Buying Guide For purchasing Parrots:
Hopefully this page will be helpful when you decide you want to bring a
parrot into your home. Here you will find questions to ask the Avian
Breeder, questions to ask your self before you purchase your parrot.
Make sure purchasing a parrot is what you want to do as all of them
are a long term commitment. With the right care a parrots life span
depending on species is 10 to 75 years.
This page is new I will be adding more as subjects arise.
Hopefully this page will be helpful when you decide you want to bring a
parrot into your home. Here you will find questions to ask the Avian
Breeder, questions to ask your self before you purchase your parrot.
Make sure purchasing a parrot is what you want to do as all of them
are a long term commitment. With the right care a parrots life span
depending on species is 10 to 75 years.
This page is new I will be adding more as subjects arise.
Things to think about before you purchase a parrot:
Here are some suggestions: If you are looking at purchasing a baby parrot do your home work folks.
First research the type of bird that you are interested in you may find that it is not the type of bird suited best for
your life style or living arrangements. If you are in an apartment a cockatoo, macaw or large conure may not be for
you.
The noise factor can be over whelming at times mostly in the early morning and early evening. It usually does not
last long and its not every day or even for a week but when it happens.........well your neighbor may not appreciate it.
If dust bothers you a Cockatoo,Cockatiel or African Grey may not be a good choice. Some birds molt once or twice a
year but the above or at least the cockatoo and Cockatiel's shed feathers all the time. What happens is when the
feathers are coming back in the casing surrounding the new feather comes of in tiny pieces and creates a constant
supply of dust.
This may not bother you as it does not me but if you have any medical problems with your breathing this can really
be an issue.
Also another consideration is the size of the cage a bird that size should be kept in is a consideration. My Blue and
Gold Macaw's living area in his cage is 24 inches deep, 36 inches wide and 41 inches tall. The whole dimensions on
the cage including the refuse tray, wheels and play pen are 24" deep X 36" wide X 70" tall. This cage I think is to
small for a macaw or a large cockatoo if he had to stay in it all day until I got home from work. But fortunately his
cage door is always open unless I have to leave the house. I tell people purchase the largest cage you can afford
E-Bay has some of the best deals I have seen.
If the above is true for you then you may want to consider a smaller quieter ( its not that they do not vocalize its just
that they do not have the volume of the larger birds ) type of bird there are so many out there Senegal's, Meyer's
parrot, Red Bellied, Derbyan's, Ring Neck's, Cockatiel's,Love Birds, Quakers just to name a few that do not need the
larger accommodation's and if hand fed and socialized properly make excellent and affectionate companions.
Here are some suggestions: If you are looking at purchasing a baby parrot do your home work folks.
First research the type of bird that you are interested in you may find that it is not the type of bird suited best for
your life style or living arrangements. If you are in an apartment a cockatoo, macaw or large conure may not be for
you.
The noise factor can be over whelming at times mostly in the early morning and early evening. It usually does not
last long and its not every day or even for a week but when it happens.........well your neighbor may not appreciate it.
If dust bothers you a Cockatoo,Cockatiel or African Grey may not be a good choice. Some birds molt once or twice a
year but the above or at least the cockatoo and Cockatiel's shed feathers all the time. What happens is when the
feathers are coming back in the casing surrounding the new feather comes of in tiny pieces and creates a constant
supply of dust.
This may not bother you as it does not me but if you have any medical problems with your breathing this can really
be an issue.
Also another consideration is the size of the cage a bird that size should be kept in is a consideration. My Blue and
Gold Macaw's living area in his cage is 24 inches deep, 36 inches wide and 41 inches tall. The whole dimensions on
the cage including the refuse tray, wheels and play pen are 24" deep X 36" wide X 70" tall. This cage I think is to
small for a macaw or a large cockatoo if he had to stay in it all day until I got home from work. But fortunately his
cage door is always open unless I have to leave the house. I tell people purchase the largest cage you can afford
E-Bay has some of the best deals I have seen.
If the above is true for you then you may want to consider a smaller quieter ( its not that they do not vocalize its just
that they do not have the volume of the larger birds ) type of bird there are so many out there Senegal's, Meyer's
parrot, Red Bellied, Derbyan's, Ring Neck's, Cockatiel's,Love Birds, Quakers just to name a few that do not need the
larger accommodation's and if hand fed and socialized properly make excellent and affectionate companions.
I received an E-Mail today from some folks who where looking at purchasing a Parrot baby
from a breeder. The breeder would not send them pictures,wouldn't tell them when the babies
had hatched. This usually is an estimated date unless the breeder is hatching the eggs and
not the parents.
For me all the sirens went off!
Folks....if someone makes you uneasy end the transaction. If they are not going to be
forthright and honest then you do not want to buy from them.
But on the other hand if you are going to e-mail and inquire about a baby ALWAYS ALWAYS
ask to exchange phone numbers. E-mail is great but it can only go so far if I am going to sell
a baby to someone I am going to talk to them first before I except a deposit or your not getting
a baby from me. Then on the other hand if the breeder will not give there number I would not
buy from them.
