FINCHforum

Where do you buy your new birds? Breeders, Pet stores, Bird stores?

Which do you prefer and why? The Society I got from the pet store was bald on the back of his neck (didn't realize till we got him home). But with our care, his feathers grew in fine. I notice the prices at the bird store are expensive.

Out of my current birds, 12 came from a woman who had to sell out her collection as she was leaving the country. The other three came from pet stores, there are no breeders located near me.

TammieB.

I've gotten mine from a mix of shelters, pet stores and breeders. Most recently I've been getting most from breeders. Pet stores are expensive, they're more likely to be sick (I think), and you have no idea about sex, age or parents. I've developed great relationships with most of the breeders I've contacted, and can always go back to them to get questions answered.

Hilary

Mine are from a mix of shelters/rescues, pet stores, and the bird fairs sponsored by Busy Bird Toys & Fairs.

So far the bird fair birds seem the healthiest. Pet store birds are definitely a sickly lot.

I drove 90 minutes each way to the Madison bird fair Sunday, and it was definitely worth the trip. The 3 finches I got there, from 2 different breeders, are bursting with vitality. After the 90-minute drive home (which must have been truly horrifiying to them -- and who knows how long a drive they had to get to the fair where I bought them) they settled right into the quarantine cage and were eating and singing within minutes!

A big difference from pet store birds which seem quite shell-shocked and take days to get adjusted (or just drop dead).

if you buy from a store the chances are they have just come from quarantine and have been in cramped dirty conditions then they are all put in a cage in a pet shop that is usually to small and spreads bacteria and desease very easily due to those cramped places .but if you go to a show or a breeder you can see the birds how they should be in uncramped conditions and they have usually been bred in a flight cage or a breeding cage with plenty of room so they are not plucked they are clean happy and well fed......the main reason why pet shop birds look so un happy is even though they have been in a small place there is still the pecking order where the fittest and biggest bully the samll and weak .......that is why they are plucked at the back of the neck which is usually the first place they lose feathers from and some are thin as they havent been able to get near the food as often as they would like due to being bullied


ken

I was wondering this same thing, and found this thread on a search. I've been very lucky in getting all of my Finches so far through adoption at a local Pet store. I was at another chain type pet store, and noticed the nice variety of Finches they had, at fairly low prices. They were definitely not in as good of condition however. I think I'll have to do some web surfing, and see if there are any local Finch breeders/owners looking to thin their herds.

I was wondering this same thing, and found this thread on a search. I've been very lucky in getting all of my Finches so far through adoption at a local Pet store. I was at another chain type pet store, and noticed the nice variety of Finches they had, at fairly low prices. They were definitely not in as good of condition however. I think I'll have to do some web surfing, and see if there are any local Finch breeders/owners looking to thin their herds.

Unfortunately not everyone is lucky enough to have a breeder or bird fair nearby.

I know, I thought I would go insane buying sickly pet store finches and having them drop dead. I was so relieved when I finally found some bird fairs & breeders within reasonable driving distance. I feel sorry for anybody who just doesn't have that option.

Actually, I've had pretty good luck with petshop birds.

*knock on wood*

I have aquired most of my birds from breeders, but I have checked out stores as well and picked up 2 hens from a store, the store birds where not very healthy when I first got them, but got better after I brought them home and took care of them for a while. Plus they had their wings clipped at the pet store. Poor little things.
The last pair of birds I got from a breeder where society finches, the male died during the second night at home, and when I told them they offered to give me a new bird, so I have no problems with that at all. I got my society finches in trade for zebra finches.