Looking for African Grey...

[emroul]

Hi,

if anyone has suggestions for me of where to find African Grey breeders so I could purchase a good Grey or two. I am thinking about breeding them if the situation is right. If not, one will do. :-) I would need a cage, too, but I could always buy one separately. Thanks!

ps- Timneh or Congo would be best. Thanks again!

[birdygirl]

check in the back of bird talk magazine. sometimes you can find breeding pairs in the paper. But those aren't always reliable good sources. Bird Talk is. Also go to google.com and type in Classifieds. African Grey. You might get a good response.

[Jenny]

I don't mean to sound negative or anything, but I really wouldnt' get into parrot breeding until you're out of school, have a steady job, etc. Breeding birds, especially greys, costs a whole lot, and it's hard to make much money off of it. For starts: Handfeeding formula: $20+ Cage/aviary: $100+ Food for breeding pair: $100+ Pair of greys: $1000+ Incubator: $100+ Brooder: $50+ Vet work: $50+(+++!) Scale: $50+ Disinifectants: $30+ And that's not nearly everything you'll need. Next, breeding birds makes it nearly impossible to get away on vacation, because it's not so easy finding someone reliable and experienced enough to take care of breeder and baby birds. Also, if you hand-feed, you have to wake up regularaly throughout the night to feed them their first few weeks. There's many more reasons why it'd be better to wait. Breeding greys can be extremely rewarding, it just IMHO wouldn't be the best thing to start right away. I got a book a year or two ago on breeding, and it's fabulous! It's called "The Parrot Breeder's Answer Book" and is written by Gayle Soucek. I really learned alot from it and it was extremely helpful. Like Birdygirl said, if you do decide to breed greys someday than you can find breeders in the back of BirdTalk. However, just because they're in a good bird magazine doesn't mean theyr'e quality breeders. Also keep in mind the age of the bird you're buying, since they aren't sexually mature for quite awhile. Last but not least, be careful buying a pair because some people sell birds as "proven breeders" yet they only lay infertile clutches. Anyway, just some things to think about... :)

[emroul]

Thanks for the info, I have kept all of that in mind. I am out of school by the way, but I'm not starting to breed Grey's for awhile. At least a couple of years. I just wanted price ranges, get familiar with terms, etc. I don't know enough yet to get into anything, I wouldn't want to mess up!! Plus, I will probably "practice" with something easier, if that is possible. Any suggestions for me there??? Thanks!

[Jenny]

Good to hear that. :) The book I mentioned will help you get familiar with all the terms, price ranges, and just the real thing. For "starts" you might think about ringneck parakeets, lovebirds, green-cheek conures, quakers (if they're allowed) or some other smaller, cheaper, more prolific species that you'd have a fairly easy time finding homes for. Parrotlets would also be awesome to breed, but a guy I talked to said handfeeding them was like trying to feed a fly, so I don't think that'd be the best way to start!

[emroul]

I'm really glad you gave me some suggestions; I think I may start with lovebirds. I have a cockatiel right now, but i wouldn't want to breed him. Just a 'beginners' question, but what exactly is a parrotlet? Do you possibly know of a picture? I'm asking so many questions, but I want to know as much as you guys!! LOL
Thanks again!

[birdygirl]

You could start with budgies but there are so many petstores that sell them that people may not buy them from you.

http://www.wcinet.net/~louisedel/

This site has pics of parrotlets.

[emroul]

Thanks birdygirl, I checked it out, it helped. I am currently researching more on both lovebirds and conures, to breed. It will be awhile before I make any big decisions on new family members, but all the suggestions and advice will help tremendously. Thanks.... :-)

[Jenny]

We don't mind you asking questions- so ask away as much as you want! :) Three other great parrotlet websites that I know of: www.parrotlets.com, www.parrotletranch.com, & www.shadypines.com I get the same reply from people who own parrotlets- they're a little parrot with a big, amazon-like attitude! The people I've talked to who have them love them to death and think they're the best birds in the world. (well, I guess everyone thinks the birds they have are the best species too...lol) My mom particularly is in love with them! Anyway, budgies would be good to start with too, though I agree with what Birdygirl said that most people who want one are just going to go to the nearest petstore, hand the cashier a $20 bill, and get it right then and there. However, if you hand-feed them and they're really tame and sweet, then people you know would be likely to want one. I think that lovebirds would be good to start with, though it depends on how many are in the area- there's the "Supply/Demand" thing again! Another bird to think about is canaries, and yes, there is such thing as having a hand-fed pet canary! But they're very small at birth too... :)

[JSimko]

Through taking my birds outside alot and taking them places that many people would never expect to see a bird, I met many people and got a lot of business cards from people that want me to contact them if I ever decide to start breeding birds. At first they asked if I could recommened a pet store, but I told them to be very careful about pet stores since many of them have people that don't care working for them.

[Jenny]

Good for you! I wish more people would be careful when thinking about buying from a petstore. At my vet clinic, over half of the sick reptiles/amphibians all come from this one Petco. So now whenever anyone brings in a sick herp or amphibian, we are usually correct in knowing where they bought it before they've even told us! And when there's something wrong with the cage set-up such as the wrong kind of lighting etc., then they always are very suprised and say that one of the employees recommended it to them. The same goes with birds and other animals,too.

[emroul]

I know, it's too bad that pet store's don't actually take the time to take care of the animals. If I worked at a petstore, I would probably be the only one taking care of the animals (especially the birds) :-) oh well, that's why there are breeders out there, hopefully some I can trust