Selecting a Bird Breeder and your New Bird
By the staff of BirdHobbyist.com
One of the most important steps you can take in making sure your new bird will be a healthy, happy, lifelong member of your family is to invest in finding a responsible, knowledgeable breeder. The right breeder will be a resource for you long after your check has cleared the bank!
How can you tell if the breeder is responsible and knowledgeable? Here are some tips from the staff of BirdHobbyist.com:
Protecting their breeding birds from infectious disease and parasites is a top priority, and so responsible breeders maintain closed aviaries. They may have closed circuit viewing systems or use other means so you can see their birds, or they may simply allow you to see their pet (non-breeding) birds.
The breeder will screen purchasers to make sure that the bird and the human are suited to each other. They may ask for references, and will at the very least ask questions to test the prospective bird owner's knowledge of the species he or she is considering purchasing.
Breeders should be available to help new owners after the placement. They should be available for follow-up advice and care information for at least one month, although the best breeders will always be available as a resource to help your bird fit into your family and be healthy and well-adjusted for all its life. Breeders should provide care sheets, as well as help select a proper cage, toys and foods.
Breeders should provide all health certificates, vet records, and for the larger birds, a psitticosis test and results prior to the sale.
A reasonable health guarantee will be provided. This varies from aviary to aviary, but periods from one week to two weeks to get the bird to the vet and have it checked are common among good breeders. A breeder should be willing to either refund your money in full or give you another bird if problems are discovered by the purchaser's vet during this period.
Breeders should be able to provide references to past bird buyers.
Breeders should let the purchaser know if the bird they are buying has been culled from the clutch or is a hybrid. Breeders who deliberately seek to produce "hybrids," and charge large amounts of money for them, are generally considered to be unethical by serious bird fanciers. One of the biggest problems associated with hybridizing is that it weakens the gene-pool. It also generally produces a sterile bird. For a number of species, the gene pool is already weakened in the US, because there aren't enough sepearate lines to breed from.
A Breeder should be willing to take the bird back if there is a problem and the person has to give the bird up. This does not mean the breeder will purchase the bird.
An ethical breeder would not use rescued birds in their breeding program. They might rescue birds, but would not sell them, although adopters should expect to pay a reasonable adoption fee to recoup costs.
For issues related to handfeeding and weaning baby birds, and the selling of unweaned baby birds, please read BirdHobbyist.com's Notes on Hand Feeding and Unweaned Baby Birds.
|
