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Ever see this :

Hyacinth Macaw for sale. $15,000

Oh man, what a typo! Somebody at the newspaper is in big trouble!

Nope. It’s not a mistake. Many people have never heard of a Hyacinth Macaw. But they are a very unique parrot, highly sought after, and one of the most friendly pets you could ever own.

There are 16 different species of macaws. The Hyacinth is the largest of the parrot species. The average Hyacinth Macaw is 40 inches in length, and weighs nearly 3 pounds. Their feathers are a deep blue that has an almost iridescent quality. They have a huge off-black colored beak common to parrots, and their beak has a massive crushing power. This makes it very easy for them to eat large seeds common with their diet.

Because of their popularity, they have been extremely over-hunted and are on the severely threatened list. Hyacinth macaws originate in South America, most commonly in Brazil and eastern Bolivia. Recent estimates of surviving “wild” Hyacinth Macaws is under 5000. Poachers regularly hunt these birds for illegal pet trade, or for their feathers, which are highly sought after for Indian crafts. Because of this, they have received legal protection, and are illegal to import in to most countries.

Many breeders are now trying to raise these birds domestically. They are currently one of the most sought after birds, and can easily sell for $7,000-$12,000.

BREEDING

Big, expensive birds require a tremendous amount of effort to breed. They generally breed between April and August, and will have two or three eggs per clutch. They require large flight cages at least 4×8 feet. Many breeders use wooden whiskey barrels for nesting boxes. Their diets must be closely monitored, as they require a high fat and protein diet. This means they need a diet of larger seeds and peanuts, and high fat fruits such as coconut and palm fruit. This must be given in addition to the other fruits and veggies that they need for nutritional purposes, so careful diet monitoring is required.

When breeding, they also demand their privacy. This will require that you have some remote location for their breeding area. Home breeders are going to find this requirement a bit difficult to meet….do you have a spare room to give up for breeding?

PERSONALITY

Hyacinths are not only sought for their size and beauty. They are a very friendly and intelligent pet. They are fairly quiet, unlike many of the large parrot breeds. They are known to be easy to train and quickly learn tricks. They have some limited talking ability and are not known to be great talkers like other parrots.

*Picture taken from http://www.tnaqua.org/Newsroom/HighRes/hyacinth_macaw.jpg

In our many years as breeders and running an aviary, we get customers with a very common problem. They are replacing a bird that escaped or “flew away”. They miss their bird so they are replacing it.

It’s unfortunate. If they had practiced some very basic precautions they never would have lost their bird. Were the wings clipped to prevent them from flying? Do you keep them out of their cage unattended? Do you take them out of the house in a cage not properly secured?

One instance that still sticks in my mind was when we attended a bird show. One of the vendors was carrying a bird cage filled with cockatiels. It was one of those inexpensive cages, and the bottom tray fell right off the cage! His birds flew off in every direction!

Taking one minute to secure the tray to the cage with a few wire ties would have prevented this.

THE BEST SOLUTION IS PREVENTION

• Clip the bird’s wings. They can’t fly away if the can’t fly!
• Take extra care if you have windows without screens…keep the bird caged
• Escape proof your cage. Trust me…unless you put some thought into it they will figure out that latch! And they know how to lift that food dish door!
• If you take your bird outside, make certain the cage or carrier is secure! That includes doors, trays, and the cage base!
• Clipped birds can still have limited flight…be careful if you take them outside uncaged.
• Have a capture plan in place. Get a net, long poles, and extra cages.
• Have pictures, notes of identifiable markings and band numbers stored for identification.

THE CAPTURE

It’s vital to recover your bird within a few days. Captive birds do not know where to search for food, and are targets for predators (cats, other birds, etc…) In poor climate conditions they will not survive more then a few days.

The best time to capture them is early morning or evening. They are generally not going to be moving around yet, so you can concentrate your efforts in one location.

If you have the birds mate, or another bird of the same species, put them in a small cage, then place that cage inside a larger cage. Place food inside the cage to entice the bird to enter.

If he won’t come for the mate, leave food inside the cage, but not a lot. You want the bird to be hungry but not starving, and he will not return frequently if overfed.

Have a garden hose ready. Wet birds don’t fly well, and when they do it takes a tremendous amount of energy to get airborne. Once they get wet, and after a short chase, they will become too exhausted to fly and you should be able to capture it.

If all else fails, you will have to try and identify where the bird is resting, and try to sneak up at night to capture it. Some breeders have told me they play recordings of their aviary, and the bird will sometimes either call back to them, or may fly back to “visit”.

Hopefully, you will never have this emergency happen to you. But if it does, you now have some ideas of how to recapture your pet.

Cockatiels are probably one of the most common pets that people will own. The certainly are one of the easiest to raise and train. But like any other pet, they require some patience.

You will never be able to train your cockatiel until you have gained its trust. Once the bird is used to you and its surroundings, it will learn quickly what you are trying to teach it.

GET IT AS A BABY

Cockatiels are most easily trained if you can get them when they are very young. That way, you will already have a good idea of their personality and attitudes. With an older bird, you will have to go a lot slower with the training. And if the bird came from a different owner, you have to wait for the bird to become adjusted to its new surroundings. If the bird was abused previously, that will make your job even harder.

Also note that if the bird has any health problems, he will not be easy to train. One common problem with Cockatiels is blood feathers. These are feathers that are not fully developed, and may have become infected. They will be painful if touched, and the last think your bird wants to do is be cuddled and played with. Therefore, do a quick inspection of your bird for any problems before you begin.

