Severe Adoption

[bozack]

New member here..........About to adopt a rescue Severe Macaw and wanted some more insight from some folks on here.

What we are looking for (from upgrading now from other previous smaller birds) was something more of a family bird. Most likely it would be something that may be passed down to the kiddos so we are wanting something that would bond with myself, the wife and kids. From talking to alot of local people and other online forums alot of folks said a Severe was the way to go. We had also found a Red Front too for rescue but choose the Severe over the Red Front as it seemed their personalities seemed the same and the Severe was smaller so would take a smaller cage in our place.

After searching on here I see alot of people that refer to their Severe's as Jekyl and Hyde and more of a one person bonding bird. Are we choosing the right bird for what we are looking for? Should we have gone with that 4 year old Red Front instead? The Severe is also 4 years old and just starting to talk and the reason for the rescue was the owner was going to prison but did take excellent care, so no abuse issues.

The Parrot Rescue in Austin mentioned this was one of the best temperment Severe's they have ever seen in their 17 years etc. On the first day the bird did let one of my 4 year olds already scratch and pet him under the wings and belly without trying to snip etc. We know we will have to work and spend alot of the time to bond and get it used to us over time.

Thoughts, feedback?

[Greycloud]

Severes are nice medium size birds. They can be very loud but so can any parrot. He is very young which is good. They can definitely be one person birds. What you have to understand is, that many birds are one person birds. They also can be a bit nippy and change attitudes pretty quickly. That being said, many love them just for that reason.
Personally, one of my dream birds is a red fronted macaw. I love their personalities, beauty, clownishness. I think Xafs mom would be one to ask. As she raises them.

[Deb76]

We have a 10 year old female Severe macaw named Pepper that we've had since she was about 4. She is a very smart bird and very playful BUT only with my husband. She is most definately a one person bird in spite of my best efforts to have her be my friend also. She can be very hormonal and will on occasion also bite my husband but is typically good with him. She is however VERY loud, we were warned that severe's could be very loud before we adopted her but we figured with the right time spent with her and tons of toys and everything that we could stop that to some extent, we were wrong lol. Don't get me wrong they are great birds that can be very sweet but ours is definately a one person bird as is the severe our friend has that is 7 years old. They are beautiful birds and very playful and sweet to the person that they love though. Good luck with your decision!!!

[xafsmom]

The personalities of the Severe and the Red Front are vastly different. Red Fronts are pretty much the "What you see is what you get" personality. No viper fast mood changes. Just a truly honest bird. They also don't play the "I'm going to lunge and see what you do so I can decide if you're smart or I can bite you" routine.

Severes are cute, this one might be awesome and there are a lot of people that love their Severes... Me? I'll stick with the RFM! The size isn't THAT much different and both still need a lot more room than what you'd think they'd need.

[milkevi]

Originally Posted by bozack

On the first day the bird did let one of my 4 year olds already scratch and pet him under the wings and belly without trying to snip etc.

You probably know this already, but, please don't pet him under the wing, this could create a sexually charged bird, and normal Severes are challenging enough - you do not want one that is sexually frustrated

Good luck, I would go with the RFM myself (not that I'm partial or anything)

[bozack]

Hadn't heard about the petting under the wings thing, is that the secret stimulating bird effect there? That would be new.

Yeah our last birds all were about me and didn't care for my wife. Since she is bending and looking at another bird I would hate to get one that doesn't want to jump up on her or at least bond with her. Albeit not as much obviously since I will be the primary caregiver. The Red Front we did like but it did seem quite a bit larger than the Severe and while we are fine with a cage, playstands etc. She doesn't want a five foot cage in the house since we usually let our birds out quite abit.

Not many folks around here know anything about the Red Fronts either. The Red Front was a steal on the bird but initially everyone seemed to think the Severe was the way to go since it's personality seemed rare for that type of bird. Both birds seem to have the same initial personalities and comfort levels when we hung out with them for awhile.

[Greycloud]

Most birds, especially the cockatoos can become sexually stimulated by over petting. When they become overstimulated they can become agressive, even with thier favorite person. I stick to petting the head, neck, face and beak only.

[bozack]

that's good to know, hadn't heard that one.
Hmm. maybe that was the problem with our last bird because we would catch it taking care of business on his perch. It was an odd site.

[kellywess]

I have a Severe and I have spent time with a couple of Red Fronts. IMO if you are looking for a family bird that will do well with all members in your home and are even tempered, I would agree that the Red Front is the better choice... they are very sweet natured birds. My Severe is not loud at all, she is by far the quietest in the house, however when she does call... its paint-peeling. As well, she is bonded to me and only tolerates my husband when I am not around. Severes can flip their personalities on you like a switch... I will take the credit for the "Jekyl and Hyde" description, because quite frankly, its the best way to describe them. Having said... I would not trade mine for anything in the world. I love her and I have the scars to prove it. LOL If one chooses "you" as their person, you have a devoted friend for life!

Good Luck with your decision.

[kellywess]

Originally Posted by xafsmom

They also don't play the "I'm going to lunge and see what you do so I can decide if you're smart or I can bite you" routine.

That is so true... it happens more than once everyday!