Me and my wife are considering adopting some parrots in the not so far future. My wife has never had birds as pets, but we visited a breeder/rescuer of exotic birds (the photo I'm sharing is with one of their birds that was all too happy to be on my shoulder) and she fell in love with their macaws. I've had some parakeets in the past (a long time ago) and always loved the idea of having a parrot, specifically an African grey, but never had the chance to give them a good place until now. So we are in the planning phase and how would we balance having both breeds.
If I'm understanding correctly greys and macaws can have some issues as the dust the greys create with their skin can affect somewhat the macaws so at the very least they'd need different cages. What are people's experiences about this kind of cohabitation between different breeds?
I'd also want to ask if there's any content creator that shares videos or info about their parrots and life with them that any of you enjoy, or maybe some of you. Unfortunately this Lemmy channel seems a bit lacking in interaction and content, so I'm creating this post with the hope it gives people a reason to post more and create some conversation. I do not have accounts in other social media so it is hard for me to go around searching for content, so if those content creators are somewhere that needs no accounts all the better.
I showed her your post, so here's what she responded with (paraphrased in places)
It sounds like they have some advantages over the average parrot owner, but I would be extremely hesitant to have a parrot (certainly not two) in a house with a little kid and other pets. Parrot bites can be really severe. My buddy's macaw bit through his lip, and my own cockatoo bit through my ex's ear. I absolutely would not want a large parrot around my child... Even though I do love parrots and know what to look for when it comes to hostile body language. I've seen bored macaws try to essentially trick people into getting close enough to bite them. You cannot expect a 4 year old to be able to handle an animal that can easily break their finger. All you are going to do is traumatize your child, then saddle them with an angry parrot who is still around for decades after you die.
Also, having two parrots is not likely to be a good idea. If they hate each other, that's a problem. This isn't like a smaller cage bird where they recommend getting more than one. Then, if they decide they like each other, they have no reason to be tame to the humans.
Typically you end up with a parrot bonding to one human and hating everyone and everything else in the house. That can mean potentially violent jealousy of your child, your spouse, etc. especially after the parrot hits puberty. The reason why the macaw bit through my friend's lip after never having bitten anyone before? He had just kissed his wife and the parrot disapproved.
They need a ton of training so when they hit puberty and lose their baby personality to (sometimes) become violently jealous, they need to know who is in charge. A large parrot should never, ever be allowed to sit on anyone's shoulder. Always keep it below eye level and away from your face. Not only for safety, but because it establishes the human in the socially dominant position.
I mean, sure, there is a chance it will work out... but there are also countless, countless parrots sitting at rescues who go through this exact cycle while breeders convince people to buy babies.
Lemmy may be lacking parrot content, but the other site isn't. You should probably read this thread:
https://www.reddit.com/r/parrots/comments/1ir8843/i_will_never_encourage_people_to_get_a_parrot_and/
If you insist on caring for a parrot, try fostering a single bird from a rescue and see how that goes first.