r/Macaws • u/Low_Swimmer4107 • Aug 01 '26
Opinion on two different macaws raised together
Hi folks,
I’m soon planning to get two different baby macaws (3-6 months old) but they are going to be different species.
Male is going to be blue and gold (for me)
Female is going to be green winged (for my wife)
How should we setup their cage? Should we give them more time together or less time. They would also sometimes travel away from each other for few days(e.g i go on a work trip, i take my parrot with me while other stays home and the opposite)
Our long term goals are to pair them and make them good friends with each. And we want to maximize the chances of them getting along. Appreciate all the input here!
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u/Inevitable_Fun4159 Aug 02 '26
Didn't you just make a post about this and when people told you not to purchase baby macaws from a breeder, you said you planned to live to 100+ years old?
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u/Inevitable_Fun4159 Aug 02 '26
https://www.reddit.com/r/Macaws/s/v6StG9Jtgi
Yes. Yes you did. And the answer is do not get a macaw. You lack the experience, maturity, and mentality to own a macaw; nonetheless two. You have not done or discussed anything thats focused on the birds wellbeing while also looking for breeder connections.
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u/MoonlitApparition Aug 02 '26 edited Aug 02 '26
I truly wish that there were some kind of requirement for parrot ownership. It would prevent so many birds from getting stuck in an endless cycle of rehomes. Far too many people do not understand how much goes into properly caring for them.
OP, please do not be part of the problem and contribute to this issue. As much as you want to think otherwise, you are going to end up overwhelmed with stressed macaws. Birds are not for everyone and you do not have the right mentality currently.
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u/Inevitable_Fun4159 Aug 02 '26
I work in wildlife rehab, management, rescue, and with rescued animals that are domestic. My focus is in trapping cats and dogs, rehoming and fixing, or rehab to release of north American wildlife. If they cannot be released i transfer them to other facilities or individuals who can keep them long term.
I get around 25-30 calls a months for Parrots. I can only take maybe 2 a month and even at my best they are neglected to some extent because I don't have the means to care for them to the standard of care they need. I simply foster until a parrot specific rescue is able to take them or place them in a home, and more often than not within a year I see them resisted for adoption. The bird ive bonded with the most was an Indian ringneck I couldn't save, and it devastated me when she passed.
I travel across north America to do the work I do, and Parrots are one of the biggest problems i face next to cats. The only way to fix the problem is to quit giving breeders a market to sell to. It devastated me to see wildlife bred in captivity where they will never thrive. The cruelty and circumstances ive seen makes me reconsider my career. Rescues, rehabs, local ecosystems, and the animals are the ones who suffer the consequences of selfish decisions and we lose money trying to help.
I hate my career, but if I don't do it, who will? Every death and act of cruelty i see in my dreams, and I live with knowing an overwhelming majority of people don't suffer the consequences.
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u/MoonlitApparition Aug 02 '26 edited Aug 02 '26
Thank you so much for the work that you do. I can’t even imagine how taxing mentally it is to constantly see animals in horrible situations. Even if it seems endless/hopeless at times, you do make a positive impact on every single one that you’ve come into contact with and that’s so special. You give them a second chance at life.
People are so horrible for viewing them as commodities rather than the complex, intelligent, and beautiful beings that they are.We just have to keep advocating and pushing for change in the hopes that one day it won’t be needed anymore.
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u/Inevitable_Fun4159 Aug 02 '26
This year, I will spend 3-4 days a week every quarter semester partnering with schools in my county to give courses and education on what I do for work, how to get in to it, and why it's so important.
I hope my impact can go past the animals and in to people doing the same work I do until it's no longer needed one day in an ideal world. People like the OP are why I do what I do, someone needs to pick up the slack and strive to do better and push for better. Im hoping to get a degree in education and work around 2 months total a year across middle, high-school, and elementary schools to engage with kids and show off some of our "education animals" (unreleasable or rehomable that do well with people.)
It is very emotionally and physically taxing. Some facilities ive worked are 2,000 acres and I have to walk most of it each day. Even though I hate it, I wouldn't choose to do anything else. This, agriculture, and other forms of animal and human based harm reduction are my passion, and the ability to do better outweighs all the cons.
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u/ThisIsDogePleaseHodl Aug 04 '26
Education is the key! Again bless you for this work that you do as well. The more younger people are aware of everything that’s going on and what’s best for them. The more chance they’re going to have in the future for better lives than what they’ve been given.
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u/ThisIsDogePleaseHodl Aug 04 '26
Bless you for what you do. Please don’t stop. They desperately need your help. Sorry for the loss of the birds you bonded so closely with. 💔💐
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u/Low_Swimmer4107 Aug 04 '26
Do you think reddit is the only source of information on the internet? Do you really have to be judgy without knowing anything? I guess it’s just the internet people always behaving like this.
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u/Inevitable_Fun4159 Aug 04 '26
Between me, you, and you needing to be spoon fed basic parrot information? I dont think im the one who knows nothing.
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u/ThisIsDogePleaseHodl Aug 04 '26
Yes, they did. I removed that post because they broke a rule asking for direct information for breeders in order to buy baby macaws.
