Buying B&G Macaw Baby

[SWhite]

I have a Servere Macaw. I have allways wanted a large Macaw ( for about 20 years) But there beaks are so big, I was scared so I never got one. Now that I have my Severe Macaw and see there sweet personality I am thinking about adding a B&G to our family. My severe Macaw can bite very hard if he wanted to, but he does not. He bites hard sometimes when he is mad or if he wants something, but never as hard as he could. He trusts us and we trust him. He is really a great friend.
Anyway, we have a bird show comming to Memphis, TN at the end of May and I am very seriously thingking of getting a B&G Macaw while my severe macaw is still young, 9 months old. Keeping them in different cages, of course, I just want both of them young so they will possibly get along.
What can I actually expect, as far as Macaw Bites are concerned?
A pet store person told me that a Macaw had 3000psi of power in that beak. She said they could bite a broomstick in half. Is this true?
All you Macaw Owners out there, tell me if I can expect to be missing any fingers, or If the bird trusts me that the Macaw would never bite us that hard? I've been readin ya'lls posts and see that several of you own Severe & B&G's and think the B&G's are less nippy and friendlier than Severs. I'm not afraid of my Severe and don't think I would be afraid of a B&G if I get her as a baby and we learn to trust each other.

[pbyeerts]

Originally Posted by SWhite

I have a Servere Macaw. I have allways wanted a large Macaw ( for about 20 years) But there beaks are so big, I was scared so I never got one. Now that I have my Severe Macaw and see there sweet personality I am thinking about adding a B&G to our family. My severe Macaw can bite very hard if he wanted to, but he does not. He bites hard sometimes when he is mad or if he wants something, but never as hard as he could. He trusts us and we trust him. He is really a great friend.
Anyway, we have a bird show comming to Memphis, TN at the end of May and I am very seriously thingking of getting a B&G Macaw while my severe macaw is still young, 9 months old. Keeping them in different cages, of course, I just want both of them young so they will possibly get along.
What can I actually expect, as far as Macaw Bites are concerned?
A pet store person told me that a Macaw had 3000psi of power in that beak. She said they could bite a broomstick in half. Is this true?
All you Macaw Owners out there, tell me if I can expect to be missing any fingers, or If the bird trusts me that the Macaw would never bite us that hard? I've been readin ya'lls posts and see that several of you own Severe & B&G's and think the B&G's are less nippy and friendlier than Severs. I'm not afraid of my Severe and don't think I would be afraid of a B&G if I get her as a baby and we learn to trust each other.

In my opinion, all parrots bite sooner or later. 99% of the time it is because we aren't reading their body language and make a mistake when handling them. I have very thin and pale skin so a little nip will draw blood and bruise. However, there are little warning bites, and then REAL BITES. A true bite from a macaw is devastating, as they tend to "scoop" out the flesh, leaving a crater-like bite. I am quite sure Nimo could easily bite through a broom handle. However, they cannot remove your finger.... I believe the only parrot that can do that is the cockatoo, due to the 3rd hinge on their jaw. Cockatoo bites are reported to be the worst of all the parrots.

Bites are usually never stitched because you don't want to seal in the bacteria. However, a trip to the doc for antibiotics is always warranted for any deep hand wound, as an infection in the hand can become very dangerous. The one serious bite I got from Nimo was when I tried to leave the room with him on my arm away from my husband, who is his true love. Nimo looked at me, looked at Mark, looked at my hand and nailed me between my ring and middle finger. He bit me so badly I had tissue hanging out and had to go to the ER.

Will your macaw ever bite you so seriously? I don't think anyone could ever answer that question for you. Getting a baby and building trust will definitely help. However, most macaws become nippy and irritable during their mating season and lots of people get bit. How hard you are bit depends on so many different factors. Let's wait to see what the others say before you make up your mind. I adopted Nimo when he was 4 and he had severe issues to overcome. I'm curious to hear what the owners who raised their BGs have to say about their bites. Sorry if this isn't too helpful! Pamela

[SWhite]

Thanks Pbyeerts, That was very helpfull. I am glad to hear that a macaw can not bite my finger off. This helps in my decision. My wife likes U2's, but after all I have read about them I will never own a cockatoo. I did a enternet search on parrot bites. All the information I came across were people that got bitten seriously by cockatoo's, NONE on macaws. Found out after telling my wife about cockatoo's, she liked B&g's. And we agreed that a macaw sounded alot less dangerous than a cockatoo. I wanted a B&G anyway and the only reason I was thinking about a cockatoo was because they are smaller and there beaks are smaller.
I talked to a macaw breeder Wednesday. After I had asked him alot of questions about B&G's, I told him I have a severe macaw. He looked at me as if I were crazy and said " You have a severe macaw! get a B&G, you have nothing to worry about."

[The Outlaw]

Well, I own 10 parrots: mostly BG macaws and a Severe as well. My BGs are sweet as sugar, RARELY bite, and aren't half as likely to break the skin as my Severe. They have a bite more similar to a pinch and even a bad bite is usually more like getting pinched with pliers.

I have handled Pam's Nimo and even though he COULD have eaten me, he didn't. In fact, he was really very well behaved once we got beyond the point where he THOUGHT he wanted to bite me.

