Yellow Submarine
16th March 2011, 18:02
I've always been a huge enthusiast of pet birds. I did keep a few pet birds previously, but was really ignorant about caring for them. This time, I've educated myself completely on how to care properly for pet birds.
I have been fascinated by African Grey parrots for the last few years. Couldn't get one till now because they are really costly. Finally at this point, I've made my decision to get one. They are the best talkers of all parrot species, and are the most intelligent and have the most superior cognitive abilities. I just booked an African Grey baby chick a few days ago. The breeder is essentially a dentist from Kolkata who has an aviary farm and breeds birds mostly because it's a hobby for him. The chick wasn't even 10 days old when I booked it. It hasn't even opened it's eyes.
The bird will cost Rs. 31,000, but I'll be paying a total of Rs. 35,000 which will include packing and transport to the Guwahati airport. It'll be separated from it's parents before it opens it's eyes, and then hand fed until completely weaned.
For those who are wondering what the term 'hand fed' means, there are two ways a chick is brought up - 'parent fed' and 'hand fed'. When a chick is parent fed, it's basically fed and raised by it's parents until it completely weans (starts taking adult food). It's negatives are that the chick grows up to carry the wild traits or instincts of it's parents and are afraid of human contact. However, when a chick is separated from it's parents before it opens it's eyes, and they see humans upon opening their eyes, it associates itself with humans and no longer fear them as they grow up. They are then hand fed with hand rearing formula until they wean completely and are ready to go to new homes. This process results in a bird that readily associates itself with humans and bond with them. Hand feeding is a very, very laborious method and if not done perfectly could kill the bird in a matter of minutes. It's for this very reason birds that are hand fed cost a lot more than those that are parent fed.
I'll also have to order a cage from over the internet. I've selected the one that I want and it'll cost about Rs. 20,000 which includes shipping to my place. Then I'll have to get other essential things like a first aid kit, a training stand, feather and toenail clipping scissors, and a bag of organic pellets to feed it as it's staple diet which will cost about Rs. 10,000 in total. They'll come costly because I'll have to import them from the USA, and the shipping charges are a lot.
I'll also have to order a package of non toxic bird toys every month that will cost Rs. 2000/month. Once again they will be imported from the USA. It's very, very important to keep African Greys (one of the most intelligent birds with extraordinary cognitive abilities) stimulated with different toys or they start displaying destructive behaviors like screaming, feather plucking, aggression, etc which are mostly the results of boredom.
And most importantly, I'll have to import a 5 lb bag of organic bird food every couple of months. One could feed them mixed seeds and nuts, but feeding them as organic diet ensures they live to their potential age which is around 50 to 70 years in captivity. The bag of food would cost just around Rs. 1200, but customs duty would ensure that I'll have to pay around Rs. 3800 in total.
Over all, it's a very costly deal, but I'm ready to accept it.
Any of you guys here who are bird enthusiasts, and have pet birds?
I have been fascinated by African Grey parrots for the last few years. Couldn't get one till now because they are really costly. Finally at this point, I've made my decision to get one. They are the best talkers of all parrot species, and are the most intelligent and have the most superior cognitive abilities. I just booked an African Grey baby chick a few days ago. The breeder is essentially a dentist from Kolkata who has an aviary farm and breeds birds mostly because it's a hobby for him. The chick wasn't even 10 days old when I booked it. It hasn't even opened it's eyes.
The bird will cost Rs. 31,000, but I'll be paying a total of Rs. 35,000 which will include packing and transport to the Guwahati airport. It'll be separated from it's parents before it opens it's eyes, and then hand fed until completely weaned.
For those who are wondering what the term 'hand fed' means, there are two ways a chick is brought up - 'parent fed' and 'hand fed'. When a chick is parent fed, it's basically fed and raised by it's parents until it completely weans (starts taking adult food). It's negatives are that the chick grows up to carry the wild traits or instincts of it's parents and are afraid of human contact. However, when a chick is separated from it's parents before it opens it's eyes, and they see humans upon opening their eyes, it associates itself with humans and no longer fear them as they grow up. They are then hand fed with hand rearing formula until they wean completely and are ready to go to new homes. This process results in a bird that readily associates itself with humans and bond with them. Hand feeding is a very, very laborious method and if not done perfectly could kill the bird in a matter of minutes. It's for this very reason birds that are hand fed cost a lot more than those that are parent fed.
I'll also have to order a cage from over the internet. I've selected the one that I want and it'll cost about Rs. 20,000 which includes shipping to my place. Then I'll have to get other essential things like a first aid kit, a training stand, feather and toenail clipping scissors, and a bag of organic pellets to feed it as it's staple diet which will cost about Rs. 10,000 in total. They'll come costly because I'll have to import them from the USA, and the shipping charges are a lot.
I'll also have to order a package of non toxic bird toys every month that will cost Rs. 2000/month. Once again they will be imported from the USA. It's very, very important to keep African Greys (one of the most intelligent birds with extraordinary cognitive abilities) stimulated with different toys or they start displaying destructive behaviors like screaming, feather plucking, aggression, etc which are mostly the results of boredom.
And most importantly, I'll have to import a 5 lb bag of organic bird food every couple of months. One could feed them mixed seeds and nuts, but feeding them as organic diet ensures they live to their potential age which is around 50 to 70 years in captivity. The bag of food would cost just around Rs. 1200, but customs duty would ensure that I'll have to pay around Rs. 3800 in total.
Over all, it's a very costly deal, but I'm ready to accept it.
Any of you guys here who are bird enthusiasts, and have pet birds?