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Post by gmcgoy on Jan 3, 2014 3:29:25 GMT
Hmm... Just thought I would ask if anyone knew of parakeet breeders in my area in case there are no boys left when I see 2 babies next week. I would hate to wait another 3 or 4 months... All those parakeets at the pet stores must come from somewhere! Thanks. Gail
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Post by Budgiebonkers on Jan 3, 2014 13:55:34 GMT
Try birdbreeders.com or hoobly or kijijis
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Post by gmcgoy on Jan 4, 2014 2:55:06 GMT
Thank you.
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Post by Pammy on Jan 4, 2014 5:25:07 GMT
I hope you have better luck locating budgie breeders than I did here in Oklahoma. There are some birdie mills here, but absolutely NOBODY is hand raising baby budgies. I guess they figure they can't make any money on them, since they're available at Petco and PetsMart for twenty bucks. As for the pet stores needing to be supplied from somewhere, the major chain stores get their birds from huge birdie mills. I am not happy that I found myself supporting that industry by getting Noel & December from Petco, but if I wanted budgies, and I did, I didn't have a reasonable choice. I am very happy with my budgies and love them very much. Mistletoe is a hand raised baby cockatiel from a private breeder, and oh my! Such a difference! Let us know whether either of the two babies left at the breeder's is a boy. I hope so!  |
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Post by gmcgoy on Jan 4, 2014 5:56:57 GMT
Thank you Pammy. I did find some places in my area but many were shops or feed stores that said they got their birds elsewhere. I found this breeder we are waiting on through Craig's list and just recently learned her name. I am glad she has finally responded so we can see what she has. I have a feeling if there is any question about the sex of this little baby that it might be better to wait for the next round of babies she has. But that could be awhile. I am fine waiting, but my 13 year old daughter will need convincing. I just think it would be worth it to have a stress free hand tamed baby straight from its home as opposed to taming down a bird from Petco. I am glad to hear that a hand tamed baby would be worth the wait! Gail
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Post by dianapalmer on Jan 4, 2014 15:23:39 GMT
Pammy,
How did you find Mistletoe's breeder?
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Post by Budgiebonkers on Jan 4, 2014 15:33:04 GMT
When I got my diego it was from a breeder....they said he was 8 weeks old.....boy was that a lie. He had to be at least a year as he already had a yellow face. Once bought budgies from a breeders they were plucked so badly the feathers never grew back.....ill take my chances getting my birds at petstores. I do not trust breeders.
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Post by Sarah on Jan 5, 2014 9:50:58 GMT
It is true; just because a bird came from a breeder does not mean it had a good experience or a gentle start in life. When choosing a breeder, it is important to check them, very thoroughly. This means asking them specific questions about budgie care, demanding to see their premises and above all, only taking a healthy, well adjusted chick from them. Horror stories can happen behind closed doors, because parrot breeding is almost completely unregulated. It is not wise to assume a breeder is the best answer, nor is it right to assume that pet stores are a bad idea.
As a rule, I prefer small, locally owned pet stores that sell locally bred hand tamed birds. This way, you can see the condition the birds are kept in, you can meet and play with your future companion, ask informed questions AND if anything goes wrong, there is someone to hold accountable and ironclad proof of purchase. In addition, the likelihood that these animals were raised by a hobbyist with a loving hand and not someone cutting corners to make a quick buck increases - the pet store will buy any healthy clutch, probably born in someone's living room instead of an aviary. That's just my two cents, of course. I would ask if any of the stores you had spoken to keep hand tamed birds, and whether or not they are amenable to allowing you to hold or play with any of them.
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Post by Pammy on Jan 5, 2014 23:12:22 GMT
Hmm, I replied to this yesterday, and my post isn't here. Must be one of those instances of pressing reply rather than quick reply, and not completing the second step. Anyway -- I got very lucky with Mary, Mistletoe's breeder. She was so thorough and thoughtful, sending me pictures and updates on Mistletoe ever since he was an egg, and actually even before that, when his parents were setting up housekeeping, and she answered a slew of questions for me. It was a joy to meet her last week. When I adopted Mistletoe, she provided me with a hatch certificate, his DNA gender results form, a bag full of millet and the other foods he'd been on, for a smoother transition to my feed, and even his weight that morning, so I could monitor him for this first little while. Her home smelled fresh and clean, even though she has many birds. I'm certain there are countless scary so-called "breeders" out there, akin to backyard puppy breeders that belong in jail, but I lucked into an amazing one. Diana, I was looking for a budgie breeder, and had no luck. I searched all the Oklahoma avian breeders that came up via search engines, and just kept coming up empty. In desperation, I contacted the owner of an aviary for larger parrots, and asked her whether she could recommend somebody. She didn't know of anybody breeding budgies, but she did have a friend who breeds cockatiels. She forwarded my email to her, and that friend emailed me back right away. She turned out to be Mary, my Mistletoe's breeder. We drove 4 hours one way to get to her house, and then 4 back home again the next day, and Mistletoe is sooo worth it. He's a wonderful little bird, and already turning into a dear little friend. |
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Post by Sarah on Jan 6, 2014 19:26:18 GMT
Of course there are diamonds like Mary to be found, and if you can find an excellent breeder that is perfect.
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Post by gmcgoy on Jan 7, 2014 19:14:17 GMT
Just got an email about the baby parakeets. The people ahead of us backed out as their son is getting bad grades. So we have first pick this sunday!!!
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Post by Pammy on Jan 7, 2014 20:27:54 GMT
Oh wow! That works out real well for you, and I'm impressed with the parents for doing something about those bad grades. So eager to hear what you decide to do! I hope your baby is there! |
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Post by rdkntriker on Jan 7, 2014 20:50:26 GMT
Congrats and it will be fun for you to pick out your new Budgie
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Post by gmcgoy on Jan 7, 2014 23:22:18 GMT
Haha Pammy! That is why we waited 3 months. Because my daughter was not keeping her room clean and her stuff put away! So we passed on the last round until she could get her act together!  Gail thank you rdkntriker! |
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Post by Pammy on Jan 8, 2014 0:11:36 GMT
That's great! Now your daughter will appreciate her little budgie so much more than had she not had to follow thru with her end of the bargain. It's so hard to be a parent and stick with these things, but it's best for everybody when we do.
Is funny now, but the punishment that stands out in my mind as a mother was the year when my oldest daughter was 4 years old. It was a day or two before Halloween, and she sneaked into the babies' room and got the Vaseline, the baby powder, and the baby oil (oh my!) and mixed together a concoction of the three and smeared it on my bedroom floor (military housing and it was a hard tile floor). I was nursing the youngest baby and didn't know what Rachel was up to. Well, my poor husband walked into our bedroom and you can imagine how high he flipped into the air when his foot hit the greasy mess. Imagine a fish being whipped from the pond on a fishing pole. Yep, that's what Aron looked like as he flailed to catch himself before CRASH! landing on his tailbone.
Rachel was one to always be getting into this kind of mischief, and I was so mad that I declared she would NOT be going trick-or-treating. Of course once the mess was finally all cleaned up, I was less mad, and remorse began to settle in. She would only be a child for so many years. There were only so many times she would go trick-or-treating. Blah, blah, blah. I almost caved, but I knew I couldn't. She'd expect to be let off every punishment if I let her off that one. It was so hard! Much worse on me than it was on her, but we didn't go trick-or-treating. We decorated Halloween cookies instead.
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Gail