Plan B

[jaimmorr]

Okay, so, as some of you know, I was due to visit a rescue that was 4 hours away from me this weekend. Last week, to my great surprise, they got SHUT DOWN by the ASPCA and all of their birds were seized. Now, honestly, I have never been to the rescue so I cannot say who was in the wrong, but the point is that I obviously cannot visit that rescue now.

So, plan B. I started looking around on the internet for other bird rescues that would let me volunteer or get some hands on experience. NONE that were the same distance or closer than that one! Errrr. So, I started looking for breeders or just people with birds. I came across an ad on Kijiji for a place called Michael's Parrot Place. Here is what his ad says:

"Michael’s Parrot Place - Provider, Nurturer and Social Developer of Companion Parrots. We are located in Bloomington IN, and specialize in hand-raising the finest exotic baby birds in a loving and stress free environment - in our home for your home. We have a qualified and extensive breeder network that allows us to offer Macaws, Cockatoos, Amazons, African Greys, Conures, Senegals, Eclectus and more at about any time of the year.

Our customers are involved... We invite you to be a part of your baby's early development process without having to deal with the day-in and day-out cleaning, feeding and all that goes along with the mess. Instead, you will have the JOY of bonding with your baby on visiting days while he/her is in our care. Your baby will be sweet, well socialized, fledged and fully weaned before you take him/her home.

We can set you up for success with cage, toys, etc. (all birdie essentials). You get more than the bird and a bill with your purchase... you receive a one-year limited warranty, 24 hr. emergency phone number, care and feeding instructions, nurturing guidance techniques we use on all our birds, and behavioral counseling for as long as you own your bird.

We believe that the purchase of a parrot should be not be an impulse decision but a logical one - let us help you find the right parrot for your personality and lifestyle... it is a free service we offer."


I gave him a call and he informed me that he is not a breeder, but has access to over 50 breeders and that he hand raises the babies for customers.



What do you think? Go and check him out? Does anything about his ad seem fishy? Have you ever heard of him? I tried Googling him, nothing. :/ Don't know if I should take that as a good thing or a bad thing!


P.S. Michael, if you are reading this, please don't be offended. LOL

 

[KatherineI]

I'd check them out. The worst that can happen is you're out the gas it took you to get there and back again. He could be really awesome, and it does sound like he/his place is. Although, he will probably be more expensive than going through a breeder directly. And if he has access to over 50 breeders, it's quite likely that he can get you exactly the breed you've decided on (which is....???).

 

[Rio Mom]

He does sound like he cares a lot about the birds care. I would definately ask about prices, as already said, he is a "middle man" so it may cost more. If you did still want the rescue route, there are ones that ship

 

[lexx510]

Cut out the middle man and go straight to the source!

I'd keep looking until I'm absolutely sure there is no other way.

 

[henpecked]

Your dealing with a broker, nothing wrong with that, he has the connections.He raises baby birds and is probably very good at it.I don't see anything wrong with this, he was up front with you and told you what he was all about.

 

[GiosMom]

He sounds like a Broker. A problem with that Isherwood is in the middle and also in it to make a fee....and you have no idea who the breeder really is and what condition the breeding pair are in. Sounds like a pet store working out of his garage. I'm sorry if I sound critical and suspicious but I spent 2 years looking for a breeder and I came across egg brokers, and middle men. Anyone can have access to 50 breeders just goto Breeders Now. This guy def doesn't sound like a bird rescue. And the only concern is you only have his word to go on.

 

[jaimmorr]

Thanks SO much to everyone!

However; I think you have some things confused. Hahaha. I am not necessarily buying a baby from him. I made it very clear to him that I just wanted to come and handle some birds and talk to him about his knowledge and see if he could recommend a species for my lifestyle, etc.

I may or may not buy a bird from him. At the moment, I don't plan on getting a bird for a little while anyway. So I have lots of time to decide which route I would like to go. If he seems like his babies are well cared for, well socialized, etc. I don't see why it would be a bad choice to go with him.

