NEW BIRD

[GlassOnion]

am starting tomorrow to look in the online adds

No no no no!! Many ads you see are posted by inexperienced backyard breeders, trust me. I've personally had an incident where I bought a baby parrotlet from an inexperienced breeder, who told me he was 'weaned' but died in my home 3 days later. Please be very very careful when looking at ads!!!

Ideally, you want to look for a reputable breeder online.

If you live in Canada: http://www.parrotplace.ca/breeder's_list.htm
If you live in the States: http://www.birdbreeders.com/BreederSearch.aspx

[brian73]

the problem i have here in northern ireland is that there is no parrot breeders forum or anything like that and good parrots are very hard to find,
if you google gumtree belfast you will see our main place for finding baby or adult birds
there are many in england but they will not send them to belfast..
so you see my choices here, also im limited in which birds i can find. i need to look everyday to try not to miss out on something good....
i only wish we had a place like michael visited where all the birds are there for you to touch and handle, then i could let a bird choose me, but alas we have no stores like that here

[patdbunny]

Ask around locally like at the petshop you got the kak and maybe you can find someone who breeds the bird you want. I understand it may take some looking. E-mail the breeders in England and see if they can give you a lead to a breeder in Ireland. I understand it may take quite a while to locate; but considering we're talking about an animal that's going to be with you a good 20+ years, it's going to be worth the time and effort.

Once you locate someone, post here again. I have some thoughts for you on dealing with the breeder.

[kaylayuh]

I agree with GlassOnion. Buying a bird from a classified ad if very risky. Many breeders often put birds up that they believe are weaned when they aren't. Others may put up an older bird with behavioral problems that they describe as a young, hand tame bird. I wouldn't risk it.

A quick google search for Ireland Bird Breeders directed me to the Parrots Ireland Forum (http://www.parrots.ie). You could try reading and posting there to find a bird breeder that will let you check out their facilities and hang out with their birds.

Also, from Yell.com, it appears there is a place named Alex's Birds. It is located at 120, Aughnahoory Rd, Kilkeel, Newry, County Down BT34 4HG. Their phone number is 07514 250343. If they are not close to you, often they can recommend someone who is.