Ask Your Parrot Breeder Before Purchase

By Gimm Peake

This may seem a bit odd, but if you ask the correct questions, you can learn volumes about your new potential buddy. A good breeder will help you out along the way. A good breeder's sole motivation is not to make money. A good breeder very much wants his baby parrots to go to good homes. So if in the process you forget a few of these questions, he'll probably jump in and answer them anyway. These simple questions can help increase the chances that the baby parrot you bring home with you is healthy.

When were these birds hatched? You want a baby bird who is old enough to leave the nest. If he's not old enough a good breeder will tell you this. He'll also tell you when you can return to adopt your friend.

Do you keep a closed aviary? Optimally, your breeder tends a closed aviary. A bird raised in this environment has a lower chance of developing a disease. Many avian diseases travel through the air. That means they spread quickly.

Ask whether the bird has been tested for any diseases, and if it has ask to see the documentation from the lab at which the tests were undertaken. It is common for disease checks to be undertaken at the same time as sexing, so if your parrot has been sexed then it is quite likely that this disease check has been undertaken and a certificate will be available.

Indeed you should always ask has the parrot's sex been determined? If you are going to keep your parrot with other parrots at home then this is an especially important question, as you want to know whether there is a chance they will start mating. If you are just looking for a companion it doesn't really matter if they are male or female.

Make sure that you ask what your parrot has been eating and continue this diet once you bring it home. It is very important that you don't cause a baby parrot undue stress by bringing it home and making sudden changes in its diet.

Can I view the baby's parents? You'll probably discover that, indeed, the baby's parents are on the premises and you can view them. But the odds are very unlikely you'll be able to hold them. Many breeding parrots are not raised as pets and the parents of this bird may not be tame. In the parents, if they look generally healthy, then they probably are. And healthy parents most often produce health babies.

Has the baby been hand fed or parent raised? If the bird has not been hand fed, don't necessarily dismiss his adoption right away. It's more important that the breeder socialized the baby. - 32194

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