View Full Version : I fell in love!!
LovelySydney
05-26-2009, 09:32 PM
I was just at a pet store buying MORE rope perches for Oliver (he's most agile on rope perches, easy for him to grip) and I went in the 'bird room'. There was a quaker which was cool to see, some red and yellow canaries and some cockatiels (which I forgot are so LARGE! - compared to Olly of course). Then I came across what I KNEW was a conure. I believe it to have been a green cheek but his little sign said "black capped conure" - I tried to google that but didn't find much. Anyway - I knelt down and said "hey little guy" like I do with any bird I see. He looked right at me with his eyes and walked over some perches and came to rest right against the cage bars. I almost wanted to stick my fingers in and give him some scratches but I didn't. He just looked at me and rubbed against the cage - I fell in love instantly. His eyes were so soulful, as weird as that sounds!! My boyfriend even liked him. We then saw the price tag, $500!! Is this normal? I told the bird "I'd take you home if you weren't so much money!" Even bf said he'd get him if he wasn't so expensive. His hatch date was March 14th, so he is just a little guy still.
I never thought I'd like a bird so quickly as much as I liked that conure:( Wish I could afford him.
bookworm0550
05-26-2009, 10:16 PM
awww sad. i hate that, when i see a bird I really like and it's like "whoa, ok, out of my price range." I mean, i gotta lot of love to give, but my pocketbook is a different story, especially since no one's getting a raise at work due to the recession. Poor little guy, sounds like he's a sweetie. You and Enko Chan need to stop looking at birds at pet stores!!!! But then again, easier said than done plus I don't practice what i preach. hehe.
i hope he finds a good home. too bad you can't negotiate on the price tag :(
FuzzyAga
05-26-2009, 10:50 PM
I could be in your shoes, LOL. If I ever win the lottery, I'm going to have the luxury of buying a few more birds. :) I saw a young, green-cheeked conure for $1,500 at Petco. :omg: I think this is the most expensive I've ever seen a GC conure for sale at this place. Even the sales clerks at the store said they'd buy him, if it weren't the high price on him. The young conure was playing on his back and rolled over on visual cue from one of the clerks. It seems there's a reason for the high price tag!
Their cages are clear plastic but there's a small gap in-between the two cages which allowed the two neighbors (GC conure and a sun conure) to play nicely with each other--sticking their feet out to each other and trying to grip the other.
It was at this same store, another time, that I played "blinky" with another sun conure. He learned it in about 5 blinks. Smart! So I stood there and interacted with him for about a minute.
thebubbleking
05-26-2009, 10:58 PM
My sun conures are 600 bucks each and they are now 6 years old!
kimsbirds
05-27-2009, 10:08 AM
Awwwwww...your self control is commendable..I'm not sure any of us would have been able to resist!
FWIW, greencheek babies where I am (Ontario) are around $175 from reputable breeders. The $500 tag you saw is mark-up. If you're super serious, contact a breeder and save a few $$ :)
Mummieeva
05-27-2009, 10:39 AM
I have been there. Sometimes you just see a bird that melts your heart. For me it is birds I see on the net though. I have been looking for a bird to adopt and fallen for a few. Sadly they are to far a drive(i really need to learn to drive..lol)to get. Keep looking I am sure the right bird will find you.
Steph
linda040899
05-27-2009, 11:14 AM
Is this the bird you saw in the pet shop?
http://www.avianweb.com/blackcappedconure.html
Having dealt with pet shops, I can tell you there's a 100% - 150% (sometimes more) between what the shop paid the breeder/broker and their selling price. As a breeder, I always got better pricing if I sold directly to the shop but many shops use brokers because they purchase in quantity. Some even get small birds/parrots for next to nothing because they buy a lot of larger parrots.
Chances are that this bird has not been in the shop very long and the quicker the turn around, the more profit they make. You might try talking to them and make an offer.
