When considering a budgie breeder....

[red2324]

What should one look for besides birds that are healthy and kept in clean and safe environments? What should a good budgie breeders breeding goal be? I am considering a particular breeder (over purchasing at a pet shop) and overall I like her website and did correspond with her through email already, but my only concern is that she seems to be breeding for rare and complicated color mutations and not much else. Breeding like this usually has detrimental effects on many other types of animals. I dont know how it affects birds.

[marie83]

It affects birds the same way, its just genetic disorders are less common at the moment in bird species because they haven't been bred as long as other species. The problems are quickly catching up though. I would advise against a breeder and go for a rescue but thats because I'm very opinionated on this subject, you will be hard pushed to find a breeder that breeds to improve the genetic pool.

[Pricey_boy]

When looking for a bird you don't need the perfect breeder as long as the birds are healthy and well looked after. I got my corella from a woman who found after falling out of a best and reared him and my mutation lorikeet I bought from a random breeder at the side of a market no questions asked and he's a great bird I choose the one who takes interest in you when the other birds are doing their own thing

[friend2parrots]

you are ABSOLUTELY correct in your suspicion that breeding for colors and particular traits is bad for the birds. and its not a matter of it being "usually detrimental" - it is ALWAYS detrimental to the birds, and always results in underlying genetic weakness and increased possibility of various kinds of disease. mutation birds are always less healthy than non-mutation birds.

for budgies, the average lifespan of a fancy color mutation is 2 years. the average lifespan for a wild-type is 15 years.

I am considering a particular breeder (over purchasing at a pet shop) and overall I like her website and did correspond with her through email already, but my only concern is that she seems to be breeding for rare and complicated color mutations and not much else.

RUN, don't walk, AWAY from this breeder. if color mutations are her focus, she is KNOWINGLY jeopardizing the health of her birds, and hence is not a humane breeder, no matter how she advertises herself.

i've written some posts in another thread about what to look for in a breeder, and how to find a good breeder. they may be helpful to you:

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=9684

unfortunately, a lot of budgie breeders are very irresponsible. you really need to look hard for someone who sells you a WILD-TYPE bird i describe what one looks like in this thread:

viewtopic.php?f=18&t=9625

if you can't find such a breeder, then I would advise that you adopt a budgie from a shelter or a rescue, or through petfinder.

[friend2parrots]

It affects birds the same way, its just genetic disorders are less common at the moment in bird species because they haven't been bred as long as other species. The problems are quickly catching up though.

+1

adopting a budgie is better than getting one from a breeder interested in mutations and such. unfortunately, most budgie breeders don't care about the species of the bird. they see it as a disposable bird sadly, and don't respect its genetic integrity as a species.

When looking for a bird you don't need the perfect breeder as long as the birds are healthy and well looked after.

I dont agree with this. there is a big difference between good breeders who care about their birds genetic integrity, and lousy breeders who care about nothing more than money or fancy mutations. its best to avoid bad breeders.

my mutation lorikeet I bought from a random breeder at the side of a market no questions asked and he's a great bird I choose the one who takes interest in you when the other birds are doing their own thing

pricey-boy, I am sure your mutation lorikeet is a great bird in personality, but sadly, he is not as genetically healthy as a regular wild-type lorikeet. the breeder you got him from, if he was "random and no questions asked" does not sound like someone who may have kept his birds genetic welfare in mind.