Ugh no luck

[Bekah]

I dont know where this should be posted so i just posted iot here.

Ok well i have had no luck. I have been looking for a lovebird breeder in Houston for a real long time and havent really found anything. Does anybody know any websites of breeders that live close to katy, Texas b/c i have no luck at in finding breeders. Help would be appreciated.

[linda040899]

Hi Rebekah,
I took the liberty of moving your message to this forum. It will get more attention here.

Let me check some of my resources and see what I can find. The other option is finding a breeder out of state and having what you want shipped to you. Rubygem ships, as do I.

[bellarains]

Katy,

Here's a few I found in Birdtalk. I don't know how close they are, but I'll list them.

1. A Parrot's Cover-Houston-281-469-5455
2. Tree Top Bird Center-Dallas-972-503-Bird-www.treetopbirdcenter.com
3. Charlotte's Nest-281-705-6292-www.charlottesnest.cc


If they don't have lovebirds, they most likely could direct you to someone who does.

[Keltoth]

http://www.flyinggems.com/fga/avianbreeders.htm#Texas

See if one of those will work for you...

[Bekah]

Yay I found a breeder named Sophia. She has babies shes handfeeding right now and will be ready in a coupkle weeks. I am about to visit this week sometime and will check out the babies! Very soon i will be getting my first lovie.(3 weeks) I have a cage on its way right now!! Im sooo excited. I tune yall in later once i get one and I will post pics!

[linda040899]

Rebekah,
I don't know how this breeder handles her youngsters but I can tell you that parent raised lovebirds are usually weaned by the time they are 8 weeks old. I leave mine with their parents for about another week, just for good measure. Handfed baby lovebirds take longer to wean so you are probably looking at getting one that's anywhere from 9-12 weeks old. If you hear the phrase "just weaned completely a few days ago," be prepared to wait at least another week before you take the baby. Many young lovebirds will revert back to wanting to be handfed when they change homes and some have died because they did not want to eat unless they were handfed. Better to be safe than sorry, especially since this is your very first lovebird.

[Bekah]

Yeah, I was talking with her bout that and she said they will be ready in about 2 weeks and she will have them available a couple weeks afterwards. So yeah. I am getting ready sometime this week to go check out the babies to make sure she is doing a good job with them before i make a desision. From her website Sophiessweeties.com. They will show some of the lovies she has and ones that are still being handfed if you want to check them out.

[linda040899]

Rebekah,
You know when you give me a link, I'm going to go check things out! :lol

She seems pretty much on the level. I like her guarantee, plus it doesn't seem like she will sell her babies as soon as they are completely weaned. If everything she has on her site is accurate, I would expect you will get a very nice lovie!

[Janie]

Thanks for that link. I did check out her site and it looks like she's a good breeder from what I see there. I notice that she will have a baby DNA'd if you want and if it were me, I would. There might come a day when you'd like to add a second bird and it would be nice to know what you already have if that should happen. I had my last two DNA'd (by the breeder) at the cost of $25 each bird. I only wanted males but even if you don't care which sex you get, it would be nice to know what the sex is so you'll have an idea of what to expect....like eggs if it's a female! :D

As Linda mentioned, it is very important that a baby is fully weaned and eating on its own for at least a week before you take it home with you and I think this breeder, Sophie, understands that and would not let you take one too soon. Be sure to ask her about a good avian vet, too. I was happy to read that she is offering them fresh veggies as part of their weaning. That will make it much easier for you when you get one.

[Bekah]

Yeah, that is what I was thinking abotu doing because I wouldn't want a girl because of eggs. I think a male would be a lot easier but that all depends on the bird. Otherwise it wouldn't really matter to me.

[p3rr4n]

Congratulations!!!!!!


A couple of things to think about.

1) Can you visit the lovie you want between now and then? It could help you to bond with it and have a really great relationship once you bring it home :-)

2) Please consider getting an avian vet to look at your baby once you have it home. A first birdy check is very important, even when buying from a reputable breeder.

:)

Once again CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

[LauraO]

I am pro hen. I have some with great personalities and I feel sad they get such a bad rap. YEP, they can get bitey, territorial and lay eggs, but that's part of the fun:lol .

Bekah: Please check with the breeder cause I believe it's $25 whether you buy the bird or not.

[Janie]

Laura, this is how Jeanette works out the DNA testing. I did pay, up front, when I saw her beautiful little violet at the one and only bird fair she she attended to sell her birds. I knew I only wanted males and especially since I already had Oliver. That little violet did turn out to be a hen so I passed and told her to keep me on her list. Same adults had another clutch several months later and Jeanette told me she would DNA another (actually two cause I wanted two) and not charge me again. That is how she charges for the DNAing but I'm sure not all breeders would only do a "one time" charge. I think that Jeanette DNA's most of her birds before selling them.

Bekah, hens do get a bad rap.....and usually deserve it! :lol There is no doubt that they will eventually lay eggs and get nesty and if I can avoid that, you'd better believe I'm going to! :D My understanding is that if a bird is DNA'd as a female, it's 100 percent correct but occasionally a bird can be DNA'd as a male and turn out to be female. If one of my two that are just over a year old turned out to be female, I'd LOVE them just as much and would never part with them for that reason (or any reason) but I really didn't want the eggs. But, there really are some very sweet hens around here and Lori's "Lacey" is one of them. Jackie (Butterfly) has the clutch-mate sister of my two boys....ask her how sweet Ms. Olivia is! :D

[bellarains]

Yes,

My Lacey is an angel. I do attribute her sweet demeanor to a little good luck, good breeding, and I still interact with her on a daily basis, even when she is on eggs. It may just be me lifting the nestbox lid, telling her how beautiful she, is, how much I love her, and what a good girl she is, but it works for us:)

Hens are probably a little more work, but as Laura said,my hen has her own special place in my heart as much as my male does. They are different, and I love them both for each of their own little personalities.

[Bekah]

Yeah I understand. I mean if i did have a hen I would not be mad at all. I would love her as much as any other bird I would have. If I get a male that is good too. It really does not matter to me but I would PREFER a male. That does not mean I would not accept a hen. I bet they are really sweet and you Lori have a really sweet birdie ;). So I will have to wait and see!:D