Hello there,
For the past six months I've been researching parrots and caring for them and, in the course of this, I have been visiting a local pet store which has a large collection of birds. For the last four or five months one of those birds has been a Galah which I've gradually been getting to know and I've become very attached to this particular character. It's an 8 year old bird, the store manager thinks female although 'her' eyes are medium brown so I suspect it might be one of those where a DNA test is needed to be sure. She's pretty quiet amongst the other birds, but will come straight to the front of the cage if I talk to her and I've been able to take her out of the cage a couple of times. She has some ruffled looking feathers right where she would tuck her head in when asleep, but I can't see any obviously evidence of plucking - no bare patches, no feathers in the cage. The manager felt she didn't have any major issues but he thought she was a bit on the shy side and a bit of a cage potato. It seems like a decent store, and I've spoken to a couple of parrot owners who speak highly of them. All the birds look healthy and lively, seems to be mainly young birds but a few older rehomes.
So, I've been in to see her again today and am planning to to go back and speak to the manager at the end of the week with a view to making an offer - but wanted to canvas opinion with the experts to consolidate what I need to ask and if there's anything I've missed?
- She's been there a while now, and I don't know if this has implications, that perhaps she's not selling for a reason I can't see? I've no frame of reference as to how quickly a pet store would expect to turn over their stock but they don't seem to be turning over a large number of birds a month. Anything to worry about?
- What information should I expect from the retailer: obviously I'll be asking why they have an 8 year old bird and what family she came from, but should I expect vet's references in terms of previous health record? The shop has a regular avian vet who visits on a weekly basis - is this a good basis for a clean bill of health or should I insist on an independent assessment? Is it reasonable to request a DNA test if they can't tell me the gender beyond an educated guess?
-One particular worry - one of her wings has been partially clipped, leaving the first four primaries and last couple of secondaries intact - I know this is has health implications with a Galah and would not intend to clip her after her next moult, but if it turns out she has always been clipped is there any risk that damage has already been done - and therefore something I need to get assessed by a vet?
Well, congratulations if you've made it to the end of this post! Any advice would be greatly appreciated, I feel pretty confident I've done my research for once I get the bird home but must confess to being pretty nervous about taking the plunge with an individual bird: so talking it through with people who know what they're doing is a great help.
For the past six months I've been researching parrots and caring for them and, in the course of this, I have been visiting a local pet store which has a large collection of birds. For the last four or five months one of those birds has been a Galah which I've gradually been getting to know and I've become very attached to this particular character. It's an 8 year old bird, the store manager thinks female although 'her' eyes are medium brown so I suspect it might be one of those where a DNA test is needed to be sure. She's pretty quiet amongst the other birds, but will come straight to the front of the cage if I talk to her and I've been able to take her out of the cage a couple of times. She has some ruffled looking feathers right where she would tuck her head in when asleep, but I can't see any obviously evidence of plucking - no bare patches, no feathers in the cage. The manager felt she didn't have any major issues but he thought she was a bit on the shy side and a bit of a cage potato. It seems like a decent store, and I've spoken to a couple of parrot owners who speak highly of them. All the birds look healthy and lively, seems to be mainly young birds but a few older rehomes.
So, I've been in to see her again today and am planning to to go back and speak to the manager at the end of the week with a view to making an offer - but wanted to canvas opinion with the experts to consolidate what I need to ask and if there's anything I've missed?
- She's been there a while now, and I don't know if this has implications, that perhaps she's not selling for a reason I can't see? I've no frame of reference as to how quickly a pet store would expect to turn over their stock but they don't seem to be turning over a large number of birds a month. Anything to worry about?
- What information should I expect from the retailer: obviously I'll be asking why they have an 8 year old bird and what family she came from, but should I expect vet's references in terms of previous health record? The shop has a regular avian vet who visits on a weekly basis - is this a good basis for a clean bill of health or should I insist on an independent assessment? Is it reasonable to request a DNA test if they can't tell me the gender beyond an educated guess?
-One particular worry - one of her wings has been partially clipped, leaving the first four primaries and last couple of secondaries intact - I know this is has health implications with a Galah and would not intend to clip her after her next moult, but if it turns out she has always been clipped is there any risk that damage has already been done - and therefore something I need to get assessed by a vet?
Well, congratulations if you've made it to the end of this post! Any advice would be greatly appreciated, I feel pretty confident I've done my research for once I get the bird home but must confess to being pretty nervous about taking the plunge with an individual bird: so talking it through with people who know what they're doing is a great help.