Ship or meet?

[June2012]

Hey there!

I don't have a parrot, and am looking around for one. But that's besides the point. I have read that you need to meet the bird in person, but I have heard that's only for adopting older birds and that a young chick can be shipped to you.

There are no reputable breeders near me that I can drive to without taking a on a full on road trip (many are out of state) or cranked it up by an extra 100 - 200 dollars. And I have found some older birds for adoption, but none have taken them to the vet before and just out of a random number of years, they put it up for adoption. Is this normal, to never take them to a vet? I know that they don't need vaccines, but what about a checkup? Not even one? I don't want to purchase a sick bird from the getgo. I could afford it's care, but not sure if my heart could handle it being put down so soon if it was serious enough...

I'm willing to meet if it truly is the only way and if I don't it a surefire guarantee of being miserable, but I'd like to not take a day off my job and drive two states to meet and not even take home, as the drive would be waaay to stressful for the bird. Or not? (Need help with dat too. XD)

Cheers
- June

 

[Taw5106]

I say you need to meet. Understand that I received my 25 yo amazon after his owner passed and he and I bonded immediately fast. And in January 1/21 I brought Venus home, my female Soloman Island ekkie who this weekend we got some poor lab results on and we are addressing that. She's improving however we have dropped quite a bit on getting the tests and medicines needed. We are on day four of administering meds and haven't gotten all labs back yet. I fell in love with Venus from the instant I saw her and I'm going to bat for all she needs to make her well, but I feel I didn't get or was shared all the information needed from the seller. Take care in this and good luck!!!! As for Buddy, he's so ornery I don't think anything can take him down, lol. Joking on that part.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Hi June,

IME it's fine to have birds shipped. Several came to me that way, and I've never had any problems/issues.

I don't think it's normal for a rescue to not vet their birds. IMO a full checkup is in order when a new bird arrives at a rescue, to rule out potential fatal diseases and/or to detect possible health concerns.

I've formed exceptional bonds with those of mine that were shipped. (Just as a funny: When my Sam came to me at 7 weeks, he was so feisty, he threw himself on his back when I approached him. :54:And he needed to be fed. The first few days were hysterical, because each time I'd take him out, I had this little green bundle of feistiness latched onto my finger, hissing, and throwing mighty tantrums, until he realized I was not going to hurt him)

 

[June2012]

Hi June,

IME it's fine to have birds shipped. Several came to me that way, and I've never had any problems/issues.

I don't think it's normal for a rescue to not vet their birds. IMO a full checkup is in order when a new bird arrives at a rescue, to rule out potential fatal diseases and/or to detect possible health concerns.

I've formed exceptional bonds with those of mine that were shipped. (Just as a funny: When my Sam came to me at 7 weeks, he was so feisty, he threw himself on his back when I approached him. :54:And he needed to be fed. The first few days were hysterical, because each time I'd take him out, I had this little green bundle of feistiness latched onto my finger, hissing, and throwing mighty tantrums, until he realized I was not going to hurt him)

Oh, not rescues! Ads I find on the internet such as Craigslist and other forums. I am looking into rescues, but they all want multiple visits (understandable) while being 3-6 hour drive ONE-WAY with NO traffic. Please, just kill me now.

I can just imagine it! XD He seems to have sounded like a cute ball of anger -- if that makes any sense. And thank you for that info. i just want a safe, happy and healthy bird no matter the age. But I don't want to screw up simply because I didn't want to drive! I'll take that into thought. :3

 

[June2012]

I say you need to meet. Understand that I received my 25 yo amazon after his owner passed and he and I bonded immediately fast. And in January 1/21 I brought Venus home, my female Soloman Island ekkie who this weekend we got some poor lab results on and we are addressing that. She's improving however we have dropped quite a bit on getting the tests and medicines needed. We are on day four of administering meds and haven't gotten all labs back yet. I fell in love with Venus from the instant I saw her and I'm going to bat for all she needs to make her well, but I feel I didn't get or was shared all the information needed from the seller. Take care in this and good luck!!!! As for Buddy, he's so ornery I don't think anything can take him down, lol. Joking on that part.