BG macaws usually do a lot of bluffing. A frightened bird, any bird, will bite with everything it has. I have never seen an actual documented case of any BG ever removing any human appendage. My 7 year old granddaughter has been wrangling mine for about 2 years without any problems.

I would like to point out the obvious: jealousy, fear and neglect can get you hurt. Without any of those elements, why would they even want to?

By all means, get a baby if you can. They are NATURALLY sweet and trusting. It will go through the terrible twos where the occasional bite will likely be tested. However, if you know what to expect, you'll be fine. Encourage all family members to regularly interact and handle him and you'll have a wonderful family pet for decades. In fact, if you do it just right, the kids will fight over him after you're gone.

I cannot praise the merits of the BG macaw enough. They are my personal favorites of all the big macaws with the second being the GW macaw. I think Beaks calls the GW a BG in different clothes (LOL).

Also, seems to me from my own personal experience, that the larger the bird, the LESS likely they are to bite. Case in point, the largest of the macaws, the HYs are considered the sweetest of them all. The Buffons and GWs have a similar reputation. I compare them to Labrador retrievers and chihuahuas. Which do you figure is more likely to bite?

A properly raised and loved BG macaw is like a family heirloom. My birds are my family jewels.

THE OUTLAW

[Samm]

Well said, Nancy! My 4 month old BG has a really sweet disposition. I don't think she'd ever bite, but she loves giving kisses!
She grabs my nose in that big beak, she could give a nose job in seconds, but she just gently squeezes it.

[kathyellen]

Hi
We have 2 BGs
Baby and Spike
They are the sweetest most loving birds, Baby has been with us only 5 months ( it seems like longer). She is very affectionate, I put my finger her beak without fear. We started bonding with her months before she came home with us. I would give her beak rubs and handle her beak from day one. I knew if I was going to bring such a big bird into my house I would need to be able to trust her ( and she me), she does get a little "nippy" at times, We know that she gets grumpy when it is bed time and when she is really hungry. We know the signs, and that means it's time to go back in the cage. She has only hurt me once and it was more of a pressure bite, no skin involved..and it was fine in a few minutes....I trust her, but I also respect her strength at all times... Spike on the other hand is just a swettie pie all the time, he just wants to be held and petted....
I woudn't trade them for anything.
kathy
ps: Nancy, well said, as usual.

[thndrdrag]

This is a great question to consider, I have a 9mo old B&G macaw, I do think if she really wanted to she coud snap a broomstick. they do like to taste alot, not biting but using their toungue as a sense. this I believe is the birds best scent. A B&G is said to have approximately 25lbs of power in thier beak, not enough to break an adult finger, but more than enough for a child. A hyaceinth(excuse the spelling) could take off an adult finger with her beak as well.

As for a B&G ever really trying to take off an apendage, I really dont see that happening unless your bird is serverly trumatized...

Best of Luck,

Rich

[birdyland]

I have been told that the Scarlets have more pressure than a B&G (which makes sense) but the pressure measures I have been quoted are between 800 and 1500 PSI for a Scarlet.

Tiki DID break a broomstick in half at the age of 6 months. She was frightened, and my dad tried to pick her up with the "stick" because she was out of his reach. SNAP. Clean in half. As a BABY. She also put her beak almost all the way through my dad's hand on the day he brought her home; 5 months old. Totally his fault, again, she was frightened, and he didn't pay enough attention to what she was trying to tell him. Since then, we have all experienced some bruises and broken skin, but rarely, not serious, and usually our fault. It's my Cockatoo that I get scared of, if anything.....her beak is SHARP!

I would really supervise ANY child with ANY large bird. These birds could take off a child's finger, let alone other damage that could be done, by a fast-moving, scary kid. As far as an adult goes..... I wouldn't worry too much unless you get a real mean bird, which isn't likely with a baby. Just be sure to pay attention to what the bird is trying to tell you. ALWAYS. That way you will minimize your likelyhood of a bite.

[TooLover]

Wonderful posts everyone! Out of my birds, the cockatoo beaks are the ones to watch out for! Buck Buck, my U2, bites and holds on for dear life................ the macaws are a piece of cake compared to him. Tinker is a nipper, however, we have a love triangle going on so I take it slowly with her. She has gotten better and again, her beak is nothing compared to what Buck Buck has going on!

[DeanB]

One would think a bigger beak equals a bigger bite but this is not always the case. Twenty five years ago when I was first starting out with birds they were all imports and I have been bitten more than my fair share. Without a doubt the worst was cockatoos. They have the sharpest beaks with three points, one upper and two lower. When they would bite they would not let go, often grinding their beaks while still attached. Through it all I still have all fingers, toes, both ears and my nose. I have not known of anyone losing a finger to a bird. A friend did get her wrist broke once by a BG but that was because while holding the bird he fell and grabbed to catch himself. I have also known people to break their ankle walking up steps. Things can happen.

I will tell you that my scarlet Merlin is the sweetest most gentle bird. He has never bitten and hurt. On a rare occasion he my bluff to say to say "not now" but has never broken skin. It has a lot to do with how they are raised. It is easy to teach a bird that biting gets results. It is much harder to undo that learning.

Having said all that if a BG is what you want don't let the beak stop you. In a short time that big beak seems so normal. I will say however if you truly are afraid of it, the bird will figure that out and exploit it to his advantage. Just remember, "Never let em see you sweat".

Dean