Bird checklist
Parrots in particular are a thirty to sixty year commitment, and most of the birds in rescue are there because nobody said that out loud at the point of sale.
Minimum ages
Budgie and cockatiel 11 weeks. Finches and canaries 8 weeks. Medium parrots, including parakeets, amazons and greys, 16 weeks. Macaws and other large parrots 20 weeks. Domestic pigeons 6 weeks.
An unweaned bird should never be sold. Hand-feeding a baby parrot is a skill, and a buyer doing it for the first time frequently kills the bird.
Before you go
- Check whether the species is CITES-listed. Annex A birds need an Article 10 certificate to be sold, and the seller must give you the original.
- Work out the cage size honestly. Most cages sold for parrots are too small.
- Understand the noise. A grey or a macaw is loud and it is not negotiable.
On the day
- Bright, alert, active. A bird sitting fluffed up at the bottom of the cage is ill.
- Clean nostrils, clear eyes, smooth beak.
- Feathers in good condition. Plucking or bare patches means stress, disease, or both.
- Feet and legs: all toes present, gripping properly, no scaling.
- Droppings should be formed, not watery.
- Ask to see it eat.
Questions worth asking
- Is it weaned, and onto what?
- Is it closed-rung, and what is the ring number?
- Has it been tested for psittacosis, PBFD or polyomavirus?
- Has it been handled, and by how many people?
Walk away if
- It is unweaned.
- It is a CITES Annex A species with no Article 10 certificate.
- The cage is filthy or dramatically undersized.
- Birds of prey are being offered on a general classified site at all. We do not permit them here.
Seen something that worries you? Report it. We act on reports within 12 working hours, and we would rather hear from you early than not at all.