Taming a Macaw
Macaws are birds of beautiful plumage and attractive personality. Like Cockatoo and Budgies, Macaws are also a sub-species of Parrots. Their exquisite colour and huge size have always charmed human beings. Taming a Macaw is not as simple as taming another Parrot as they are sometimes huge and also bite badly.
Macaws are long living birds so if you want a pet as a lifelong companion then Macaws are a great choice. On an average Macaws live for more than 50 years. Macaws are great lovers and start considering their human caretakers as mate for the purpose of breeding. They are hungry when it comes to their owner’s love and attention. Macaw’s are quite intelligent birds and like to be interactive either with their companions or caretaker. Their loud and shrill voice however can be disturbing for owners at times.
Caging Macaws
Some Macaws can be as huge as 3 feet measuring from head to tail. Hyacinth Macaws are most huge in size. However, small Macaws, mostly 12 – 15 inches are also commonly found and preferred for caging. In order to tame huge Macaws you need special cage with suitable size. An acrylic cage is highly recommended for caging Macaws. Acrylic cage is easier to clean and disinfect. It is advisable to use acrylic cage for Macaws because they have sharp beaks and keep scratching the cage. To an extent acrylic cage resists scratch marks.
Feeding Macaws
Macaws generally thrive on fruits and vegetables. Some of the common foods that Macaws eat are:
- Nuts – Almonds, Brazils, Walnut
- Green Leafy Vegetables – Broccoli, Cucumber, Beets, Cauliflower
- Fruits – Orange, Guava, Banana, Palm fruit
- Hookbill Seeds
- Commercial Pellets
If you want to serve some fresh food to your pet Macaw then you can choose from hard-boiled egg, meat, oatmeal, millet, or brown rice. It is advisable to peel and de-seed fruits before serving the Macaw. Also wash the fruits and vegetables thoroughly in order to reduce the effects of pesticide. At the same time it is important to properly remove the leftover food from the Macaw’s cage before it gets stale or rotten.
Do’s and Dont’s of Caging Macaws
Taming Macaws also pose challenges sometimes as these birds are impopular for biting hard. They have got very hard beak also known sometimes as can-openers. So it is important to properly train the wild Macaws. Also care should be taken not to leave children unattended near the cage to avoid injury by Macaw’s beak.
History has proven that Macaws are great pets if the owners are successful in winning their trust and love. These huge parrots can be aggressive when they are mentally or physically tortured, or neglected by owners. But if provided good care, love, and enough opportunity to be free, Macaws can adorn the homes of owners for a long period.