Advantage over large breeders and pet stores.
- At no time am I inundated with baby birds. This enables me to spend the amount of time required for proper socialization.
- I do not "power feed", but take my time and gently feed the babies at their own speed. Feeding in this fashion eliminates the chance of aspiration and builds trust of humans.
- I have the time to spend "playing" with the babies.
- Basic skills are taught (some of the babies learn to say "Hello" before they leave).
- There is less chance for disease due to the low population of birds.
- Each breeder pair is located in a private area, away from contact with the other birds. Please note, breeders like privacy.
- The babies are treated as companion birds from the very beginning of their lives.
- The breeders are located in my home - not housed in a separate building.
- Lower pricing than pet stores.
The Greenwing above is my pet "Ruby".
IF YOU HAVE VISITED THE "OUR COMPANION BIRDS" TAB, THEN YOU MAY BE LOOKING FOR AN EXPLANATION OF WHY THE COMPANION PARROTS WERE PURCHASED FROM PET STORES. SEE WHY BELOW.
When I decided to purchase my first parrot, I brought home Teka, the Congo Grey. At this point in time I knew nothing about breeders. I paid a hefty price for this Grey. Noah (my Severe Macaw) I visited for one year in a pet shop and felt so sorry for her. Everyone was afraid of her - rightly so, she would bite! Imagine being in a pet shop with people poking at you all day and hollering at you. I actually saw a lady hold her dog up to one of the bird cages to see the pretty birdie!!!!!! Noah was already three years old and was passed from one store, within this particular chain, to another trying to sell her. I feel I saved her. She's turned out to be a great, albeit pricey, little girl. The Blue & Gold was a deliberate purchase and, again, up goes the credit card balance! Then there was poor Kiwi - he looked so bad - sparsely feathered - dirty looking. I couldn't stand it - so guess what!
I decided I really wanted to have a Greenwing, so NOW I start doing research and stumble onto BREEDERS!!! Just to give you a general idea of the difference in pricing - there is this pet store (chain) that has a Greenwing Macaw. The asking price is $2500.00. I ask $1500.00 for Greenwings. Need I say more. My birds are extremely well cared for and fed a proper diet and their feathering is excellent.
I want to make it perfectly clear that I am not saying birds in pet stores are not cared for properly (there are instances of course); but the employees do not have time to monitor the people visiting the store. This lack of attention can and does lead to a form of abuse by the general public. This lack of attention can lead to an otherwise nice bird turning into a nasty bird.
Parrots make magnificent companions. This is something that the majority of people are not aware of. I started breeding because I care very much for birds and felt the birds would be better companions if raised in a home environment. I take every opportunity to socialize my own pet birds by taking them to selected functions and, of course, for walks. The second reason is because of the extreme prices of these exotic birds in pet stores. I feel, as a breeder, I can offer the parrots I breed at a fair price enabling a larger segment of the population to experience the joy of having a companion parrot.
By the way, I now try to stay out of pet stores!!!
