Reputable Breeder for Bronze Wing

[jtjavins]

Hi folks,

New user to the forums. I had a Quaker for 25 years until he passed away in 2019. Currently moving to a new house, and I've decided it's time to get a new bird after the move. Starting to look for a baby now so they will be ready to go in July or August.

After some consideration, I decided I wanted a pionus instead of another Quaker, because they tend to be so much lower-key. Honestly not sure I'm equipped to deal with another Quaker and their huge personality at this point in my life. Further narrowed it down to a bronze wing specifically. Now I'm on the hunt and I wish I had set my heart on a bird that's somewhat possible to find somewhere in the US!

I have found one breeder who says he had a clutch hatch early this month. Johnson and Johnson Parrots located in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Since I have been talking with him, I'm starting to feel less and less positive about this transaction, for a number of reasons.

First, he wanted me to put down a deposit via a cash transfer app. Not going to happen. I'm using a credit card to protect myself. Then he had a way to pay via credit card, but it involved depositing the credit card payment into a bitcoin wallet. Um, no. Finally, we settled on me making a Venmo payment via credit card, but apparently he doesn't use his business payment email address for Venmo, so I had to recall the payment.

So, the TLDR of all that is to ask if anyone has any experience either positive or negative about dealing with Johnson and Johnson Parrots? Their website is jjparrots.com. I'm super-skittish about this transaction at this point and ready to just walk away unless I get a good bit of reassurance that this isn't a scam.

Also, if anyone can recommend a reputable bronze wing breeder, that would be awesome. They're apparently rarer than chicken's teeth in the US now. I'm on the East Coast but would be willing to have a baby shipped.

Thanks all!

 

[Scott]

Welcome to the forums, hope you can locate a reputable Bronze Wing breeder. I believe they are fairly rare birds so exhaustive search may be necessary.

Perused the website, thankfully no offer to sell "fertile eggs" as largest of red flags. Curiously images only on request, so no ability to reverse-Google pics and determine whether genuine or generic via internet. Address rather vague, simply "Summersworth Run" in Ft. Wayne. Fairly short residential street, perhaps they wish to avoid specificity for theft protection. Reverse checking phone contact leads to name of actual business vs random.

Check their Terms and Conditions for something odd, specifically "company" and "website" reference to "Thomas Hamilton Corgi Puppies." Hmmm, a cut-n-paste oversight?

Use of Paybis (bitcoin) and Zelle cash app rather rare in the U.S. No CC or Paypal??

I'm sceptical pending word of mouth references!

 

[promethuschow]

Try

https://www.facebook.com/watch/PattysPetsLLC/

Mark is pretty helpful, and price-wise they are reasonable too.

 

[wrench13]

That one looks more legit.

 

[Noahs_Birds]

Get in contact with your local Avicultural Association/ Bird Club, they will be able to point you in the right direction of a good breeder

 

[jtjavins]

Welcome to the forums, hope you can locate a reputable Bronze Wing breeder. I believe they are fairly rare birds so exhaustive search may be necessary.

Perused the website, thankfully no offer to sell "fertile eggs" as largest of red flags. Curiously images only on request, so no ability to reverse-Google pics and determine whether genuine or generic via internet. Address rather vague, simply "Summersworth Run" in Ft. Wayne. Fairly short residential street, perhaps they wish to avoid specificity for theft protection. Reverse checking phone contact leads to name of actual business vs random.

Check their Terms and Conditions for something odd, specifically "company" and "website" reference to "Thomas Hamilton Corgi Puppies." Hmmm, a cut-n-paste oversight?

Use of Paybis (bitcoin) and Zelle cash app rather rare in the U.S. No CC or Paypal??

I'm sceptical pending word of mouth references!

Thanks for your very thorough analysis. I'm in IT, so sometimes I'm more suspicious than most folks. When he asked me to pay via bitcoin, every alarm in my brain went off. Good to hear that I'm not the only suspicious one.

I think I'll tell him I'm going to be in the area, so I'd like to make an appointment to see the babies in person and give him a cash deposit. His response should tell me just about all I need to know. And if he's open to it, I just might make the seven hour drive to find out.

 

[jtjavins]

Try

https://www.facebook.com/watch/PattysPetsLLC/

Mark is pretty helpful, and price-wise they are reasonable too.

Thanks for the referral. I sent them a message and will be calling tomorrow, but I'm not optimistic. Per their FB page earlier this month, their bronze wing waiting list is over two years out and closed until it shortens. Not sure my heart can wait for two or three years for a new baby.

I'm curious if anyone has ever looked at importing since they seem to be bred more commonly in Europe?

 

[jtjavins]

Get in contact with your local Avicultural Association/ Bird Club, they will be able to point you in the right direction of a good breeder

Sadly I'm in Charleston, WV. We used to have one good bird breeder who retired about ten years ago. I'm pretty sure there's no such thing as a local bird club, and I don't think any amateur breeders would even know what a pionus is, much less breed these ultra-rare birds. If it gives you a good idea of the area, I had to leave the state to find a decent fabric store for draperies for the new house.

