Breeder Refusing to give info on Banded Bird

[rkrose]

Hi:

How common is it for a breeder to refuse to give info on a close banded bird that they sold? Is there anything I can do to get the info elsewhere? I can't believe the amount of subterfuge I have encountered since adopting these 2 macaws. Lies, lies, lies, the only place I get any clear answers is on this forum, so thank you to all of you who are trying to help.

I found a place to order DNA kits on Amazon but I can't imagine trying to get a drop of blood from either of these birds.

Rhonda

 

[JerseyWendy]

Rhonda, I'm so sorry to hear of the run-around (and lies) you're getting about your 2 big macs. That has to be frustrating and infuriating all at once.

Can you read their bands? Can you share that info with us? There 'might' be a chance to get some sort of info from the bands, 'might' being the key word here.

As for the test kits, please check this out: Avian Services Center: DNA sexing and disease testing for all species of birds.
Very reliable and affordable. You could possibly get a few drops of blood via cutting one toe nail a tad bit too short.

 

[rkrose]

Thanks for the reply and your empathy. The birds were hatched at Mountain Ridge Aviary in Solon, VA. The bands say:
MRA VA (the VA is sideways) 523 for the Catalina
MRA VA 102 for the Greenwing

The gal we got them from was desperate, she went thru the local bird club and the president works at our local crematory and we started talking when I was in there for a service for our cat of 15 years. The bird club lady said if it didn't work out she would take the birds and give me 500. for the cage. She has backed out. The gal I got them from didn't want them to go back to the breeder, she said because they would get separated.

Talked to the breeder last night, she seemed nice but I didn't appreciate the flat out lies "Macaws don't mate for life in the wild", "the birds you have cannot be tamed because they have gone to the wild side", etc., etc., etc.

The stunning part came when she said she remembered the GW and she is 100% positive it's a female. The gal we got them from said that was the male, his/her (don't know which now) was named Zubadi, we renamed him Jack because he/she didn't respond to Zubadi.

The gal we got them from said the Catalina was a female. We know she wanted to breed them so we now think the Catalina is a male. Also, my very first post, birdman said the Catalina is probably a male and his actions are normal protection, it range true then and now makes so much sense.

It's like finding out the sexes were switched made a huge difference, I made a breakthrough with the Catalina last night. We were on the verge of letting them go and now I can't imagine trusting this breeder and maybe we can make this work. If I do offer them, I think since they are banded I should be able to find out the info and let the adopters know.

Last night the breeder said she would get the info but today when I e-mailed her she didn't even answer my question, just asked if I was going to let her buy back her birds.

She did confirm our suspicion that the birds were never caged. They haven't been handled and we have been crazy pushovers because I didn't read the right posts. So, there is no way to get a drop of blood or I'd do that immediately although that isn't going to give me a birth date.

Sorry for the long post.
Rhonda

 

[rkrose]

OMG! Thank you so much for that link! Feather sexting, couldn't be more perfect! Maybe I can get to the bottom of this.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Did the gal who got them from Mountain Ridge receive a hatch certificate and DNA proof of their sex? Good breeders will usually provide those to buyers. If they use a computer program to keep track of their hatchlings, they may be able to provide you with duplicates perhaps? Unfortunately I don't see any number on their bands that would tell us what year they hatched.

Gosh, this is frustrating!

 

[rkrose]

No and I didn't push the issue because I figured it would make it look like I want to breed them which we do not want to do.

 

[SilverSage]

Wow...
This lady sounds like she doesnt have a clue about the birds she is producing. Macaws ARE pair bond, mate for life birds. Also, she sounds like she doesn't want to give you the info.

As for sexing, a lot of breeders go by things they see in the nest that aren't 100% guarantees. The breeder I got Flick from was certain she was female based on her pelvis (and she was right) and the Breeder I got Blue from based it on her feeding stance (and was right). But honestly this lady sounds like she doesn't have a clue or is lying. I wouldnt trust anything she says. I'm sorry you are being put through the ringer on this.

 

[rkrose]

I told the breeder (via e-mail) that we couldn't make a decision on giving them back to her until we had the info and I got info within hours. So, I need to let anyone reading this that she did respond and give info. I'm still very confused as to how the gal who supposedly hand raised these 2 could be so far off on their sex and age. The breeder is saying the male is a female and the female is a male. I've become so jaded on the whole thing that I was expecting her to say both were the same sex in an attempt to make us think we didn't have breeding material, so I actually trust her more with the reply. Still not sure what to do but I REALLY APPRECIATE all of your help.

 

[MonicaMc]

I used Zoogen for DNA sexing, although they have since transferred that part of the business to Antech....

Zoogen - Sale of Sex Made Easy

Antech - Home | ANTECH Diagnostics


Barney's Bird Farm in California has refused to give information out to owners about birds that they've bred.... even going as far as telling one owner to contact the pet store they bought the bird from to find out the information the owner was looking for.... which, the pet store told the owner to ask the breeder! As such, the owner didn't get any information about when their bird was hatched....

Talked to the breeder last night, she seemed nice but I didn't appreciate the flat out lies "Macaws don't mate for life in the wild", "the birds you have cannot be tamed because they have gone to the wild side", etc., etc., etc.

That only makes me wonder.... is there any proof that macaws mate for life in the wild? Everyone I've heard that say that parrots mate for life are bird owners who have *never* studied parrots out in the wild. It's a proven fact that sun conures, cherry headed conures, budgerigars and eclectus do not mate for life. The conures can have "divorces" and pair up with new mates, or maybe a male will fight for a female and win. The budgies and eclectus live a pretty polygamous lifestyle. What about other parrots?

Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be much information out there regarding parrots mating for life by biologists and others like that.




Regardless, I hope you are able to make a decision about your macaws! It would be understandable if you took on more than you can handle and you need to rehome one or both birds! Not everyone is cut out for bird ownership, and not all birds and owners are going to get alone! What may be the perfect bird for one owner would be a bad choice for another! It doesn't matter! What does matter is the bird's happiness and health and whether or not the owner is capable of meeting those requirements and be happy with the birds regardless of how they are!

One owner is having to rehome three of her parrots. She has autism and those particular birds are too noisy for her to handle. It is through no fault of her own or the birds that she can't handle their noise. She knew they were noisy getting them, but she didn't know she'd have an issue with the continued noise that makes her want to break down. It's the last thing she wants to do, and it's a decision that has taken her months to decide on, which has caused a lot of anxiety for her. She's come to the decision that as much as she loves her birds, she can't handle their noise. If she wasn't autistic, then they probably wouldn't be an issue! Just a crappy situation!