Looking for trusted Jardine's breeder

[McKenna]

The below is an email I just sent to Michael but I'd much appreciate any advice from forum members:

Hello Michael,

Thank you so much for your very helpful site -- it's become my first go-to site for much information.

Now that you've had Truman for a while, I would like to ask you about your experience with his breeder, Jean Pattison http://www.africanqueenaviaries.com/babies.htm. We just lost our beloved 18-month old Jardine's while under general anesthesia and an autopsy revealed he had bits of galvanized wire in his gut, leading to lead poisoning. Such wire couldn't have come from our home so it either came from the store we bought him from (The Golden Cockatoo in Deerfield Beach, FL) or from the breeder, whose identity the store will not reveal to us (the band on our Jardine's started with the letters KAZ). We are now very careful in choosing the breeder for our next Jardine's and are considering Jean but wish to hear from someone who has had one of her birds for a while. Can you give us some input?

Btw, below is my vet's thorough advice when I asked him about Jean (or any breeder):

I would ask her for a few numbers of people who bought babies from her in the past, Get at least one from 2-3 years ago. If all is kosher she should be proud to give you access to pleased clients.

What kind of a guarantee is she offering? I assume this is North Florida. Going to pick up in person? Any chance to evaluate personalities?

What testing is she willing to do for the health certificate? It should be a CBC and basic chemistry panel. A stool culture would be nice to have. At minimum you must demand a Gram Stain of the stool.

Are her birds vaccinated for Polyoma? Has she had any past cases of PDD (macaw wasting disease)?
How long will she give you to get an exam done (that means blood drawn, cultures taken, not results by a certain date). What does she guarantee her birds for? Viruses? Aspiration pneumonia? The first may require a refund. The second, an agreement to cover your vet bills (none of this "bring it back up here and my vet will take care of it". Get it in writing!

If you are inclined toward a male, will she blood sex the bird at your expense? You need to get exactly what you want, not settle.

Is she going to do the weaning? If so, what is she going to use? If it is millet and seeds, or something like Simbad's "mush", which is a blending of monkey chow and peanut butter. It fattens them up, trains their taste buds to search out fats, often creates a yeast infection because it is set out in a bowl for the birds to feed themselves, while the "mush" grows organisms.

If a baby is raised on hand feeding formula, which is essentially ground pellets, then it should be weaned off that gradually, with small pellets and vegetables offered as solid food. Good habits from the start.

If she used Kaytee hand feeding formula, I would not buy a baby from her. There has been a bad batch over the last few months that has permanently damaged kidneys, all over the country. Big lawsuit. Steer clear.

Sorry for the long email. No need to respond to everything in it -- please just write back with whatever you can.

Thanks again!

-Amy & Leland

[Graybeard]

"If she used Kaytee hand feeding formula, I would not buy a baby from her. There has been a bad batch over the last few months that has permanently damaged kidneys, all over the country. Big lawsuit. Steer clear."

First I heard of this, thanks. Sounds like KT fell for cheap crap from the ChiComs, just like dog food a few years ago. Powdered melamine appears to be protein in simple tests, but thorough tests show it up. We in the US aren't the only victims. Many thousands of Chinese babies were killed or sickened with melamine in milk. Check it out on http://www.wikipedia.org .

The US tests only about 1% of imports, including food. Mississippi tests 100% of seafood imports, and rejects over half of it.

We need 100% inspection of imports - paid by the importers.

GB

[McKenna]

True that, Graybeard. Btw, I fed my Jardine's Pretty Bird, recommended by my vet because of its formulation for African Greys, which I guess Jardine's are genetically very similar to. Do you use that? My Jardine's took to it quite well.

And Michael responded with a very thorough, thoughtful description of his experience with Jean Pattison and she seems like a good source for African birds so I think we'll go ahead with her.

[terri]

Hi saw your pictures on another post [Im soo sorry ] You must miss him . Its neat you could take him to starbucks .Your right they are rare .Everything Ive read on them says what a nice bird they are .[are they the size of conures?] There. is a breeder who Im Impressed with .his names Don.I believe he breeds Jardines .He posts on Birds n Ways in Tooz talk.you should get on and ask him questions.Hes also at www.donsbirrds.com Hes helped me with quetions on my birds . He knows his stuff . Good Luck