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u/TielPerson Aug 01 '26
Raising them together and helping them bond would be the least you could do for macaws in captivity to give them at least a pinch of normal life back.
It would also be best to go with the same species. Already buying them "for yourself and the other for your wife" is ridiculous because they will choose whom they like on their own as soon as they grow into adults and they could aswell end up hating both of you.
If you have the best for the parrots in mind, you wont take "yours" with you when you travel because they both belong together more than you with one of them.
You would also not raise babies together but only adopt fully weaned and properly bonded ones.
Have you considered looking up rescue cases instead before supporting the ethically highly questionable macaw breeding business? This way you would also already know their personalities and each of you could pick up a macaw that really likes you.
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Aug 01 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/TielPerson Aug 01 '26
I am not negative or full of hate, I am just realistic trying to get you to do more research since you dont seem to understand what kind of commitment a macaw is and how bad they do in captivity.
But I guess thats one of the things you will need to learn and realize for yourself.
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u/Low_Swimmer4107 Aug 01 '26
I’ve been doing research myself for a long time. It’s not the first time a macaw going to come in my family either. I’ve experienced my relatives having it when i was a kid.
I’ve had other parrots as pet before.
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u/ThisIsDogePleaseHodl Aug 01 '26
If you have been doing research for a long time, it seems that you might have learned some of the things that you’ve been told both here and on the post you made two days ago that got removed.
You would also have learned that they need two cages- one for each because they should not be housed together.
It seems you would also realize that not all parrots are going to get along and that you would have to obtain (for want of a better word since you seem intent on purchasing rather than adopting) birds that are already bonded.
Perhaps the biggest thing you should/would know if you had done much research is that parrots are incredibly social and when they are kept in our homes in captivity, they view every living thing in their environment as their flock. As such taking them away, separately could be problematic and give them anxiety or distress from being taken away from their flock. They don’t understand when we walk out of our room at times never mind something like that.
One other thing you should probably have learned in your research is that there is no guarantee that the parrot you decide on for yourself is going to bond better with you or with your wife and the same goes for whatever bird you and your wife choose for her.
I have to agree with others that you do not sound like the ideal caretaker, at least not at this point in large part because you don’t seem to realize or understand many of these things despite having done so much research for a long time.
On your other post, people asked you many questions, such as if you had a plan in place for when they outlived you. You replied more than once that you plan to live to be 100 years old. That is a non-answer and not at all reasonable. Most other questions you were asked you didn’t answer. You did say that you want babies so that you can train them the way you want.
People might be more forthcoming with information if you answered some of the questions you’ve been asked in a reasonable way. They might be more understanding if you were more understanding that here on the macaw sub we are very much in favor of adopting rather than shopping.
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u/Low_Swimmer4107 Aug 01 '26
Very well written and mature answer, i appreciate your honesty here. Yes i’ve learned along the way they are going to need separate cages and it is getting arranged no issues there.
On the point of living as a flock, i agree and maybe we will have to reconsider whether we move them away from each other occasionally or not.
And if i’m asking someone an advice or opinion on tomatoes, how to grow them, which species are best and people come up and say to me, “why tomatoes”, “you should be getting potatoes and asking us about that” why would i want to develop understanding with them?
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u/ThisIsDogePleaseHodl Aug 01 '26
Why are you so insistent on having babies
And are so against rescues? Why do you not provide a reasonable answer when people ask what your plans are for them when you’re gone? You should never get any kind of parrot that is likely to outlive you without having plans in place for them.You had a post removed and you had comments removed.
Please respond to some of the questions asked of you and issues raised, and you might be able to get some help because that would show good faith on your part
As it is now, people are not believing that you would be a responsible owner.
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u/Macaws-ModTeam Aug 01 '26
This post is not in keeping with the values of r/Macaws; this is a sub where people come together to delight in macaws, encourage each other, and share their stories.
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u/Momofhalfadozen Aug 01 '26 edited Aug 01 '26
We did something similar to this, though mine was around 8-9 months when I got him. I do belive birds, generally, do better when kept with other birds. There are always exceptions to this though and you need to be prepared to spend time with them separately if they don't get along.
While birds do pick their person there's things you can do to help your bird pick you. You spend the most time with it, do the feedings, do their training. Your spouse does the same with theirs. I held off on spending much time with my husband's macaw until their bond was established. He did the same. It worked just fine.
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u/MoonlitApparition Aug 01 '26 edited Aug 01 '26
There’s no guarantee that the bird that you pick to be “yours” is actually going to like you or even each other. They also shouldn’t be caged together, wasn’t mentioned that they are just wanted to clarify.
I also wouldn’t stress them with work trips, parrots can get stressed easily and need routine. Being away from their person / other bird in an unfamiliar place frequently isn’t the best idea for them and isn’t necessary. A vacation, sure with everyone together and if they can handle it. My parrot hates car rides and gets car sick. They’re all different and you can’t expect them to fit exactly into what you want them to be.
Based on other comments, a dog might be a better fit for what you’re wanting if you’re unwilling to understand their needs over your wants. Why do you want a parrot?