I'm so happy that you found Venus. She sounds adorable and probably is! XD I'll think about meeting. And make sure my bird loves me for forcing me to drive a good 12 hours to get him, LOL! :54:

 

[amjokai]

I Dont see anything wrong with having a bird shipped... My Drogo was shipped to me sight unseen BUT I had a personal reccomendation for his breeder and the breeder gave me references and i spoke to about 3-4 people who had birds from him before.... /If the breeder is actually an ethical breeder i doubt you would have any problems... the hard part is finding a breeder who is actually as ethical as they would like people to think... What species are you looking for? someone may be able to steer you in the right direction....

 

[June2012]

I Dont see anything wrong with having a bird shipped... My Drogo was shipped to me sight unseen BUT I had a personal reccomendation for his breeder and the breeder gave me references and i spoke to about 3-4 people who had birds from him before.... /If the breeder is actually an ethical breeder i doubt you would have any problems... the hard part is finding a breeder who is actually as ethical as they would like people to think... What species are you looking for? someone may be able to steer you in the right direction....

A green cheek conure. Not too big, not too small. I also live in a townhouse, which is why I chose the GCC. They seem to be quiet.

 

[Birdman666]

Seriously?! In SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA there are no green cheek conure breeders?!

I find that seriously hard to believe. I lived in HB for half a dozen years, and knew several... what city in So Cal?

There are at least four Omar's bird shops in So Cal. They would have green cheeks, I'm sure. That's a fun place just to go and play with them...

http://www.omarsexoticbirds.com/

Go see Omar!

Incidentally, I love the "cage free" bird store idea... Start them off with stay put training from a young age.

 

[June2012]

Seriously?! In SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA there are no green cheek conure breeders?!

I find that seriously hard to believe. I lived in HB for half a dozen years, and knew several... what city in So Cal?

There are at least four Omar's bird shops in So Cal. They would have green cheeks, I'm sure. That's a fun place just to go and play with them...

OMAR'S Exotic Birds :: Parrots and Bird Supplies, Orange County and Santa Monica, CA

Go see Omar!

Incidentally, I love the "cage free" bird store idea... Start them off with stay put training from a young age.

Well, not in the whole of Southern California. Just where I'm at. I'm in Orange County, but not too far from LA. And are Green Cheek Conures supposed to be almost 500 bucks? I've seen breeders in Texas and other areas that were far lower and had a warranty of being completely healthy. I think it was within 72 hours of receiving the bird, you could go take him to the vet and have him checked over. Then again, I found these listings on birdbreeders.com . Is that site reputable...? I'm fairly new to this and I'm the only person in my family to have a parrot. My grandma had finches 60 some years ago, but they were a) sold on the street and b) not parrots.

How much are conrues supposed to be sold? Is 170-200 dollars cheap?

 

[Birdman666]

250-350 is going rate I think.

Suns and jendays are running 500-600, last I checked, but that's retail.

 

[gracebowen]

I've seen 3 at pet stores for about 300 each. Seen a lot at that price on craigslist too. I have even seen 2 FREE conures. One I tried to get. They picked someone else. When the second was available it was about the time that I realized I could not care for one properly. After hearing how loud they can get I have decided not to get one. So anyways back to your question those are the prices I have seen.

Oh and a breeding pair for 500.

 

[June2012]

250-350 is going rate I think.

Suns and jendays are running 500-600, last I checked, but that's retail.

NO WAY. :28: This place is so much cheaper: Green Cheek Conure #95174 for sale in Miami, FL

 

[June2012]

I've seen 3 at pet stores for about 300 each. Seen a lot at that price on craigslist too. I have even seen 2 FREE conures. One I tried to get. They picked someone else. When the second was available it was about the time that I realized I could not care for one properly. After hearing how loud they can get I have decided not to get one. So anyways back to your question those are the prices I have seen.

Oh and a breeding pair for 500.

Well, I know pet stores are more expensive. Aren't breeders supposed to be cheaper? I've also looked around for ads on Craigslist too. I found only one ad. A GCC that never went to the vet, was "extremely stressed out" for 300 bucks. NOPE. Other than that, aren't Green Cheeks supposed to be the most quiet of the conure group?

Aren't breeding pairs the opposite of tame?