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Explaining the needs of a Macaw

Greylady1966

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@macawpower58 I was very lucky too and I pasted that down to my daughter at a young age.
 

flyzipper

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We all bring our own experiences from childhood into this discussion.

Mine are not positive in this context.

I'm glad for people who had/have good parents, and I hope that Anne does.
 

Nnbal

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Absolutely so true. Family support is very important for a child of that age. I don't think a family should buy a parrot just because their child is enthusiastic.
That animal should be a member of the family and the whole family should make an effort in this regard.
 

Shannan

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She might consider going through a rescue and fostering one for a while. This will give her a test run before a full time commitment and is she adopted an older bird, they are more settled, you know what you are getting in personality and a 50 year old bird is now a thirty year commitment. I did get my parrot when I was 16 years old but he is not a macaw. The size can make it much harder through all those transitions. I agree that the parents are key. If they are willing to take on the responsibilities when she can't (or won't). Also if she goes to a rescue, she may likely fall in love with a smaller bird which will still love that ginormous cage. Also having her save up the money through working with parrots may satiate that need. (IE if she were mine, I would get her involved with a rescue and go to the not so fun stuff such as cleaning cages, mixing up food, etc. I don't regret getting Walter as a teenager but it did change the trajectory of my life. (I was going to join the Peace corp or teach for the DOD but didn't want Walter to suffer through quarantine).
 

Sparkles99

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I guess all these posts hinge on one thing: the parents/guardians & whether or not it'll be a true family pet. Something we can't answer; I doubt even the OP truly could.

As a child, I wanted all sorts of pets, especially "a large, green parrot" (Amazon :roflmao:). My parents said no. We had one spayed cat. She lived the life of a queen &, as an adult, I am grateful & understand why they did this. We didn't have litters of unwanted animals or have to go through the trauma of rehoming anyone.
 

FeatheredM

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She might consider going through a rescue and fostering one for a while. This will give her a test run before a full time commitment and is she adopted an older bird, they are more settled, you know what you are getting in personality and a 50 year old bird is now a thirty year commitment. I did get my parrot when I was 16 years old but he is not a macaw. The size can make it much harder through all those transitions. I agree that the parents are key. If they are willing to take on the responsibilities when she can't (or won't). Also if she goes to a rescue, she may likely fall in love with a smaller bird which will still love that ginormous cage. Also having her save up the money through working with parrots may satiate that need. (IE if she were mine, I would get her involved with a rescue and go to the not so fun stuff such as cleaning cages, mixing up food, etc. I don't regret getting Walter as a teenager but it did change the trajectory of my life. (I was going to join the Peace corp or teach for the DOD but didn't want Walter to suffer through quarantine).
Very true, I saw a video of a lady going to help a girl choose her bird. She wanted an African grey, but met a small bird who was very sweet and couldn't choose. She eventually went with the small bird :heart:
 

AussieBird

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When I was 13 I had many animals, at times too many. Part of me wishes I never had to have all that responsibility, but I wouldn't trade it for the world either. I strongly believe growing up around animals (and having certain animal care responsibilities) nurtures a respect and love for animals as well as responsibility. So many times I see/meet children (and teenagers, and adults) with no respect of animals and it makes me mad. Even my siblings who don't like animal have respect for them and basic knowledge. Family pets can make a huge impact on children, and I personally think if everyone is on board it's a great experience.
While I wouldn't know if a macaw is a good first bird for such a young person, it's generally something said often on this forum that people should get the bird they want first and not have to "work their way up" to the one they truly want. I don't see any point suggesting a different species, I would recommend if she/her family is not ready for the macaw then to wait till they are, not get another bird.
 

A.K

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Every one is asking about family :facepalm: which I forgot to mention.

Her mother and father say they are willing to help out with things like, replacing cage liners, feeding, switching toys, but absolutely NO interaction with the bird.

They also say they will pay for everything. As for collage, work, and basically LIFE, she’s homeschooled. For collage, I’m pretty sure she doesn’t have anything planned, so I will for sure bring that up next time we talk.
 

flyzipper

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Her mother and father say they are willing to help out with things like, replacing cage liners, feeding, switching toys, but absolutely NO interaction with the bird.
I would find it difficult to do those things without interacting with my birds.
Also, this (and the, "She has a huge room", comment) makes it sound like the bird will only have company when Anne is in her room.