 

[Noahs_Birds]

Get in contact with your local Avicultural Association/ Bird Club, they will be able to point you in the right direction of a good breeder

Sadly I'm in Charleston, WV. We used to have one good bird breeder who retired about ten years ago. I'm pretty sure there's no such thing as a local bird club, and I don't think any amateur breeders would even know what a pionus is, much less breed these ultra-rare birds. If it gives you a good idea of the area, I had to leave the state to find a decent fabric store for draperies for the new house.

I have plenty of local bird clubs here in Australia, and local bird clubs don't mean they are amateurs most of the members have been breeding birds longest than we've been alive. Anyway its a different world over your way, in Australia almost every region has their own Club and whenever I'm in the area and I'm after birds I ring the club presidents and they always put me in contact with breeders.

 

[Scott]

Welcome to the forums, hope you can locate a reputable Bronze Wing breeder. I believe they are fairly rare birds so exhaustive search may be necessary.

Perused the website, thankfully no offer to sell "fertile eggs" as largest of red flags. Curiously images only on request, so no ability to reverse-Google pics and determine whether genuine or generic via internet. Address rather vague, simply "Summersworth Run" in Ft. Wayne. Fairly short residential street, perhaps they wish to avoid specificity for theft protection. Reverse checking phone contact leads to name of actual business vs random.

Check their Terms and Conditions for something odd, specifically "company" and "website" reference to "Thomas Hamilton Corgi Puppies." Hmmm, a cut-n-paste oversight?

Use of Paybis (bitcoin) and Zelle cash app rather rare in the U.S. No CC or Paypal??

I'm sceptical pending word of mouth references!

Thanks for your very thorough analysis. I'm in IT, so sometimes I'm more suspicious than most folks. When he asked me to pay via bitcoin, every alarm in my brain went off. Good to hear that I'm not the only suspicious one.

I think I'll tell him I'm going to be in the area, so I'd like to make an appointment to see the babies in person and give him a cash deposit. His response should tell me just about all I need to know. And if he's open to it, I just might make the seven hour drive to find out.

That's a really good plan! I'm going to send an inquiry asking about fertile eggs that I can hatch and raise myself. Will post if they respond!

 

[jtjavins]

Welcome to the forums, hope you can locate a reputable Bronze Wing breeder. I believe they are fairly rare birds so exhaustive search may be necessary.

Perused the website, thankfully no offer to sell "fertile eggs" as largest of red flags. Curiously images only on request, so no ability to reverse-Google pics and determine whether genuine or generic via internet. Address rather vague, simply "Summersworth Run" in Ft. Wayne. Fairly short residential street, perhaps they wish to avoid specificity for theft protection. Reverse checking phone contact leads to name of actual business vs random.

Check their Terms and Conditions for something odd, specifically "company" and "website" reference to "Thomas Hamilton Corgi Puppies." Hmmm, a cut-n-paste oversight?

Use of Paybis (bitcoin) and Zelle cash app rather rare in the U.S. No CC or Paypal??

I'm sceptical pending word of mouth references!

Thanks for your very thorough analysis. I'm in IT, so sometimes I'm more suspicious than most folks. When he asked me to pay via bitcoin, every alarm in my brain went off. Good to hear that I'm not the only suspicious one.

I think I'll tell him I'm going to be in the area, so I'd like to make an appointment to see the babies in person and give him a cash deposit. His response should tell me just about all I need to know. And if he's open to it, I just might make the seven hour drive to find out.

That's a really good plan! I'm going to send an inquiry asking about fertile eggs that I can hatch and raise myself. Will post if they respond!

A fellow devious mind! Really appreciate the warm welcome and help you've extended to a newcomer.

 

[Scott]

Oh you bet, happy to help! So far no response!!

 

[Scott]

Update: No response days later to my query about fertilized eggs. A legit breeder might have responded urging caution, or might be too busy and consider it farcical. A scammer would likely jump on the action and gush with promises. Impossible to draw solid conclusions from silence!

 

[jtjavins]

Hi all, just wanted to give a quick update.

I haven't heard back from him, so pretty much wrote the whole thing off as a bad idea. Weirdly, he also switched from using my correct name to Jessica about halfway through the email chain and didn't switch back when corrected. No idea what's up with him, but none of it gave me the warm fuzzies.

Patty's Pets does have a couple breeding pairs of bronze wings, but their waiting lists are so long that they've currently closed both the bronze wing and white cap lists. Those were, of course, my two top choices. After discussing with them, I am now on the waiting list for either a dusky or maxi baby, which he expects I'll be able to get sometime this year. Still hoping for a female, but we'll see. The only type I really wasn't interested in was a blue headed, and that's just a personal preference. I'm sure a blue headed baby would be just as sweet and loveable as any other type of pionus--I just think the others are visually more appealing.

Once they reopen their bronze wing list, I'm going to get on it and get my dusky/maxi a friend a few years down the road. Never had more than one bird at a time before--my Quaker simply would not have tolerated such a thing--so any tips on keeping my dusky/maxi open to the idea of another bird joining the household are welcome!

