Trained Parrot BlogParrot Wizard Online Parrot Toy StoreThe Parrot Forum

First post, YAY! could use some help as well

Off topic discussions that are unrelated to parrots and other parrot discussions that don't fit anywhere else.

First post, YAY! could use some help as well

Postby TreF » Fri Nov 06, 2009 12:33 am

Hey guys, I'm new here. I know this isn't the introduction page but i will tell a bit about myself anyway lol.

I am 23 years old and live in Salt Lake City Utah, and am a receiving manager for a bookstore. I am currently going to school to study electronics engineering. I will be done with my degree in march.I have had a couple of parakeets for the majority of my life. They are our "family" birds.

Now that i am going to be done with school, I now have the time to dedicate to the parrot i have wanted my whole life! Here is the problem and where you come in.

After months of research (including Michael's Youtube videos), I have decided I really, REALLY, want a Senegal, Meyers, or another from the same Poicephalus "family". My problem is that i have not been able to find a breeder anywhere near me. We do have a pet store that specializes in birds. they are very good and have people who hand feed and wean all the birds. the only problem is they rarely have the species/genus that i want. Also, I feel so much more comfortable purchasing animals from a breeder

I don't expect anyone to know any breeders in my area of course but if you could give me some ideas on where to start looking, that would be awesome. The internet has for once in my life turned me in circles! I have thought about finding a breeder out of state and shipping the bird to me, but i dont know how i feel about shipping an animal. Also, it makes "picking" the bird i want a bit difficult.

Thanks for taking the time to read my wall-o-text,

Trevor :senegal:
TreF
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 4
Number of Birds Owned: 0
Flight: No

Re: First post, YAY! could use some help as well

Postby Michael » Fri Nov 06, 2009 12:45 am

A quick search on http://www.birdbreeders.com/BreederSearch.aspx revealed:

Pretty Birds Aviary
We Ship
St George , UT 84770
435-632-8404

Angel's Aviary
Hurricane, UT 84737
435-272-4621

Bullocks Birds
Hooper , UT 84315
801-985-3744

If you haven't tried those already you should give them a call. If they don't have Senegals you should ask them if they know any other breeders that do. They may have connections or know somebody.

I heard that Meyers are "out of season" as are many other birds right now. Don't rush it. Better to wait till their in season and get a good one then to rush the decision and jump into a buy.

Don't let my videos make you decide you want a parrot. Some people seem to expect it to come like that out of the box which is not at all what I am trying to demonstrate but rather just trying to show the potential they have with proper training. They can have a nasty side to them, bite, and be a one person bird. So make sure you read up on all the flaws and problems.

Are you planning to fly it? How experienced are you with flighted parrots? If you aren't then you probably should get a clipped one because going right to flight may be too big a step. I'm going to experiment with a never clipped bird next time I get one and will try to make a tutorial for new parrot owners buying never-clipped parrots.

If the breeders listed above just don't work for you, I'd recommend broadening your radius to one day's drive (so maybe 300 miles?). If you are really serious about getting a parrot and you find a perfect breeder or store for you at some distance, I think a long drive would be less stressful for the bird then to be shipped in. Just make sure not to draft it in the car by keeping temperature even and no AC.

Any other questions? Welcome to the forum.
User avatar
Michael
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 6286
Location: New York
Number of Birds Owned: 3
Types of Birds Owned: Senegal Parrot, Cape Parrot, Green-Winged Macaw
Flight: Yes

Re: First post, YAY! could use some help as well

Postby TreF » Fri Nov 06, 2009 1:17 am

Ya, i am well aware of their bad behavior. I have been considering many many birds and they just are my favorite by far. Your vid's were just entertaining, I have no expectations in training. There are other birds that are much more inclined to be trained.

As for flight, I am not comfortable having a flighted bird and intend to clip its wings.

I will give those numbers a call and see what they can say!

Anyone have any experience with rescuing a "2nd hand" bird? I'm somewhat considering that option
TreF
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 4
Number of Birds Owned: 0
Flight: No

Re: First post, YAY! could use some help as well

Postby TreF » Sun Nov 08, 2009 12:37 am

Update!

So i went to my local pet store. They hand feed their birds behind glass windows at the back of the store, its very cool. Anyway, I went back to see what birds they have, and they are currently hand feeding 2 Meyers and 1 Senegal!!!

Now i have to find 450 dollars for the bird, plus a cage, toys etc.

hehe... ya not gonna happen. But i talked to the people there and they said they get a lot of birds in this time of year as well as in the spring. So I am gonna be patient, and start saving my money.

That gives me money to search around for the supplies. I have seen really good deals for used parrot cages on craigslist. Another good thing is i will get to handle and the birds a lot before deciding on which to buy

so ya, i'll continue to be entertained by your posts for the time being, but expect me to start contributing with my bird stories in the next little while

Peace
TreF
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 4
Number of Birds Owned: 0
Flight: No

Re: First post, YAY! could use some help as well

Postby Michael » Sun Nov 08, 2009 12:43 am

Keep in mind that the price of the bird itself is very small compared to the cost of keeping and maintaining it. If you can barely afford the price of the bird, you can't afford to keep it. You must consider the long term costs of having a parrot.
User avatar
Michael
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 6286
Location: New York
Number of Birds Owned: 3
Types of Birds Owned: Senegal Parrot, Cape Parrot, Green-Winged Macaw
Flight: Yes

Re: First post, YAY! could use some help as well

Postby TreF » Mon Nov 09, 2009 3:25 am

450 on a bird, a couple hundred for a cage, 150 dollars for toys, food, etc. thats 800 dollars dude.

