?

[Degrees55basebal]

So I have been looking into purchasing a baby macaw and Im just hesitant on what species. I love the colors of the Scarlet but was wondering a few things.

I have been told the Blue and gold adapts to a particular person. Would this happen or does it depend on the bird.

What are some negative characteristics of these two besides loudness and chewing things.

Which would be better for hanging out with a family of six?
Thanks for your help.

[huntress]

They ALL can be LOUd. And did I mention LOUD? Blue and golds seem to be the more family oriented bird as far as Ive seen but we will wait and see what others say. Scarlets are better suited to and experienced Macaw person and not the best "first" macaw for a family as they have a bit "different" personality (not that it cannot be done). Green wings are the gentle giants next to the Hyacinth but may not be as outgoing to everyone in the family. BUT ALL can be socialized with a family if gotten young and from a good breeder who socializes well and "trains" your family well. Research research research and then find some breeders and visit allot of them and many babies befoooorrrr making a decision. Try not to choose based on cuteness. Think and learn about adolescence and sexual maturity and weather ER visits and stitches are OK with you,lol. Just kidding. Do you have neighbors? Will they like the Jungle sounds on a sunny Sunday morning?? Do you have room and budget for a HUGE cage and about twenty $30 toys a month?? (slight exaggeration,lol)

[Degrees55basebal]

Money is not a question here. Im not saying I am rich but I feel that birds are like my children and I can provide for them. As for the cage, I am in the process of building an aviary about 160 sq. ft. That should be more than plenty the space for three maybe four macaws.
My neighbors are fine as my conure who is a super loud mouth in the morning, wakes me up with my window open.
I know that Macaws are louder than conures and this should not be a problem.

[Chief's Mom]

My only experience is with greenwings, militarys, and a little blue and gold. Chief (GW) is a sweetheart...to me She tolerates my husband and uses him for scratches when I'm at work We got her as a baby around 5 months old. There's pretty much always someone at our house, either my mom, my brothers, or our best friends with their three kids. Chief is getting better, but still won't let anyone besides my husband and I touch her. She's not annoyed with the noise, she just doesn't like people touching her!

Sarge is a special case because he was a pet store bird for many years. For some reason he hates males. He'll start regurgitating for any female that walks into the room, cheeks blushing He's a nipper (well I'll come out and say it...biter!!) But he's getting better by the day.

Sarge is definitely more of a clown than Chief. Chief would sit in my arms all day long getting scratches if I let her. Sarge gets his 5 minutes of lovin' and is off to hang upside down from something My opinion is that with a large family, it would probably be best to go with the ones that are known to be more playful and active. That's not to say that a GW isn't fun or active; they're known for their cleverness. But I know Chief would freak if there were always kids running around throwing stuff, whereas Sarge would be screaming right along with them. The blue and gold I know is pretty much the same way.

When we went to the breeder to get Chief, she brought out a baby scarlet, a baby blue and gold, a baby military, and a baby greenwing. We played with them for a few hours. You could already see their personalities emerging, even thought they were as young as four months. I think you can tell which bird will suit your family if you have the oppotunity to get to know the bird first.

[texbird]

If you have kids, between those 2, I'd say Blue and gold
not scarlet.

I have a macaw that is 2/3 scarlet and I would not trade her for any other bird, but they are nippy at times.
And that very probably would scare kids.

Scarlets are wonderful wonderful birds, but they need a firm consistent parenting hand. And i doubt that kids can do that. You should NEVER buy a bird based on looks, that is a recipe for long term disaster.

Also the general opinion seems to be that B&Gs are the most playful of the big macaws which might be good for kids.

But Again, I would not trade mine for anything

p.s. Have you researched red-fronts?
p.s.s. - have you considered a rescue bird? they have a big advantage in that you can very clearly see what their adult personality is (birds CAN change as they age). You get a known personality instead of a genetic crap-shoot. And they will bond to you just as deeply as a baby will in my experience. And no diapers to change .

