Questions for our Breeder

[Merlin]

Just wondering if there are any questions I haven’t covered that are important to ask my prospective breeders (also if some questions are odd or you don’t like pleeeeeeeease let me know)

 

~ Do you breed Congos and/or Timnehs?

 

~ Is it possible for us to visit a group of babies, and have our baby select us?

 

~ Can we please visit our baby often?

 

~ Can choose that our baby be weaned onto Roudybush pellets (and the normal fruit and veg selection)? Could please let me know the size pellet they use?

 

~ Can you please make a note of what fruit and veg our baby has enjoyed- and what their favourites are?

 

~ I would like to buy a non-clipped baby who has learned how to fly. (Not negotiable)

 

~ Would like our baby socialized with kids and dogs please if possible.

 

~ What sort of environment will our baby be raised in?

 

~ We would love to buy a few toys for our baby to learn to play with please, so that it can come home to us with some familiar belongings. Is this ok?

 

~ We would very much like our baby to be introduced to a harness (aviator preferred), progressively from a very young age, to the point where it is comfortable wearing it with no stress or reaction when it is close to weaning. It is important for Adam and I to be able to take our Grey out with us in public, to relative’s houses and on holidays- and harness training can be extremely difficult if it has not been introduced from the start. We will compensate/buy any equiptment required.

 

~ I will not buy a baby who is not at least 15 weeks old. Especially for a Congo as they mature and develop so much slower than the smaller Timneh. (Not Negotiable)

 

~ I would like to know the birthdate of our baby. (Not negotiable)

[Life is Greyt]

I'm no expert, but it looks to me like you have a pretty good list going. I had a very similar list when I started looking. Best of luck finding the right breeder for you.

[carlsjr]

15 weeks may be an issue with a breeder

[Greywings]

I would also ask about any health concerns they have had in the past or a Veterinary reference.

[Ray P]

The only thing I can see about the list that might be a problem is the socialized with kids and dogs as they may not have kids or dogs that are around the greys.

Some of this may be up to you as to the kind a pets you may have and the number of kids.

[Dave007]

Do you breed Congos and/or Timnehs?

 

1----That should be pretty obvious. You wouldn't be going there if he didn't breed them. A simple phone call will tell you what types of birds he/she breeds. A breeder doesn't have to sell all species of parrots. Actually, most breeders don't.

 

Is it possible for us to visit a group of babies, and have our baby select us?

 

2----Asking if you can visit is fine. If there's a clutch to pick from, then it's fine. Asking about how to pick one out is up to the person. The breeder doesn't really care how you pick one out. Anyway, there's a chance that a bird won't select you. That's a fallacy that people put too much importance on . You could be going on a day where none of the chicks are showing no interest in anything.

 

Can choose that our baby be weaned onto Roudybush pellets (and the normal fruit and veg selection)? Could please let me know the size pellet they use?

 

3---You can't tell a breeder what food you wanna use in the future. He/she has his own food that he uses. A person decides to change things including food with a bird when they finally own the bird and it's home. It's got nothing to do with a breeder.

 

Can you please make a note of what fruit and veg our baby has enjoyed- and what their favourites are?

 

4---That's the usual process that breeders do when selling a bird.

 

I would like to buy a non-clipped baby who has learned how to fly. (Not negotiable)

 

5----You can ask about an unclipped bird. It's the breeder who makes that decision. If you don't like that decision, you go somewhere else. As far as flying, a breeder never trains a bird to fly. That's done in the home of the owner. That's like buying a puppy and asking the breeder to housebreak him and train him to walk with a leash before sale.

If a person goes to dept store to buy a mattress, the seller doesn't tell a person what's the most comfortable way to lay on it.

 

Would like our baby socialized with kids and dogs please if possible.

 

6----It won't be possible. Again, the breeder doesn't train a bird for these specifics. Those types of things are done at home.

 

What sort of environment will our baby be raised in?

 

7------you can ask but that type of information is what a person finds out about long before he/she buys a bird. A breeder can give you the basics.

 

We would love to buy a few toys for our baby to learn to play with please, so that it can come home to us with some familiar belongings. Is this ok?

 

8---This is what all people do before bringing a bird home. That's pertains to all species of parrots. It has nothing to do with a breeder.

 

We would very much like our baby to be introduced to a harness (aviator preferred), progressively from a very young age, to the point where it is comfortable wearing it with no stress or reaction when it is close to weaning. It is important for Adam and I to be able to take our Grey out with us in public, to relative’s houses and on holidays- and harness training can be extremely difficult if it has not been introduced from the start. We will compensate/buy any equiptment required.

 

9-----Nothing that you're talking about has anything to do with a breeder. All of these things are done when the owner has a bird home. A person goes to a store and buys whatever equipment is necessary. A person starts to teach a bird how to fly when they own the bird. The breeder has nothing to do with what you decide on for the future. Taking a bird outdoors is a long process and it's done very slowly by the owner. If an owner has decided that certain areas of training are difficult then that person puts in extra time to learn that training.

