Parrot Info? (specifically Greys, Cockatiels, and Budgies/Parakeets)

[GuineaFowling]

forgot to mention, reputable breeders should have a website you can view and they do not wean their babies too early nor do they sell unweaned babies. I have heard of breeders selling not fully weaned babies (they just sell the baby right when it begins to test solid food) and the babies either die or have problems when they are older.

 

[ShrekDawg]

I got my cage from amazon. It was on sale during the holidays.

I have not had cockatiels for years but my parents used to breed them when I was a kid. Cockatiels dont seem to be nippy either. Nothing compared to conures for sure. If you get a cockatiel get 2 males. If they are both introduced young they wont fight. The males also learn how to talk and sing. Most birds do grow out of their 'teenager' phase just as people do but sometimes they dont. Most of the times they do not grow out of it because their owners dont handle the behavior properly which aggravates the birds. Have you ever heard about the IRN bluffing period? If you have you will know that your supposed to ignore the bad behavior and reward the good behavior and they eventually go back to being sweet birds.

Where I live petstores are really overpriced, I dont know if its the same for you. A normal grey untamed adult cockateil would be around $100 and you could get a handtame regualr grey baby from a breeder for around the same price or cheaper depending on the breeder.


Here are some links to sites that show breeders. Maybe you could find one in your area. Give thema call or email and ask about price, at what age they wean their babies, and what they wean them onto.

http://www.birdsnways.com/birds/bradm.htm

http://www.avianbiotech.com/breeders/breeders.asp

http://www.birdbreeders.com/

good luck!!!

Maybe I should wait and see if they have an holiday thing or anything, though even without it it's pretty cheap. I was thinking about buying either cage, and possibly most of the other stuff, from there.

That's nice to know. So it seems like it's mostly the bigger birds that have the issues? I haven't heard of that specifically as I don't really know much about birds but the concept (of ignoring it and rewarding good) seems really similar to dog training and psychology and stuff. But yeah, I was thinking of getting 2 males anyways. I want to hear them whistle haha

Yeah, ours are definitely way overpriced too. Ours are about the same but it might even be $120 or $160, I can't remember. I actually really don't think it's as high as $160 but I'm pretty possitive it's at least $100. I haven't looked at breeders yet so I can't say anything about that price but I can say that for one budgie breeder I found but not near here, it was like $60 or $70 or something for like 1/2 English 1/2 American and the more English content, the more it went up. But they were at least honest and didn't sell birds with American in them as full English and lowered the price accordingly so that's nice but the full English were like at least $100, possibly a lot more, whereas I could go to Petco and get one for $22 so obviously a huge difference. But then again the ones at Petco or Petsmart and most pet stores wouldn't be handfed and socialized so I suppose it's worth it but still, I don't know.

I'll look into those sites and breeders though, thank you!

oh and also, another thing I was thinking of is possibly going to a bird show or something, what do you think about those? i know i have a friend who goes to reptile shows sometimes and he just recently picked up some new breeders for great prices and I've heard supplies and everything have deals too so I figure it's probably the same for bird shows but I know birds are more sensitive so I don't know if they'd be healthy at a show or if it'd be worth it? What do you think? Thanks again though

 

[ShrekDawg]

forgot to mention, reputable breeders should have a website you can view and they do not wean their babies too early nor do they sell unweaned babies. I have heard of breeders selling not fully weaned babies (they just sell the baby right when it begins to test solid food) and the babies either die or have problems when they are older.

thanks yeah, most of the ones I've found seemed to let them go around 8 weeks? I don't know why they'd sell unweaned ones cause it seems like if you don't know what you're doing, the bird can die, as you said. I get the appeal but I wouldn't risk it

 

[GuineaFowling]

bird shows may or may not be great. Just like a fair many birds are exposed to one another and can catch illnesses. Thats why its advised to immediately wash your hands and change your clothes after attending a bird show because there is the risk of getting your own bird sick. If you do get a bird from a show get it from a responsible and knowledgeable person. The person should be able to properly answer all your questions, etc. Look for any signs of illness in the bird as well. A healthy bird will have clear eyes, no nasal discharge or pink nares (if it is a species that has visible nares), good feather plumage, and will be active. The cages should not be overcrowded and they should be clean aside from the few droppings from the birds. If the birds look unhealthy and poorly taken care of its best to not get them even if the price is great. Trust me a sick bird is more expensive then you may think.

If a healthy bird is housed with or next to a bird that is sick dont get it. It has been exposed and will likely be sick in a few hours.

I avoid shows and handling other peoples birds because I fear my own birds may get sick. If you take the necessary precautions you should be fine.

 

[ShrekDawg]

bird shows may or may not be great. Just like a fair many birds are exposed to one another and can catch illnesses. Thats why its advised to immediately wash your hands and change your clothes after attending a bird show because there is the risk of getting your own bird sick. If you do get a bird from a show get it from a responsible and knowledgeable person. The person should be able to properly answer all your questions, etc. Look for any signs of illness in the bird as well. A healthy bird will have clear eyes, no nasal discharge or pink nares (if it is a species that has visible nares), good feather plumage, and will be active. The cages should not be overcrowded and they should be clean aside from the few droppings from the birds. If the birds look unhealthy and poorly taken care of its best to not get them even if the price is great. Trust me a sick bird is more expensive then you may think.

If a healthy bird is housed with or next to a bird that is sick dont get it. It has been exposed and will likely be sick in a few hours.

I avoid shows and handling other peoples birds because I fear my own birds may get sick. If you take the necessary precautions you should be fine.

Thanks again. I figured some birds would probably be sick since they're so sensitive but hadn't even thought about healthy ones being exposed! That's a great point. Maybe it's not worth the risk? There really aren't any around here or super closeanyways, at least not anytime soon, so I'd have to travel kinda far to go to one anyway

 

[ShrekDawg]

Sorry for all the questions but do you think something like these would be better? I ask because they were in my suggestions & I once heard someone say that for budgies it's more important for the cage to be wider than it is tall? But I don't know. I'd probably let them out anyways

But those are also more expensive and the cages already suggested seem pretty wide anyways?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CTTCBKW...=UTF8&colid=TVB7IIVZTRFS&coliid=IIH7FSWWKSU6A

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EQ28WX0...UTF8&colid=TVB7IIVZTRFS&coliid=I2IVNOJKG1V9KE

 

[ShrekDawg]

There's so many cages :/

 

[ShrekDawg]

Oh and btw, not necessarily those exact cages but that idea but I'm not sure if it really matters that much?

 

[GuineaFowling]

all birds need longer than tall cages because they should be able to fly in them not just climb around. Its is hespecially required for smaller birds such as parakeets, finches, and canaries because those are the birds that people tend to keep in the cage at all times. I really like this cage http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CTTCBKW...=UTF8&colid=TVB7IIVZTRFS&coliid=IIH7FSWWKSU6A especially since it has a removable divider. But the cages i showed you are also wide enough for parakeets. Get what ever cage you think is best for your home. You have to make sure you have a big enough place inside your house for the cage. Take a measurement of the cages and find a spot and see if the cage will fit in it. It is essential that you keep your cage away from windows as windows let in drafts and during the night it gets cold. But also keep the cage in a room that has natural light rather than artificial. I put my birds into smaller cages and take them out to get their daily dose of sun so the whole cage by the window can be avoided.

Before getting a cage its always best to figure out where you can put it and stuff.

Good Luck!!

 

[GuineaFowling]

Oh also read the reviews on the cages. I just read some reviews and not all of them are good!