Blue and Gold Macaw Review

I took in a Blue and Gold Macaw last October when his owners had to rehome him.  They worked long hours, they lived in a condo, and were about to be evicted because the bird screamed so much.  They heard that I was wanting a macaw and also that I was an animal rescuer and very tolerant of bratty pets... so they gave him to me for free:  bird, cage, food, toys, and all.  They just wanted to get him into a good home.  Silly me, I took in a screaming macaw.  I wouldn't recommend that course of action to anyone but the most experienced of macaw owners.

Blue and Gold Macaws are also known as Blue and Yellow Macaws.  They are native to Central and South America but they are quickly losing habitat due to deforestation.  They are believed to have a life span of 80+ years.  BGs have shades of blue from teal to dark blue on their heads, backs, and wings while their chest and abdomen is a bright, vivid yellow.  Their faces have large patches of white skin with some black feathers scattered throughout in a pattern unique to the bird.  If a macaw gets really excited, you'll see him blush in his skin patch.

These parrots are the largest of the companion birds and are smaller than only the Greenwing, Scarlet, and Hyacinth Macaws.  They have very large beaks, very large voices, very large personalities, and a very large need for space and wooden blocks to destroy.  I keep my BG in a cage that's 40 inches wide by 30 inches deep by 66 inches tall.  It's the largest single-bird cage available and provides plenty of space for him.  A macaw requires a minimum of 3-4 hours out of his cage with human interaction each day and preferably more.  These birds are very active and appreciate playgyms to climb, toys to splinter, spaces to fly if you choose not to clip them. 

Blue and Gold Macaws have a need to destroy things.  If you are smart, you'll provide lots of toys in the cage and on the playstand so the bird doesn't need to exercise his beak on your table, chairs, or molding.  As a well-known bird expert says, "a toy destroyed is a toy enjoyed!"  That truly is the case with BG macaws.  Mine doesn't seem to like puzzles or foraging toys; he just wants blocks of wood to turn into splinters.  Since that's what makes him happy and usually keeps him quiet, I buy lots of chains of wooden blocks for him.

Blue and Gold Macaws do require a specific diet.  They need lots of fresh foods and nuts like almonds, walnuts, brazil nuts, etc.  I feed my BG the same base mix that I give my ekkie: half a bag of brown rice, half a bag of soaked 15-bean soup mix, bag of frozen soup veggies, bag of frozen peas/carrots, half a bag of frozen green beans, and half a bag of frozen okra.  I also offer slices of fresh fruits/veggies (papaya, apple, blueberries, cranberries, kiwi, pomegranate, zucchini, cooked sweet potato, corn, peppers, etc.), pasta, plain lowfat yogurt, cottage cheese, canned salmon, and whole baked chicken wings.  These birds require a fair amount of fat in their diet so I feed him lots of hardboiled eggs, chicken wings, and whole nuts.  In addition to the fresh foods, I give my BG a bowl that's 1/4 filled with FM Browns Tropical Carnival Big Bites Macaw Mix.  It has lots of nuts, seeds, and pieces of dried fruit/veggies for him.  He can be a very picky eater so I always think the more I can offer him is better.

BGs can learn to speak very well.  That being said, not all macaws will choose to speak.  You shouldn't ever buy a Blue and Gold Macaw because they are known to "talk" because there are many who never do.  My BG is an exceptionally good "talker" for the species and has a rather large vocabulary for a macaw.  He says: stop it!, hi bird, hi Bogart, step up, ow!, pretty bird, hello, quiet!, cut it out!, how are you?, brat, Scarlett, and the names of all of my cats and a few foster cats.  He only says these things when the mood strikes him, and usually at the appropriate time.

These macaws are wonderful pets but they absolutely must have several hours out of their cage and human interaction each day.  Without that activity and attention, these intelligent birds will quickly learn to scream and/or pull out their feathers.  BGs are very high energy birds and they will demand attention if they don't receive it each day.  That's how mine learned to scream his head off.  Don't even consider buying a Blue and Gold Macaw if you don't have many hours each day to interact and play with your bird. 

To this day, my BG challenges my patience.  He learned to scream and he reverts to that when he feels that he's being ignored.  Every day he gets better because he spends so many hours out of his cage... playing with toys and interacting with us.  I try very hard not to get angry with him because it's not his fault that he learned to scream.  I am very lucky in that the BG has decided to bond with my boyfriend who works all sorts of late hours.  This particular BG is more than happy with 30 minutes with his "chosen one" but that is very unusual. 

When these guys decide to throw a tantrum, the entire neighborhood will know about it.  Windows open, windows closed... it doesn't matter.  My conservative estimate is that every house on this block and the next can hear my BG when he is throwing a fit.  If the windows are open, we can hear him on the next block.  If the windows are closed, we can hear him in the driveway, street, and the next couple of yards. 

As with any bird, you cannot use Teflon or other non-stick pans, candles, harsh cleansers, aerosol air fresheners/cleaners, or plug-in products near a macaw.  They are extremely sensitive to fumes and can be killed by a mist of "Febreeze", etc.

These birds are extremely beautiful but the require a ton of work and can be very difficult if you don't provide the proper living conditions for them.  I would never suggest a BG as a first bird to anyone.  I love my special BG Macaw but he definitely tries my patience at times.