Help...birds on craigslist

[flyingfluff]

Originally Posted by amiestgermain

Don't worry. A lot of us agree with you. Except for our vos ekkie (my dream bird and SO hard to find) all of our birds have been rehomes and rescues. I'm not against buying from breeders. But I am against allowing your birds to mate if you have no idea what you're doing or haven't considered the long-term effects.

Yeah, I agree. I'm probably going to be getting my next bird from a reputable breeder. I've been stalking craigslist like crazy and haven't seen any green cheeks pop up and I'm not going to support petco or petsmart. Nor are there any rescues near by from where I live.
But when you have people who purposely let their birds breed just because they reach maturity and show an interest in mating.... no. Most people don't know what they are doing and don't do nearly enough research before they let their birds breed. And saying "I couldn't stop them from making babies, so I just let them!" isn't an excuse. Freeze the eggs give them fake eggs to sit on, take measures to prevent them from mating, etc. I've had to leave various bird forums because of people like that.

[rockybird]

He was offered $$$ for the birds without the cage, and was told they would be taken to the bird rescue. He replied that he had done his research on birds and knew what he was doing. I really feel for those little guys.

Bird breeding - I agree. Birds live a long time and require very special care. In my opinion, they should be bred selectively and be inordinately expensive so that only those who really want them will pay for them. In most parrot's lifetimes, how often do you think they are passed from home to home?

[flyingfluff]

I hope those 'tiels end up in a good place.
And most parrots... hmm... I don't want to even try counting how many homes a bird will live in during it's lifespan. Especially not the larger birds because they can live to be like 80. That means they'll outlive their owners and will be forced to find a new home. Oy.