LET’S GET STARTED

Cockatiel training is going to involve a lot of repetitive routine. Therefore, try to set a schedule for when you are going to teach your bird. You will want to work with your bird two to three times a day for 15 minutes each session.

Start by getting the bird to be comfortable with your hand. It’s scary to have this large hand reach into your home, grab and secure you, and drag you out of your home! Do you remember your first school days? Yeah…it’s something like that. Birds don’t care for it either.

So begin training your cockatiel by reaching into the cage, but don’t touch the bird. Offer him a treat with your hand. Do not waive your had around, but hold it steady. After a short time he will learn your hand is not a threat.

Next, work on trying to get the bird out of the cage. Place your finder under the birds belly and press in, while giving the command “Step Up”. If the bird nips at you, firmly say “No Bite!” and repeat the exercise.

If the bird still refuses to step up, it may be better to remove it from the cage and try teaching in a different part of the house. Take a towel and capture the bird, wrapping the towel around it so the wings are secured. You can also use this method to secure the bird and hold it for several minutes. Gently talk to the bird while doing this to reassure him you are not a threat. Once away from the cage, continue to work with the “step up” command until he willingly stands on your finger.

After several day so this, you should be able to reach in and remove the bird without any difficulty.

>> My ebook, The Easy Parrot System goes into detail about training your pet birds. If you have a bird that bites, screams, or just will not behave, this book will give you a tremendous amount of information on fixing these behaviors. It’s written in an easy to understand, step-by-step approach to training. Check it out - http://www.thetameparrot.com/cb/

The Sun Conure is one of the most popular birds being sold today. They are fairly reasonably priced, making them a great starter bird. They are hardy, and easy to care for. They are playful and easy to handle, and the only real drawback is they are a loud screeching bird. They are not known to be good talkers.

In my opinion, the great attraction is their beauty. Their bright yellow and orange plumage makes them one of the prettiest birds out there!

HOUSING

Sun Conures will need to be given a fairly large cage, as they do need to exercise. When you begin adding toys and perches, it’s importing to have room left for them to extend their wings.

The cage should be at lease 24 inches. There are a number of manufactures that make this size cage, and they will have a play area on top that can be accessed by opening the roof. Sun Conures love these cases, as they can play outside of the cage whenever they wish. They do tend to stay with their case and don’t roam around the house. Keep in mind that they have a fairly long tail. They will damage their tail feathers if the cage is too small or the perches and toys are spread around the cage. They need room to exercise!

They also love to chew! Keep a supply of soft wood sticks and twigs available for them to tear up. If you use branches, be certain that the wood was not treated with sprays that could be toxic. Sun Conures love to rip the bark off these branches and shred the wood. By giving them branches, you will lesson the damage to their cage perches.

FEEDING

Sun Conures are most happy with a fruit, berry and seed diet. But this does not give a captive bird enough nutrition. It is recommended that you feed your conure a good quality pellet diet, and be sure to supply lots of fruits and veggies. They love apples and citrus fruits. If you want their feathers to really shine (that’s why you bought this bird, remember?) be sure to supplement their diet with Vitamin A and orange/dark green veggies.

BEHAVIOR

The Sun Conure has a great personality. They are an inquisitive bird, so keeping them occupied is a simple matter of giving them lots of new toys. They love attention and will play with their owners every chance they get. They will bond with the owners and are very devoted to them. They can also be somewhat protective. If they are happily resting on your shoulder, nobody had better come too close or he will immediately take on a defensive attitude.

Training Sun Conures is very easy, as they look forward to this attention. You should be able to have them finger trained within a few days, and within a short time they will allow you to pet and scratch them. They will actually look forward to this attention.

>>My e-book The Easy Parrot System has lots of information on training your birds. We teach you all of the tricks to tame your bird to not bite, and simple methods for finger training. This and lots more in one great package!

We get a lot of questions about what is the best bird to get for a person who has never owned a bird before. This is a great starter bird, because many people make the mistake of buying a bird that is too big, intelligent or demanding. Without having some experience raising birds, they can quickly be overwhelmed by them.

Sun Conures are the perfect choice. They are very easy to train and handle, and very playful. Their orange/yellow colors make them very attractive. And the price is very reasonable, falling into the “intermediate” range for birds. They are always a curious and inquisitive bird. They are active, and love to play in their cages or play areas. They love to hand from the ceiling of their cages. The only drawback is that these birds are fairly loud. They will scream for attention, or scream over any distractions around them. This may make them a great “watchdog” but it’s not a good thing if you live in apartments.

Sun Conures originate from South America’s northeastern coast. When they are young, their feathers are mostly green. As they grow older, their plumage explodes with bright yellow and orange colors. They are a hardy bird, with a lifespan of 15-25 years if properly cared for.

FEEDING

Since Sun Conures originate from South America, their diet consists of fruits and berries, and seeds. But they like any captive birds, you must supplement their diet with additional minerals that are lacking in their diet. We recommend feeding a good quality pellet diet along with his fruits/veggies.

With our Sun Conures, this is very easy. They are suckers for apples! We would take a whole apple and run it through a skewer, then hang it from the roof of their cage. It’s gone in under an hour! With this knowledge, you can easily supplement their diet by injecting vitamins into the fruit, or by dicing it into cubes and sprinkling supplements over it.

HOUSING

Sun Conures must get some exercise. My preferred method is to let them play on top of their cage in a playgym, or make sure they have an extra large cage. Recommended size is at least 24 inches. Put lots of toys and perches into the cage so they can climb around and play.