The fact that I do not have 800 dollars sitting around that I can spend on a bird does not mean that i cannot afford the upkeep, and long lasting expenses of one. Thats like saying "If you can barely afford the price of the car, you can't afford to keep it. Cmon, dont you know you have to pay for gas, insurance, upkeep, repairs etc."

Many, if not most, people faced with an expensive purchase that is not essential to their physical or mental well being, have to save up for it. If you walked into a pet store with no plan on buying anything, saw your Senegal, and then slapped down all the money for it, then you are a lucky person. The rest of us have to work for what we desire in life.

Don't get me wrong, I understand the point you are trying to make, but I am not stupid, and I am not a child. I have the ability to research how much a bird costs and determine myself if i can afford it. I do not plan on getting a bird, then neglecting it, or getting rid of it because i cannot afford to care for it.

Do not bother replying I will not be back to the forum to read it.

For future reference, try to be more polite to new people and your forum may just become a great place to visit.
TreF
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 4
Number of Birds Owned: 0
Flight: No

Re: First post, YAY! could use some help as well

Postby Michael » Mon Nov 09, 2009 9:33 am

I was always of the opinion that immature people should not own a parrot. I rest my case.
User avatar
Michael
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 6286
Location: New York
Number of Birds Owned: 3
Types of Birds Owned: Senegal Parrot, Cape Parrot, Green-Winged Macaw
Flight: Yes

Re: First post, YAY! could use some help as well

Postby MandyG » Mon Nov 09, 2009 11:58 am

Michael wrote:Keep in mind that the price of the bird itself is very small compared to the cost of keeping and maintaining it. If you can barely afford the price of the bird, you can't afford to keep it. You must consider the long term costs of having a parrot.


I have to say I completely agree with TreF's reply to the above comment. I could barely afford the price of my bird, and I'm more than capable of being able to afford to keep him even though I did not have the cash for the initial cost burning a hole in my pocket. Think, an Amazon is $1,500, the cage I bought that was large enough was on sale at over $800, plus countless toys, perches, food, etc. I had absolutely nowhere near almost $2,500-$3,000 just laying around. I had to save up while I was researching and while I was waiting for my new baby to be old enough to be shipped to me. And even after all of that time I still did not have the whole amount saved up. That in no way means that I haven't been able to afford to keep him and provide the best care possible for him.

TreF wrote:hehe... ya not gonna happen. But i talked to the people there and they said they get a lot of birds in this time of year as well as in the spring. So I am gonna be patient, and start saving my money.


I think that saying that TreF was going to wait and start saving until he had the funds was completely responsible AND mature. Being irrisponsible and immature would be saying 'I want' and just going out and getting the first thing they saw at the pet store without even considering what size of cage they needed or even what type of bird they were getting.

Maybe tone down the judgements a little bit...
User avatar
MandyG
Amazon
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 946
Location: Manitoba, Canada
Number of Birds Owned: 1
Types of Birds Owned: Yellow Crowned Amazon
Flight: Yes

Re: First post, YAY! could use some help as well

Postby Natacha » Wed Nov 11, 2009 4:24 pm

I also found that TreF was showing that he was reasonable.

He's willing to save money before making the purchase.
Yes birds are expensive to upkeep, however the initial cost tends to be even more, since it involves the bird, a cage and other accessories. Eventually, the costs are spread out and much more easier to manage, unless you face an emergency and must do extensive tests at the vet's office. And I'm sure that once he would have his bird, he would also start some type of emergency vet fund or at least save money in case something were to happen.
My blog http://poiworld.blogspot.com/
Videos of my birds http://www.youtube.com/user/poicephaluslady
Piper ~ Lovebird
Shade ~ Senegal
Joey & Pixel ~ Red-bellied parrots
Petey & Zuri ~ Meyer's parrots
Léa ~ Cape parrot
User avatar
Natacha
African Grey
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 1277
Location: Ontario, Canada
Number of Birds Owned: 7
Types of Birds Owned: PF Lovebird, Senegal Parrot, Red-bellied Parrots, Meyer's Parrot, Cape Parrot
Flight: Yes

Re: First post, YAY! could use some help as well

Postby Michael » Wed Nov 11, 2009 4:49 pm

Notice the words I used like "Keep in mind" and "You must consider the long term costs of having a parrot."

I was only bringing these issues to light. And I absolutely stand by the comment that "If you can barely afford the price of the bird, you can't afford to keep it." I guess if someone gives you the bird it may be different but the discussion assumed a new bird from the start. If the price of the bird is overbudget, then the lifeterm cost will be impossible to pay. Notice viewtopic.php?f=7&t=320
User avatar
Michael
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 6286
Location: New York
Number of Birds Owned: 3
Types of Birds Owned: Senegal Parrot, Cape Parrot, Green-Winged Macaw
Flight: Yes

Next

Return to General & Off Topic

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 8 guests

Parrot ForumArticles IndexTraining Step UpParrot Training BlogPoicephalus Parrot InformationParrot Wizard Store