Hello, Ive always had a rule that smaller birds get bigger cages: small birds get medium cages, medium birds get large, etc. But larger birds need larger places, and I want to give my Hyacnth macaw, which Im in the prosses of buying! I already know what room Im going t put it in, but I dont know what to put in it.
Hi Logan,
With any bird, we recommend the largest cage that is reasonable for the species – such as appropriate bar spacing. Hyacinth Macaws are a challenge when finding the right cage. I would suggest discussing this with the breeder. Hyacinths have an extremely powerful bite – although it is rare for them to bite people. But they can be tough on cages. A Hyacinth is capable of breaking the bars on pretty much any commercial cage that is made for parrots. I have even known them to work at the welds of wrought iron cages and eventually break it. Because of this, a very large cage with a lot of enrichment in the form of various perches, swings & toys is recommended. The average macaw cage is simply not large enough – it is best to research custom cages or possibly an aviary type cage that you can actually walk in. Again, consider the strength of the bars. Wrought iron is the best – while it is possible for them to remove a weld, it is not as likely.
The more the macaw has to do as far as toys and perches and food to forage for, the less likely he will concentrate on destroying the cage. I am only mentioning the possibility because I have known a number of hyacinths and a couple of them were notorious cage destroyers. One owner finally found a walk in cage that was designed for primates and that was the first cage his hyacinth pair didn’t destroy.
Please do plenty of research on this species as they are a special bird to own and they also have special diet requirement beyond the average parrot diet. Certain nuts are very important for them to have. Your breeder should be able to prepare you and you can also do some research on your own.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
