Anyone know how much a deposit normally is?

[mommaof3]

We are in the looking stage of finding a breeder we want to build a relationship with (besides Tina). And I have been visiting birdbreeders.com, and have found many in the state and am just checking them out. But we are confused about a deposit. Is a deposit the whole amount or just money put down to hold the bird? And how much are they usually? Does it just vary from breeder to breeder? We found one that is asking a $200 deposit, which doesn't seem bad. However if I had only found it sooner because he will be ready to be brought home the first week of November. And then my other question is can we put a deposit on a bird if a clutch hasn't been laid yet? And do like a payment thing? That way when the time comes we can just bring our guy home. I think we are leaning more on getting one here in the near future, the anxiety is getting to us. We can't take it anymore. Any information would be great.

[xafsmom]

It does vary per breeder, but average is 25%. Some breeders have a set price, like $200 for birds over X amount, 100 for birds at X amount and so on.

As for putting a deposit on a bird that hasn't even been laid... I wouldn't suggest it. Here's why (and why I refuse to do this myself): That breeding pair may not lay for 5 years! One might die. The breeders might find themselves in a situation and close down thus, leaving you unable to get your money back.

My suggestion is to be put on the waiting list for the next baby available if you like that breeder. Then, just save your duckets and make the payments to your bank account instead. Just don't spend it! LOL

[Joel]

Momma of 3,

Since many breeders prefer to sell their babies unweaned to very experienced handfeeders, here are a few reasons that one should expect to be required to put a deposit down on a bird in order for the breeder to hold the bird for you and handfeed it out for you until weaned & or fledged. The costs of handfeeding & especially the value of the breeder's time to hold & handfeed just one baby, rather than sell it to a qualified handfeeder, is pretty much the same regardless of species. Sometimes the value of handfeeding is greater with species that take longer to wean of course, like MaCaws for example.

As an experienced handfeeder myself, I feel it is fairly worth $200 - $250 to handfeed any baby bird until it is fully weaned and fledged. Even more if you want it recall trained for you. Of course the breeder is not going to get that amount for a cockatiel or for a lovebird etc. but it actually takes most well experienced breeders the same amount of time and effort, at each feeding session, to feed a cockatiel as it does an African Grey for example, The actual cost for formula of course is more for the larger birds because they eat more. Otherwise the costs are about the same.

So if the breeder gets $200 - $250 as a deposit from a potential client to handfeed and fledge that baby out, thus passing up other sales of that bird from then on, he/she is entitled to at least the handfeeding costs and value of his/her time to do so in case the buyer backs out at the end when the baby is ready to go to it's new home. Actually $200 - $250 to feed just one baby is a steal of a price considering the time it takes if done right. Where the breeders make out better is when they are handfeeding many babies at the same time but usually the buyer is not made aware of that number, nor should they be.

For a Cockatiel or Lovebird however, the deposit is usually the full cost of the bird in advance since they are so much cheaper, excuse the word "cheaper" there. People usually back out on the smaller birds more than the medium to larger sized birds because there is less money for them to lose if they want to back out for whatever reason.

Just make sure you get the whole deal all in writing before you place any deposit money into the hand of the seller. Make sure the wording of the contract is clear and concise so you won't be burned by irreputable breeders/sellers.

I personally would not usually put a deposit on a bird until the clutch is at least laid or better yet until the clutch hatches. One problem with this is that sometimes there are waiting lists and other people are willing to put down deposits whenever they are asked to. So if you won't do it before the eggs are even laid, then you sometimes might miss out on the species you want to buy but there are other breeders out there, so if that happens just go look for another breeder to buy from. Most reputable breeders can be trusted of course, just make sure you get good references from trustworthy people who have bought from that same breeder before. Even then, make sure you get everything in writing.

Many breeders I know don't like to do the payment thing. Why should they want to be bothered by the extra paperwork etc.(?) unless they are backlogged with birds and have no other choice. Just save the money at home after putting down your deposit. If you have money problems or budget problems, then even getting a bird may not be the best decision until one can afford all the possible expenses that go along with being a responsible bird keeper/owner.

Hope this info. helps you some.

[mommaof3]

That info has been greatly appreciated. We are unsure of this whole breeder thing, and as we were looking saw the deposit thing, but now that you explained the handfeeding I understand why they do this. I also noticed that some people had backed out after doing the deposit. We have a fund set aside for our little one(s), and we plan on getting our hardware, i.e. cage, travel cage,toys, etc. before we put money down. I just thought that you bought your bird and then when they were ready to come home they did. I didn't know that people backed out of this. It seems silly for someone to back out when they have taken the time to find a breeder. But I guess there are still those impulse buys.

We have researched about as much of the species that we can possibly research. All my searches keep coming back to the things we have already learned. So now we just need to understand how to buy and finding a breeder that we trust and feel is right for us, and continue saving. I am sure as I speak to or talk breeders I will probably ask some more questions. Thanks guys.

[mommaof3]

Oh yeah how long are waiting lists usually? Depends on the demand I guess, but what are your experiences?