Finding an African Grey? (so many scammers)

[BrooksiesDad]

My family and I have been searching for a Grey for the past month. We live in Virginia near Richmond. It seems that everybody we find online is very short with us and doesn’t seem to want to give us any real information or verify themselves in any way. We are very wary of somebody that wants to ship a bird, it just doesn’t seem like a reasonable thing to do. Am I being too cautious in that respect? Does anybody have any advice or possibly the name of a real breeder? Or a store nearby that actually takes care of the birds? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much. Brett

 

[SailBoat]

Having a quality Avian Medical Professional is an important part of having a Grey.

They are also a wonderful source of Grey's that are being rehomed and the new owner with a comfort that their new family member has a healthy history!

So, contact the Avian Professionals in your area and be willing to bring an older Grey into your home!

 

[Scott]

I'm not aware of breeders in your area, but Sailboat's suggestion of approaching an avian vet for potential leads is excellent. Have you searched for sanctuaries with available greys for adoption?

There are reputable breeders nationwide with long track records of successful shipping via air or courier. Many birds are shipped as airfreight, most without incident. The majority of issues occur literally at the airport rather than airborne - chain of custody weather extremes between terminal and aircraft. For this reason many airlines embargo live animal shipments during parts of Summer and Winter in the U.S. Best bet is obtaining word-of-mouth recommendations from people you trust.

 

[Noahs_Birds]

Contacting your local Breeders club is always a great option, they know the in's and out's of them all

 

[Soloist]

Just want to give my two cents. I fully understand the apprehension regarding scammers. I second the motion about contacting an avian vet and bird/parrot clubs in your city or state. They can surely know of potential Grey breeders or even may know of a Grey that needs rehoming, if that's a path you are comfortable with. The other route you can take is, if you have facebook, there maybe some facebook groups of parrot breeders such as Parrots of Paradise (they seem to be located where you are) and you may be lucky and find a breeder close to you or they may direct you to the right direction. But yes, I personally would be cautious if the sellers sound sketchy.