Fahad

Thanks katana600 , his name was Gogo. The biggest problem here is that most of the birds in these souks are imported illegally and there is a very high demand for exotic birds. I just came to know yesterday that there is a temporary ban on birds imported from Australia, South Africa and some European countries due to Diseases and Bird Flu since 2013. All these pet shop agents care about is making money and by the looks of the current demand this will go on for sometime.

Thank you all for your support. i am skeptical to get a bird imported as the costs are huge and there are risks of getting an imported bird which could be infected. The only way what i see is that Dubai government is opening an official Pet market in coming months which will be strictly regulated. They have mentioned that only pets obtained through legal means and tested will be allowed to sold there. But to make sure i don't get duped again i will get all the tests done.

Hi All, I am sharing my experience so that all can learn from the mistake i made when we bought our baby African Grey a month ago. We live in UAE and there are no breeders of AG in this country. After a lot of research and advise received from so many people, we opted to purchase an 5 month AG Baby from one of the trusted suppliers. We collected the AG the day it arrived from South Africa to UAE along with its Health certificate mentioning it was free of PBFD Disease. As i had the certificate, i felt it was unnecessary to get him tested. He was with us for 4 weeks and all our family members became so attached to it. During his stay, i felt he was underweight but let it go thinking that he is very small and must be a lean parrot. Last week all of a sudden after feeding him in the afternoon, he started trembling and one of his leg was completely not functioning. By evening the other leg also paralyzed. He could not move at all, stopped eating, stopped talking, stopped pooping and puked some of his food. We rushed him to an avian vet where the doctor did a quick blood test and informed us that the AG has no White blood cells in his body and is neurologically damaged due to which both of his legs were paralyzed. He informed us that the bird was infected with PBFD. He told us that given his situation,he will die in 24 hours. He advised us that its best to let the AG go to ease his pain. It was the most hardest and a tear felt decision i had to make to euthanize him. He was with us just for a month and i never thought that his loss would affect our family so much. The loss is unbearable. When getting a bird , always get it fully tested . Tests are expensive but they will spare you the pain of loosing the bird in such a way. DO NOT TRUST PET SHOPS or ANYONE !! When getting the Tests done, make sure the bird is with you so that it does not get infected with other birds until the test results come back.

Hey All, I am Fahad residing in Dubai from the past couple of years. I am an animal lover and fell in love with African grey parrot from the moment i have seen them at my friends place. I am looking to get a African Grey in UAE. I had visited all the pet markets but it was very sad to see the condition in which the animals are kept there. Most of the animals there are caught wild or disease prone. I don't want to support these places , hence i am looking if someone can suggest me a breeder or a place where they sell disease free African Grey's. Highly appreciate if anyone can guide me to get an african parrot . Thanks.