Out of curiosity...

[Joanie Noel]

A lot of breeders around here are getting into the PF Opaline mutations. I don't know how much they sell elsewhere, but I saw the most BEAUTIFUL and friendly/tame American Cinnamon Silver Opaline (something like that) at the last bird fair going for $400. I wish I had snagged her up because she was just so sweet. My four are a handful right now, though, so I'm content with my flock. :) (Until several years from now when I have my own house and can fill it with lovebirds galore, muahahahaha.)

What I don't know is if it's kind of pointless to buy a lovebird for so much money if I'm not planning on breeding it. The breeder who sold me Aruba remarked on the fact that a woman that had planned to buy Aruba's brother ($85) bought one of her Opalines for $400 instead, even though she wasn't planning on breeding it at all. Any takes on this?

- Joanie

[LauraO]

Joanie: The price for the opaline sounds about right. I know here in Hawaii the normal green opaline go for $200 to $350. If your not going to breed birds it's really up to you whether it's worth the money to buy one or not. If you will enjoy the bird and relish it's beauty and personality then I guess it would be worth it :D .

[Keltoth]

Well, when I bought my Opalines, I did so with the understanding that they were parent-raised birds that were bred with the intention of being breeders, and were not hand tame in any way whatsoever. However, *my* intention was to have them as pets first and breeders a distant second, as I wanted them to have a clutch at some point but there was no rush to do so.

They have turned into my 2nd-favorite set of birds; very sweet-natured and willing to learn to be hand-trained. I cannot remember the last time Obie (the male) bit me, and Anna has only bitten me once in recent memory, and that was today when I was messing with the way she had things in her nestbox. Both birds well now immediatly fly back to their cage and wait at the door to be let inside when I tell them "it's time to go back to your room". Anna does all the little tricks that most of my other birds do, and Obie cries and begs to come out to ride on my shoulder when the mood strikes him - literally cries out, like he is being hurt.

I guess the bottom line is that if you can part with the cash with little or no remorse, then go ahead and get your Opalines if you think that you will be very happy with them. If, however, money is an issue, I'm sure there are other less expensive mutations of PF lovies that can be just a loving and interact with you as well as an Opaline can. In fact, my most favorite pair of lovies is my Wild Green pair, Melody and Zipper. In the end, it all comes down to what your reasoning is for buying any given bird, and what you can financially afford. If you can part with the money to pick up an Opaline because you really love the way that they look, and your intention is to have it as a pet, then who is to say that this is a waste of your money? That Opaline will be just as pretty whether or not your intent is to breed it. If you can wait, the prices on Opalines are sure to come down in the next few years; if you just cannot wait that long and you can part with the cash, then go ahead and buy an Opaline and love it all the more for the sacrifice made in order to bring it into your home.

Your money can only be wasted if you regret your decision later, after you've bought your bird. If you thoughtfully go into the transaction with the mindset that an Opaline is what you want and your intent is for it to be a pet - and you are ok with putting out more money for the Opaline mutation - then you shouldn't be dissappointed later.

I paid a fair bit of money for my Opalines, and I have never regreted it one bit - both before they had a clutch, and certainly not now after they've had a clutch.

Just my two cents -

Eric