True Life Span of Large Macaws

[Barb E]

I've always been told that the large macaws will live 80 - 100 years.
However, I'm currently reading the book about the Spix's macaws and it says that a macaw reaching the age of 50 will usually have cataracts, arthritis and the beginnings of senility.
This statement would lead me to believe that they will NOT live to 80 - 100 years.

Does anyone out there know for certain?
Are there any records of macaws living to 80 years + ?

Barb

[KimM]

I have personally not, but the books I have read say the average is into the 60's. My vets are the ones that told me they can live into their 80's to 100's because of the care that responsible owners are giving their birds.

I have a 14 yr old doberman mix (dog), and he will be 15 in January if he makes it. Their life span is usually 10 - 12 yrs. My horse is 22 yrs old and acts like he's 5. So I guess it depends on the care and the species and if that animal is in good health in general.

[TikusMom]

That def says something about the care that they get Kim! Kudos to you!
I just love the old guys!

[Halo]

I hope my macaws live that long. Cali and Arapahoe are 22 and 21 and they sure don't act it

We have a horse that is 24 and she runs around like a colt. You can only tell her age because she thins down in the winter no matter what we give her. My husband's boss just had to put his horse down a few weeks ago; he was 28.

[KimM]

Originally Posted by Halo

I hope my macaws live that long. Cali and Arapahoe are 22 and 21 and they sure don't act it

We have a horse that is 24 and she runs around like a colt. You can only tell her age because she thins down in the winter no matter what we give her. My husband's boss just had to put his horse down a few weeks ago; he was 28.

Halo. Do you have her on senior feed? That's what Handsome gets.

[Congobongo]

I think they may say in general how long they live but if they are given love, good nutrition and care then anything is possible. I had a Doberman with some major health issues but he lived to be almost 15. Well beyond the life expectancy. So, it is just a 'guess' at best. Just love them and give them the best you can and they will hang around.

[Tom Lawless]

I had it put to me this way: Humans can live to be 80 to 100 but a lot don't. Part of it is genetic. Part of it is lifestyle. Sometimes there are freak accidents. I try to take good care of my guys but every now and then they get a taste of a treat they probably shouldn't. I'm hoping for the best.

[Halo]

Yep, we buy her senior feed straight from our vet that has additives and stuff in it but she still drops weight during the really cold months. Our vet is going to give her some kind of fortifying shot this year to see if she does better on it. Last year it took us a while to get her to even eat the senior feed because she had always only been given grass hay so maybe this year will be better.

She's looked good all summer long... well as good as she can LOL I prefer her shaggy coat to the smooth one but now that it's starting to chill, you can see her ribs again but just barely. When they brought her to us last year, she looked awful. The lady was crying because she had left her with a friend of her husbands and he obviously wasn't caring for her.

That reminds me, I need to get her hooves done again before the snow falls. When we got her, they were so grown out she tripped over them when she walked. We had to have them done every month for about six months before they got better and now it's been about six weeks so they need done again.

[Monica]

Canaries - Average lifespan 3-6 years, maybe a tad longer
Lisa B I believe had a canary die short of his 20th birthday

Cockatiels - Average Lifespan 15-20 years, maybe a tad longer
I've heard of a few cockatiels that have lived to 35 years old

Quakers - Average Lifespan 20-30 years
One quaker supposedly died at the age of 50

I'd say for many of the large parrots the average lifespan may be 40-60 years. However, there have been reports of parrots living to 80+


So to speak, large parrots may have a potential 80-100 years to live, however their expected lifespan might only be 40-60. It's much like Tom says!

[RavenclawPrefect]

Savannah has a sister named Sadie. Sadie's mom has another scarlet macaw who is 30 yrs old.