How to Sell Hahn's Macaws in the United States | PetzLover

What rules apply when you sell Hahn's macaws?

• CITES: the World Parrot Trust lists the red-shouldered macaw, which includes the Hahn's, on Appendix II. CITES controls trade between countries, so it matters only if a bird leaves or enters the US.
• Imports: the Wild Bird Conservation Act has barred most imports of CITES-listed birds since 1993, so buyers will expect a US-bred bird with a closed band.
• USDA licensing: the Animal Welfare Act rules (9 CFR 2.1) exempt anyone who sells 200 or fewer pet birds of 250 grams or less a year that were born and raised on their premises. A Hahn's weighs 130 to 170 grams, and the cap applies to the whole household.
• State and local rules: some states and cities regulate breeding, the number of birds kept, sales or noise. Check with your state wildlife or agriculture agency and your city before you breed or sell.

If you sell more birds than the exemption allows, ask USDA APHIS whether you need a license before your next sale.

How do you prepare a Hahn's macaw for sale?

1. Wait until the chick is fully weaned and eating on its own. Never sell an unweaned chick to a buyer who plans to finish hand-feeding it.
2. Confirm the subspecies. The World Parrot Trust describes the Hahn's, Diopsittaca nobilis nobilis, with a dark gray beak, and the noble macaw and longipennis as larger, with a horn-colored upper mandible.
3. Have it DNA-sexed. VCA Animal Hospitals says macaws show no obvious external sex differences.
4. Book an avian vet exam and keep the results. Merck says proventricular dilatation disease mainly affects macaws, conures and African greys, so ask your vet about testing.
5. Record the closed band letters and numbers, the hatch date and any microchip number.
6. Move it onto a pellet-based diet with vegetables and fruit, as The Vet Desk recommends, and write down what it eats.
7. Write a care sheet: diet, daily routine, favorite toys and how it is handled.

Do not sell a bird that is plucking, losing weight or breathing noisily; The Vet Desk lists self-mutilation and respiratory problems among the species' health issues. Have your vet see it first.

How should you price a Hahn's macaw?

The Vet Desk puts breeder prices at typically $800 to $2,000 (October 2025) and says the price depends on the area, the parents' lineage, the bird's age and whether it was hand-fed. Compare current Hahn's macaws for sale near you before you set a figure.

A price far below the market attracts resellers and makes careful buyers suspect a scam. A fair price also lets you choose the buyer rather than the first person who replies.

How do you write a Hahn's macaw ad that finds the right home?

• Title: subspecies, age and sex, for example "Hand-fed DNA female Hahn's macaw, 5 months, weaned".
• Photos and video: clear daylight photos that show the beak and face, and a short video with the bird's normal calls.
• Noise: say plainly that Hahn's macaws are loud for their size; The Vet Desk calls them extremely vocal, especially at dawn and dusk.
• Talking: describe what the bird actually says or mimics, and do not promise more.
• Needs: a cage of at least 3 by 3 by 4 feet (VCA), at least 2 hours a day out of the cage (The Vet Desk) and an avian vet.
• Records: band, DNA certificate, vet exam and tests.
• Terms: price, what is included and that the buyer collects in person.

Post your Hahn's macaw ad free on PetzLover, and interested buyers can message you there. Keep your phone number and home address out of the ad text.

How do you screen buyers for a Hahn's macaw?

Stop if a buyer will not talk by phone or video, wants several birds at once, asks nothing about the bird, or wants you to ship it to someone you have never met. If a buyer has posted a wanted ad, see how to respond to a Hahn's macaw wanted ad.

How do you take payment and hand over a Hahn's macaw safely?

1. Meet in person, at your home or an avian vet clinic, and let the buyer handle the bird.
2. Take payment at the handover in a form you can confirm. Refuse overpayments, checks for more than the price and requests to refund the difference.
3. Sign a bill of sale with both names, the date, the subspecies, hatch date, band number, sex, price and the records handed over.
4. Send the care sheet, the vet records, the DNA certificate and a few days of the bird's usual food.
5. Advise an avian vet visit within 7 days, as VCA recommends, and offer to answer questions in the first weeks.

Buyers may have read how to buy a Hahn's macaw, so expect questions about the subspecies, sex and vet tests.