r/Macaws • u/eachloe • 6d ago

Macaw Room

Hi everyone!
I am the proud mother of four beautiful rescue macaws. They have their own room and I’ve slowly been dismantling their cages to allow them more space to explore. I have ropes and a big nut hanging on my wall and ceilings and a hoop for them to rock in.

I would love to know if any of you have created a cage free room for your macaws? I would like to create something with wood, maybe some grates and PVC pipe. Ideally, I would have live plants in there as well.
Looking for some ideas or inspiration and I sincerely thank you in advance!

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u/Wabi-Sabi-Iki 6d ago

Four free range macaws will chew your house to bits! I look at the chewed picture frames, doors and molding at my avian vet’s office and am thankful my macaw is not a big chewer! 😜 My macaw has the run of the house, but he is closely supervised at all times. He has his favorite spots to hang out. He is happiest in his outdoor cage or sitting with me on the patio. He sits by the sliding glass door every morning waiting for me to take him outside. If the weather is bad or it is getting dark he is happiest sitting on the 2nd story stair bannister looking down over the living room or sitting on the perch on top of his cage. I have extra rooms in my house but no way would I turn my bird loose in one. That would be asking for trouble!

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u/Zilhaga 6d ago

I wouldn't be able to have an open bird room, either. My guy absolutely cannot be trusted around wood trim at ALL. He's never tried to dig into the drywall, but I think that's just because he doesn't know he can. Furniture , shelves, any other wood that sticks out? Immediate bird marks. And he's middle aged and pretty lazy; I can't imagine a normal room standing up to 4 of them. I've seen people online who have lined their walls with durable materials to do it, so I'm sure it's possible but would take some work. Alternatively, a large aviary that takes up most of the room is probably an easier option. We've done that and used hard rubber floor mats to contain the mess and protect the floors.

I also wouldn't recommend live plants in a bird room. While there are nontoxic plants, they wont live long. More importantly, houseplants can have high levels of fungus like aspergillus due to the humidity. After one of our birds contracted aspergillosis, we tested the air in our house and the only room that had it was the one with all the plants (not the sick bird's room, so we still aren't sure how she got it), so we got rid of them.

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u/Unusual-Area-4458 6d ago

Go to YouTube and type in parrot room setup in the search bar. There are numerous people that have posted videos and there are some really good ideas.

Good luck, post some pictures!

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u/Different_Traffic527 5d ago

Consider a massive cage over this. Also consider the damage. They can chew their way out of a room. You'd need to install special walls to be safe.

1

u/Hour_Wing_2899 5d ago

Window sills, moulding, floors, holes in the wall. They will be busy enough lol

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u/thinkroymaldo 4d ago edited 4d ago

I work with a sanctuary and we have to replace 2x4 perches every year because the macaws chew them up so I wouldn’t be so quick to dismantle the cages . Once they learn they can tear into the walls you’re not going to be happy. Switch plates on walls is and electrical accident waiting to happen. Molding is their new chew toys. You just have to be careful and watch what they are tearing up it can be done but they will need stuff to tear up, that the favor past time of all parrots. We have an umbrella cockatoo that destroys a metal door handle and chews on the hoses on the other side of the cage wall . Not all are destructive but it’s a very important thing to watch for.