Macaw Cages...Buying Guidelines

Macaws. Beautiful, majestic, magnificent, colorful, playful, active and loaded with personality plus. The different varieties of macaw all share those attributes and if you're considering buying one as an animal companion, you have chosen well. The first thing for us to consider however is appropriate accommodation for him and fortunately, there's a wide choice of macaw cages online for you to research. But let's see what we need to look at first.

Size. Your macaw is a big bird and, depending on the variety, can reach forty inches tall, including his tail. Hyacinth macaws are the largest with Blue and Golds a close second therefore your choice of macaw cages is critical; he needs a lot of space. And once you've brought him home, he's going to be with you for a long time as he can live fifty years or more. So your commitment is for life - his life. He's exuberant, high-spirited and noisy. Macaws vocalize most of the time and he has a screech which can curl your ears. He's a member of the parrot family and can mimic speech although perhaps not as well as the Amazons and African Greys can.

 

Macaw cages come in several sizes but buy the biggest you can get - it should not be less than 36" by 48" by 60" and should be on casters for easy movement. It should also have a pull-out tray at the bottom for easy cleaning. Make sure that it's made of stainless steel - galvanized macaw cages are toxic to these birds because of the zinc content. Make sure too, that any hinges and closures are steel. Check for welds - macaw cages should be double-welded as his beak is capable of 1500 - 2000 psi and he can dismember a cage very quickly. He can easily break a broomstick and cracking a walnut is child's play for him. The bar-spacing on your macaw cage should be one to one and a half inches, otherwise he may injure himself. Be prepared to pay up to $2000 for one of the best quality macaw cages and it will serve both you and your macaw very well for many years - the investment is definitely worth it.

He's going to need furniture. Macaw cages come fully furnished of course, but your bird is big. Check that the perches are thick enough for his big feet - if they're too thin, he can hurt himself. Food dishes - these need to be heavy; one each for water, seed and soft food and should be easy to remove for cleaning. And he'll need a variety of wooden toys - or even chunks of plain wood for chewing. Consider toys which he can take apart to find the treat inside - place hanging toys too and toys which he can swing on.

One last thing about macaw cages - macaws are clever. He will study the closing mechanism and the hinges on whichever of the macaw cages you buy - and will figure out how to open it for an unscheduled self-release. Stay one step ahead of him so that you're in charge of his fly-bys, not him. And by the way, he'll love to perch on top of an opened door and those huge talons can damage it - consider installing a branch up there by cutting a slot in it which can slide along the top of the door. Means you have to leave the door open though!