The Crystal Parrot "Buying a Bird"

Buying A Bird

So you have decided to buy a bird. Possibly your very first bird or adding to one or more you may already have. If you are going to be a first time bird owner then the following information will be very helpful to you and should be considered seriously.

You should gather your knowledge before hand, rather than after the fact. First we would suggest getting a copy of the Bird Care Handbook by Seacoast Publishing and/or Birds USA. If you know absolutely nothing about birds then the Bird Care Handbook would be best. The chapters take you through a great deal of necessary information that you should know BEFORE buying, not afterwards. The Handbook will also describe many of the different birds kept as pets so you will get some idea of what type bird you might like to own.

Don't know where to look--- Get out your phone book and call several of the Avian Vets. in your area. Explain that you don't know much about birds. Ask where the best shops are that sell healthy, well cared for birds. Believe me not all shops offer what you want so be selective and follow their suggestions. If they can't or won't help you then you will have to start the search on your own.

Now we are ready to start looking. You arrive at the store of your choice and open the door and go in.When just inside the door you should take a good deep breath. If you are hit with the strong smell of urine and feces --- STOP right there. These smells are present because the birds and other animals living in this particular store are not being kept clean. Also unclean conditions breed bacteria and disease.OK, don't believe us! Go further into the store...... Now you have located the birds. Take a good look at the cages. Is there all kinds of poop in the bottom of the cage or worse yet, piled up and coming up through the grill in the bottom of the cage? Are there piles of poop on the grill - probably under the perches where the birds sit? Is there poop stuck to the sides of the cage? Is there poop stuck on one or more of the perches?

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If any or all of these conditions are present then this cage hasn't been cleaned in a long time. Now take a good look at the water bowl. Does the water, if there is any in the cup, look like a local swamp? If so then it hasn't been cleaned in a long time. The food cup, is it empty, or show some shells and little or no food or maybe just some seed very poor diet. These kinds of conditions are a breeding factory for sickness and disease. You don't want a bird from conditions like this. Before you run to the nearest exit take a good look at the bird or birds that are living in this terrible situation. Do they look kind of puffed up, sleepy, and have dry and dull looking feathers? Not a good sign. As a beginner you simply don't know the signs of a sick bird but to be sure your chances of getting a healthy bird out of the above conditions is remote at best. A quality place to purchase a bird should have very clean cages. That means they need care each and every day to be kept clean. You should never see piles of poop on the grill or caked on the perches. Above all you should never see greenish swamp looking water in their drinking cups. If birds are offered only a seed and water diet then they are being seriously short-changed. A pelleted diet and human food are where good nutrition comes from and very necessary if any bird is going to have the chance to live a long and healthy life.

You may have to look in more than one place to find a clean and well maintained store. Lets assume you have found just such a place. TAKE YOUR TIME. If you have already read the Bird Care Handbook then you should be armed with a number of questions. If you have done your homework you will also be better prepared to know if the clerk is giving you the correct answers or giving you a line just to make a sale. Don't be talked into the first bird you look at. NEVER buy a bird on impulse !!! What are you looking for in the personality of this bird? A bird that is very cuddly and sweet or one a little more independent. You never should buy a bird because it talks!!! If the bird is just a baby then the personality has not been fully developed and of course will be greatly influenced by it's future owner/owners and how well you take care of your pet. What you put into your bird is what you can expect to get out of it. You life style plays an important part in the type of bird you may select. If you live in an apartment or a condo then a large bird very likely will not be a good choice. The larger the bird the louder they can be and your neighbors will not necessarily enjoy your new pet like you do. Price is also very important. Know you budget. Remember you not only have to pay for the bird but that bird needs the biggest cage possible for it's size and the proper food and toys to keep it busy. You should never buy a bird and then say I can't afford that cage and buy some small cage totally inadequate for the bird's needs. Don't feel you have to make a decision that very minute and don't be pressured by a sales clerk trying to push a bird on you that you may not feel is the right one. You should spend time handling one or more birds and then go home and give all that you have seen and heard a great deal of thought before you actually buy. DON'T buy and then a couple of months down the road be sorry and wish you had acted differently. Now you have a bird and you owe that bird as good a life as possible or find someone willing to make the commitment. Remember it's not the birds fault you made a poor choice but the bird is the one that ends up on the short end and suffers because you were hasty.

Before you buy you should ask if the bird has been vet checked. If the clerk say yes, be sure and ask what was done. Ask to see proof of any tests that were done. If they won't or can't show the proof to you, then you should ask for the vet's name and phone number so you can talk with the vet directly and get his/her report on what was done and the results. A vet check should include more that just being looked at by a vet. That simply isn't enough to guarantee health. We feel it is very necessary to have at least an oral culture done to determine the bacteria level in a bird. We also do a vent culture on the more expensive birds. At this time our keets, cockatiels, and lovebirds do not get our complete exam. We also vaccinate against polyomavirus.

If by chance a bird was checked but months ago, then the results found at that time could very well have changed. Many birds are exposed to bacteria and disease every day. They are constantly being exposed because new birds are coming in usually from many different sources. Exposure is also great if they are caged right out in the open where anyone can walk in and around them and handle them regardless of where a person has been prior to coming into that store.

You might have been in stores earlier that had disease in them and you could easily carry the bacteria on your clothes and hands etc. (bacteria is air born) and now you will unknowingly give it to some other bird. Any exam and tests should be done just before the bird is to go home to it's new owner. Then you have a current picture. Don't settle for less!!

We have heard all the excuses of why a person bought such and such and we have seen many many cases of cruelty dealt to our feathered friends because people just don't take the time to know what they are getting into. Birds are a commitment of long duration - the larger the bird the longer the life span. Be an informed bird owner - the birds will reward you many times over - if you do it right.

If you are within driving distance of our store, we invite you to come and visit. We can show you the way it should be and feel very sure you will be glad you took the time to come and see the difference.

If you have questions that we did not cover, you are more than welcome to send us an email or call us and we will answer them to the best of our ability.

Being a happy bird owner can bring one such joy - it's a situation you can't really explain until you come to own and live with one or more birds.

Good Luck.

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