Still looking..

[Sterling1113]

I've been trying to find a breeder for me to go through whenever the time comes for me to purchase a bird, and the only Eclectus breeder near me(an hour away) sells the SI for $1,200 and the Vosemari for $1,500... yikes!
I was hoping to spend maybe $1,200 for a bird and the cage and toys.
And of course, no luck finding anyone local that breeds the Yellow Collared Macaw, Patagonian Conure, or Alexandrine..
My hunt continues!

Most likely going to take hand-feeding classes at a local family owned shop. Maybe I can strike a deal with someone.

Too bad no one takes the time to think that just because I'm young, that DOES NOT mean I'm inexperienced! And even if I'm less experienced than others, I'm still willing to put 110% into learning this stuff. Frustration!

Okay, rant is over. Carry on.

 

[skylala]

You can extend your search further and get the bird flown to you. I had my eclectus flown to me from 3 hours away and he seemed to handle it fine. You'll just have to pay for his flight.

 

[Sterling1113]

What website did you get yours from? I'm having a hard time with the availability of the sites I've been finding.

 

[getwozzy]

Have you looked at birdbreeders.com?

I purchased my galah from a breeder who's also listed there; she was shipped from California to northern Oregon.

 

[skylala]

Keep in mind it is normal for Eclectus to be about $900 - $1200. I believe they're more common here in Australia and I still paid $950 for my SI + $100 in shipping cost.

So if you have to buy further away, you must think it will cost another $100-300 on top of the price of the baby to fly it to you. So even if you find one for $900 (Which is a good fair price) and have to pay $200 to fly it to you, you're only $100 off your local price.

To be honest, I can't see you realistically getting a baby+cage+toys for $1200 if you buy from a reputable breeder.

If you wanted to adopt an older bird though, you can sometimes pick them up for $400-$800. And also when you adopt older birds you will likely get a cage thrown in free.

There is a rescue center in Texas that currently have 2 adult male eclectus for adoption and they both cost $450
Adopt Me | Bird Haven

 

[RavensGryf]

If you are set on the species you want, you might have to get one shipped. Either that or keep digging... You're bound to eventually find one near enough to drive, as Eclectus aren't rare. There is nothing to worry about with shipping, but I know you are trying to cut costs, and the drawback with shipping is an extra almost $200 these days. As far as costs go, make sure to save a few hundred extra for a "new bird exam" even a healthy looking baby from a reputable breeder needs this

As Getwozzy said, try birdbreeders.com

Also, if you've never hand feed a baby bird, especially Eclectus which are said to be more complex to wean, "I" would buy one already weaned. There is so much more to know IMHO than just taking a hand feeding class. Different from feeding a mammal baby. Many breeders won't sell one unweaned either. Good luck!

 

[cgsouljah]

From what I've seen the average price for a hand weaned electus in the us is about 1500. I live in hawaii and the last one I saw was 1500...and I just ordered mine from Ohio! For 1500(plus 160 for his flight on united, and he has to have a 7 day vet isolation before being sent to me and I have no idea how much that will be...PLUS A PERMIT for importing to hawaii!)... they are hard to find... plus my cage was 400...plus toys...geez
All I'm saying is good luck in finding it all for <1200! But as you can probably tell I'm willing to go the length for a life long electus friend.

PS ... I found mine on bird breeders.com

 

[Sunshine1313]

I paid 1,200 for my boy not including anything else. If I were you, I'd keep looking and everything, but make sure this breeder isn't going to retire his/her birds anytime soon if you know what I mean.

 

[skylala]

Also I'd like to add another method of finding a parrot is to find a Facebook group dedicated to bird breeders/buying birds around your area. I've found 2 different pages around my area for parrots, and they're great. The people are genuinely passionate about the birds on the pages. Someone on there might have an Eclectus or might be able to point you in the direction of one.

 

[drlisaort]

I paid $1000.00 for Oliver and bought two cages (have two homes!) totaling $700.00. The vet bill was close to $350.00 and then I went crazy and bought a fancy bird stand that rolls around for another $350. And I could go on and on with toys and whatnots but you know at the end of the day it was ALL worth it and I'd do it again and again.

 

[Sterling1113]

So after reading all your responses and re-reading my post, I realized the flaw in my plan (and some missing information!)

Yeah I've sort of learned that $1,200 is what I'm gonna be spending for a bird alone(maybe less/more if I ship, and depending on what bird I bring home.)

