Abstract
You've gone through the magazines, looked at all the pictures, read the books in the pet store and the library, and have finally decided what kind of bird is best for you. Now the task is to find the bird of your dreams. This article should provide you with some basic definitions used in the bird business, and explode some commonly held myths about the people who breed and raise pet birds.Three Choices
When you go to buy a pet bird, you have basically three choices of seller: the pet store (including specialty bird stores), the bird breeder, and the bird broker. For the most part, pet stores are well run, and some are exceptional.
Pet Store
The advantages of buying from a pet store include the ability to buy your bird, cage, toys, and food all in the same place. Many pet stores offer generous health guarantees, package deals for the whole set-up, and free nail and wing-clipping after you buy your pet. The best bird specialty stores are run by people who love and care for birds, and are knowledgeable about their care and biology.
Things to ask and look for in a good pet store:
• Is the store clean, and do the birds have fresh food and clean water available to them? (To be fair, some birds are "dippers," dunking their food into their water bowls, creating a mess, but you can tell if it is a "clean" mess by the odor ... there should be none.)
• Are feathers and powder down swept up and dusted?
• Is the food storage area (if you can see it) secure from rodents and insects?
• Does the store quarantine new arrivals away from the rest of the population?
• Does the store handfeed babies, and are they kept away from the adult birds and new arrivals?
• Are the expiration dates on food packages current?
• Can the sales staff answer your questions, or can they direct you to someone who can? Nobody knows everything about birds, but good bird stores employ a knowledgeable staff and may even have a reference section for looking up the answers to sticky problems.
Bird Breeders
Bird breeders have the parent birds on the premises, often many breeding pairs of the same species. Breeders advertise in many of the bird magazines, on the Internet and in local newspapers and may offer a better price on an individual bird because they do not have the overhead required to stock a store. However, you can usually buy only birds from breeders; most do not carry cages, food or other accessories.
Bird Brokers
Bird brokers often purchase baby birds when they are a few days old and raise them to weaning before selling. They do not have the parent birds, but should have records of where the baby came from; some will ask the breeders for their dosed bands, and will band the babies when they are big enough. If you are buying from a bird broker, you should try to find out how many
breeders the broker works with. The possibility of disease increases when babies from many different aviaries are mixed together. Once again, the price of the bird may be lower than at a pet shop, but most brokers don't carry accessories or food.
Myths and Misconceptions
Whether you choose to buy your birds from a pet shop, a breeder, or a broker, there are some myths and misconceptions that need to be addressed before you go shopping.
Misconception #I
The breeder/broker is just in it to make money.
As anybody who works with animals can tell you, the financial return on any....