Before you Buy

I created this page to help you out when you decide to purchase a bird.

     Your first question might be how much is this bird going to cost me.  There will be some initial cost and a yearly cost.  Birds are not cheap.
     Below is a list that I have made for purchasing an average Lovebird as a pet.  The prices may vary in the area that you live in and the selections (cage, toys, seed, etc...) that you make. 

Lovebird: $800.00 (first year)

Purchase price:  $85 (average)
Setup:  $309.00
Upkeep:  $406.00

Setup costs
Suitable cage:  $100.00
Natural perches:  $15.00
Toys:  $20.00
Cuttlefish bone:  $3.00
Mineral Block:  $3.00
Seed mix:  $15.00
Small pack of millet:  $3.00
Initial Vet Check up:  $150.00

Upkeep costs
Seed mix:  $195.00
Toys:  $30.00
Calcium supplements:  $42.00
Millet seed:  $39.00
Vet Check Up:  $100.00

Whether you purchase a bird from Flying Gems Aviary, a breeder, a pet store or an aviary, Please bring it to a veterinarian within the health guarantee time.  Make sure that your veterinarian tests it for zooanotic and deadly diseases.

I am going to tell you a little story about my experience and why I highly recommend disease testing.

When I was looking for a ringneck I searched all over New England and could not find one.  So I then made my search of the United States.  I found a breeder.  He was in a different state than me but he had the bird that I wanted.  We spoke on the phone and emailed back and forth for many weeks.  We finally made arrangements to have the bird shipped.  The bird arrived on August 14.  I placed the bird in quarantine (a different room in my home). I waited a week before bringing the bird to the veterinarian (I wanted the bird to settle in a little).  On August 23, I brought the bird to the veterinarian.  I had the veterinarian do a cloacal swab and take a blood sample.  I tested him for Polyoma, Chlamydia-P, PBFD, and Pacheco's.  He came up negative for everything except PBFD.  I was devastated.  I emailed the breeder to let him know, he responded by telling me that it was well over the 2 week quarantine period and that his birds are all healthy.  The bird has tested negative 3 months later.  The Conclusion is that it could have been exposed or that it was a false positive.  I do not hold the breeder responsible,  he was a very good breeder and the possible exposure could have come from anywhere.

So let me tell you what I learned:

Research Please, Please look into who you are buying your bird from before you even send a deposit.  Talk to different breeders.  Talk to owners of the birds you would like to purchase.  Visit the home if you can.  Meet the bird and breeder.   Most breeders have a closed aviary and will not allow visitors.  Do not take this personally.  Many breeders are trying to keep disease and disturbances out of their aviary.

Please try not to purchase your new bird from a pet store.  Small local pet stores usually have good quality birds.  Most of their birds were raised by the store owners, employees or bought from local breeders that they trust.  The large problem with pet stores is that they have a high risk to pick up a contagious disease. 

Health Guarantee Check into the health guarantee that the breeder offers.  Go over it very carefully.

Quarantine Always place your bird in quarantine away from your other birds.  A good quarantine time is 1 month but I highly recommend 3 months. Feed and clean the bird separate from your other birds.  Make sure you know what the person you are buying the bird from thinks the quarantine time is, you might have to have the bird checked by a veterinarian with in a short time of purchasing the bird.  

Veterinarian With in the first two weeks of quarantine please bring your bird to a Veterinarian and have it checked out.  Have the veterinarian do a fecal test for parasites. 

Testing Who cares what anybody thinks, Test your bird for diseases.  I received many comments that people thought I was the guilty party because I wanted to test my bird for diseases.  I started to feel guilty.  It does not matter whether your bird looks healthy or not, it could be carrying a zooanotic disease that your other birds could contract.  Your veterinarian may have their own lab that they like to use, I use Avian Biotech.
Highly Recommend Diseases to test for:
Chlamydia psittaci

Pacheco's Disease( PDV)

Psitticine Beak and Feather
Disease (PBFD)

Polyomavirus (PVD)

Other Diseases that you can test for:
Aspergillosis

Avian Influenzavirus (AIV)

Avian Tuberculosis (Mycobacterium avium) PDD Syndrome

Clostridium

Cryptosporidium

Escherichia (E. coli)

Giardia

Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV)

Salmonella

West Nile Virus