Blue and Gold

[MonicaDalia]

For a few years now I've been dreaming about getting a blue and gold macaw , but having never owned birds in the past I'm wondering whether this would be a wise choice for a first-timer. I've done a LOT of reading and watched countless videos about macaw care and training, but would it be better to try with a smaller parrot first? The only problem I have with this is that I would only be getting the smaller bird as 'practice', until I felt comfortable with a bigger bird like the blue and gold, which doesn't seem fair for either of us. I am quite torn at the moment so some advice would be much appreciated. Also, if there is anyone on here who has started off with a larger bird (not necessarily just macaws) some insight would be great. Thanks!

[Wolf]

The best thing to do, in my opinion, is if it is possible is for you to volunteer at an avian rescue/ sanctuary to get the hands on experience that you want. Then while you are there look for your bird and adopt your bird from there as I am sure that you will find plenty of them in need of a loving home. Also adopting your bird would not contribute to the problem of overbreeding of parrots that we have in this country today.

[Pajarita]

Wolf is right, volunteering at a rescue with macaws is the way to go. Lots of people think they can deal with a large bird (smaller parrots owners included) but find out after they have the bird that they can't. Their screams are LOUD, they are SUPER destructive and those beaks are pretty scary (they can do A LOT of damage when they bite). I have three amazons (and they are not anywhere near as large as a big macaw) that were given up after been adopted by people who had had smaller parrots for years and thought it was the same, only on a larger scale - but it's not. Large birds can hurt you without even meaning to. I have a large black and blue on my right arm right now because one of my cockatoos was perching there and, when I bent to put a plate of food down for the budgies, he kind of lost his balance and grabbed my arm with his beak. He was't been aggressive or anything remotely like it but he still left a big and painful bruise there.

And, I have to be honest with you, the 'smaller parrot would be practice because I only want a large one' worries me. People who love birds (which should be the ONLY people to keep them) don't really care about the size (they love a budgie just as much as they can love a Hy) so your statement leaves a big question in my mind as to your real motives for wanting only a large macaw.

[MonicaDalia]

Thanks for the replies guys.
I will definitely look into volunteering, so helpfully that'll also give me a bit more of an idea as to what I'm getting myself into. I have quite often considered getting a smaller bird, and it's not so much that it would only be 'for practice'. I mean, one of my best friends has a pair of love birds that are absolutely gorgeous and so sweet. But I think it's just a bit of a fear that if I do get a smaller bird first, that I won't have enough time for it if I do get a macaw later on. So it's not so much that I will only be happy with a large parrot, but that is something that I want one day. Probably not until I move somewhere where I will have adequate space for one, which could take a while. But one day.

[Pajarita]

Well, nothing wrong with having a 'dream' bird. Bird people often talk about this and list the species they would like to one day have. I don't have any but that's me.