They also say they will pay for everything.
On its own, parents who pay won't prevent an animal suffering from neglect. I would be more optimistic if you had said the parents are animal lovers and would take responsibility before anything bad happens to the bird. If it comes to that, we all know that birds require a level of diligence that can be hard to accommodate if people aren't fully committed to the idea of keeping a bird.

Reiterating this part...
absolutely NO interaction with the bird
... this is worrisome to me, but again, my childhood memories are showing.
 

rocky'smom

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I know of full grown adults that can't handle the responsibility of a bird, any bird, little alone a 13 year old child handling those responsibilities, even with mom & dad's help.
 

FeatheredM

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If the parents aren't willing to take responsibility if the 13 year old doesn't take responsibility, this bird will be REHOMED, or be NEGLECTED. She first needs real experience with birds, so that she can say, "hey this is too much too handle ", or "I would do anything to provide for the care of this macaw ".
 

Big Blues

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I ask why a Severe, what is enticing a 13 year old to get a severe, is it a specific bird she knows? Is is a baby, a rehome, a rescue? Makes a difference if my daughter wants to bring it into our home. We have a Severe macaw and got it young; has a very independent personality. Need to know more about the why. Can be a good situation but also can be a challenging one if not a wise situation.
 

A.K

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I ask why a Severe, what is enticing a 13 year old to get a severe, is it a specific bird she knows? Is is a baby, a rehome, a rescue? Makes a difference if my daughter wants to bring it into our home. We have a Severe macaw and got it young; has a very independent personality. Need to know more about the why. Can be a good situation but also can be a challenging one if not a wise situation.
I’m not entirely sure what drew her to the Severe. She definitely wants a baby though. I will ask next time I meet her

I would find it difficult to do those things without interacting with my birds.
Also, this (and the, "She has a huge room", comment) makes it sound like the bird will only have company when Anne is in her room.


On its own, parents who pay won't prevent an animal suffering from neglect. I would be more optimistic if you had said the parents are animal lovers and would take responsibility before anything bad happens to the bird. If it comes to that, we all know that birds require a level of diligence that can be hard to accommodate if people aren't fully committed to the idea of keeping a bird.

Reiterating this part...

... this is worrisome to me, but again, my childhood memories are showing.
The parents aren’t super animal lovers, but I grew up with Anne’s mother, and she will definitely not let any animal be neglected or suffer. She’d rather re-home it. I believe they are willing to take responsibility, but only if Anne won’t. They want her to get a little bit of independence. If she is neglecting them, then both parents will take over the parrot.

Also, the no interaction, when helping out with the bird, they will try to minimise interaction. No petting, scratching, holding, the parrot. That’s for Anne to do, I think so that the parrot bonds with her.
 

Nnbal

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Not interacting with the parrot will cause problems.

*Aggression, screaming and feather plucking...

Perhaps when the parrot comes home, it will amaze family members with its cuteness and innocence. This could be the start of a great interaction too. (These thoughts may be due to over-optimism. I just hope it happens.) :)
 

Pat H

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I am firm believer that a 13 year child should not own something like severe Macaw. I don't care how research the child has done whether the family is on board or not. Life happens alot of life happens in the teenager years. School, boys, sports, boys, hanging out with friends, boys, sleep overs,and oh yea did I mention BOYS.
If you think that this is phase of 'I want a macaw' because mummy and daddy will help me with the responsibilities.
A friend of mine daughter want a bird these were questions I asked her:
1.how much money have you saved to pay a avian vet?
2.name 4 human foods that can poison a bird?
3.what is the best quality food to feed your new bird?
4.how much will the bird, cage toys, food and a good avian vet cost you?
5.how long does a cockatiel live for?
6.do you have any other animals in your household, such as cats, dogs, rodents?
7.how many hours of sleep does your bird need nightly?
8. How do you plan to pay for food on monthly basis?
9.What does quality food cost?
10. How much out of the cage do plan to give your bird?
11. Does clipping your birds wings keep the bird from flying away?
If you answer these questions with anything other then the correct answers I am going tell you to do a lot more research.
She couldn't answer about a 1/4 of the question right.
Add REPTILES to #6-- they carry diseases harmful to birds
 

FeatheredM

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The macaw will need to form a relationship with the whole family. Another problem:what if the macaw only likes one person and hates the rest?
 

tka

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Also, the no interaction, when helping out with the bird, they will try to minimise interaction. No petting, scratching, holding, the parrot. That’s for Anne to do, I think so that the parrot bonds with her.
This suggests that everyone has a lot more learning to do.