We plan to get a large bird cage sometime within the next week or two, so that will be out of the way. We're buying from Craigslist and as long as it's not in awful condition (Chipped bars, rust, missing bars/door hinges etc...) then we should be able to pick one up for $150-$200 based on the posts I've been looking at. And we're periodically saving up until our tax refunds get here, so after we get the cage we'll probably buy one or two toys/perches each paycheck until the cage is suitable

Those are things I wasn't adding to my $1,200 total. Not only that, but I feel like we're sort of leaning more toward a different type of bird now...

Not that there's anything wrong with the Eclectus, but after doing some more research on their diet I feel like it would be stressful on the bird for me to be here all day every day making sure he's getting the proper fresh foods, and then whenever I get a job I'm suddenly here less and he's spending more time in his cage.. I feel like that transition would be hard on him, needing the special care that he does. And I'd be heartbroken to devote so much time to a bird only for him to be mad at me for getting a job

I'd like to be here so throughout the day so I'd be able to give him a variety of fresh foods and not so much pellet, rather than in the morning just leave a bowl of fresh food then change it out in the evening/afternoon. But maybe I'm over-thinking it(I do that allot!!!)

Ah, well. Thanks to the lovely people on this forum I've found a couple of bird shops near me(within an hour) and I plan on going and spending time with different types of birds. If I happen to fall in love with an Eclectus, and he chooses me, then I'm sure I could make something work.

 

[skylala]

The diet can be daunting, but you don't have to be there all day to feed him Twice a day is fine, and frozen fruit and veg is fine too. We just make up little meal 'baggies' in the freezer and defrost 2 for Breakfast and Dinner, then usually leave a skewer of fresh fruit+veg in the cage for him.

However of course there are SOME days when I wish I got a bird that had mostly a seed diet to make things easier and cheaper. I tend to spend WAY too much money on my bird's diet (Around $10-$15 a week)

Eclectus are wonderful but of course so are other birds! You will love any bird you get.

 

[Gizmomania]

My Ziggy was rehomed, and he's the best bird EVER! A rehomed bird should cost you a lot less, too. Have you looked into going that route?

 

[Sterling1113]

I've looked into re-homing, and I'm fine with that idea, but my boyfriend is less partial. He doesn't want an old, bitter bird. And I know that's NOT how all rehomes are, some just need to bond with the right person, and I feel like if he could see that he would be more open minded... but he isn't bird-savvy like I am. I'm sure it sounds like I'm speaking latin when I talk to him about birds.

His mom has a Goffins cockatoo that is severely bonded to her, and while she's there the bird is VICIOUS to everyone else. So he feels like all Goffins Cockatoos are going to bond like that, so he doesn't want one of those. Which blows, because that's one I've wanted for a long long time. Oh well. Life goes on.

I check Craigslist frequently along with any other site that locals can post classifieds about wanting to re-home their bird. We're going to visit a bird shop here in dallas sometime that also has birds for adoption, so maybe we'll meet a nice bird there.. Who knows. We can't afford a bird for about a month or two anyway, so we're saving and waiting on taxes. It breaks my heart when I see a bird on Craigslist I would love to re-home, but I know the bird won't be there in a month... and sure enough, a week later, it's gone.

I'm not too worried though. If it's meant to be, it will happen. No point in trying to rush something like this. We looked into getting an Umbrella Cockatoo but I feel like their "flock call" and general noise level is too much for an apartment.. Umbrella 'toos in particular can be at their loudest when they're happy! They're just goofy excited birds.. so we need a larger place/house before one of those comes along.

As the one who works and supports all 10 of us(pets included..) he's told me he doesn't mind the price of the Eclectus nor the cost of the diet, it was just when/if I started working again I don't want to break his heart. If the two-meal-a-day thing works fine for fresh foods, I might keep an eye out for an Eclectus just in case...

 

[Gizmomania]

I work 2-3 12 hour shifts per week. All my fids get fresh fruits & veggies and grains in the a.m. If I'm home, I remove it from their cage in the afternoon, or in the evening after I get home. Pellets, nuts, seeds (for some of my fids) and water gets replenished every evening. So, essentially I'm doing the fresh stuff in the a.m. and the dry stuff in the evening. When I'm home, I usually have to replenish their water several times throughout the day.

While I have them out, they can all snack from a dish of fruits & veggies that I prepare for them while I'm making dinner.