[becca623]

I say look into the red fronts. Great "little" big birds in my opinion. Their beaks and poops aren't as intimidating. They are fun. They tend to love being pet, just hanging out, or playing. As far as which bird to get, I would say to interact with a variety of individual birds of different species. Find a bird who enjoys your whole family and whom your family all enjoys. Forget about looks. I, for one never cared much for the color green; however, I love, love, love green birds. All my babies are green. If you put two birds side by side with identical personalities, the green one will steal my heart.
I don't recommend a scarlet for a first macaw either. We fell for a beautiful young adult scarlet but she and my husband had "dominance issues". She's a great bird. She stayed on a play stand 24/7. She was very quiet. She, also, tried to bully us every chance she got. We ended up having to rehome her. :( Believe me you don't want to go through that. Lucky for us, she now has a wonderful momma and a great home only an hour and a half away but it doesn't always work out that well. The guilt is awful even knowing she's where she belongs.
There are quite a few macaw breeders in California so you shouldn't have a problem finding a great one who will help you find the right new member of your family. Best of luck to you whatever you decide.
Rebecca

[Ina246]

I do not have any macaws, but am researching getting one. But I was going to ask if you have looked into red fronts also. Like I said I dont have one but based on what you said and what I have read and reds I have met, a Red front maybe an option for you. I say find a breeder of each and visit them to see if they fit you. That is what we have done are still doing. I dont have kids but we have a busy house also with 5 dogs and many adults so we also need a bird that will flow(or atleast not freak) with multiple people around. Good luck with your decision.

The Red Fronted Macaw The info is a bit old, but I thought it was helpful reading.

Macaws For Sale - Hand Fed Macaws More information. It is not completly detailed but it does give some good info on multiple types of macaws

[LoveMyBeak]

Hey I have had a Blue and Gold for about two months now and she is awesome, She is always wanting to be out with the family, she will let anybody handle her (especially if you have food in your hand) My six year old daughter constantly bugs me to hold her and she has never bit anybody out of aggression, sometimes she gets nippy but she knows the limits we set fer her. Her body language is very easy to read, she loves to tear up on anything with a bell on it so while she is in the process of beating one up we have learned to not get any appendages near her till she is satisfied that the bell is dead.

I don't know if the fact that she is hand fed has to do anything with her being tame like she is, she is about a year old now and she is not really playful towards humans yet, but she loves scritches and pettin and general hangin out on us, and every once in a while we are finding that there are little games she likes to play with us. Over all to be honest with you I have had many different pets in my life but this bird ranks high on overall preference of type of pet to have in my household.

If you watch her with the little ones you can see that she senses how young they are and she is so much more gentle with them because of that. I do want another macaw down the road, it most likely will be a B&G, the only reason why I would get a different type is for the fact of having variety of colors, and then it would probably be a scarlet or a Greenwing, but to be honest with you I want to put most of my love towards Hannah my B&G, and my other two fids

[hollmer]

First let me tell you I have had Macaws for over 13 years.
As far as your question which Kind of Macaw is best for your Family, well as you see everyone has a different opinion. There are a few basic things to know before making this life long commitment.

You already have a conure so you have at least some idea of what you are getting into, A Macaw will make your conure sound like a whisper. You said you are building an aviary. My Macaws spend their summers outdoors and no matter how understanding you neighbors say they are when you can hear your bird screaming from three blocks away(yes three blocks) they might change position. I am not joking on this one. If My Military Macaw is outside and he sees my car either leaving or coming he screams and as I drive away I can hear him for just over three blocks. You will find people you have never seen in your neighbor hood investigating the strange screams coming from your yard. The good thing is 90 percent of the time they are quiet. The yell when I First come out or if I walk away from them. So that is the first thing to consider.

The next thing is no matter how much research you do, you exam every breed of Macaw and think you have found the best one for you. Many of the things you read or are told about various breeds are generizations and hold true to a point but Macaws are like children, each one has its own personality and no matter how hard you try you will find traits that you love and hate in any bird.

You could pick any of the Macaws and they could become very attached to one person or they could let anyone and everyone hold and touch them.

YOu said you have a family of six. My best suggestion would be to get a baby macaw and have each member of the family spend time caring for it. They bond very easily when they are babies and you will have more of a chance of ending up with a "family" bird if every one is involved. If you plan to hand feed I would have your kids help you(but do not let them do it alone) When you go to choose your Macaw everyone should go. Even at a young age they have personalities. Take your time choosing, play with them. YOu might go with the intentions of a blue and Gold but fall in love with a scarlet or greenwing.

