Parrot Breeders

[HumanWings]

Ok I must admit I am a little disappointed with a few breeders I've been talking with. I'm new to bird breeders as I am trying to get my first bird early next year.

So I admit I have been a dog person all of my life and that's because I grew up with them. I say this becuase I am very familar with dog breeders and how to spot a BYB. I can tell just by communicating with one if I want to move forward with a dog breeder or just move on. I ask a lot of questions about their breeding program.

Now that I am new to bird breeders I find that they are sooooo different. Whenever I ask questions i am just treated like I'm not normal. I would have assumed that ANY breeder would be used to this process but I'm guessing not with bird breeders? One breeder in particular, I sent her a short list of general questions and she refused to work with me now. I'm not kidding you. She won't take my business now.

I'm upset by this honestly. But also am wondering if this is the norm. What was your breeder experience like? How was your breeder with questions?

 

[IcyWolf]

If they aren't willing to answer your questions, move on! In my opinion, the health and happiness of that baby should be their first priority, not who will hand them the money first. I HATE when people contact me and all they want to know is, how much a baby is and how they can make a deposit. It may be daunting and redundant having to have the same discussion with each and every potential family but that is what it takes. I want to know that they really have the bird's best interest at heart and if other breeders don't feel that way, they shouldn't be breeding in my opinion.

I commend you for doing your research and really questioning these breeders. If they don't want to answer your questions they are either trying to hide something or they are too busy, and if they are too busy to answer your questions, how much time do you think they really have to spend with each of their babies? Making sure they are friendly and bonded to people, insuring that they are going to be prepared for their new homes. I've been talking to so many people lately that get hand fed babies from breeders only to get their bird and realize that it's practically wild and has no idea how to properly socialize with humans. It really is sad, with so many birds in rescues, unless you are really going to work with your babies, you are just setting them up for a life of being rehomed from behavioral issues or stuck in a cage for the rest of it's life. Sorry, for the rant, I'm a bit frustrated at the moment, reading about the other member that was sold the unweaned baby and then this, I know understand why there are people that really dislike breeders. It's just a shame that a few bad people really can ruin it for all of us.

 

[caliopi]

I had an amazing experience with our breeder and will be using her again. Not only did she answer a huge amount of questions we had but she showed us through her entire home where she had the nursery through to the creche and outside to her breeding aviary.

She also spent a long time over a few cups of coffee discussing what we wanted and which parrot was best for our situation and allowed us plenty of time with her own pet parrots.

We originally picked a female who would be ready for pick up a month later and said we could come visit any time. On the day of pick up we had a change of mind and took the male instead of the female ( long story) and this was no problem. She also gave us a heap food for the first week, a couple of the toys that had been in his cage and was on hand any time we had a question or were not sure if we were doing the right thing.

Good luck, I hope you find the right person.

 

[IcyWolf]

Oh, I wanted to add, good questions to ask:

How many pairs do you have?
How many times a year do you let your birds breed?
Do you offer a guarantee on your babies, and if so, what?
Do they know things like step-up?
Do they willingly come out of their cage to interact with you? Ask for videos if need be.
Do you sell unweaned babies?
How long have you been breeding?
What kind of foods to you feed your birds?
what do your cages look like? Ask for pictures.
Do you allow people to come and meet babies before placing a deposit?
If they don't allow people in their home or breeding facility, will they meet you somewhere so you can meet and possibly choose your baby?
Do they smoke in their home?
Do they have a vet they recommend? Call this vet and get references if need be.
Try and figure out if they are being honest or just telling you what you want to hear, if their answers seem to be in conflict with each other, it should throw up a red flag. A good breeder would rather keep a baby longer, knowing it's price will have to be reduced than sell it to a less than perfect home.

