ravvlet
Well-known member
- Jun 25, 2019
- 2,349
- 7,085
- Parrots
-
Kirby - OWA, 33yrs old (2019-)
Broccoli - Dusky Conure - 3?mo old (July 2023 -)
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(Rehomed) Sammy - YNA, 45 yrs old (2022-2023)
(RIP) Cricket - Cockatiel (2019-2022)
I’m only 37 but we adopted older Amazons, as it’s easier to commit to 20-something years than 50-something! Also, a lot of birds end up out of a home in their mid to late life when their owners pass away.
From personal experience, even if a cheaply rehomed bird has no behavioral issues at all, they will likely have health issues. Sammy came to us a little overweight, in need of a diet change, and a biter (I suspect she always will be; she just is very quick to correct us) and Kirby was very docile, but has had thousands of dollars of medical care.
Kirby was $200 with a cage, Sammy was $150 without one. There is no such thing as a free bird! Establishing care with an avian vet runs about $300 (which includes blood work and a fecal as well as a physical exam).
Breeders may not be allowing people into their homes because we are in the middle of THE WORST outbreak of H5N1 the US has seen, ever; it’s highly transmittable (even from simple things like walking through the feces of an infected bird and tracking it indoors) and once one bird has it the whole flock likely will have it. Additionally, we are seeing increasing cases of it moving to mammals, making it a potential health risk for the breeder as well.
Donna is absolutely correct however that there are still plenty of expos that feature breeders you can connect with! As for the cost of IRN - I actually asked my local shop because we needed TOPS and they’re sold out on Amazon, and they said breeders set the price and breeding season hasn’t started for the local IRN breeders, but that she has one and doesn’t recommend them to new parrot owners - she suggested a tiel or a conure instead. They are lovely birds but very intelligent and particular.
From personal experience, even if a cheaply rehomed bird has no behavioral issues at all, they will likely have health issues. Sammy came to us a little overweight, in need of a diet change, and a biter (I suspect she always will be; she just is very quick to correct us) and Kirby was very docile, but has had thousands of dollars of medical care.
Kirby was $200 with a cage, Sammy was $150 without one. There is no such thing as a free bird! Establishing care with an avian vet runs about $300 (which includes blood work and a fecal as well as a physical exam).
Breeders may not be allowing people into their homes because we are in the middle of THE WORST outbreak of H5N1 the US has seen, ever; it’s highly transmittable (even from simple things like walking through the feces of an infected bird and tracking it indoors) and once one bird has it the whole flock likely will have it. Additionally, we are seeing increasing cases of it moving to mammals, making it a potential health risk for the breeder as well.
Donna is absolutely correct however that there are still plenty of expos that feature breeders you can connect with! As for the cost of IRN - I actually asked my local shop because we needed TOPS and they’re sold out on Amazon, and they said breeders set the price and breeding season hasn’t started for the local IRN breeders, but that she has one and doesn’t recommend them to new parrot owners - she suggested a tiel or a conure instead. They are lovely birds but very intelligent and particular.