Red bellied parrots- Sad Update Post #41

[jeansie1988]

Hi all...
I have wanted a red bellied parrot for years now, way before I got my bh pionus. They are very uncommon in Ontario, Canada from what I have found.
I have found a pair on kijiji, a local site... and wanted to know any opinions about the pair. I noticed that they both don't have tail feathers.
They are not tame and not banded.
The guy bought them 1 week ago and said they are too noisy for him. No idea why he'd get them in the first place. I have no other history on them.
Thoughts?

 

[iamwhoiam]

What do you want to know? They may have pulled out their tail feathers or maybe they got broken. Some of the other feathering doesn't look great. Looks like a few more broken feathers and possibly a bad wing clip. Are you planning on breeding them? I had my pair for 9 years before they started breeding. Are they actually a bonded pair? Does he have any health info on them? If you get them I would recommend taking them to a vet for a complete health check. Noisy...I'm a bit surprised about that. Red-bellies can chatter but they really aren't noisy based on my experience.
Difficult to tell the age on them. They could have been banded and the bands removed. They could be wild caught or they could be domestically bred??
I have a few red-bellies and I like them a lot!

 

[janicedyh]

I don't know about this one...sounds a little fishy to me. Is the seller able to tell you anything else about them...age, are they breeders? Where did he get them? They do seem to have some feather issues..were they with other birds or are they plucking. I would REALLY be careful

 

[jeansie1988]

Literally the guy told me he has had them for a week. I asked who he got them from and he said a breeder. I asked the breeders name and he told me maybe Bill. I find it weird that you'd forget who sold them to you.
No health info, he is selling them as a proven pair. Since he has had them only for a short time, they aren't proven by him. I have a lot of red flags that keep coming up. Perhaps I will just pass on them.

 

[janicedyh]

Best to pass even though it was exciting to find them. There are just too many unknowns

 

[iamwhoiam]

If you have red flags then pass. It is weird that he can't remember who he bought them from especially since he has only had them for a week. Did you want to breed them or did you want them to become your feathered friends?
Parrots Canada has two red-bellies listed for sale. I know nothing about that place. Maybe someone here does.

 

[jeansie1988]

Hi.. parrots canada no longer has any. He said he sold his last female a few weeks ago.
After speaking to him though, I am going to go look at them and see. Maybe I can get more information when I go in person vs on the phone.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Hi.. parrots canada no longer has any. He said he sold his last female a few weeks ago.
After speaking to him though, I am going to go look at them and see. Maybe I can get more information when I go in person vs on the phone.

So you are going to look at the red-bellied pair or are you referring to the person you spoke with from Parrot Canada?.

 

[jeansie1988]

Sorry! I spoke to the man at parrots canada and he told me his thoughts. After speaking to him and bouncing thoughts back and forth, I have decided to go look at the pair. I'm hoping the guy who has the pair will have more information in person vs when I've spoken to him on the phone.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Good luck. Let us know what happens.

 

[jeansie1988]

Well I bought them!
They are super scared! The person I bought them from was 11 years old and wanted to breed them. The father was all for it but the mother was upset and told him to sell them as he was too young. I couldn't get too much information from the father as he wasn't the friendliest. I can't believe this kid wanted them, I asked so many questions he had no answers too.
He also had a blue crow conure he was selling as he couldn't find a female.
No toys in the cages and dirty paper.
Saddens me really, the situation of the birds and the lack of response from the parents.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Make sure to quarantine them from your other bird/s. Let them settle down a bit and then take them to the vet for health checks.
Red-bellies can be very shy and they have this red-belly stare and freeze position when they are really scared. It's a prey-predator thing. They just don't move and look like little statues.
It's very sad about the cage and the conditions in which they were being kept so thank you for taking them into your home.
Don't give them too many toys at once. They generally like to shred things: paper, wood, etc. and most of them like swings. Mine figured out how to get out of cages so be aware that they are clever and inquisitive enough to do that if they want to.

 

[janicedyh]

Could the seller at least tell you where they got them so you can find out some history?

 

[iamwhoiam]

@jeansie1988 Keep us updated regarding how things go with the r-bs.

 

[AvianCrew]

Well I bought them!
They are super scared! The person I bought them from was 11 years old and wanted to breed them. The father was all for it but the mother was upset and told him to sell them as he was too young. I couldn't get too much information from the father as he wasn't the friendliest. I can't believe this kid wanted them, I asked so many questions he had no answers too.
He also had a blue crow conure he was selling as he couldn't find a female.
No toys in the cages and dirty paper.
Saddens me really, the situation of the birds and the lack of response from the parents.

That's horrible! He might just want the money from the babies! And he's neglecting that poor conure!

 

[iamwhoiam]

Kid probably wants to start hobby breeding with very little knowledge and little to no support from parents. I would think, though, that at least one of them had to be there when he purchased the red-bellies and the blue crown.

 

[jeansie1988]

I've made a vet appointment for next week. I took pictures of the female....her plucking is bad around her wings. I've got them separate from my other birds incase it's something.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Looks like dried blood under the wing. Have you noticed any bleeding? Hope they are OK. How is the male?

 

[jeansie1988]

Only the one spot of bleeding. Looks as if she was plucking there and stopped. She has chewed her feathers back close to the quill. The bleeding has stopped and maybe starred to scab.

 

[jeansie1988]

The male is not in as bad of shape as the female.