Deteeminig Age of African Grey Timneh

[Santaeid]

when i got my african grey timneh the lady told me he was 7 years old. my coysin looked at his band and saw it said RL CA 99 3 5 or 5 3. does that mean my bird is much older. i just dont like being lied to abd think i deserve monetary compensation for mix up especially since she is a breeder. ia there some way to double check. he is a rescue bird also wgoae owber couldnt give him enough atention

[Santaeid]

That is some bad english. I wrote this in a hurry on my phone so let me try to fix it up:

 

When I got my African Grey Timneh the breeder lady told me he was 7 years old and was a rescue. The owner couldn't give him the attention anymore that he needed and so she took him in. I saw he had a closed band but my cousin noticed today that his band says RL CA 99 3 5 or 5 3 (not sure of order and the space is to show that the numbers are not next to each other). Now to me it looks like my bird was born either 3/5/1999 or 5/3/1999. Now my only problem with this is that this makes him over 15 instead of being 7. My only problem with this is that the lady lied to me and that she cares for birds and has a license so I had to pay tax. And that she should have known the proper age of the bird before she gave it to me. I just want to know if there is anyway to confirm this before I call the lady and ask about it. I feel that I deserve some monetary compensation for being misled. I have a cached copy of her webpage that now shows the bird was written to be about 9 years old. 9 and 15 are still quite a big difference.

[katana600]

When I was trying to get information about the band numbers or code, I found that in the US they are not registered or generally traceable unless its a certain breeder who know his own "system". My personal thought is the closed band is simply an indication the parrot was bred in captivity so the band was slipped on while his talon was still small and pliable. This as opposed to an open band being crimped over the adult parrot's leg. Unless a parrot is microchipped or his numbers are recorded through vet records it pretty tough to authenticate his age. I could be wrong, I just have never been able to get information on ours through the band information, only through vague word-of-mouth.

[Greywings]

Not much difference between a 7 year old bird and a 15 year old bird both have many years to live should be about the same price and neither sells for as much as a hand raised baby. The things that may determine his future success with you are more related to his history of interactions with humans , his diet and his ability to trust. If indeed he is a Rescue his history may never be known-things that have helped to shape who he is now. The numbers on bands can refer to hatch dates, who his parents are, clutch numbers and what ever else is meaningful to that breeder. It does appear to be from California but even that is not certain. I suggest feeling good about your new bird and try to let go of any negative feeling you may have about where you got him and those circumstances just move forward and think positive.

[Timbersmom]

I also tried to find out, unsuccessfully, what the numbers on Timber's band meant. From what I saw online and what I read on the forum the numbers are meaningless to anyone but the breeder. The breeder can put anything they choose on there, regardless of truth. Like the others said, the band is pretty much meaningless.

[Inara]

It is too bad that there is no standardization of banding codes. You really can't tell the age/birthdate of your bird from its band. It's hard enough just to figure out who the breeder is/was. Here is an old list of breeder band info: http://www.pamperedpeeps.com/bandsbreeders.htm for anyone who is interested. I managed to get Inara's hatch paper at least from her first people, and that had her birthday, band number, and sex on it.

[Timbersmom]

Good info, thanks!

[Luvparrots]

Perhaps the person you purchased the grey from could give you the name and phone number of the person who owned this grey before she purchased it. That person might have more information. As the buyer of "used" goods it was up to you to be diligent in getting all the information available at the time of purchase. The breeder probably gave you the information she had received from the person she got the bird from.

 

Enjoy this sweet grey, there are many, many years of companionship available here if you will just open your heart.

[Dave007]

The price you paid was for an rescued adult grey. There are no set prices for rescued birds. The band can have many pieces of info but there's a good chance that the age won't be on it. The bird was sold to you and the person said that the bird was 7. It's possible that the previous owner told the breeder he was 7.

There's no way that any breeder is responsible concerning the right or wrong info simply because the bird is a rescue and isn't nor ever was the breeder's bird.

Think twice before you cause unnecessary trouble. Be grateful that the bird is healthy and friendly and willing to accept you as the new owner.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

I have never looked at the writing on my birds foot. I now will do so.No difference between seven or fifteen. A teenager either way. BUT.... I would want to know Sophie's birthday! A party for sure.Ive had her since age two. Between the ages of seven thru thirteen, nothing is different except new words and more things to get into! LOL Nancy

[Santaeid]

I was just wondering if I was unable to find a way to figure out the information on the band and that a way exisited. Since the information on the band is not a birthday thing it doesn't matter. My concern was that if she was lying about the age what else could she be lying about. That was my main concern with the bird and the band information. Since the band can have all sorts of numbers and letters for different reasons it does not matter to me now. Thanks for letting me know this.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

Santaeid...you are demonstrating being an excellent parrent. You have excellent questions, but unfortunately, I don't think the band has helped many.Kudos to you for exploring! Let us know what you find out! Age became irrelevant years ago when Sophie came home at age two. ( I do have papers to prove her age). She is now 14, or 15? I lose track of time with her. She is ageless and acts the same outside of new words, and more wisdom and empathy. Comparing her from the age of 2-14.... I love her just the same, but LOVE our interactions more now. Nancy