We are thinking about getting a macaw, we know the one we want and the kind, we see it 24/7 in the pet shop, and its a fantastic bird, the other day we went in and it was copying my little bro. and it was a really sweet bird. Yes we know how long they live for, and we are willing to take the best possible care for it. We wanted to know that if you got one, could you train it? Like to not crap on you. And crap in its cage. And not bite. If you know any websites that can tell you how to teach your pet, or other information on traning them, that would be great!
Thanks
2007-01-14 05:40:12 · 5 answers · asked by shelbysurfer 1 in Pets ➔ Birds
I have had a few parrots, mostly foster parrots. I'm glad you found such a sweet macaw at a pet store. The ones I see are kind of mean, but not always. My first foster macaw [well my brother fosters the birds but I'm always helping] was a scarlet macaw. She was sadly abused because her owner never played with her [they need many hours of interaction] so she became unsocial. We got her to become more used to us and eventually did the 'step up' command so we could pick her up. You can in fact potty train them. Have a scedual. For my foster scarlet, she went every 20-30 minutes so we would put her in her cage to relieve herself and would say 'go potty' and it sounds weird to do but it works. She caught on quickly and would sometimes walk across the room into her cage. The rest of the time I would put her in her cage and say 'go potty' and when she did I would praise her with words or treats. Now for the biting, all parrots will eventually bite. Sometimes it will be a small nibble which might not hurt or sometimes they will seriously chomp down on you. If you find your macaw does bite, don't pull away or make any sound because the macaw will think it's sort of a play time thing and bite just fot that reaction. Use a firm tone if they lunge at you or someone else just saying 'no'. Time outs might work too. Macaws as pets should have a playstand, I'm sure the pet store has some or knows where to get one. They will be able to play on them, supervised. So for time out, take the macaw off the play stand and put them back in the cage and close the cage door. Maybe even leave the room and/or pay no attention to them at all. They love attention and if they behave badly and you keep giving them attention they will think they should do all that stuff for attention which can be bad. I'm sure there are other people who know more ways too. Here's a site, it's a forum for parrot owners. I use it ALL the time for advice.
http://www.tailfeathersnetwork.com/community/index.php
I went there to find some advice for my future sun conure parrot, and I felt so welcomed by the other members. They have recipes for parrot treats and how to make your own parrot toys and playstands.
Keep doing research! It took me forever to learn the basics on a lot of parrots and it almost felt like the research was just begining when I brought home a parrot! haha. GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR FUTURE MACAW! Sign up for that site I gave you, you'll love it.
2007-01-14 06:10:37 · answer #1 · answered by jessii_x09 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sure they can be trained! I had a Blue & Gold Macaw for 8 years and his training didn’t happen fast. It required a lot of patience on my part as they can sometimes be aggressive. I had to gain his trust & respect first. Sounds silly but is true. I want to mention something you may or may not be aware of when owning a Macaw. It is their nature (all parrots actually) to get excited and yell, screech & make a lot of noise twice a day. Once in the morning and again every evening. In their natural environment they do this at dusk & dawn. Macaws are Very loud. I had to move twice in the 8 years he was with me. If you live in a single family home that is great, chances are he won't disturb the neighbors. But if you live in an apartment or share walls with neighbors he will be heard!
2007-01-14 06:55:01 · answer #2 · answered by BeloyeMore 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, yes and yes!
I have two macaws. A Military Macaw named Rio and a Greenwing Macaw who's just a baby and her name is Katie. Neither poop on me, both poop in one of three locations around the house. You can train them.
As far as biting, that's one of the easier problems to work on.
And, tricks? Absolutely. You CAN teach an old bird new tricks.
My recommendations don't come from the web though. I'm not telling you that there isn't a plethora of good information out there. What I AM telling you is that if you want good information, information that won't conflict with every turn of the page (or click of the mouse) you should visit your local library or pet store.
A few books I recommend for a newbie with Macaws:
The Companion Parrot Handbook: Sally Blanchard (also known as the "Happy Bappy Fun Book" is probably the best one out there. It deals a lot with bringing a baby home, but they're ALL babies. They all need you to have the fundamentals to take care of them. It addresses feeding, biting, screaming, establishing boundaries, getting and retaining hand control, toweling, grooming...all the basics. It also delves into turning natural behaviors your bird already has into trainable on cue tricks.
Congratulations on your decision! My birds are my world, and every bit as much a part of the family as my husband and kids. LOL (My husband is replaceable...my birds are NOT!!!) HAHAHA!
They will keep you guessing and laughing all day, every day. It's like having a stand up comedian living in your livingroom!
2 pointers: When you choose his cage, go with the next size up from what you think is big enough. When you go for food, get pellet, but don't JUST get pellet or JUST get seed. When you make a plate for you, make a plate for him. And, include him in your meal times. My birds have a playstand that they're served dinner on with us every night. If we eat in front of them without sharing, we get screamed at...and we deserve it! LOL
If you ever need ANYTHING with your baby, let me know. I have access to a lot of behavior materials, and I'll do my best to help you work through any issues you have as a new parront, or any that he has blending into his new family!
2007-01-14 09:43:10 · answer #3 · answered by sdkramer76 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've never heard of a bird trained not to poo. Birds can't control their bladder or bowels, it just comes out.
2007-01-14 05:45:52 · answer #4 · answered by MasLoozinIt76 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ive heard of them being potty trained, im just not sure how
2007-01-14 05:47:57 · answer #5 · answered by Skittles 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