Cross posted for maximum readership, sorry if this is in violation, I'm just a bit worried about these little macaws.

My breeder is apparently having problems with finding successful homes for her Red Fronted Macaws. These guys do not travel well for some reason and every time she ships one it turns into a problem bird. I can't imagine that the birds are really the issue rather I think people don't know what they are getting into with them and the owners become the issue. Some of these birds have been there for years and several have been returned more than once. She has kept these guys at a financial loss because she cares a great deal for the birds but after years it is becoming a problem and she is considering not breeding them anymore.

The breeder in question has not asked me to solicit people. I am doing this of my own free accord. They are not free and come with a couple catches.

You may not clip them. These birds need to be able to fly and every one of them that has been clipped has been returned due to resulting behavioral problems that disappeared when their feathers grew back. In accordance with keeping them flighted children may be a bad idea as they would be less cautious about leaving doors/windows open.

You need to pick them up in Colorado. I'd be willing to drive one a couple hundred miles to meet in between but it would be better for you to visit them in person first.

You need to understand that these are noisy, high energy, extremely attention demanding birds. They are not a good mix for a very busy person as they require pretty constant attention.

Finally, dogs would be bad for these guys, they tend to be pretty fearless and a flighted Red Front and a dog would be a bad mix.

I know all of the birds in question from visiting the aviary over the years and would be happy to have any of them. I don't understand why I've had such tremendous success with Merlin and other people have had such poor luck other than for the reasons I've outlined above.

I've tried to take one of these guys home (Merlin's brother) but they pair bonded and I had to return him or else I would have lost Merlin as a friend. I plan on paying 'rent' for one of these guys and taking him home in 1.5 years when I move into a house.

They are fantastic little creatures and while they do take a good bit of effort it breaks my heart that my breeder, one of the very best in the country, may no longer be breeding these guys.

They will go extinct in the wild at some point and each breeder that stops is another nail in the coffin of these wonderful little birds.

Please see my macaw page and the videos at the end of Ariel's page to get an idea of how wonderful Red Fronts are. Jared's Macaws

If you've got it in your heart to keep one of these guys in your home and give it the care and freedom it needs please contact me.

Thank You,
Jared Workman


PS - You can do just about anything with a well socialized Red Fronted Macaw. I love these guys.

Wow. What a awesome photo.

My heart goes out to these guys. Many macaws are surely misunderstood which is why they get re-homed so often. I know many breeders try to educate the people buying the birds but so often people don't really listen and end up with a problem bird.

I know this time of year you can not ship animals due to the temperatures outside, is that the reason why she will not ship? How many does she have that have been returned and are looking for homes? Ages?

I know lots of questions. ;-)

Please let me know if I can help in anyway. Living in NY it's not convenient to pickup a bird in Colorado. Unless of course I was going snowboard :-)

I'm going to head down there today with a gift basket and try to talk her out of not breeding them so I will double check everything but from memory

She has
1 seven year old girl, returned once after being clipped and going insane, resold then returned after a couple divorced, seems friendly, I don't know her that well.

1 one year old girl returned after getting very distressed by being shipped and having an owner that did not understand that it takes more than a month with these birds and sent her back. It took Jen and I about 18 months to turn Ariel (our greenwing) around but was worth every second of the time and money it took. This particular Red Front is a bit shy but is friendly and, given my experience, could easily become a gregarious little girl.

1 4 year old boy - Chaco, Merlin's brother, very sweet, very tame. He was returned due to screaming issues twice and once due to being shipped and getting very unhappy and once by us when he and Merlin pair bonded. He will take an experienced macaw person as he is very emotionally needy and will turn into a wreck if not given a good deal of attention and or a friend (another bird). He would not be the easiest bird but if handled properly he is a wonderful fellow. We had zero problems with him and only returned him because it was going to cost us our relationship with Merlin. Given your list of birds he might do well in your home if your macaws are welcoming of a new guy.

1 6 year old boy - Rio, returned after his owners clipped him and he went insane. He's a crazy little bird, I mean that in a good way. If Suzanne is amiable to the idea I am going to have them board him and take him home in a year and a half when I finish my PhD and we buy a house. He's a very funny, nutty little guy.

I believe there are more. I'll get back with any new info this evening.

The shipping is not due to the cold but rather it is because they seem to get very distressed when shipped and develop fear and noise issues. I'm pretty sure any bird that is shipped would require a good few months of patience. They generally fly around a big old room in an aviary with a bunch of other macaws and I believe that it is very traumatic for them to be wrenched from this environment and thrown on a plane.

I know it is hard to visit but one of the reasons we had minimal problems is that we visited Merlin weekly for a couple months so he knew us.

I've got friends in Philadelphia and might be able to escort Chaco on a flight so that the traveling wouldn't be so tough on him. I love the guy and want to see him in a good home.

I just wanted to wish you the best of luck with finding homes for these Red Fronts, and talking the breeder into keep breeding them, it was partly due to seeing your web page with Merlin last year that I finally decided to get a Red Fronted Macaw instead of a greenwing (at least for now). We brought home Ruby, our baby RFM 2 weeks ago tomorrow (she will turn 5 months old on christmas day) , she is a wonderful bird, but I can certainly see how having such an active type of macaw may not be for everyone.

Ike

Isaac, I'm glad to see you have a RF of your own. I adore this species. They are the biggest little macaw in the world.

Some more info-

Chaco was actually doing quite well in his last home and was a sweet little dream with me today. What happened was that the wife did not like him and the children were afraid of him. He and the husband got on well but it was a situation wherein he was likely neglected when the husband was gone and all of the tension with the wife and children drove him a bit batty.

The little girl was shipped to a new home in Florida to a man who had no real understanding of the need for patience with birds and when this little girl was stripped from her home with all the other birds and shipped away she was understandably upset. He became agitated which worsened the situation and when she didn't instantly turn into his mental image of what she should be he returned her.

Rio is a nutty, fun little bird but went insane when clipped and had to be returned. He is not as affectionate but has been harnessed and I believe could be much more handleable with the right amount of care.

I think they don't sell well because they are not the big extravagant macaws and aren't the little easier to handle ones. They are well worth the effort and patience. The picture above is one of Merlin sitting on my shoulder during a 200 foot rapell after a multi pitch rock climb. I've taken my guy with me on 16 mile 6500 vertical foot multi peak bagging days and all over town. He's my best little friend and worth every ounce of patience he requires. For the right people these birds are absolutely fantastic. For the wrong people I could see how they would be a screaming needy nightmare.

I stopped by and spoke with Sally Blanchard who agreed to give a free phone consultation with a new owner if a problem arose.

Baby Girl on the left Rio on the right


Rio up top Baby Girl on the bottom


Chaco, I love this bird and would bring him home now if it weren't for Merlin, I might even try again


Baby Girl and Rio


Chaco