Well when the time comes to buy more I shall stake out some breeders and ask them to sell me their 'bad' birds :star:

 

Great idea, often breeders have birds that are older etc. They prefer them to go to homes where they wont be bred.

 

On that note, will my little girl be okay on her own for 1-2 months? I feel kinda bad, she is calling out to the budgies she can hear in my neighbours yard.

Right now she doesn't want to be handled by me so she is flying solo at the moment

Even if you got another one now you would need to keep them seperate from each other on quarantine for atleast a month before introducing them so no matter what she'll have to wait

Well when the time comes to buy more I shall stake out some breeders and ask them to sell me their 'bad' birds :star:

 

What do you mean by "bad birds" ? You have mentioned that a couple of times and I am unsure what you mean. Perhaps you misunderstood me.

What I was trying to say previously is....as a breeder myself for myself and show birds I would rather sell my "culls" to a private buyer and indeed will often give away birds I wont use. I rarely sell to petshops.

When I was talking about petshops and selling to them what I mean is........

Petshops will pay peanuts for the birds they buy in...oiften lucky if you get offered $5 per bird. While it isnt about the $$$'s I would rather deal direct with the future owner of any of my birds.

Those that specifically breed for sales to petshops and dont care about the low price, often dont go to great lengths to ensure the breeding stock ( parents grandparents ) is gentically healthy. Often times the birds are coming from mass breeding in aviaries where relatives and youngsters breed together, making the strength of the genetic pool a muddy mix of inherited health issues.

Combine that with delivery to a pet shop where 99% of the time they are immediately put with other birds and no seperate quarantine, making a cocktail of possible diseases in one cage. By the time a buyer takes their birds home chances are the bird is incubating a disease...that is why so often birds are sick in days of reaching their new home.

Of the small percentage of "lucky" new budgie owners whose pet budgie from these types of pet stores actually does well and does not get sick.....these may be the cases of the bird selling before it had time to contract an illness at the store. The better birds do sell faster.

As a show breeder and in contact with hundreds of show breeders and other breeders, I know that they mostly sell their birds amongst themselves and privately. In this way the genetics and parentage of the bird for sale is given, most often a pedigree is supplied anbd the parents and grandparents are viewed as is other siblings. You get to see what you are buying, its health and possible longevity by the parents and grandparents you most likely also will see at the breeders.

Assumptions are often made that a bird bought from a breeder or even a show breeder will be a more expensive bird. This is usually not the case. A show breeders culls are often half or a quarter the cost of a petshop bird PLUS you will know the birds history.

I do know that breeders WILL sell birds to petshops and not care about the price when those particular birds are their ones with ISSUES as stated before. I know birds are sold to petshops that may carry french moult, birds that have been in contact with psittacosis, birds that have survived coccidiosis, and various other things. Hens will be sold due to issues with eggeating, issues with prolapse, and internal egg laying. Birds with behavioural issues, birds that have killed and maimed chicks and partners.

There is small percentage of healthy birds sold to petshops who have been bred by home breeders, but generally these home breeders would be able to sell their birds privately.

A perfectly healthy bird can be sold to a petshop, put in the same cage as a batch from someone else that may be carrying some nasty diseases and within 7-10 incubation the healthy ones are also carrying and or sick and about to get worse.

You are right that it is rare to find bird rescue places here in Australia, especially for the smaller birds. BUT I have actually seen budgies and other birds at our local RSPCA.

Edited November 3, 200816 yr by KAZ

I saw someone mention that some breeders sell their 'bad birds' to pet shops. I assume that meant unhealthy ones etc.

I feel sorry for those birds. I dont know, but if i were breeding animals I would not be able to put them in a pet shop situation. It does show that the breeder does not care for the welfare of that bird, as they know it will be considerably unhappy in a pet store situation plus then sold to someone who is likely to have little knowledge of the proper care of birds (as mentioned, most sales in pet shops are impulse buys). One has to ask whether euthanasia is a kinder fate for these 'extra' birds, rather than being palmed off to a pet shop.

 

My quote about buying 'bad birds' is simply a quote from something said in this thread - I dont believe there are any bad birds

However i will be interested in buying budgies that breeders dont class as show birds, aren't sought after by other buyers or the ones who might even end up in the pet shop.

 

If anyone (in Sydney up to Newcastle) has any that suit now drop me a line. I might as well start quarantining soon so that this little one is not on her own for too long.

Edited November 3, 200816 yr by birdgirl

If anyone (in Sydney up to Newcastle) has any that suit now drop me a line. I might as well start quarantining soon so that this little one is not on her own for too long.

 

 

Birds needing rescue on Adopt a Pet, I check every day and these have just arrived, the owner was sick an unable to care for them any longer. Rescue birds click here..

Thanks Trish, I had forgotten about that site. Unfortunately the 2 budgies listed on the page you linked to are in the ACT and Orange, too far from me.

I will keep checking that site though, I am determined to 'rescue' more birds

Also you could put a post on petlink explaining that you wish to rescue a budgie

Put an ad in your local paper offering a home to "unwanted" budgies and see what you are offered.

Put an ad in your local paper offering a home to "unwanted" budgies and see what you are offered.

 

 

That is such a great idea Kaz! I'm sure most pet owners do not intentionally neglect their animals, peoples circumstances change and sometimes people think there is no one to turn to for help.

She is very pretty :hap:.

I may just do that :budgiedance:

 

Well, I have spent 20 minutes cutting up vegetables and fruit this morning for her, put it in the cage but she will not come out from the back of the cage behind a mirror i put in. She is a nervous wreck. If I put my hand in the cage she flutters like mad. I was hoping she would be the type to sit on my finger and be a happy little budgie.

Though I'm more upset about her not eating all that fresh food i just put in that i will have to take out soon!

I may just do that

 

Well, I have spent 20 minutes cutting up vegetables and fruit this morning for her, put it in the cage but she will not come out from the back of the cage behind a mirror i put in. She is a nervous wreck. If I put my hand in the cage she flutters like mad. I was hoping she would be the type to sit on my finger and be a happy little budgie.

Though I'm more upset about her not eating all that fresh food i just put in that i will have to take out soon!

 

Firstly, I'd remove the mirror. She will bond with it instead of you The fruit and veggies is a slow process, just give her a little at a time... try different methods too, dicing, grating, poking through bars... some birds like their veggies served differently. My aviary birds love corn on the cob, my inside birds don't know what to do with it . Also, with her sitting on you and getting used to you... she will get there. Elly has an excellent taming piece in the FAQ's that might help you... again, it takes time and patience.