I appreciate the input, the referral, and especially Scott for going above and beyond. Will share pictures of my new baby once s/he arrives!

 

[Scott]

Thanks so much for your kind words! Trust your instincts and commit only when fully satisfied. Nothing wrong with insisting on desired coloration as you are going to have a wait regardless.

Many of us have multiple birds, but I have not enjoyed the company of a Quaker. From what I've heard of the species, your concern does not surprise! Unsure about Bronze Wings, but many species live quite well together, particularly if similar sized.

 

[jtjavins]

Many of us have multiple birds, but I have not enjoyed the company of a Quaker. From what I've heard of the species, your concern does not surprise! Unsure about Bronze Wings, but many species live quite well together, particularly if similar sized.

Kiwi was affectionately nicknamed Usama Bin Birdy. He did not like change, strangers, anyone touching his cage, or much of anything other than me. From what I know of Quakers, that's pretty typical of the species. They've got a macaw-sized attitude, crammed into the body of a tiny little bird. I loved the little critter, but he could be trying at times.

Doing a complete 180 with the next bird. Hoping a pi will actually be able to stay in my office while I'm on a conference call and not deafen everyone because he doesn't approve of phones or phone calls!

 

[Patrick972864]

Hi folks,

New user to the forums. I had a Quaker for 25 years until he passed away in 2019. Currently moving to a new house, and I've decided it's time to get a new bird after the move. Starting to look for a baby now so they will be ready to go in July or August.

After some consideration, I decided I wanted a pionus instead of another Quaker, because they tend to be so much lower-key. Honestly not sure I'm equipped to deal with another Quaker and their huge personality at this point in my life. Further narrowed it down to a bronze wing specifically. Now I'm on the hunt and I wish I had set my heart on a bird that's somewhat possible to find somewhere in the US!

I have found one breeder who says he had a clutch hatch early this month. Johnson and Johnson Parrots located in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Since I have been talking with him, I'm starting to feel less and less positive about this transaction, for a number of reasons.

First, he wanted me to put down a deposit via a cash transfer app. Not going to happen. I'm using a credit card to protect myself. Then he had a way to pay via credit card, but it involved depositing the credit card payment into a bitcoin wallet. Um, no. Finally, we settled on me making a Venmo payment via credit card, but apparently he doesn't use his business payment email address for Venmo, so I had to recall the payment.

So, the TLDR of all that is to ask if anyone has any experience either positive or negative about dealing with Johnson and Johnson Parrots? Their website is jjparrots.com. I'm super-skittish about this transaction at this point and ready to just walk away unless I get a good bit of reassurance that this isn't a scam.

Also, if anyone can recommend a reputable bronze wing breeder, that would be awesome. They're apparently rarer than chicken's teeth in the US now. I'm on the East Coast but would be willing to have a baby shipped.

Thanks all!

I am in the same process with the same results. The one person I got a response to would not show me pictures of all the Pionus he had or of his store.
I think it was live parrots.com.
He got nasty when I asked for verification.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Welcome to the forums, hope you can locate a reputable Bronze Wing breeder. I believe they are fairly rare birds so exhaustive search may be necessary.

Perused the website, thankfully no offer to sell "fertile eggs" as largest of red flags. Curiously images only on request, so no ability to reverse-Google pics and determine whether genuine or generic via internet. Address rather vague, simply "Summersworth Run" in Ft. Wayne. Fairly short residential street, perhaps they wish to avoid specificity for theft protection. Reverse checking phone contact leads to name of actual business vs random.

Check their Terms and Conditions for something odd, specifically "company" and "website" reference to "Thomas Hamilton Corgi Puppies." Hmmm, a cut-n-paste oversight?

Use of Paybis (bitcoin) and Zelle cash app rather rare in the U.S. No CC or Paypal??

I'm sceptical pending word of mouth references!

I would NEVER do business with someone that wanted me to have anything to do with Bitcoin- it's funny money IMO. Most reputable sellers use PayPal. It's easy and secure because it doesn't require you to give your credit card info or bank info to strangers.
Zelle funds transfers are actually very commonly used in the US. I would be okay with that.
I don't understand why they need a deposit for a bird that is already hatched and very desirable. It's not like they are custom producing a product just for you that no one else will want if you backed out. You're taking the much bigger risk. What if the babies die or are otherwise unhealthy?
The general sounding address isn't concerning. It could be a private road with very few residents.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I would NEVER do business with someone that wanted me to have anything to do with Bitcoin- it's funny money IMO. Most reputable sellers use PayPal. It's easy and secure because it doesn't require you to give your credit card info or bank info to strangers.
Zelle funds transfers are actually very commonly used in the US. I would be okay with that.
I don't understand why they need a deposit for a bird that is already hatched and very desirable. It's not like they are custom producing a product just for you that no one else will want if you backed out. You're taking the much bigger risk. What if the babies die or are otherwise unhealthy?
The general sounding address isn't concerning. It could be a private road with very few residents.

According to the Better Business Bureau, Johnson and Johnson Parrots was investigated in March 2021 because of complaints about having to give deposits and never getting the parrots. The BBB says use caution.