In the second half of the XVI century in Europe, the first new pets appeared - macaw parrots. Large birds with a very bright plumage and a loud sharp voice appealed to lovers of the exotic. Ars are easily tamed and can imitate human speech by memorizing and using up to 100 words. At home, in Central and South America, the bird is valued for the delicious meat and colorful plumage used by the Indians for ritual robes, as well as a pet.
Lifetime
In favorable conditions and with good care, the macaw parrot lives for a long time. Officially established the fact that in the zoo of Antwerp ara Kea, the record holder by age, almost did not live to half a century. In the natural environment, the life span of a parrot is shorter, since it is influenced by many different factors, ranging from the availability of food supply to natural predators. In the wild, parrots rarely live longer than 15 years.
There is no exact information about the life span of the macaw, but scientists have calculated that these birds can live up to 75 years. As in other cases, there are exceptions to the rules.
Among lovers of this species of birds there are legends about long-lived parrots who lived for about a century, but this information has not been documented anywhere.
What is affected?
In their natural environment, macaws live in tropical forests, choosing crowns of tall trees for nesting. Birds prefer vegetable food consisting of nuts, fruits and young shoots. By gathering in large flocks, parrots can cause significant damage to agricultural plantations, which causes farmers to hunt these beautiful birds. The reasons that have a significant impact on the life of the macaw in the wild are listed below.
- Presence of feed. If lean dry years come, many birds die, especially young.
- Availability of nest and rest - the most important factor.
- The presence of natural predatorsthat can hunt parrots and bust nests with clutches or chicks.
- Human activity. Destroying forests to create arable fields, people deprive the parrot of its habitat and food supply. Hunting of birds leads to a reduction in the population and a decrease in the life span of wild specimens.
At home, the pet is surrounded by care, so there is no need for him to forage for himself, to protect himself from predatory animals and to look for a place for nesting. If the owner correctly approaches the maintenance and safety of the bird, then the macaw can easily live more than half a century. For this you need the following:
- properly organize a place for keeping large birds;
- pick up your pet optimal diet;
- take care of his physical and mental health;
- create a safe area, preventing the possibility of harm to your pet.
How to care?
When deciding on the purchase of a macaw parrot, it is necessary to take into account that the size and wingspan of an adult bird reach about one meter, and the individual has the largest and strongest beak on earth. Easily tamed and sociable macaws have natural ingenuity, allowing them to cope with the hooks on the doors.
Given these factors, you need to take care of a spacious cage, and better - an open-air cage of steel rods with a reliable system of constipation, so that the pet could not independently leave the space allocated to it. The recommended size of the enclosure is 800 * 300 * 200 cm, and the cage - 300 * 200 * 200 cm.
To preserve the health of the bird, the cage should be equipped with various wooden poles, swings and ladders, as well as securely fixed watering and feeding troughs.
Feeders put a few - for different types of food and mineral additives. You can put toys in the aviary, hang the bell and install a mirror so that the macaw can entertain itself in the absence of the owners.
At will, birds make their nests in the hollow, so the aviary is equipped with a nested wooden box, the dimensions of which are 55 * 70 * 100 cm, with a hole with a diameter of 23 cm.
The temperature in the room where the parrot will be kept should not fall below 10 ° C. The air should be fresh and slightly humid. Well, if the room will have large windows that provide good natural lighting.
To make the pet feel good at least once a week, you need to let it fly out of the cage around the room, having previously closed the vents and the entrance doors, protecting them from entering the street.
You can feed your pet with ready-made cereal mixtures for large birds from the pet shop, adding vegetables, fruits and nuts to them, and you can make your own diet by including in the menu:
- cereals: wheat, oats, corn and sunflower seeds;
- green apples, pears, bananas, apricots, strawberries, as well as other fruits and berries;
- zucchini, cucumbers, carrots;
- several types of nuts, the amount of which in the diet should not exceed 25%;
- low-fat cottage cheese;
- boiled eggs.
Also in the selection of the menu should take into account the preferences of the bird, identifying them by experience.
In one of the feeders you need to put mineral stone for cleaning the beak and vitamin and mineral supplements recommended by a specialist. You should not use sand and flour, since the structure and size of the beak of the macaw do not allow taking too small objects.
Clean fresh water must be present in the cage all the time, so you need to change it every day. Parrots can drink and juice, and they also love alcohol, which is obtained from fermented, overripe fruits. The effect of alcohol on a bird is the same as on a person.
The health of the macaw must be taken seriously. This type of parrot is prone to pancreatitis, it can get gout, and it can cause enlargement of the stomach. Under adverse conditions, fungal and viral lesions occur.
To prevent illness, a pet must be examined every year by a specialist, and at the first sign of illness, contact a veterinarian immediately.
Health condition affects the enclosure. In order to prevent the occurrence of infections, the housing of the bird should be regularly cleaned and washed, and disinfected accessories, toys and other appliances. Twice a year should be done in the aviary general cleaning.
Ary are very mobile and curious, so releasing them into the room, you need:
- create a safe space for flight;
- remove dangerous items from the access area, such as medicines, fragile plastic and glass products, electrical wiring;
- limit contact with other pets that show unfriendly feelings towards the parrot.
With proper care, education and a healthy lifestyle, the macaw parrot will live long enough, delighting its owners with beauty and behavior.
About how many big parrots live, see the next video.
