Prospective Macaw Owner

[Samantha Beben]

Hi!
I’m new to this site and my husband and I are talking about getting a macaw when we can financially afford one.
I have some concerns and would like a macaw owner to give me some insight?
My husband and I want to travel not necessarily every month but we would like to go on week vacations once and a while. How easy or difficult is it to travel when you don’t want to bring your bird? Should you hire someone? Him and I want to own multiple birds and have an aviary as well.
Thank you!

 

[AutumnRain]

"Bump" just means I'm making it so your post goes to the top so that hopefully some of the Macaw owners will see it and respond. Sometimes when there a lot of posts, threads end up so far down that people don't see them.

 

[Jas]

@Macawnutz @faislaq @macawpower58 @Hankmacaw @aooratrix have macaws and might be able to help.

 

[Hankmacaw]

You can always board your macaw. I board my GW with her vet, because she is health compromised and she will always have help available if something happens. Boarding them too long or too often can effect their emotions, they don't understand vacations and they don't know why their family has left them. My vet's techs take her out of her cage and mess with her quite often and that helps keep her mind occupied, beside she has bird company in the boarding area.

Some people have a friend or family come in a couple of times a day to check on their bird(S) and feed them, but I just feel that for a very social animal they would get anxious and lonely. Some people hire a person to come in a stay with the bird(s) in their house, but those individuals are few and far between and hard to fine someone you can trust.

If you love your bird and care about them a solution can always be found.

 

[sunnysmom]

Welcome. A bird can't be left alone for a week. So yes, you need to hire someone to watch him or have a friend, etc come over. Or you can try boarding. I found that hiring a pet sitter with bird experience worked better for me than relying on friends or family to watch my bird. Also, there are a lot of wonderful macaws in rescues in need of good homes. And usually adopting from a rescue is much cheaper than buying a bird from a store.

 

[msplantladi]

Let me sum it up easily...Owning big birds is like having a 3-5 yr old child that never grows up. They are loving as well as stubborn. They are trainable as well as stubborn. They adapt well to a routine but also expect you to adapt to their routine. I highly suggest fostering to see if a big bird fits your life style as big birds are a huge commitment. Good luck in your journey .

 

[Fia Baby]

I have 2 parrots (cockatoo and macaw) and sometimes travel. I also have other animals -dogs, cats, alpacas. My parrots are the most complex to care for and the ones I worry about the most. I have a house-sitter come and stay at my house, which is the only thing that works in my situation. My husband teaches at the high school and I'm an SLP at for all the grades, so together we compare notes on kids and select our house-sitter from among the older, trust-worthy, academically-motivated students. And we tell certain neighbors to keep an eye on things. I also tell the house-sitter that I have neighbors who are very nosey, and that they're not to anyone over other than their parents, and that I will certainly know if they don't follow my instructions. Sounds scary, right? When I only had my cockatoo, I often took her along (this was before I had 3 kids... she was easy to travel with, even to fly with). A macaw is much harder to travel with though. I do some pretty extensive training, and write a VERY detailed letter about every meal, every cautionary measure, who to contact with an emergency.... I also try to bird-proof my home specifically for a house-sitter - I put away anything I don't want them to use while I'm gone.

It's always worked well, with one exception, but everyone was fine. I always worry though and keep in almost daily contact with them.

 

[melissasparrots]

I go on short vacations periodically. The longest I've ever been away was 6 or 7 days. Usually its a 3-5 day quick trip. I have a pet sitter come in and feed and water them. They don't get to come out, but they get their basic needs met. I don't take a lot of trips though. On average I'm probably gone 10 days or less a year spread out into 2 or 3 separate trips. If you want to be gone more than a couple days frequently, then you might want to choose one of the more independent species that you can easily keep in multiples. Such as cockatiels. Also, make sure you have someone trust worthy in the area that is willing to pet sit such a large bird. I only have one pet sitter. When I go is as much dependent on my schedule as it is on her's. And I pay her well because I know pet sitting my flock is not her favorite thing. She's much more of a dog person.

 

[aooratrix]

I go out of town for probably 10 days a year. Either my Mom or a family friend meets the basic needs of my birds. If it's summer, my nephew will do it.

 

[Shezbug]

The few times I have gone away (3 days was the longest) I have had my children (grown ups) look after my macaw. I leave strict detailed instructions and food portions with directions on preparation needs and daily amounts of treats for them with the exact times of the day that certain things need to be done (cage cleaned, bowls changed, new toys or treats etc). The only thing they will not do while I am not home is let him out of his cage. They are very familiar with his routine as they do live with me, it still stresses them out though, they say he is much more work and responsibility than any of the other animals.
If I wanted to go away for any longer than two nights then I would be thinking about boarding him at his vet clinic, I find leaving him as stressful as the kids find watching him. Lol.

 

[Fia Baby]

It is stressful! I'm on a little trip right now, and I took several days making sure I had my notes just right, had my daughter read it for "fresh eyes," and then she re-wrote it because I didn't like the potential chaos of addendums on my note causing confusion. And I bulk up their food for a few days before I leave, knowing that they won't eat nearly as much while I'm gone. Then I buy extra groceries in case I'm gone longer than planned... I do worry. But getting away is important too - we all need to see the world, get a new perspective, etc.