Firstly, everything they do in the presence of the parrot is, in some way, interaction and will shape their relationship with the parrot. Making eye contact is interaction. Swapping bowls out, if the parrot is in the room, is interaction. Talking, singing or shouting in the same room as the parrot is interaction. Responding to - or ignoring - sounds, whistles, chirps, squawks and screams is interaction. There are many, many ways of interacting with a hands-off bird.

Secondly, birds don't really care who interacts with them the most when deciding who their favourites are. An even cursory look through this forum will find many posts along the lines of "I am the only who does all the daily care for my bird, interacts with them, plays with them and yet my bird only wants to be around my partner".

I had many pets as a child - dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, gerbils, rats and stick insects. I got and trained my first dog from a puppy when I was 14. However, my parents were 100% behind me, paid for everything including vet fees, and when I went to university, they looked after my dog for the rest of her life. I had a lot of responsibility but I also had a lot of support. I think that 13 year olds can care for animals wonderfully - however, it is important to recognise the limitations of a young teenager.

Being a teenager is a time-limited condition. Most small mammals can live their entire lives during someone's teen years. This isn't the case with a bird which why I think they make such unsuitable pets for teenagers. Even if someone doesn't attend university, they're not going to live at their parents' house and be financially dependent on their parents for the rest of their life. It's essential to consider the implications of a 13 year old taking on the care of an animal that can live for three decades.
 

JessAndSky

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I got my first bird on my 14th birthday and got my Severe a year later. My neighbor in Virginia bred birds (had 24) and I would care for them when they went out of town. I studied them obsessively to know best diet (she's always been on Roudybush and chop, since 1999), behavioral, training, hormone issues etc. There are responsible teens out there that truly care for animals. My family has never been big on pets (I am the staunch animal rights one) so I was her sole caregiver. I did a phenomenal job and she continues to thrive.
 
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flyzipper

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I'm borrowing the famous line, "correlation does not imply causation", and changing it to, "possible does not imply probable", for this thread.

Is it possible a 13 year old can be successful? Yes, of course.
Is it likely? No, it's not.

Exceptions don't prove the rule.
 

A.K

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This suggests that everyone has a lot more learning to do.

Firstly, everything they do in the presence of the parrot is, in some way, interaction and will shape their relationship with the parrot. Making eye contact is interaction. Swapping bowls out, if the parrot is in the room, is interaction. Talking, singing or shouting in the same room as the parrot is interaction. Responding to - or ignoring - sounds, whistles, chirps, squawks and screams is interaction. There are many, many ways of interacting with a hands-off bird.

Secondly, birds don't really care who interacts with them the most when deciding who their favourites are. An even cursory look through this forum will find many posts along the lines of "I am the only who does all the daily care for my bird, interacts with them, plays with them and yet my bird only wants to be around my partner".

I had many pets as a child - dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, gerbils, rats and stick insects. I got and trained my first dog from a puppy when I was 14. However, my parents were 100% behind me, paid for everything including vet fees, and when I went to university, they looked after my dog for the rest of her life. I had a lot of responsibility but I also had a lot of support. I think that 13 year olds can care for animals wonderfully - however, it is important to recognise the limitations of a young teenager.

Being a teenager is a time-limited condition. Most small mammals can live their entire lives during someone's teen years. This isn't the case with a bird which why I think they make such unsuitable pets for teenagers. Even if someone doesn't attend university, they're not going to live at their parents' house and be financially dependent on their parents for the rest of their life. It's essential to consider the implications of a 13 year old taking on the care of an animal that can live for three decades.
I like what you said about the interaction, and will pass that along to her parents. Thanks.
 
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