Choosing your breeder
The first few months of a baby’s life are crucial. As an aviculturist, it is my responsibility to provide our kids with the best start to life, so they can grow up to become confident, healthy, functioning members of their human flock.
Aviculture is an exciting, yet stressful profession. It takes an immense amount of work to raise a well-socialized companion parrot. We spend countless hours with our babies, preparing them for life with their human flock. We teach them to step-up, step-down and basic harness training. We introduce them to their humanized world, build their confidence with noisy gadgets such as the vacuum cleaner, hair dryers and blenders, and take them on exciting car rides. Parrot Haven kids leave home feeling confident and self-assured. They know they are loved and demand nothing but the best.
No two breeders are the same
Every aviculturist raises their babies differently. Their feeding techniques may be similar, yet the environment they are raised in will differ. If you are buying a companion Eclectus, choose a breeder who spends a lot of time with their babies. This helps shape and mold their personality. We advise people to choose a breeder they identify with, someone they feel comfortable talking to. Your baby will be in their care 24-hours a day for three months. The home environment is going to affect their developing personality, and you need to know your baby is raised in a manner you are happy with. You want them to come from a home where they receive individual attention, are fed top quality formula and treated as a beloved member of the family.
Parrot Haven babies were always in high demand. We have turned away many potential clients due to the length of our waiting list. Our Eckie hens are now retired and we no longer breed. People express their disappointment, and want to know if we can recommend someone else who raises their babies the way we do. Many times we have people wanting our Eckies from outside the country, and we are unable to recommend anyone. So we provide them with a list of questions that we would ask breeders.
As future Eckie owners, it is a good idea to ask your potential breeder a number of questions. The following will help ensure that you are buying from someone who cares about their feathered kids, and raises them to the best of their ability.
Here are a few questions to ask a potential breeder:
- Do you provide follow up service for the baby and if so, for how long?
- How has the baby been fed?
- What formula do you use?
- What sort of personality does the baby have?
- What sort of environment has the baby grown up in?
- What diet are the parent birds fed?
- Are you able to visit or view photos of the breeder’s setup?
- At what age was the baby weaned?
- Could you please tell me about the parent bird’s temperament?
- Have the parent birds ever suffered from any disease or illness?
These are a few sample questions we provide in our book: The Ultimate Guide to Eclectus Parrots.
Always try to be respectful of the breeder’s time, as no doubt they live busy lives with birds to care for and babies to feed. Have your questions ready. If they do not wish to answer some of the questions, ask yourself why this is so.
I hope that this has been of help and I wish you the best of luck in finding both the perfect baby and the best breeder possible and remember, never settle for second best. The parrots upbringing, parentage, breeders experience and knowledge will all determine the quality of the bird you choose as a potential life long companion.
Available now
© 2010 Parrot Haven and Kirsten Badham. All rights reserved.
All information and photographs are property of Kirsten Badham.
Please contact us for permission to re-publish information available on this site and blog.