 

[henpecked]

I guess breeders are like the rest of humanity, there's good and bad. many breeders may not want to respond because they have been attacked by ARF (Animal Rights Fanatics) (Go on FB and announce your a parrot breeder) when ever they have opened up about themselves.(There's no reasoning with a fanatic).All that being said i welcome questions from people interested in birds. #1 i love to talk parrots.#2 because i want people to know what they;re getting into,I want things to work out with them like me and my fids. If i were you i'd keep looking and keep asking questions,the right breeder and bird is out there. It's a huge investment (and I'm not talking about money)in a companion who might be with you the rest of your life. Your best bet might be the mom and pop (hobby breeder) who truly care about their birds and see more than a dollar.

 

[HumanWings]

IcyWolf I'm glad to see I am not the only one frustrated by this and this isn't the norm. It is the same for dog breeders. They get a bad rep for all of the BYB's out there and it's just as frustrating in the dog world. People will get a bad experience and blame the whole breeding community. It's sad really. I just wasn't sure if there was a difference with bird breeders or if it was just the breeders I was running into which is why I asked the question. And I'm glad I did, I now know to just keep searching.

I'm glad to know that moving on won't mean just moving to another breeder with the same problem.

To me one of the most important things any breeder could do would be to be there for the person after the purchase. So initial contact is very important. If I have problems with them before the purchase it shows things might only go down hill from there.

That's a great list of questions. Some of them are questions I asked to the breeder who will no longer deal with me. It's a shame really.

 

[HumanWings]

I guess breeders are like the rest of humanity, there's good and bad. many breeders may not want to respond because they have been attacked by ARF (Animal Rights Fanatics) (Go on FB and announce your a parrot breeder) when ever they have opened up about themselves.(There's no reasoning with a fanatic).All that being said i welcome questions from people interested in birds. #1 i love to talk parrots.#2 because i want people to know what they;re getting into,I want things to work out with them like me and my fids. If i were you i'd keep looking and keep asking questions,the right breeder and bird is out there. It's a huge investment (and I'm not talking about money)in a companion who might be with you the rest of your life. Your best bet might be the mom and pop (hobby breeder) who truly care about their birds and see more than a dollar.

I find the ARF thing interesting, it's something I've never thought of before. If this is what happened to me it's very sad that those who don't share our love for birds would/could separate us.

 

[henpecked]

I'm not active or even a member on some forums because some of the members have made it very clear that i'm not welcome. Yes it's a pity such closed mindness is out there, but that's just the way it is. IMO you've found the right forum with a good mix of members who have their fids best interest at heart.

 

[jonahsmom]

I agree - I knew what to look for with dog breeders and rat breeders but NOT bird breeders. I was super confused. Then a very reputable breeder walked me through what I should look for, what to avoid, what type of bird is right for our family, etc. Even when we ended up not being ready to adopt a bird from her, she still continued (continues) to answer my questions. I think anybody not willing to answer any and all questions is not reputable. No matter what species you're looking for.

 

[evesta]

Good topic. I know when I was talking to breeders I definately got a lot of clues about the breeder about if I was dealing with a good or bad breeder when I emailed and asked questions. The good ones had suggestions and if they didn't have a bird type I was looking for many of them gave me leads.

The breeder I ended up using was the one who told me to research linnies because I have never heard of them and she thought they sounded like a good fit for me and my family. I could also tell when she talked about the babies how she named them, sent me lots of pictures and gave me cute updates on them that she really cared about them. She talked to them about their new "mom." lol When I went to visit she showed me how she handfed them and the other birds, showed me what the older birds ate and didn't rush weaning.

It was a very good experience. Unfortunately she is only going to be breeding bourkes now so next time I want a linnie I will have to find someone new.

 

[littleT]

I am new to the site however I have years of breeding experiance with finches to parrots.i am here for advice on making daily bread for for all birds and help with housing or breeding also.i handfeed when it is required,i have 2 pair of ddyhs on eggs now .will be first clutches from them for me.also have a pair of bluefronts in nestbox.---pm me if need advice or help