Once you have the breeder on the phone do not be afraid to ask questions: Good examples
would be the age of the baby, estimated weaning time if not already weaned, if the baby is
weaned how old is it? How do you socialize your babies. Beware people being handfed
does not make the babies sweet. I had one fellow tell me when I was looking for an african
grey for a friend that they where in the front room in a cage wasn't that enough? Well no its
not...they need to be held, loved and played with thats the socializing part of being socialized!
What do you feed your babies? When it comes time for the babies to start picking I personally
offer them different types of food. They have seed and pellets in front of them all the time but
I also offer them veggies, cereal, fruits and different things like what we had for dinner the
night before. I do this once or twice a day everyday. Eating habits are started young just like
with children and you want your parrot to have a healthy diet.
from a breeder. The breeder would not send them pictures,wouldn't tell them when the babies
had hatched. This usually is an estimated date unless the breeder is hatching the eggs and
not the parents.
For me all the sirens went off!
Folks....if someone makes you uneasy end the transaction. If they are not going to be
forthright and honest then you do not want to buy from them.
But on the other hand if you are going to e-mail and inquire about a baby ALWAYS ALWAYS
ask to exchange phone numbers. E-mail is great but it can only go so far if I am going to sell
a baby to someone I am going to talk to them first before I except a deposit or your not getting
a baby from me. Then on the other hand if the breeder will not give there number I would not
buy from them.
Once you have the breeder on the phone do not be afraid to ask questions: Good examples
would be the age of the baby, estimated weaning time if not already weaned, if the baby is
weaned how old is it? How do you socialize your babies. Beware people being handfed
does not make the babies sweet. I had one fellow tell me when I was looking for an african
grey for a friend that they where in the front room in a cage wasn't that enough? Well no its
not...they need to be held, loved and played with thats the socializing part of being socialized!
What do you feed your babies? When it comes time for the babies to start picking I personally
offer them different types of food. They have seed and pellets in front of them all the time but
I also offer them veggies, cereal, fruits and different things like what we had for dinner the
night before. I do this once or twice a day everyday. Eating habits are started young just like
with children and you want your parrot to have a healthy diet.
Purchasing an unweaned parrot baby:
Use caution..........I only say this because I have had MANY E-mails from people who have bought
unweaned macaw babies from other breeders and the folks have had NO experience in hand feeding and
evidently was not getting support from the breeder they bought from. I personally think that selling unweaned
babies is an iffy subject. There are so many things that can go wrong. Such as brooding temperatures they need
to be changed through out the process because the temps. need to be changed as the baby grows and
feathers. What foods to feed through out the process because they change as the baby grows. The possibility of
aspirating ( food into the lungs ) your baby in which your baby can die in seconds or a small amount then the
baby can get pneumonia and die slowly. If your not sterilising your feeding implements correctly this can cause
an infection that if not caught early can kill the baby or if you are using an agent to sterilize your feeding utensils
and don't get it rinsed off there another problem. I could go on and on but I just want to caution anyone wanting
to purchase a very young baby ( especially an unfledged baby ) as I have mentioned above things can go
wrong. If you are looking at purchasing a baby do your home work there is allot of information online. If you have
bought an unweaned baby I do not mind helping if I can. Keep in mind though that I am not a vet. and do not
know everything when I stop learning and feel I know everything I will have become a very stupid person!
Use caution..........I only say this because I have had MANY E-mails from people who have bought
unweaned macaw babies from other breeders and the folks have had NO experience in hand feeding and
evidently was not getting support from the breeder they bought from. I personally think that selling unweaned
babies is an iffy subject. There are so many things that can go wrong. Such as brooding temperatures they need
to be changed through out the process because the temps. need to be changed as the baby grows and
feathers. What foods to feed through out the process because they change as the baby grows. The possibility of
aspirating ( food into the lungs ) your baby in which your baby can die in seconds or a small amount then the
baby can get pneumonia and die slowly. If your not sterilising your feeding implements correctly this can cause
an infection that if not caught early can kill the baby or if you are using an agent to sterilize your feeding utensils
and don't get it rinsed off there another problem. I could go on and on but I just want to caution anyone wanting
to purchase a very young baby ( especially an unfledged baby ) as I have mentioned above things can go
wrong. If you are looking at purchasing a baby do your home work there is allot of information online. If you have
bought an unweaned baby I do not mind helping if I can. Keep in mind though that I am not a vet. and do not
know everything when I stop learning and feel I know everything I will have become a very stupid person!
Parrot Buying Information:
Things To Know Before You Buy A Parrot:
They are messy, can be noisy, talk back and they fling there food. Sound like anything you
know or have heard about? They are like having a perpetual 2 year old child. LOL ..... I am
not trying to discourage you I just want you to be aware. This doesn't last for just 2 years
either depending on the species you are interested in your looking at taking on these issues
from 10 to 75 years.
They are messy, can be noisy, talk back and they fling there food. Sound like anything you
know or have heard about? They are like having a perpetual 2 year old child. LOL ..... I am
not trying to discourage you I just want you to be aware. This doesn't last for just 2 years
either depending on the species you are interested in your looking at taking on these issues
from 10 to 75 years.
