THE NATURAL CHOICE: Parrots for Dollars: A Peek at Parrot Marketing

Abstract

Of all the tasks associated with the
American parrot trade, perhaps the
most frustrating and difficult is the
marketing of successfully raised psittacine
babies.
We aviculturists can be extremely
proud of the progress we have made
the past decades in the production of
hookbill offspring in captivity. Certainly,
recent entries into the fascinating
world of psittaculture owe a
heartfelt "thank you" to the dedicated
experts who have freely provided
their wisdom and guidance that we
may all be able to keep and raise
exotic bird species.
Looking to the future, it appears we
are entering a golden period when the
availability of parrots to the hobbyist
and pet owner may reach record proportions.
Realistically, we cannot
expect this to last very long as gene
pools are shrinking before our very
eyes. One of the highest goals of true 

bird lovers is now being realized with
the phasing out of commercial wild
bird importation. Whether we like it or
not, aviculturists can agree that the
elimination of imported birds, now for
the pet trade and later completely, is a
mark of true unselfishness in a business
fraught with moral and ethical
dilemmas!
To quote a popular phrase, "We've
come a long way, baby."
The implications for marketing
domestic-raised parrots are profound.
As more hobbyists and new breeders
succeed and expand, seasonal species
gluts and shortages are going to
become increasingly common in the
pet trade. Scarcely a week goes by at
our shop without phone calls from
small breeders who have exhausted
their sales possibilities direct to the
public and wish to ease their pressure
and enter the wholesale market.
As a successful exotic bird shop, 

Feathered Friends is encountering
those who want us to buy their "extra
babies" while they advertise locally at
prices 25 to 50 percent lower than we
can possibly retail. "Support your
local bird shop" is becoming a rallying
call amongst many pet store owners
coping with rising rents, a sluggish
luxury economy, and massive breeder
advertising in national magazines.
To be sure, pet stores spend hours
showing, explaining and troubleshooting
for customers in the parrot
trade. They push new products,
answer medical questions and refer
veterinarians, work to eliminate oldfashioned
methods of feeding and
caring for birds, and take much pressure
off of breeders who face enough
phone calls already!
We believe that the entire bird
market is interconnected in a fragile
network that makes it succeed at present.
What's to come in the days ahead
is anyone's guess ....
Supply and demand may cause
havoc in some species. Many small
breeding operations are only now
beginning to realize significant numbers
production. In two or three years,
we expect to see increases in easyto-
breed and commonly imported
species. However, if these birds do
not meet acceptable home pet standards,
the market will not accept the
numbers. Such trends could lead to
breeders "dumping" unwanted pairs
on the market in favor of more saleable
parrots.
Let us caution ourselves now. To
"dump" any breeding pair because of
difficult marketing is both unprofitable
and detrimental to the entire avicultural
industry. Short-sighted economic
decisions do nothing for a stable market
- nothing for a species we all
thought desirable five or 10 years ago
when we took thousands from the
wilds. I praise the breeders I have met
who have realized their dreams of
breeding parrots and now devote 10
or 15 percent of their annual income
to be used to maintain needy pairs of
parrots whose offspring have very
little saleability at all. God bless those
who use imagination instead of strict
fiscal decisions when appraising their
aviary programs.

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