Posted by Mike Bisset (166.111.26.66--) on March 04, 2000 (or so) at 11:09:12:
Hi. I have been reading web information on what to look for in
the purchase of a pet bird.
Unfortunately, much of the information provided is not useful in my
particular case.
Please let me elaborate a little: I do not live in the United
States. I live in China, and will
for a long time to come. As you may be aware, Chinese love to keep
birds, however, rules
of proper business in the U.S. are not followed here. Birds are not
sold in pet stores or from
breeders but in open air bird markets. Getting references or a
pedigree for a purchased bird is
not possible. Also, chances of getting a refund for the purchase of
an ill bird are slim.
Verternarians are available for checking a purchased bird, but this
is strickly after the sale. This
means if one decides to purchase a bird, the decision must be made
based upon observations of
the bird. While I would definitely prefer to purchase a young bird
from a reputable breeder in the
U.S., this simply is not an option.
So I wonder if you could elaborate more on what features I
might look for in inspecting a bird
I am considering. To be more specific, I am interested in a Blue
and Gold Macaw (yes, they
do have them, and probably just about anything else you can name).
I do plan on purchasing a good book on parrots/macaws during
a visit to the U.S. this
spring before I purchase a bird, but in the meantime I would be
interested in testing out
any pointers you can provide on my trips to the bird markets. Of
course I know feather
plucking is an extremely bad sign. I have also observed what I
would call "neurotic
behavior", where the bird repeats the same motion many times.
How much long-term
damage would this indicate, for example?
The seller claims that the birds are under a year old.
Should a macaw have full adult
characteristics at this time? What are some visual cues
concerning the age of a macaw?
Thank you very much for any information you can provide.
Sincerely,
Mike
P. S. Some background on me: I have a B.A. in Zoology -- so
please do not refrain from any
technical points you can offer. I also worked in pet stores in the
U.S. during my high school
and colege days (though I did not specialize in birds).
I have owned small birds and have bred budgies,
but have not had a parrot before.