Keeping Macaws as pets
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Many people keep macaws as pets; some species live up to 60 years or more and can therefore provide a lifetime of companionship. Their considerable size of 30-100cm(12-39in) means that macaws demand a great deal of time, attention and space. They can either be housed in a spacious outside aviary, which will need to be substantially built from highly durable materials, or alternatively, they can be kept outside in a large barrel ‘home’ with various perches in the surrounding area. Birds kept in this manner must have one winged clipped, however, to stop them flying away.
Once acclimatized, macaws can become particularly hardy birds that can remain outdoors all year round, except during severe winter conditions, when they should be locked in at night. It is essential to supply chewing material, not only to save unintended materials from destruction, but also to keep the bird healthy and contented. The blue and gold macaw is commonly kept as a caged pet due to its placid temperament, but other familiar species, such as the scarlet macaw, are not really suitable for this arrangement.
Feeding macaws is as simple, as feeding other parrots. They love all the large seeds and nuts, such as sunflower seeds, peanuts, pine nuts, and will readily accept plenty of fruit and vegetables. Do remember that nuts are a fattening food and ration the amount you provide according to your bird’s housing arrangements.
A bird kept in a large flight or aviary, for example, can burn off any extra calories through exercise and so can be offered a larger number of nuts than one kept in an indoor cage. It is very important to monitor the diet and weight gain of your bird on a regular basis, particularly if you keep it indoors as a pet, because pet birds are especially susceptible to becoming unhealthily overweight in this way.
Compared to a human being, macaws have a mental age of a four year-old child, and so you must treat them as such. You cannot leave them in a cage in a corner of a room over a long period of time, for example, as this will cause them long-term damage. As well as being noisy, macaws can also be particularly vicious and dangerous. They can sever a human finger, for example, with their extremely powerful beaks. Therefore, treat macaws with the utmost respect. You can keep macaws on their own or in pairs. However, do not make the mistake of feeling sorry for a tame solitary bird by purchasing a mate, as it will never be tame again.
Sexing macaws can prove difficult, as there are few external differences between the sexes. Within some species, the cocks may have bigger and bolder heads, but this is not a particularly accurate method of sexing them.
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Tags: Aviary, Blue And Gold Macaw, Calories, Companionship, Durable Materials, Fattening Food, Fruit And Vegetables, Macaws, Overweight, Parrots, Peanuts, Perches, pet birds, Pine Nuts, Placid Temperament, Scarlet Macaw, Sunflower Seeds, Time Attention, Weight Gain, Winter Conditions