 

I will not buy a baby who is not at least 15 weeks old. Especially for a Congo as they mature and develop so much slower than the smaller Timneh. (Not Negotiable)

 

10---- That's up to you. The breeder doesn't have to sell weaned babies,he doesn't have to sell unweaned babies and he doesn't have to change his policy. Some will,some won't. If a person is unhappy with that policy, they look at other breeders. There's sections here that deal with clipping and they have nothing to do with breeders. On the whole, people are told not to buy unweaned birds. That info comes from other bird owners.

 

I would like to know the birthdate of our baby. (Not negotiable)

 

11----That's a common practice and a breeder doesn't have to be told to do it but if it's not done, a person simply asks for one.

 

All in all, a breeder is in the business of selling birds. He's not a trainer. He doesn't customize a bird concerning the customer's likes and dislikes. A breeder doesn't change foods that have been successful just because a person has heard that a particular brand is better than another. He doesn't have to change his/her policies.

Edited November 3, 2011 by Dave007

[JeffNOK]

It might asking a bit much for the breeder to socialize the bird with children or dogs or be trained to accept an aviator harness. If they are willing to do that, God bless them, but I wouldn't expect my breeder to do that. As far as the 15 weeks--I found a breeder that wanted me to take a bird at 12 weeks and based on that I chose another breeder. I'll be getting my baby at about 18 weeks. You definately have your heart in a good place and want to ensure the optimum experience for you and your grey. I wish you the best.

[Merlin]

Thanks for the advice guys Especially since I have no idea from a breeding perspective! I suppose it is a business and as long as a breeder has cash flowing in the future of their babies is irrelevant to them

kinda makes me think the ones that don't care so much should be in puppy mills instead where there is a little less at stake hahahaha. Ah well, who am I to comment, I've only raised magpies and owls.

 

Guess my love and devotion to Greys is a little starry eyed and innocent lol.

[Luvparrots]

Whoa, I have a CAG and TAG which I got from breeders whom I respect for their love and devotion to their greys. Please do not assume that breeders are uncaring as my TAG's breeder and I conversed for over a year after I purchased Ana Grey. She refused to take a deposit until she met and got to know me as her greys were part of her family. She refused to ship her babies so she kept the right to refuse you a grey if she didn't believe you were suited. My CAG's breeder only shipped at a cost which was ridiculously high so new owners were more likely to come pick their greys up. Both of these breeders sent me home with ooddles of grey stuff, food they were eating, toys they liked and lots of instructions for their care.

[Merlin]

Wow!! That's the sort of breeder I would love to meet!! I'm just young and enthusiastic no harm in wanting someone like-minded to buy from, and you just proved they are out there hehehe!!

[JeffNOK]

Merlin, you definately want the best for you and your grey. If only all prospective parronts were as concerned as you are. My breeder is wonderful as well. She is a vet and allows me to visit my baby as often as I want, spends any available time answering questions, and shares her experience as a lover of greys. There are certainly puppymill equivalents with grey breeders, but thankfully with time and patience we can find caring competent breeders whose motive is not merely money. All concerned parronts have their individual non-negotiables and prefernces when it comes to choosing a breeder. Some lists are longer than others, but the bottom line is that you need to feel comfortable with the breeder you select and the bird you decide to welcome into your family. The work you do now will pay off with a lifetime friend.

[brianlinkles]

I love my breeder and they will sell a baby that is weaned or unweaned. They will allow you to come in and feed your baby (with their help) for as long as you would like. They give wonderful explanations of how to do it etc. They do allow their babies to fledge if they are still at there aviary. They have been a wealth of information. They require you to come back in for checks after bringing the baby home. I did decide to bring my cag home unweaned at about 12 weeks. She is 15 weeks now and is amazing. I researched and researched what I felt was best for my baby as well as myself, bringing her home at 12 weeks was the experience I wanted for her and since I am a stay at home mom it has worked out well for us. There is another aviary in Columbus Ohio (they are the ones that invented the aviator harness, I believe that all of their babies are sent home with the harness as well as the fact that they have worked with the babies from the beginning to wear them. ( I think I am correct here) They are not my breeder (which I love) however I do love their philosophy on feeding and on raising babies. It is worth a look at their site. They are called the Hartman aviary. Look at the page about the circus diet. I think you might find it interesting! If you find yourself near the Dayton Ohio area my breeder does have a male and a female cag 4 mos. old. They have both fledged and have been handfeeding. They are beautiful!

[Merlin]

Thank you jeffNOK

 

And Brianlinkless I will definately check out their site! If I lived in the USA I would probably very quickly find a breeder through you guys here, but alas I'm in Australia, and not even one Timneh breeder to be found yet!!! In a way I like that AG breeders are so hard to come by here. There certainly is no excess surplus of these special animals struggling to find homes.

[jodi_odo]

Merlin,

 

I think a good question or thing to check into as you are looking for a breeder would be to find out if the breeder forced to wean or if they are abundantly fed and wean on their own terms...My baby was abundantly weaned and was about 4 months old when I got him, and I had no issues with him eating enough of his pellets or soft food when I got him. Also my breeder was one that makes sure the birds have a chance to fledge before they go home, she said it helps with the weaning process and helps to get a more confident bird.