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Pictures A second macaw?

hrafn

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Don't freak out, I haven't done anything yet. :p

So, for all of my fellow mac enthusiasts with multiple birds, what do you think...would Taco benefit from the companionship of a second macaw?

I have the opportunity to potentially bring in another male B&G; a healthy, 14-year-old giant Bolivian beauty - pictures below. Obviously, since I'm absolutely insane, I'm in love with idea of bringing home another macaw; and I would never take in a bird (or any animal) just as a "companion" for an extant pet. I'm all in.

Of course, I completely understand that there's every chance Taco and a new macaw wouldn't even like each other, and could at worst despise one another. But Taco had a girlfriend in his last home, a female scarlet who he (reportedly) adored before she died, and I feel like there's a good chance that he's wild-caught based on his old owners boasting about importing parrots before it became illegal. I'm sure it feels lonely not to have that companionship when he was so used to it.

Throw your opinions at me! I'm ready for the barrage. :D

 

d_msparkles

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What a sweetie pie! I admire your restraint to even stop and ask for wisdom before bringing him home. :)
I have no experience with MBS so will respect wherever you land on this.
 

AviaryByTheSea

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Birds are flock creatures... as such they are highly social animals. I have 8 macaws and they are all "paired" up. (I do no breed) They are highly socialized with people and very well trained - I free fly. It is my experience all birds and macaws, in particular, are easier to keep when they have a buddy in terms of your time commitment for when it comes to you being their only source of socialization. IE: When you're not home - they have each other - this truly reduces boredom and can prevent destructive behavior patterns from developing. I could go on and on about the benefits of multiple birds... but to simply answer your question. If you have the room, $$, and commitment... go for it.

Having multiple birds does come with its own challenges... and you would be wise to introduce them slowly on neutral turf if possible.
 

Nikomania

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While my 2 don't particularly care to hang out together, they do enjoy communicating back and forth to each other.
 

hrafn

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Birds are flock creatures... as such they are highly social animals. I have 8 macaws and they are all "paired" up. (I do no breed) They are highly socialized with people and very well trained - I free fly. It is my experience all birds and macaws, in particular, are easier to keep when they have a buddy in terms of your time commitment for when it comes to you being their only source of socialization. IE: When you're not home - they have each other - this truly reduces boredom and can prevent destructive behavior patterns from developing. I could go on and on about the benefits of multiple birds... but to simply answer your question. If you have the room, $$, and commitment... go for it.

Having multiple birds does come with its own challenges... and you would be wise to introduce them slowly on neutral turf if possible.
I do currently have five birds, and Taco has the companionship of a pionus who shares the New World room. They preen, eat, bathe and sleep in synchrony, but they can't interact from any closer than the other side of the room, due to the danger to Réy if they happened to get in a spat. She's barely bigger than his head.

However, while Réy is completely content with those boundaries and can happily entertain herself all the live-long day, Taco thrives with a companion to play with. When I was still an arrogant moron and had him in the same room as my CAG, he would follow her all around and try to get her to play with him, always wanting to be as close to her as possible. It's the same with me; all he ever wants to do when I'm in the room with him is crawl all over me and play fetch. His favourite place to be is glued to someone's side.

That's why I've been considering the option of bringing in a playmate who he can mess with, who won't be in danger when he wants to beak wrestle, and who can stand up to his tomfoolery. Maybe that companionship would even be the key to curbing his self-destructive habits?
 

AviaryByTheSea

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Maybe that companionship would even be the key to curbing his self-destructive habits?
That would probably depend on the underlying cause of the destructive behavior being exhibited... there are many factors that could influence a particular bird's behavior and habits. It is possible that pairing up your macaw could reduce or eliminate say picking... if the picking behaviors root cause was boredom. It is also possible it will have no effect.
 

Shezbug

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I don’t care what anyone thinks, I will be bringing home another B&G one day in the near future for Burt. So I am all for you getting Taco a companion to talk Macaw madness to.
I watch how much more interested Burt is in videos of his own kind and feel awful that he has only us weird humans to interact with in a language that is not instinctive to him. He is mesmerised when I play him videos of other macaws and I do not see that same interest in anything else he is subjected to.
I feel it is in their best interest to have some company that mirrors who and what they are.
I am sure you would have completely calculated everything that needs to be taken into account before doing anything so it is not like you will be doing anything silly. You are a marvellous care giver so if things all line up in your favour then I think it is a great idea.
 

Sarahmoluccan

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Zane thrived with other birds around and was part of the reason I got Echo. Now Echo was a bit stand offish for quite a long time. I use to joke that "Zane loooves Echo, Echo tolerates Zane." But Echo would preen Zane and was good to him. It did take at least 2 year before Echo let Zane preen him back. Something I never thought would happen. I really glad they had each other and what a good relationship they had, even though it took awhile to get there.

