Don't buy parrots!

[Grinder]

I agree with a lot that's been said here.

Adoption fees are good. So many people think they can have a bird and it will cost a minimal amount to care for it. If you cant afford the fee, you can't afford the bird.

I believe in both good and bad rescues and breeders.

On a personal note I was completely put off by a woman who worked for a very big rescue on the east coast. All she did was criticize me for my relationship with MY BIRD. Cage, was too small (it is not), food isn't good enough (Harrisons, very nice fruit and nut mix and fresh veggies, fruits). Toys were't proper for my birds. I simply wanted her out of my home and instead of adopting my next bird(s), I put a deposit down on an African Grey.

So just like a retail store employee can do - I was put off by the rescue's representative and they have one or two birds on their hand I was willing to adopt.

 

[sodakat]

Since we are talking about obtaining parrots from rescues where they have been in contact with other birds I think it's important to remember that many rescues do well bird check ups but do NOT test for disease.

On one of my Eclectus lists a member lost her 15 year old hen who, unbeknownst to her, contracted Psittacosis from a budgie she rescued. She kept the budgie in quarantine for SIX MONTHS and it showed no sign of disease. In fact the budgie is not sick; however it is a carrier of Chlamydophila psittaci. There are 3 other birds in the house who very likely were affected also. It is a horrible situation and the woman is very distressed. All she was trying to do was give a home to that budgie.

It can be expensive to disease test through your veterinarian's in-house lab, but it is not expensive if they send the blood out to one of the labs that do dna disease testing. You can test for Psittacosis, PBFD and Avian Polyoma Virus for $60 (20 for each test).

Test before you bring the bird home. Quarantine in our homes with central air and heat is not very effective.

I know everyone wants an expensive CBC blood test performed on new birds to give them a baseline and general idea of the bird's overall health, but IMO disease testing is much more important.

 

[noblemacaw]

This is why I spend $400 for my well bird check up. My Avian vet will check for diseases on top of laying out the base line for blood values that we need in order to see changes on future exams so we can treat disease early.

This is to help minimize risk as far down as I can take it and I understand that not all risk can be eliminated. I also base decision on who I am working with though reputation and past history of...problems. I won't work with one of my local rescues because they had a PDD outbreak and have never seemed to recover from it. Sad but I can't take that risk at all.

 

[Abigal7]

I wish more people would take rescued birds too but it seems that not all rescues are created equally. Where we are there is a fantastic one and we chose to adopt from there. You are right there are many fantastic birds and not all are problematic. We did pay an adoption fee, but it was far smaller than the price of a purchase and it included their cages and toys etc..also going back to a good cause to sustain the rescue.

I don't see responsible breeders as the problem in most cases, they invest a lot of time into their birds and from what I see tend to educate buyers. Most people who get their bird from a breeder have researched quite a bit and then have had to track down a breeder.

I do see pet stores as a huge issue though, they are the ones that sell to the impulsive people, don't always educate people properly and the birds are not necessarily socialized that well.
There are exceptions to this of course.

All this being said this is becoming an even bigger problem with parrots becoming popular pets in more and more countries, many birds still being wild caught.

As a child I got a adult budgie from Walmart (who I had to tame), I also had a tame cockatiel from a small private pet store. I agree in general pet stores are a problem. As an adult I have made the descicion not to get a bird from a petstore (not because I think they were wild caught but because of my concern of bird mills). My current green cheek conure I got off of craigslist. I had to work with her but she has turned out to be a pretty independent bird. I am currently on a waiting list for a bird from a breeder. Would I adopt a bird? I have no doubt there are some nice birds for adoption which I would without a doubt adopt. I had a green cheek conure from a breeder as a child and he was a very nice bird (though I can not deny the tame cockatiel was sweet).

 

[Birdlover11]

You got a budgie from Walmart ? I have heard of Walmart selling fish, but never heard of birds

 

[Abigal7]

You got a budgie from Walmart ? I have heard of Walmart selling fish, but never heard of birds

It was back in the 90s when I got the budgie. But yes Walmart now only sells fish (I do not know when exactly they stopped selling birds and small pets)

 

[MAA65]

I agree with a lot that's been said here.

Adoption fees are good. So many people think they can have a bird and it will cost a minimal amount to care for it. If you cant afford the fee, you can't afford the bird.

I believe in both good and bad rescues and breeders.

On a personal note I was completely put off by a woman who worked for a very big rescue on the east coast. All she did was criticize me for my relationship with MY BIRD. Cage, was too small (it is not), food isn't good enough (Harrisons, very nice fruit and nut mix and fresh veggies, fruits). Toys were't proper for my birds. I simply wanted her out of my home and instead of adopting my next bird(s), I put a deposit down on an African Grey.

So just like a retail store employee can do - I was put off by the rescue's representative and they have one or two birds on their hand I was willing to adopt.

If your bird is eating Harrison's and the rest of the fresh diet, I can't imagine why she would criticize. Sounds like you take wonderful care of your bird. :11:

 

[Featheredsamurai]

I think there should always be an adoption fee if you're adopting a bird from a organization. Birds maintenance cost a lot, many come in with medical problems, they need cages, food, toys, and all should have had a wellness exam, plus employees/volunteers to put their own time into caring for these birds. Most adoption fees are a steal when you consider how much the organization already put into that bird, or other birds they currently have.

Although some great homes may be passed up there are still a lot of great people, any responsible parrot rescue will do in home check ups, interviews, and even a post check up to see how things are settling in to make sure their birds are in excellent homes.