Anyway, I am still not 100% sure what species I am going with... Although, I am leaning most toward a BCC right now.

We will see how this all plays out!

 

[RescueMe]

Hey, I saw in another post that you are considering moving out of the country in a few years, are you going to rehome your bird? If not before you make a decision on a parrot you may want to look at quarantine and importation laws. I am not discouraging you, I was just thinking about the long term effects for you new companion.

 

[jaimmorr]

Hey, I saw in another post that you are considering moving out of the country in a few years, are you going to rehome your bird? If not before you make a decision on a parrot you may want to look at quarantine and importation laws. I am not discouraging you, I was just thinking about the long term effects for you new companion.

Hey, there! I am most likely moving out of country, in about 8-10 years. I have already looked into the importation laws of different countries, but I plan to do more research before getting one. Thanks very much for your concern. No, I am not going to rehome my bird! If worst comes to worst and I cannot take my bird with me out of country, I won't move! I will find a solution that works, don't worry!

 

[luvmytooo]

I would go and see what this guys place is all about . All you will be out is the gas
You might like what you see , lol. Good luck and keep us posted

 

[evesta]

I would definately go and talk to him. Going through my breeder and emailing other breeders and rescues they all refered me to other people who breed and have rescues if they didn't have what I was looking for. Sometimes just meeting the people you get hands on experience and maybe a new contact.

 

[IcyWolf]

I think you should definitely check him out. I'd also like to add, it may not be any more expensive. I will get "out of nest" babies from other breeders as well, right now I have a few parrotlets and budgies that came from someone else. when you buy a baby out of nest you usually pay half of what the weaned price would be. so if the bird sells for $400, the hand feeder would pay $200 to the actual breeder and then sell the bird for the original $400. At least that's how everyone that I know does it. From my experience, most breeders that will sell out of nest babies usually have a fairly large operation going, that's why it's worth it for them to sell some out of nest babies in order to save that time that would be spent caring for the bird until it's weaned. Of course, this guy could do it differently but I know when I get babies like this I sell them for the same price the original breeder would have so it's really no more expensive. And, there is a good chance that he has much more time to socialize these babies then the actual breeder would so you may actually end up with a more "tame" bird than if you went straight to the breeder. Just wanted to throw that out there.

Also, knowing that all of the birds were seized and are now at the spca, have you tried contacting them to see about possibly adopting one from them?

 

[jaimmorr]

I think you should definitely check him out. I'd also like to add, it may not be any more expensive. I will get "out of nest" babies from other breeders as well, right now I have a few parrotlets and budgies that came from someone else. when you buy a baby out of nest you usually pay half of what the weaned price would be. so if the bird sells for $400, the hand feeder would pay $200 to the actual breeder and then sell the bird for the original $400. At least that's how everyone that I know does it. From my experience, most breeders that will sell out of nest babies usually have a fairly large operation going, that's why it's worth it for them to sell some out of nest babies in order to save that time that would be spent caring for the bird until it's weaned. Of course, this guy could do it differently but I know when I get babies like this I sell them for the same price the original breeder would have so it's really no more expensive. And, there is a good chance that he has much more time to socialize these babies then the actual breeder would so you may actually end up with a more "tame" bird than if you went straight to the breeder. Just wanted to throw that out there.

Also, knowing that all of the birds were seized and are now at the spca, have you tried contacting them to see about possibly adopting one from them?

Interesting points, thank you! I will definitely go and check it out

And no. None of the birds are up for adoption. The rescue filed a lawsuit/appeal from what I understand. No one is allowed to adopt the birds because technically they are not anyone's to adopt out right now, I guess? Not sure exactly what is going on, honestly. It's kind of confusing. And I wasn't even planning on adopting one from this rescue, I just wanted to go and interact with the birds.