HMMMMM

[carrier]

So I found a local man who has a small aviary and he breeds and sells lovebirds...

I have been toying with the idea of getting a friend for Fenway for a month now. I emailed him and this was the response I got:

Hi its pete from THE BIRD HOUSE IN SAUGUS i am a small aviary breeder of lovebirds,cockatiels,quakers,canaries, finches but mostly lovebirds . I have a PR of dilute blue split to albino fisher these are 6 months old they are bonded for now in another 5 to 6 months she will start to lay eggs this pr goes for $150.00 i also have some that are parent raiesed they are 8 weeks old and also some that are still in the nest boxes.Parent raiesed are $50.00 PER LOVEBIRD NO MATTER THE COLOR EXEPT FOR LUTINOS THEY ARE $65.00 PARENT RAIESED.FOR NOW I DONT HAVE HAND FEDS. THANKS

Now I am wondering what the pair of Dilute split to albino Fischers would look like...they sound really pretty.
And do I really want a bonded pair of birds that will be producing eggs?

I really wanted to get a pied or lutino friend for Fenway...my fear is that I will go out to look at the babies and in a moment of weakness I will bite off more than I can chew, so to speak.

here's a question....does it mean because they are parent raised and not hand fed they wont be tameable? They seem young enough to still work with.

I need advice.

[Islandbirdies]

They will be harder to tame, I got my Lola at 6 months, she was hand fed and it still has been lots of work because of her age. Also it will be harder because they won't be single birds. Did you make shure that the pair are not related? Are they DNA'ed male and female? The temptation is huge I know, there are lot's of lovebirds out there, I suggest you wait for the right one for both you and Fenway.
My baby lovebird is coming home in September and I've been waiting since the parents were set up in the breeding room by the breeder. Anticipation is killing me, I keep seeing adds for lovies and babies at the pet store, but I know that my baby is on the way. Take your time, you'll know when it's " the one", good luck .

[carrier]

I know that I most likely won't get the pair of fischers....


but I will probably go look at the 8 week old babies...

I just pray I don't fall absolutley in love and that my resolve remains strong.

[Janie]

If the 8 week old parent raised babies have not been socialized (and I think he would have said so if they had been) they will be wild but definitely be young enough to tame. If you should decide to take one, be sure that it is eating well on it's own for at least a week before you take it.

Can he send you photos or is he close by so that you can visit the birds? I would want to see what I was getting ahead of time. Course, I would also want to know the sex ahead of time if I was adding a bird to a home with an existing bird.

No matter how healthy he says his birds are, you'll want a complete well bird check up done on any new bird you bring in. Not just a simple gram stain but a complete check-up to be sure the new bird isn't carrying something that could be passed on to Fenway. And....don't forget quarantine. Min. of 30 days in separate rooms and not sharing the same air space.

Good luck in your decision....they are hard to resist! I held out for two whole years before I gave in and I'm so glad I did! Give in, I mean! I just love having all three of my lovies!

[Finnysmommie]

Finny was a wild lovie when I bought him (from a pet store). I have no idea how old he was or any background information on him at all....but..... He was on my finger within a week or two. I think it really is a matter of spending a lot of time in the beginning and letting your new lovie get used to you. It is much harder if they are a second birdie though. If Finny had been a second birdie I think it would have been much much longer to tame him. I also know now that I probably pushed him to hard in the beginning (before I found the boards here). I am lucky he even talks to me at all much less thinks of me as the "mama bird" ..lol
No matter what you do ... take the advice given above and wait for the one who is right for you.... maybe it will be wild or tame but you will know it when you first see the little darling!
Also if you are in the market for a new lovie and you dont mind having one shipped instead of being close by... The person I got my second lovie (Reilly) is awesome! Their birds are hand fed and Reilly was a snuggler 2 or 3 days after his arrival. I dont know if we are allowed to give out that info on the boards here but if you are interested she is highly recommended and I would be happy to Private message you the information.
Either way....... best of luck to you in your lovie adoption adventure.
Cindy

[Janie]

Cindy and I both have a "Jeanette" bird. I have two! They are wonderful but she's out of birds right now. Her home was hit by lightening last week and she sold all of her babies who were ready to go right after that. Actually she kept three but she's planning to keep them as her own.

Cindy, I visited Jeanette's aviary for the first time last month and my jaw dropped when I saw her breeding pairs. The most gorgeous lovebirds I've ever seen in my life and not a single one was a "regular" color! One male, I think she told me he is a WF Opaline, had a white face and bright green body and was stunning. NOT FOR SALE, thank heavens! And he was friendly cause he was one of her hand fed babies! I would have been seriously tempted to bring him home if he'd been available.

[LauraO]

It's just my , but I would wait and take your time in finding a tame well socialized baby. Of course, parent raised not social birds can be tamed down but it takes ALOT of time and patience. If you are up for the work then that's a different story, but for the price this man is charging for his lovies I wouldn't make the investment. You could also keep and eye out in the paper, craig's list and rescues for a lovie closer to Fenway's age.

Good Luck

[mjm8321]

Of course, I'll throw in my

An 8 week old, parent raised baby, unless it's been well socialized, is going to be wild and scared of people. I currently have 4 youngsters that are parent raised and due to family issues, I was not able to continues socializing them and they are WILD! Yes, they could be tamed, but it's going to take a lot of time and patience. I agree with Laura about finding a tame youngster or a tame adoptable adult.

Dilute Fischers are gorgeous, but unless you are interested in breeding, I'd stay away from a pair that have obviously been put together to breed. Also, I get the feeling from the way the email response was worded, that the Fischers are probably siblings, not ideal for breeding.

I know you are in Boston, but you might try contacting this breeder http://www.flyinggems.com/
She's down the cape area, but might be able to help you find a bird. A nice drive down to the cape after Labor Day wouldn't be all that bad either.

[carrier]

Thank you all for your replies!

I am still considering a friend for Fenway, and have decided that the man in Saugus is probably not a great person to deal with...too many unknowns, and he never responded to my second request to come out and see the babies, which seems very suspicious to me.

MJ, I had actually visited the site for Flying Gems Aviary, but got the impression that the woman who started it stopped breeding lovies for the time being.

I do have two other contacts that were passed along to me from people on craigslist, one man who is a hobby breeder and will have babies later this fall, and another woman who apparently breeds lovies and shows them. According to the email I got, she has some award-winning beauties!
That makes me wonder how much $$$$ she's going to want for her babies, though. :eek:

Anyhow, unless I happen upon a birdie and in a moment of weakness decide to adopt or purchase it, for now Fenway will remain an only-bird. Something tells me that this will be temporary, as I feel myself getting weaker and weaker....these little Parrots are addictive!

[Eliza]

Carrie -- I had thought that Flying Gems was no longer breeding, at least for now, anyway. She's got a lovely site, though!

I don't know if this helps as the ad is a few months old but here is link to someone who posts on hoobly.com: http://www.hoobly.com/0/0/414504.html

I know what you mean about lovebirds being addictive. I'm surprised that I haven't ended up with a dozen.