Bubblelady
05-27-2009, 11:16 AM
Yep...love at 1st sight. That's how it was with Gussie (gcc, or, Loveyer) & me. I had gone into the pet store to get Avicakes for Buddy & wrote a check ($350) for Gussie within 20 minutes! The local breeder recommended by my Avian vet charges $500 for his gcc. The pet store up the street from me has them but I've never asked the price. I may have been able to find a gcc for less than $350 but I wasn't shopping around since I had definately decided againt a gcc. I had done my research made up my mind that when the time came for another bird, it would be another lovie. But Gussie had other plans & left me no choice. She looked at me, ran around in a little circle, begged for food, then ran up my arm, looked me in the eye, and said, "Pretty bird". She then nibbled ever so gently on my ear lobe and said, "baby". I think I'd have bought her at any price. Well, not $1000. But I'm afraid I'd have considered robbing a bank or something. I just knew I had to have that little birdie. And I haven't regretted it for a moment!
I know exactly what you mean! The pet store here just got 4 baby sennies in, and I'm in love with one of them. I was playing peekaboo with him, and he learned it so quickly. The cage was about chest level for me (one of those built in cage sets), and I would squat down so he couldn't see me, and then pop up and say "peek-a-bird!" I'm sure the rest of the customers thought I was crazy. Anyway, after the 4th or 5th time, he started ducking his head down as if to say "don't stop, I like this game!"
But I can't afford $799 for a senegal. No way Jose. Even if I *am* in love. And because I'm moving, it makes absolutely no sense for me to get another bird. But the temptation is there.
Ah, LS, I feel your pain!
Meg
Bubblelady
05-27-2009, 11:31 AM
As a breeder, I always got better pricing if I sold directly to the shop but many shops use brokers because they purchase in quantity. .
After I got Gussie I learned I had visited her breeder during my gcc "research" jouney &, amazingly, she was there at the time. But only about 4 weeks old. I didn't interact with her, just with the breeders own adult, companion bird. But it does seem I was destined to meet her!
The shop where I got Gussie only buys from local breeders & only have one or two parrots at a time. Sometimes they may have 3 'tiels. But never "flocks"--except for budgies. And they play with the birds & have them out frequently. It's the same shop where I got Buddy 14 years ago.
Perhaps it's part of the "I was meant to have Gussie" story but I hadn't seen a hand fed lovie in there for maybe 5 years! They have had lovies off and on, but never a hand fed bird. They even had my name on file to call if they got one in. I eventually "was found" by Gussie. So the last time I was in, they had 3 hand fed lovies! It was just meant to be :happy:
LovelySydney
05-27-2009, 11:33 AM
yes Linda that is the bird!! I have been thinking about him all day = ( & definitely wondering where the shop got him from. I wonder if it is somewhere in the area or if they bring them in from somewhere. UGH he was SO ADORABLE. I hope the next time I go back there he is gone, then at least I will know someone hopefully provided him with a new home.
Pips mom
05-27-2009, 12:02 PM
Most of those pet stores get their birds from somewhere far, out of state. Woody is my "pet store bird" and he came from all the way across the country in California! Pet stores charge WAY too much for their birds! but then I have seen a few situations in pet stores where they were actually selling a bird for a decent price. My Petco had a maxi pionus a couple of years ago in the summer and only wanted 350 for it, which is a good price. The Petco out in Springfield had a blueheaded pionus at one time when I was looking to get one and they wanted a thousand dollars! Yikes! :omg: I have noticed that when it comes to birds, that their prices can be very high and also low if you shop around and not in a hurry. They charge alot here in pet stores for conures too, but if you find a breeder or someone giving one up, you can get a good price. For me now......finding a bird being re-homed is really the way to go. They charge less, you can know more info about the bird, personality and things like that, most come with a cage, and if you're a very good, loving home, then if feels good being able to give that peace of mind to the previous owner. I got my Boss girl from a rescue, Pip and Ivy were both re-homed. My first bird I did get from a pet store yes! but after that, just something about getting a bird from a rescue or re-home that feels right to me.
If you see a bird though like you have in the pet store and really love it, then all you can do is try to see if they will lower the price......I have known of situations where pet stores have done this, so it is possible, otherwise I would recommend looking for this type of bird somewhere else or maybe even a green cheek.....they look very similar.
RicosPoppy
05-27-2009, 01:18 PM
I feel almost ashamed that I won my little GCC (Kipper) at a bird fair for the price of admission and 6 raffle tickets. So that was $9.00 for the bird, cage and accessories.
Not to mention he came from a very reputable breeder that I know personally.
I have been smitten with Kip since the day he came home.
Rico on the other hand, well, let's just say I'm very careful to make sure they each get plenty of equal attention from me daily.
