Buying an unweaned bird........................

[mtdoramike]

I read a Craigslist ad this morning where a person purchased an unweaned African Gray parrot from a backyard breeder. The baby chick was only 4 weeks old when they got him. Two weeks after they brought him home, the bird died.

Now they were looking for another CAG to take the place of the baby they lost as a late Christmas present. It really ticks me off to see people buying unweaned birds and then they die. There is no sense in it. YES, you might save a couple of hundred dollars buying an unweaned bird. But look at it this way, you also take ALL of the responsibility.

I would a whole lot rather pay a breeder to get up in the wee hours of the morning to hand feed the bird and care for it and accept the responsibility for the birds health and well being for up to 4-6 months. $200.00 is a very cheap investment to make when you consider here in Florida and UNWEANED CAG can cost you $600.00-$800.00 depending on the breeder where as a weaned bird would cost $800.00-$1000.00.

If your willing to pay that kind of money for a bird, don't cheap out at the last minute and opt for an unweaned bird unless you know exactly what you are doing and willing to accept the monetary loss as well as the emotional loss if something goes terribly wrong.

OK, rant over with and off my soap box now

 

[Scaredy_cat]

Hey, i certainly agree with you, i have just got a cag , unweaned & on 3 wet feeds per day, it is a mission & would have been prudent to tell the breeder to feed the bird until weaned, but as things happened i took him early & accepted the responsibility of the baby a lot earlier, then discovered that the bird had sinusitis & had vet bills around the R 3000 (ZAR) , then again if the breeder had noticed this he probably would never have taken the bird to the vet ??? So perhaps in this instance the bird was lucky to have me "adopt" him..........

 

[JerseyWendy]

Mike, you were certainly on NO soap box!

This needs to be addressed more often. I see ruby red when there are posts about hand feeding questions, I really do. People who don't have the necessary experience shouldn't take on such a task, one that can ultimately decide between life and death.

It only takes 1 (!!!) small mistake and the baby can die.

 

[Sherry]

Oh :-(.........................................

 

[JerseyWendy]

Oh :-(.........................................

Don't sweat it, Sherry, you made it through it. Nema is just about weaned now.

And please don't take it personally, we only have the birds' best interest in mind.

 

[Thingamagigs]

Yep!!! Its illegal here in Australia, yet I still see it advertised and see newbies coming along with their unweaned babies! Not to mention, some species will have behavioural issues being stuck with their handrearer forever. Its not in their nature to stick around with "mum and dad" past maturity. I have tonnes of handrearing experience and still prefer someone else handrear MY pets.

 

[Sherry]

I can't / won't speak for anyone else but it's not always cut and dry. I personally had the choice of leaving Nema at the pet store until she was fully weaned or bring her home when I did. My preference initially was to leave her. After reading, researching and talking with others I became increasingly concerned. Where I live you don't see many B&G's, therefore she was put in the middle of the store. The pet store owner had her sharing a cage with a cockatoo. The owner kept saying things like "by next week I should have her down to one feeding" and there wasn't even a scale. All I knew was if I was bringing her home I needed to do it as soon as possible. I asked her to teach me how to feed properly and she did. Honestly I would have much preferred to wait as this whole process scared the sh%# out f me but I did what I thought was best for her. I also wouldn't trade the experience for anything in the world. Stores and some breeders force wean and sell unweaned birds, that's just a fact. It's not easy to put yourself out there and ask questions when you know how people feel about this but if you care about your fids you do what you need to do. I thank all of you for helping me through I really don't know how successful I would have been without your help.

 

[Thingamagigs]

It is totally cut and dry Sherry... you didn't go out seeking an unweaned baby Your situation is COMPLETELY different. We are talking about those that go out seeking an unweaned baby to buy on purpose... under the impression it will bond better... and those breeders who advertise and allow this should be shot!

You did the right thing bringing your baby home early, the middle of a pet shop is no place for an unweaned baby to be sitting! Maybe if its to be the pet shop bird, but if its someone elses bird they are rearing the bird absolutely should have no contact with random people! Thats a risk they have no right to take.

Don't lump yourself into this group! You did not get an unweaned baby by choice. And you made an intelligent and well informed decision to save your baby from a potentially risky situation. And don't develop a soft spot for those that do go out and seek an unweaned baby on purpose because you had to rear and wean your own baby.
These are people who didn't bother to research and want to save a few bucks rather than ensure the smoothest and most suitable method of rearing to have the most adjusted and healthy baby they can get.

 

[Sherry]

Thank you thingamajig! I try not to feel bad about hand feeding Nema but sometimes you read a post and feel like crap. I honestly have tried to do the best for her through it all, and by the grace of god I think it's all worked out. I will be the first person to tell anyone who asks that hand feeding is not to be takin lightly or played with. I was always aware that I was responsible if anything went wrong and that is truly stressful. It is most definitely worth the extra money in most cases to have the babies weaned before coming home.

 

[amysaviary]

Hey, i certainly agree with you, i have just got a cag , unweaned & on 3 wet feeds per day, it is a mission & would have been prudent to tell the breeder to feed the bird until weaned, but as things happened i took him early & accepted the responsibility of the baby a lot earlier, then discovered that the bird had sinusitis & had vet bills around the R 3000 (ZAR) , then again if the breeder had noticed this he probably would never have taken the bird to the vet ??? So perhaps in this instance the bird was lucky to have me "adopt" him..........

I am a breeder and DO NOT sell unweaned babies first off but I have to say the comment kinda hurt to say the breeder would not take the bird to the vet. I take every single 1 of my babies to the vet before they go home. Also if they need to go before the well bird check they go!! If u find a good breeder they will and DO take their birds to the vet!!!! I am sure some "backyard" breeders will not but find a good breeder and they do!!! Sorry had to say that!!!

 

[goalerjones]

Illegal here in Cali as well. I wouldnt want the added responsibility.

 

[JerseyWendy]

....Stores and some breeders force wean and sell unweaned birds, that's just a fact. It's not easy to put yourself out there and ask questions when you know how people feel about this but if you care about your fids you do what you need to do. I thank all of you for helping me through I really don't know how successful I would have been without your help.

Sherry, not all stores. My Niko came from a "store", but he was hatched and hand-reared right there from day #1. His breeder/store owner NEVER sells an unweaned parrot, and ALL babies are vetted before going to their new homes.

You did the RIGHT THING with Nema, no ifs and buts there. Nema could not have found a better home either And I want to personally thank you for asking all those questions. IMO the store who had her didn't take good care of her at all - as was obvious to you once you weighed her.

Unfortunately there are people who think raising a baby bird "can't be that hard". And THOSE are the ones who tick me off, because many of them simply don't care enough for their baby to make sure the hand-feeding is done correctly.

But it's not only about the hand-feeding when raising a baby parrot. Weaning and properly socializing are JUST as important for a growing, intelligent baby bird.

 

[Sherry]

You are so right! I don't like and I shouldn't have myself lumped everyone together. There are some very good stores, managers,breeders and people in general who do a wonderful job and others that don't for sure. People have all sorts of reasons for acquiring or wanting to hand feed babies (some good reasons some not). I'm just thankful to people on this forum for taking the time to help me on my journey with my birds. It's a scary thought that there are people out there that have gotten baby birds and thought it was going to be easy and ended up with no information or worse false info. Truly, if I had listened to what I was told Nema would have been forced weaned and on a mostly seed diet. I honestly think that the store manager has learned a lot from me (or you!). She just didn't know any better and is honestly thankful every time I go in and help her with the other birds she has.