The way you describe Taco with other birds make me think of Zane. Sounds like he'd definitely enjoy a companion. It's sad that things are so unpredictable that it's hard say if a new bird would get along with him and even vice versa even thou Taco does sound really sociable. But you sound prepared to deal with that. I wish alot of luck with it. It's awesome when a bird has a great relationship with one of their own :)
 
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aooratrix

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First of all, there's no such thing as a "giant Bolivian B&G"; that's a marketing term or a descriptor for large individuals. Petey is 1400 grams, give or take, but he's simply a B&G. No scientific evidence supports the existence of such a subspecies. Sorry, that's a pet peeve of mine; nothing against you ;)

A big bird will have larger requirements, though, especially for housing, food, and toys.

I have 4 macaws, and they are a flock. There is value in having multiple birds, even if just for ambient company, IMO. I do feel that they have a level of comfort and enjoyment from that, but that's anthropomorphism on my part. However, in terms of being buddies or enjoying direct companionship, only Annie and Daff enjoy each other's company and proximity. They prefer to share a java tree, for example. There's some bickering but no fighting. They're macaw BFFs. The reality of 2 macaws, when having a close relationship is a gamble. You just never know. You have to be prepared for the full spectrum of possibilities, from them disliking each other to them getting along well.

I didn't express that last paragraph well, but I hope you get the gist.


 

aooratrix

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That would probably depend on the underlying cause of the destructive behavior being exhibited... there are many factors that could influence a particular bird's behavior and habits. It is possible that pairing up your macaw could reduce or eliminate say picking... if the picking behaviors root cause was boredom. It is also possible it will have no effect.

It's also possible that the situation could exacerbate picking or barbering, assuming there is not an underlying health issue at work. If it's medical, the behavior will continue, period.
 

hrafn

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First of all, there's no such thing as a "giant Bolivian B&G"; that's a marketing term or a descriptor for large individuals. Petey is 1400 grams, give or take, but he's simply a B&G. No scientific evidence supports the existence of such a subspecies. Sorry, that's a pet peeve of mine; nothing against you ;)

A big bird will have larger requirements, though, especially for housing, food, and toys.

I have 4 macaws, and they are a flock. There is value in having multiple birds, even if just for ambient company, IMO. I do feel that they have a level of comfort and enjoyment from that, but that's anthropomorphism on my part. However, in terms of being buddies or enjoying direct companionship, only Annie and Daff enjoy each other's company and proximity. They prefer to share a java tree, for example. There's some bickering but no fighting. They're macaw BFFs. The reality of 2 macaws, when having a close relationship is a gamble. You just never know. You have to be prepared for the full spectrum of possibilities, from them disliking each other to them getting along well.

I didn't express that last paragraph well, but I hope you get the gist.
I wasn't totally sure whether Bolivian B&Gs are actually a genuine subspecies, I was just listening to Google. Whoops! That was all me, though, the guy looking to rehome him never said that. :D

I for sure am not going to overlook the possibility of them disliking each other. I would be 100% providing ample space for them to keep away from one another, and I'm also carefully considering the potential for separate out-of-cage times if they're genuinely aggressive. I'm very adamant about not jumping in head-first, as I am so wont to do with my non-avian species.

Why my phone want to autocorrect EVERY word to "ape" :meh:
 

hrafn

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Haven't heard back from the guy after our initial good chat. Wondering whether it's Kijiji being a twat again. :shifty: Every time I try to message someone nowadays it goes bananas.

We'll see where it goes. Thankfully this guy isn't in dire straits and has a happy home to stay in until he finds a family. Not suffering like Tuesday was.
 

faislaq

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How exciting! I will be watching this thread for sure. And I didn't know Burt was getting a mac friend too, @Shezbug. A red friend is my dream for Buzzard because he absolutely favors that color, but I worry if it's a female if I'd end up with another Petey or if it would be better to get a male friend?
 

hrafn

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Any updates??
How exciting! I will be watching this thread for sure. And I didn't know Burt was getting a mac friend too, @Shezbug. A red friend is my dream for Buzzard because he absolutely favors that color, but I worry if it's a female if I'd end up with another Petey or if it would be better to get a male friend?
Have any new updates for us @hrafn? Very excited for you.
Whoops! I keep thinking that I updated this thread but nope! :facepalm:

Unfortunately, it seems to be confirmed now that Kijiji is being a royal pain in my keister yet again. I've tried contacting a few people now, and it always says that either there's a networking problem or that the message failed to send. AAGH.

This beautiful boy is still looking for a home, but I can't do anything to continue the good conversation I had going with his dad. He seemed to like what I mentioned to him, but then everything went haywire.

On the other hand, someone else has since reached out to me about a beautiful female B&G that she's been looking to rehome. She's seen my posts on AA and seems to think I'd be a good new home for her sweet, beautiful girl.

Of course, Morgan has had to return to the ER since then and that's not cheap, so we'll see how everything works out! :nervous:
 

faislaq

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someone else has since reached out to me about a beautiful female B&G that she's been looking to rehome.
Party Tacos?? Or would they be Taquitos? :bounce4:
 
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