'Board of Inquiries' for birds?

[Chris&Akilah]

Does anyone know if such a place exists? I'm aware of the one on faunaclassifieds.com, but the bird section doesn't get used. For those who don't know, a B.O.I is just a place where people can go and either recommend a breeder or dealer, or warn people to avoid them.

The more I learn about the dark-side of the parrot trade, the more I want to know how to avoid it....

[CrazzMc]

Yea, I really want to get some birds from a breeder because his prices are so cheap, but he lives in a bad city and my mom doesn't want me going there to get it lol I think I'll end up paying $50 more at a pet store, CT sucks, all the prices are so high! lol

Sorry for asking but you said the "dark-side" of parrot trading. I'm new to this stuff, care to explain a bit?

[Chris&Akilah]

There's plenty of bad stuff...parrot mills/farms where they're kept like chickens, in tiny bare cages with nothing to do but mate. Breeders who send unweaned babies home with clueless people that burn holes in their crops. Breeders who split the lower mandible of aggressive males so they cant hurt the females. Not to mention what becomes of breeder birds when they stop producing. Babies not properly weaned, left to starve to death in the backroom of a pet store...the list of horrors goes on and on. It's really shocking and disturbing. If you want to learn more read "Of Parrots and People" by Mira Tweti.

[laducockatiel]

It is totally unacceptable! These guys treat them more like toys, then living beings. But generally, breeders look after birds very well and my breeder would never leave them to die. Our breeder loves birds so much so I am sure.

[entrancedbymyGCC]

I may be old fashioned, but here I'm guessing the best route is word of mouth and actually being in contact with the breeder and/or shop owner. I think most of the big "mills" do business with large/chain pet stores.

[viki]

Well for me i know no one who ever bought a parrot so i couldnt work on word of mouth. So what i did was i went to a lot of pet shops and they all told me they order to sell except one that i was at. So i searched shopping websides. As im in Ireland and your not prob not i cant recommend but i visited a few places and chatted to a lot of people on the phone before making my decision. To this day im not sure did i make the best decision, but i do know it wasnt the worst. So my advise is, if u cant go on word of mouth, then just shop around, and be willing to travel, and also if it sounds too good to b true it probably is. the cheapest are usually cheaper for a reason. Can I also Say that $50 dollars extra isnt a big deal. The price difference here was between €400 and €1000, so go for it if it means a bird with no health issues, not stolen, and used to people.
good luck