Are Macaws High Maintenance?

Beautiful Macaw Parrots often go by the name ‘New World Parrot,’ and almost half of the bird loving population in the world wish to own such a long-tailed parrot.

These endangered creatures add beauty to your home and lighten the mood of the people around them.

If you are lucky enough to possess a Macaw, you should have a piece of thorough knowledge of its care and maintenance. 

Are Macaws high maintenance?

If you have adopted other birds ever earlier, you may not find it that challenging to take care of a large Macaw. But, in case you are a novice bird owner, you should know that these beautiful Macaw birds can be handful at times. Apart from peculiar food habits, the Macaws get bored very easily, they are attention-seeking animals, and they are loud enough to disturb the neighbors in their sleep. So, the answer to the question is a big ‘yes’, and the Macaws are very high maintenance birds.

The reasons behind the Macaws being high maintenance

The large Macaw parrots are exceptionally moody, and they require some company all through the day whom they can entertain. These highly intelligent Macaw birds lose temper very quickly.

Not only this, but these large parrots are also picky eaters. If they are not fed with nutritious food, they often suffer from several illnesses.

If you are lucky enough to own a Macaw parrot, you should keep an eye on them. Here are some vital reasons discussed at length regarding the Macaws being high maintenance. 

Emotional needs:

The Macaw parrots are very cheerful, and they are pretty vocal when they feel the urge to express their emotions. These colorful parrots often use mimicry to entertain the audience and love to sing whenever they feel like without considering the hour of the day. 

They constantly require someone around them whom they can communicate with. With a Macaw as your pet, it is no longer an option to spend the night away or go on vacation, leaving the Macaw alone at home.

You need to provide it all the attention it requires. Not only these, but you also need to be prepared for dealing with all its tantrums.  

Health

The average lifespan of a healthy Macaw is around 30 years, but they can live up to 50 years of age in rare cases. Once they surpass the spring of their life, they start showing some aging signs. Appetite loss, eye diseases, breathing issues, dropping wings, extreme mood swings, etc. are common health problems they suffer from. 

To help it get through all these, as its owner, you need to feed it, groom it and even take it to a veterinarian regularly for regular checkups. These Macaws show various health problems respective to their age. To keep them alive and kicking, you need to monitor the symptoms they are showing, and it is better if you note them all down.

Steps to take care of your beautiful Macaw

Turn your wild Macaw into a fun-loving house pet with the proper training, grooming, and feeding. You should also put some thought into its cage and bring some stimulant toys for it. The next few lines will tell you how to take very good care of your house pet Macaw.

Feeding

A Macaw diet should be rich in calories. Don’t limit its diet to seeds only; feed it seasonal fruits, nuts, grains, etc. This way, your Macaw will receive all the vitamins along with oils, calcium, and other minerals.

If you have faith in commercial foods for pets, go for parrot mix. Shop for multiple parrot foods with a variety of flavors. This way, your Macaw will not get bored with its food and will never suffer from appetite loss.

Proper feeding also gives the Macaw birds strength to fight with other physical problems. A healthy diet keeps the feathers smooth and shiny.

Grooming

Like cats, dogs, and other pets, the Macaw parrots also need grooming every now and then. You need to trim its nails once a month, and this way it won’t hurt your skin when your Macaw sits on your hand. 

Some people prefer to partially trim the wing as well and don’t eliminate its chance of flying for good. A little flying inside your home keeps them happy. Most importantly, your Macaw needs a bath with lukewarm water. This way, your Macaw will remain fresh and allergy-free.

Training

It takes enough patience to tame a Macaw parrot. First, you need to give it some time to get used to your home environment, and before it completes all its training levels, you should keep the Macaw inside its cage. 

After that, introduce it to the members of your family. Once trust is built between you and your Macaw, start feeding it its food from your hand. If it passes the socialization training as well, you can bring the Macaw out of its cage and pat it. 

An untamed Macaw can behave recklessly, but with different training levels, you can turn it into a good house pet. For an advanced level, you can work on its speech.

Cage

A birdcage is a necessity, at least for the early days of the Macaw at your home. 

There should be enough room inside the cage so that your Macaw can spread both its wings. Otherwise, it might get hurt. 

You should hang the cage near a window so that it can inhale the fresh air and stay in a good mood. Such a birdcage shouldn’t contain any sharp object as it can severely injure your Macaw. 

Breeding

Last but not least, it is important to consider the sexual frustration of your Macaw seriously. Vets often recommend having a spacious nest box for such occasions. You need to place such a huge nest box in a secluded part of the house and don’t pry on their business. 

This way, your Macaw will remain healthy and happy in the long run. If you have a female Macaw at home, with this, you can get another baby Macaw for your home.

Distinguished Macaw can emerge as a friend of a lifetime for its owners. With their elegant long tail and variety of feathers, they spread color to your home. Your home environment should be agreeable for such a lovely bird. Religiously follow all the steps mentioned above, and you will definitely make a good home for your high maintenance Macaw.