| I have had my Scarlet Macaw for 2 years now and I would be glad to share my
experiences with you. You can call me at DTN 297-3038 or send me mail with
specific questions.
In general, Zackery eats just about everything that you and I eat. Each day he
gets a bowl of seeds and nuts, a bowl of water with vitiams in it, and a bowl of
fruit, vegatables, cheese, meat, etc. I try o give him a balanced diet each
day with at least some fruit and some vegatables. And as special treats, he gets
cheese (which he loves), meat, chicken bones (another favorate) and what ever
else I can think of. He also gets monkey biskets a couple of times a week. I
alse sprinkle a mineral supplement on his fresh food each day.
As far as personality goes, he is very loving, but very sturborn. He wants
what he want, when he wants it!!!! When he doesn't get it, he may scream (VERY
loudly) or if he is out with me, he will growl to let you know he is not
pleased, sometimes he bites (not hard, just enough to let you know that he
wants you to do what he tells you). He is always finding new ways to try to
train you. His latest trick (since he knows that grabbing your finger and
putting presure on it is not acceptable) is to just pinch a very small piece of
skin. It hurts, but does no damage (we are working on that right now). I have
had limited success training him to talk on command, but he has picked up quite
an number of words and phrases on his own that he says quite often (at his
descretion). I have taught him a number of tricks that he is pretty consistant
with.
All in all he is a great pet as long as you are aware of his iron will and deal
with it properly. He loves to be cuddled and petted and played with, but he
is like having a 2 year old child around all the time.
Dom
|
| I know a little bit about the Scarlet Macaw, it might be too late
for you but maybe others can use it.
Scarlets are one of the most monogomous breed of parrot. They normally
only react/interact well with one person. I went to Marine World
in Redwood City once and asked why they didn't use one in their
show. The trainer responded that they do, but only on a occasional
basis. Their Scarlet will only with two of the trainers, and is
still very termpermental, so they usually only use her a couple
of times a week. On a one-on-one basis they can be wonderful pets,
but if you're looking for a bird that's going to talk up a storm,
go for an amazon. Macaw's are not known for their great speaking
abilities. They'll do many more tricks than they'll recite what
you say. My Military (Military's have much the same personalities
as Scarlets) had a vocabulary of about 9 words, and 7 phrases.
So, if the bird is going to be just yours have a wonderful time
with it, but if you want a family pet, try a Cockatoo, Blue & Gold,
or a Green Wing.
P.S. The person in the first note is right about "When they want
it they want it now" attitude. And get ready for lots of complaints
when they don't get it. They can be quite loud, and carry on for
every.
|