Blue and Gold Macaw

Blue and Gold Macaw Pet

Blue and Gold Macaw in the Wild

Housing

They will require a roomy cage, at least 3’x2’x5’. Provide sturdy perches, toys, both for playing and chewing. You can dedicate a room in your house for your bird, or you can put it in an outdoor aviary. Let it spend some time, preferably a minimum of 2-3 hours outside the cage.

Temperature

A blue and gold macaw is usually comfortable with temperatures ranging between 70°F-80°F (21°C-27°C).

Temperament

They make an ideal family bird because of their gentle personality, usually having a rapport with more than one person, although they may prefer someone slightly over others. As with all macaws, they do get aggressive and nippy sometimes. Their strong beaks can easily sever off a finger or two. You must socialize your bird with as many people as possible to get the best behavior out of it in different situations.

Blue and Gold Macaw

Blue and Gold Macaw Babies

Feeding

Give your blue and gold commercially made pellet and seed mixes specially prepared for macaws. They also may like something that you’re having, and you can feel free to share as long as the food is nutritious. Chicken can be a good source of protein and also falls in the favorite foods category.

Avoid feeding the bird chocolate and avocado as both of these are toxic to them.

Care

Replace the food and water dishes daily with clean ones. The floor of the cage needs to be washed every other week, while the perches and toys should be washed every week.

Do a complete disinfection of the whole cage at least once a year.

Bathe your pet every day either with a mist spray or a bird bath and let it dry out in the sun.

Blue and Gold Macaws

Blue and Gold Macaw Parrot

Health problems

They are a hardy bird, but some of the health problems they may suffer from are:

• Proventricular Dilation Disease
• Psittacosis
• Bacterial, fungal or viral infections
• Feather picking
• Beak malformation (chicks)
• Papillomas
• Kidney disease
• Allergies
• Feather picking as a result of boredom, unhealthy diet, not bathing and sexual frustration
• Heavy metal poisoning
• Lipomas (older individuals)

A balanced, healthy diet, regular visits to a veterinarian and adequate social interactions keep most of the above illnesses from appearing.

Blue and Gold Macaw Flying

Blue and Gold Macaw Size

Price

Depending on the mutation, or the lack thereof, a blue and gold macaw cost between $1,000 and $3,000.

Interesting facts

• The blue and gold macaws are hybridized with scarlet macaws and green-winged macaws to produce the Catalina macaw and harlequin macaw, respectively.
• They are an important part of the forests they inhabit in that they play a significant role in seed dispersal.

Blue and Yellow Macaw Talking Video

References:

1. http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Ara_ararauna/
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue-and-yellow_macaw
3. https://beautyofbirds.com/blue-and-gold-macaw/
4. https://beautyofbirds.com/blue-and-gold-macaw/
5. http://animal-world.com/encyclo/birds/macaws/blu_gld.php
6. https://www.britannica.com/animal/blue-and-yellow-macaw
7. https://www.thesprucepets.com/blue-and-gold-macaws-390831
8. https://lafeber.com/vet/basic-information-sheet-for-the-macaw/