LovelySydney
05-27-2009, 02:03 PM
OH ricospoppy how I wish I could win one in a raffle!!! Im going to keep looking online for rehomes - so far my search in michigan has proven fruitless, but I am ever the determined one!! I just cant help but feel bad for the pet store bird in a small cage with ONE toy - I kept saying "you need more toys!" to him and above him the quaker is ringing his bell like crazy, LOL. My boyfriend looooved the quaker. I think because whenever my bf said "ring your bell" the quaker would. No idea if he knew to do that or not, but it was pretty cool!
Pips mom
05-28-2009, 03:21 AM
OH ricospoppy how I wish I could win one in a raffle!!! Im going to keep looking online for rehomes - so far my search in michigan has proven fruitless, but I am ever the determined one!!
That's the attitude to have! When I started my search for a pionus, it took some time before I found Ivy. I had found a breeder a few hours away up in Vermont, but his pair never had any babies....no eggs, while waiting I kept on searching, then one day out of the blue someone posted on another bird forum in response to my post that she had a bluehead she was giving up and if I was interested.....I emailed her my number that night and she called me the next morning.....we talked on the phone for over an hour! and even my boyfriend talked to her and then took the day off from work and away we went that very day to get Ivy! I am the type that likes to plan things ahead and doing something suddenly like this usually doesn't feel right to me.....but with Ivy the whole day just felt like it was meant to be! Not only was it a beautiful day for the ride (2 1/2 hours) but her previous owner was one of the nicest people I've ever met and had a huge flock and a huge beautiful home with a bird room, and I was just amazed! It was such a wonderful day! I had bought a cage already and we put it together and it sat empty in the spare bedroom for a while.....I still had to put perches and everything in it after we got Ivy home, so I kinda threw everything in there quick.......your day like this will come too when you find the bird you look for and you will know when it feels right!
Eliza
05-29-2009, 04:31 PM
LovelySydney -- Black-capped conures are one of my favorite of the pyrrhuras. They are SO cute! I've often thought about getting one but every time one of the parrot shops has one, it's sold before I get there! I guess that's a sign ;) They do seem to cost more than GCCs or at least they do around here. I don't think that they are as common as GCCs but they are every bit as loveable!
Here's some more info on them: http://www.conurecommunity.com/blackcapped.htm
FuzzyAga -- I cannot believe that Petco wanted $1500 for a GCC! Was it a mutation at least? They label them as "fancy green cheek conures". Most often they are yellow-sided, cinnamon or pineapple mutations. As lovely as those mutations are I've not seen a breeder ask that much for one, let alone a parrot specialty shop.
LovelySydney
05-29-2009, 04:41 PM
Thanks Pipsmom - I completely agree & thanks for the link! My boyfriend always says "once you get an idea in your head you are determined to make it a reality" and its true!! I don't know why I ever decided on a conure but I just adore them. & again, I am amazed that a long time ago I said "only lovebirds, I dont really like bigger birds" and now Im well on my way to big birds!! I love that my boyfriend is becoming interested in them as well - its definitely been a fun learning experience for us both!!
I keep looking on craigslist daily - I know something will come up eventually.
LovelySydney
05-30-2009, 02:28 PM
just got an email this morning about a green cheek that needs rehoming!!!!!!!!!
Mummieeva
05-30-2009, 03:45 PM
Wow Karma loves you. I am crossing my fingers things work out with the conures. When I first started with lovebirds I said only them. But I am thinking more about a larger bird. Sun conures are a love of mine and my husbands. He saw them at a bird fair and loved them.
Steph
LovelySydney
05-30-2009, 03:55 PM
I ADORE sun conures but they are looooooooooooooooooooud, LOL. If I thought GusGus was loud, I think my brain would explode with a sun conure!!
Mummieeva
05-30-2009, 04:15 PM
I have 4 kids and a husband who plays guitar with an amp. Birds are not loud.lol.
Steph
LovelySydney
05-30-2009, 04:24 PM
haha when you put it that way - so true!!!
lemonypickett
05-30-2009, 06:32 PM
I agree with the birds at the petstore being so marked up. I saw a caique I wanted so bad named Sally that was $1500!
Maybe my two conures will have babies in a year or two and you could get one from me ;)
LovelySydney
05-30-2009, 06:34 PM
Awww Lemony I would LOVE THAT!!!!
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