Found a couple amazons and have ???

[superdad]

Ok, I want to thank everyone that helped me locate a breeder.

I found a lady that has 2 yellow napes that are 10 months old. She lives fairly close and will be in my home town this Saturday. We agreed to met up at her moms house so I can look at the birds. She believes they are both male and will have a DNA sex done on both if I wanted.

I have some questions,

1. Is DNA really needed?
2. Are Females more docile then a male?
3. What questions should I ask the breeder?
4. She is asking 850, is that a fair price?

 

[JerseyWendy]

Can she provide hatch certificates for these 2? Were they clutch mates? I'm only asking because you said they are 10 months old, which means they hatched last August. "Normally" Amazons lay really early in the season, depending on where you are from, I'd say from late February until May. Yes, sometimes YN have double clutches.

At 10 months, the Amazons are no longer considered babies, and they may not be all cuddles and lovin', depending on how well they were socialized. So please don't be alarmed if they look at you with a "deer and the headlight" look. --> :52: <--

DNA is not really needed, no, but often preferred. Male YN "can" become quite a handful once they reach sexual maturity. I'd say YES, females are more mellow. (I've got a 15 year old hen YN and a 2 year old male DYH)

$850 is a fair price, IMHO, yes.

As for what questions, hmm...ask about the hatch certificate, ask how old the parents are, how they are kept, what they are fed, at what age they were pulled from the nest, at what age they weaned, what toys they like, etc.

 

[henpecked]

Just my .02 worth,,,, Amazons usually sell at about 3=4 months old. Why does she still have these?? However if they are sweet, friendly, handable (is that a word?), and appear to be well socialized, i would. If they are fearful,bitey,etc. then don't bother. A good baby zon shouldn't be fearful , of course it takes a lot of work to get and KEEP them that way. Most breeders don't have the time to put in the effort to keep babies tame for long periods. You never know what you'll run into so keep an open mind. The #1 rule when choosing babies is have the baby pick you. If one of them shows you some interest then you have a good starting point for a good relationship. This not to say you can't tame a wild baby but save yourself a load of heartache. BTW 10 months old is NOT a baby.

 

[superdad]

Good things to know but I never called them babies so why are people telling me that??

 

[JerseyWendy]

You asked questions, "people" replied. Perhaps "people" replied more extensively than you would have liked?

 

[superdad]

You asked questions, "people" replied. Perhaps "people" replied more extensively than you would have liked?

I appreciate all the answers but was confused why everyone was telling me its NOT a baby when that fact never was brought up.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Perhaps the word "baby" came up because of your post HERE:

I am located in Omaha, NE

We have a bird fair here in Sept and they have a website but its really sort of useless. I wouldn't mind having a baby yellow nape

 

[henpecked]

Good things to know but I never called them babies so why are people telling me that??

So you wouldn't assume that 10 month old zons are babies. At that age they are a lot more set in their ways and (as i referred to in my post) often not as tame as one would assume. Please don't take offense. We often word our responses so that other nonmembers reading the forum can learn.

 

[superdad]

Thanks for all the great info.

I went and took a look at the two today. I asked a lot of questions thanks the this board and here is what I found out.

No hatch certificate, not sure if that's important? If it is can someone please explain why.

The tail feathers were a mess, they were not long and beautiful they were short and "chewed up".

I didn't get a chance to go to her home, which is an hour away. She told me she doesn't let people come over. We mwt over at her parents house in my town. Security reason is what she said. Yeah right.

She did keep referring to them as babies, which I found funny thanks to you guys. LOL

She was feeding them cockatiel seed and not amazon food. Is that a big deal?

I also acted like I couldn't remember what she told me the price. She quoted me a 100 less then what she said over the phone.

I came away with the feeling she is like a puppy mill for birds.

 

[henpecked]

Yeah she's feeding them .
crap. No telling how old they are. The important thing is how did they act with you . The condition of their feathers is normal for young zons

 

[superdad]

They were very calm and never squawked were walking around the top of the cage but as soon as I started talking they stopped what they were doing and just stood there. Like what was that deep voice and were was it coming from. LOL

She did get them to step up and handed them to me one at a time. I didn't try to pet them, didn't want to push them and it only lasted a couple sec's because they would fly back to their cage. LOL

Is it normal that YN don't talk? She made a comment that a lot of YN never talk.

 

[JerseyWendy]

I'd stay VERY far away from this "seller". As Richard (henpecked) already said, there is no telling how old they really are. She (the seller) can tell you anything.

And she truly has no idea what she's talking about when she told you that a lot of YN don't ever talk. (Many) YN learn a few words without someone even trying to teach them. They are considered among the BEST talkers in the Amazon world, and many well cared for babies start talking WHILE they are still being handfed.

 

[superdad]

Can someone tell me what a hatch certificate is? Is it like AKC papers for a dog?

 

[JerseyWendy]

Can someone tell me what a hatch certificate is? Is it like AKC papers for a dog?

No, not like AKC papers for a dog.

All the hatch certificates I have for my birds show the following:
1. Type of bird
2. Date the bird hatched
3. Band number

My DYH's hatch certificate also indicates who the parents are from this particular breeder.

 

[henpecked]

Hatch certs mean very little especially if not banded. I have lots of blank certificates (for future babies) you could put whatever you wanted on them. Do they have closed (ring) bands on them? What do they say? Closed bands can ONLY be placed on 10 day old chicks, open bands can be put on any bird at any time. Closed bands would be used by a breeder, open bands can be used by any one at any time.

 

[labell]

I'd stay VERY far away from this "seller". As Richard (henpecked) already said, there is no telling how old they really are. She (the seller) can tell you anything.

And she truly has no idea what she's talking about when she told you that a lot of YN don't ever talk. (Many) YN learn a few words without someone even trying to teach them. They are considered among the BEST talkers in the Amazon world, and many well cared for babies start talking WHILE they are still being handfed.

I agree 100% with Wendy I have never seen a YN that didn't pick up some words and most are not shy about chatting in front of people. Mystic is 17 weeks old today still on 2 hand feedings and says Hi, Hello, Up, Momma, I love you, and is acting like she wants to sing. (I sing to the birds a lot).

 

[henpecked]

I have ( let me count) 8 YNA , half are breeder birds with very little human contact, they all talk. Some don't hardy shut up,LOL. I don't think i've ever met a nape who didn't say something. Even the big breeder male will say "i love you" as he tries to rip your hand off.

 

[RavensGryf]

Please don't take offense. We often word our responses so that other nonmembers reading the forum can learn.

Yes! Great point there. What we say are not always directed at the original poster (I know I do this at times too), but keeping in mind that non-member public as well as newbies here might find the info helpful or interesting

I just told Raven (who is a Pionus an Amazon cousin) that people don't consider him a baby anymore. He just looked at me with his teenage attitude lol.

 

[RavensGryf]

I didn't get a chance to go to her home, which is an hour away. She told me she doesn't let people come over. We mwt over at her parents house in my town. Security reason is what she said.

Although I agree that THIS breeder sounds shady....
Keep in mind there is also something called a "closed aviary". It means the aviary and nursery is kept within strict biosecurity protocols against diseases, including viral disease that can be transmitted to the house and babies through a customer's clothes or shoes very easily. Unlike dogs, birds can have several deadly viruses which can potentially spread through a breeders collection and decimate the nursery. Some breeders choose this extremely cautious route to protect their birds.
Also, security (against theft and casing) can be a legitimate concern too when you're having strangers regularly coming over to your home