Last Updated on February 16, 2023 by Mitch Rezman

Thank you for acknowledging a category for “large macaws,” you’ve been paying your due diligence.

My knowledge base comes from operating a  website that sells exclusively to pet bird keepers.

You can read about 1400 posts I’ve written on pet bird care.

Re: “Please don’t kid yourself there are no large parrot species that is any less difficult than the other to take care of” (below).

First, off one person’s, anecdotes should not be a driver on how to create a single bird or a flock’s environment.

Re: “ I recently bought a brand new TV and thanks to my parrot it has a crack in the screen”

Read more at Quora

 

Your toys are your bird’s toys ~ or so they think.

 

What I hear below is a typical scenario with birds indigenous to different 2 continents are undisciplined.

 

I see no toys allowing foraging and enrichment opportunities so the birds are forced to create their own – they are birds.

 

If a bird takes all the keys off a notebook computer whose fault is that?

If you don’t think a winged animal with a beak having 700 PSI of force, will not damage your Chinese crappy TV, you’re a dumbass.

 

Back 2003 – 2004 We had a large retail space with a parrot playground.

 

You needed a clean bill of health from your avian veterinarian no more than 6 months old for your bird to participate.

 

That’s when we met Nick And his two macaws.

 

At the age of 50,  Nick had not heard from his partner for five days which was unusual.

 

When he went to check he found his partner had been dead for four or five days leaving the partner’s Hyacinth and Scarlet Macaws along with two large dogs to fend for themselves.

 

Knowing nothing about pet bird care Nick took the two birds in having a reputation for being two of the hardest birds to raise.

 

Fast forward 17 years later so you can find out that all it takes is an adult tricycle to manage two large macaws.

 

Watch my video of Nick his two big birds and their adult trike

 

 

Re: “There is no pre-packaged food which will meet the dietary needs of any exotic, including ALL parrots of any size.

 

Read that again.

 

There is No Food you can buy at the pet store which will meet all the dietary needs of any exotic bird.

 

That is a naive and dangerous statement.

 

Naive because it’s not true.

 

 And dangerous because it pushes more people to say “see ~  birds need chop which is like human food.”

 

I have published the dietary data of one of the most popular chop recipes used today and it has no nutritional value for any animal or human seeking protein.

 

Approximately 36 years ago Mark Hagen having received his master’s in agriculture, opened the Hagen Avicultural Research Institute.

 

For 36 years,  250 pairs of domestic and wild-caught parrots have been eating and pooping Hagen bird food. 

 

Fecal samples are tested throughout the day by a team of avian veterinarians and vet techs.

 

Mark is also been a philanthropist providing funds to Ontario Veterinary College Health Sciences Centre which reciprocally shares information with Hagen.

 

I’ve spoken extensively with Dr. Gregory Harrison the founder of Harrisonburg food and feel that he covers all the bases when it comes to bird nutrition.

 

Dr.Harrison taught us how to use light therapy to control everything from prolific egg-laying to hormonal aggression.

 

Laurie Hess, an avian veterinarian, and spokesperson for Zupreem petfoods has been interviewed by us responding to a question about the falsehoods of Eclectus in the digestive systems. 

 

We’re comfortable using all the aforementioned food brands.

 

Over time we have represented over thirty brands.

 

We still add fresh fruits and veggies to 3 parrots and 6 budgies daily diet.

 

2 parrots get a piece of Avi-Cake and Barney the Tiel gets a big chunk of millet.

 

I hear people say that Millet is too fattening for cockatiels.

 

 

We rescued Barney 11 months ago from an abandoned house that had no utilities and two large dogs.

 

The bottom of his rusted cage was filled with food you couldn’t find the feeder cups and there was some filthy water in a single dish on top of the pile. 

 

I could not exaggerate this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He gets at least the one-inch piece of Millet sprig.

 

All snacking takes place before 7:30 p.m. Central Standard Time when everybody’s lights turn off automatically using a timer.

 

I know I’m taking you around the block here but commercial bird food should be 80% of any bird’s diet.

 

Commercial bird food falls under identical regulations that the USDA uses to administer human food safety rules.

 

 Feathered factoid: 60% of pet birds necropsied were found to have died from malnutrition.

 

Best.

MitchR