Getting Baby vs. Older Bird

5 week old Scarlet Macaw

          This is a topic I touch in many of my articles. If your question is "Do I have to buy a baby for flying" and you want a quick answer then it is a NO. No, you don't HAVE to get a baby for free flight, in fact in some ways it is better to start learning on a bird that you already have and he is already bonded to you. It might take a bit longer, but it took me 2 months for a 5 year old who didnt even know how to fly. Even if it takes you longer, it is still no problem. Young babies take time too, usually you have to finish hand feeding them, then teach them indoors etc. Most steps are very similar, but babies learn faster and at the right time of their life will be willing to come to you much more easy, this however can be a huge benefit to you if you know how to work with it. If you are only learning and you already have a bird, why not learn on him and start like a pro with the next one? ;-) 

Few Facts about Babies: 

Young baby will not like you just because you got him as a baby, if you do things wrong he will bite like a piranha by the time he is 4 months old.

Young baby will not come to you forever when you call him if you dont train him properly, his parental bond will go away at some point.

Young baby will not bond to you better because you get a baby, there is a difference between bond to his parents and later on in his life bond to his life long partner, be careful what you wish for.

Young baby is not easy to hand feed for everyone, breeders might tell you it is, but it requires some handling skills and knowledge. 

So here are some things to consider, together with the fact that most parrots are very expensive and they need cages etc. I love babies too and I am thinking almost every day if I should get one more, but then go and look at the ads on the net for the older birds, where are they gonna go, half of them sit in the basement all alone because their owner got a baby 5 years ago and ....