A Macaw's Happy Home

                                    

There are a number of ways to house macaws in captivity so that they will adapt readily as well as happily to domestic life. Your new arrival will be unsure and frightened in its unfamiliar surroundings, so it makes sense to have its living accommodations already set up before you bring the bird into your home. Having everything prepared beforehand will also help to avoid further inconvenience and confusion.

If you plan to keep your macaw as a house pet, begin by purchasing a strong wire mesh or wrought iron cage or a T-perch with a removable wire mesh cover. Either enclosure will give the bird a sense of security and the feeling that this domain is "his and his alone." Later, when the bird is tame, you can remove the cover from the T-perch if you wish.

A cage for a large macaw should be no less than 37 inches high, 24 inches wide, and 25 inches long. A cage for a hyacinth macaw must be larger yet and made of extra strong metal. It is imperative that the bird should have ample room to stretch its wings. Also, when sitting on its perch, its tail should not be able to touch the floor of the cage nor should its head reach the top. The perch has to be made of sturdy wood as it will have to hold up under constant chewing.

Proportions of a cage are actually more important than the volume of the enclosure. A cage with greater length in relation to its height and width is better than one with equal dimensions. Greater length allows more room for needed exercise. Aside from having enough space to spread its wings, a cage should be wide enough for the bird to hide from a disturbance coming from any direction.

Macaws need not only a good sized cage, but also an environment rich in stimuli in order to maintain stable mental health. They need to see, hear, and play with various objects to keep themselves occupied. If denied these things, the bird will become very disturbed and resort to self-mutilation. Feather plucking is a sure sign of a disturbed bird. Other birds chew on their toes, which can result in loss of a toe or even an entire foot. The saddest problem of all is that once this neurotic behavior is set in motion it is nearly impossible to stop. And yet all of this needless trouble can be avoided if you furnish your bird with a good cage and ample stimuli.

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