As far as scarlets and first time Macaw owners. I have a Military Macaw he is almost 14 years old, and he was my first. I got him as a baby and two years later found out they are one of the most difficult of the Macaws, he is tempermental, aggressive at times and has an attitude.But he has a great personality. He thinks he is the king of the world. But as a baby he was a saint. He didn't get difficult until he was almost five. As a baby anyone could hold him and I would have never known He was a challenging bird unless someone told me. I also have a blue and gold but I took her in as a favor for a friend at the age of 6. She loves to cuddle but is shy, she will let anyone touch her but she prefers my husband be the one to hold her, which is funny really since he never had any interest in birds until he met me. My Miltary However has played switcharoo on us several time. I did most of his handfeeding but he loved to play with my husband and cuddle with me. Once he was about 5 years old and got really agressive he would not let me touch him at all but would only talk to me and no one else. Now that he is older he will go to either of us(I do not let anyone else hold him) but if I am in his sight he will be a brat to my husband and won't step up or listen to him, If I walk away he is fine. He is also very jealous of the other birds. He tolerates everyone but does not like it when I pay attention to anyone but him.

As far as biting. Again everyone will tell you something different. I worked with a vet, two groomers, and in an aquarium assisting the trainers of the dolphins and sea lions. So my experience with animal is extensive. This is my opinion, any animal will bite under the right circumstances and Birds are more prone to biting(it is there only defence) Again you have birds so I am sure you have experienced this at some point. Macaws just bite harder and can do more damage. If you startle them or if they are frightened. Sometimes they might be in a bad mood or just mad at you. this is one of the ways they can show you how they feel. Sometimes you might think there biting and in reality they could be trying to show you affection. Again every bird will react differently and there is no sure fire way to know what you are getting. My Military will pretend to bite anyone he thinks he can scare its a little game he likes to play. He sits on top of his cage and waits for someone to come near, than he runs acroos the top and snaps his beak like he is going to bite than he laughs and does it again. It scares anyone who does not know him and most people who first meet him are afraid. Now the blue and gold is the opposite, she will bite if she is startled or scared. but not hard and she does not mean to hurt anyone. she is also a bit clumsy and she will grab or bite to keep from loosing her balance while she is being held. Again she means no harm it is just how she is.

From what I have experienced, read and heard the generalizations of each kind of Macaw are accurate and a good starting point in choosing your bird. but I would not base your whole dicision on these facts.

As far as children and Macaws. My daughter is 7 so our Miltary Macaw was around for several years before she was born, when she was little he had no use for her, but now he is facinated with her. He likes to play with her and talk to her. But she is not allowed to touch him or go to close to him without my husband or I near by and I would recommend this to anyone with children and Macaws. You never know what could happen with you back turned. Small children have a difficult time understand body language both theirs and the birds and can do things to upset your bird and not even realize it. Now that my daughter is almost 8 she understands their behavior but still cannot read their body language, postures etc. She is always asking why they are doing, why they do it etc. She sees the actions and behaviors but is still learning what they mean.

And I guess the last thing you really need to consider is there life span which can be more than 80 years. and the fact that their personalities can changes several times throughout their lives. There is no way to garnuntee what personality you bird will have. Keep doing what you are doing, reading, researching and spend time with Macaws if you can. Ask the breeder if you can come spend some time observing their birds. Make sure you can bring your kids before you go. Play with the babies you are considering, Find the one that fits your family and love it. The rest will come. Once you pick your bird and bring it home spend time getting to know your Macaw you will figure out the questions that need answering, and how to handle your Birds personality.

But the most important think to consider before getting your Macaw is: Are you willing to work through any problems that arise with your bird or when the going gets tough will you move on. Macaws are not pets that easily ajust to changes and they get very attached to their people. It is difficult for them to switch homes and loose the family they love, only to have a new family that does not understand them. Unfortunely many of the Macaws that are rehomed are do to their natural behaviors that owners thought they could handle only to find out that they can't or don't want to deal with their birds 2 year mentalitly for the rest of their lives. I cannot stress this one enough. Be ready to commit the rest of your life to this bird good or bad times because you would not give away your child for behavioral problems you would work threw them, and you Macaw deserves the same love and commitment. Good luck and Once you find your Macaw to Love you will wonder why you didn't get one sooner!

[Degrees55basebal]

Thank you all so so so much. I appreciate every single comment you have big or small. I have read everything and am up for, well I dont want to call it a challenge, but this new relationship. I cant wait!