How do you guys afford so many feathered friends?

[kikibird]

Hi there guys,

Please dont take this post the wrong may, it is meant in a good way. I was just wondering how alot of you afford to be able to buy so many parrots. I mean I read through post and people have picture after picture in there sigs of all there parrots.

I would love to have 3, 4, or 5 greys, macaws, eclectus and so on but I can only afford my little kikibird.

I mean prices here in Australia are a little ridiculous at the momment, but that is due to the rarity of species like greys and macaws in Australia. but I can never seem to get enough money to even get another sun let alone a grey or macaw.

How do you guys do it, I mean see a parrot that you fall in love with and then just purchase it. Or is it a matter of seing a parrot you fall in love with and then saving for that parrot.

Is adoption a way to go? I read a lot about parrots being adopted on here.

I mean one day I would like to start breeding parrots and like I said I can not even find the money to buy another sun.

Thanks guys for your input here.

Cheers,
kikibird.

[kp_in_scott]

Guilty as charged. lol Cost of parrots in the states, certain varieties anyway, is much less than in Australia. But No parrot is cheap even if it's free! In my case, our first parrot was bought "on time" from a friend. We made a contact at a Bird Fair for Gabriel and bought him on installments from a person who was handfeeding. This is also where Phoebe came from but she came in a round about way.(Went to someone else then to us.) Seymour and "D" came through an adoption, but there were adoption fees. Jesse, from a friend, who felt she couldn't care for him anymore. Kiwi chose my husband and moved in almost by accident. Lope came in an effort to tame him. HE is a work in progress.
I've found with anything you want in life, you can find a way to pay for what you want, even if you have to give up other things. We don't have very many other expenses and we rarely travel. It's all relative.

[Tiki]

Hey Kikibird, it's not all bad. We can get Princess Parrots, Rosellas, Galahs and Major Mitchells at one tenth what they pay in the States!

[Macawlvr]

Originally Posted by kp_in_scott

But No parrot is cheap even if it's free! I've found with anything you want in life, you can find a way to pay for what you want, even if you have to give up other things. We don't have very many other expenses and we rarely travel. It's all relative.

I agree, the cost of the bird is just the tip of the iceberg. The costs of everything to house, feed and maintain a bird is where it get's expensive.
We too "give up other things" here to have our birds. And then there is the time element of devoting enough time to have that one on one relationship with each of them. It's all worth it to us...the birds are not pets here...they're part of our family.

Seeya................................... James

[felisdomesticus]

Originally Posted by kikibird

Is adoption a way to go? I read a lot about parrots being adopted on here.

I mean one day I would like to start breeding parrots and like I said I can not even find the money to buy another sun.

Adoption can be a great option but you may find that rescues will not allow their birds to be used for breeding.

[SweetPea]

money isnt an issue... but time and energy!

my brats give me a run for my money.

[Irish]

Let's seeeeee....

Purchase alone, without considering the cost of cages, vet visits, toys, food, and all that other stuff that goes along with it, as well as time spent with the birds or doing bird related activities....

Gracie was given to me. Ditto Eddie. Petey McSweet we purchased over the course of a month from a bird store. Bob was paid for with some of our tax return money. I sold a spare house, and was able to purchase Arthur with some of that cash. As we've paid off and closed all of our credit card accounts, anybird that would come to live with us would have to be saved for or adopted via rescue. One reason why I have to wait (besides the lack of room issue) to purchase a Hy--it'll take a couple of years to save up enough money to pay the average purchase price of $10K. I never see one of THOSE available for adoption relatively inexpensive! LOL! My spouse has a pretty decent income that supports us without me having to work, but with adult children always needing money, the dogs, the birds, the mortgage (thankfully the cars are paid off!), my university loans and the high cost of living in this city, there isn't a lot of spare income here to just drop a few thou on a bird I covet and its supplies. So we're just like you, really. We're not independently wealthy or anything even close! Wish we were :-).

[candi4me]

well hubby(dave ) and I always wanted a larger bird, so we had to wait until at least one of our kids(son Andy) was grown so we could spend the money that we usually spent on him for Baby Rio. We did alot of research and drove for hours to meet all of the local breeders to find the baby fid that wanted us.

[bgmacaw]

First the timing and cost for the individual birds was right. Second we figured the cost of support for them into our budget. We cut some of the noncritical expenses. Then we just Love em.

[EngTeach]

I would like to add that birds are like tattoos......it's hard stop at one. I started with a budgie years ago; he wetted my whistle for feathered friends. Then when I was older I moved up to a GCC and was perfectly happy with a small parrot for 3 years. Then one day a CAG flew to my school and needed a home and I took him in for a short while. That experience gave me the desire for a larger parrot than a GCC, so a month ago we got Chaucer, a Cockatoo. Since my kids are of the 4-legged variety and don't require college educations or they come with wings I've discovered that affording them and adding to my family is not all that difficult, I just rat-hole a little money for a couple of months. One other thought: If a person wants something bad enough, they will make sacrafices to get it, and when you make sacrafices for something, you tend to really appreciate it.

I'm going to my first bird-fair in September and I have no plans of bring home a new baby, but I know me.........anything is possible.