Is this a scam website? Where should I buy a Hahn’s?

[tka]

Can you show us a photo of this cage?

Most small animal cages aren't suitable for birds. They're the wrong shape for the bird to move around, are usually too low so offer limited scope for perching, toys and enrichment, and the bars are usually plastic-coated or painted. The metal underneath may be harmful to your bird if they chew on them.

 

[Sparkles99]

I would be concerned about the strength of the cage. Parrots are very strong.

 

[FeatheredM]

It's not much about if the bird fits. It's if the bird fits comfortably and safely, maybe you should take some pictures of the cage?

 

[BirdLady13]

Already have a cage- old Guinea pig

You should post a picture because if it's anything like what I'm picturing then it won't be suitable for a Hahn's.

 

[BirdLady13]

I also just realized that you're a minor - please take into account the amount of attention, out-of-cage-time, lifespan, etc.. of a mini macaw. Be sure you can make the commitment before bringing one home. Of course this is a consideration you should make before you get any animal, but I think some people underestimate Hahn's. I've had mine since she was a peanut; she's now 6 ½. She grew larger than I had anticipated she would. She's louder than I anticipated she would be. And her bite is much stronger than I had expected; keep in mind I was fully aware of the strength of a large macaw beforehand as I already had one. If you do decide to get one, it will still need your care and affection even if you're tired and busy from college and/or work. And it will still need your care and affection even if you move out on your own and can't find a place that will accept potentially noisy pets.

 

[BrianB]

They have been scamming people for years. They may have been a real breeder at one point, but they aren't now. The fact that they have a hyacinth for sale for less than a blue & gold confirms it. I did a reverse image lookup on a picture for a hyacinth macaw and found the same picture on 3 different sites. I managed to get a scammer's website shut down by their host a year or two ago. This one has covered their tracks a little better and it will be difficult to do the same thing.

There is also theparrotfarms.com whois appears to be run by the same people. There are a lot of the same images and text. They are also registered with the same registrar in Iceland.

Just be careful and do your research before you buy online. It's so easy to get scammed now.

 

[Mizzely]

Bird prices have skyrocketed, and so have scams taking advantage of people looking for a lower price.

"The Better Business Bureau said online shopping scam reports to its BBB Scam Tracker—for scams of all types—skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, people lodged 1,515 pet scam complaints with losses of $1 million. In 2020 that rose to 4,552 complaints with losses of $3.3 million. Pet scams made up 34.5% of all the online shopping scams reported to the bureau.

The number of pet scams remains high this year. In the first nine months of 2021, there were 3,116 reports with losses of $2.4 million."

No Puppy for Christmas: Online Pet Scams Proliferate • Stateline

The puppy was supposed to be a Christmas present for her husband, Bryan. But after Lauren Case, a registered nurse from Warren, Arkansas, plunked down $850 via a cash app for a cute teacup Yorkie named Rosy she saw online, she began to get suspicious. She had paid an initial $600 by Zelle, a...

www.pewtrusts.org

 

[BrianB]

Bird prices have skyrocketed, and so have scams taking advantage of people looking for a lower price.

Prices are insane. African Greys were 900 - 1800 a few years ago. I'm seeing people in Arizona selling them for between 7 and 10 THOUSAND. It's crazy. We get calls at the store every single day asking for them and the few breeders that have them aren't selling them just to drive the prices up. I had to stop offering my personal number because it got around and people would call me in the middle of the night demanding that I sell them my Greys. Funny how people get offended when you're less than polite during a 2 AM phone call.

We had to put signs up at the store that we no longer allow pictures, video, or video chat inside of the store. Someone came in last summer and took a bunch of pictures of our resident birds then posted them for sale online. A guy came in and said he was looking for the right food for a bird he just bought online - then saw the same bird sitting on a perch. He had been scammed.

 

[Kassiani]

I had to stop offering my personal number because it got around and people would call me in the middle of the night demanding that I sell them my Greys. Funny how people get offended when you're less than polite during a 2 AM phone call.

I have absolutely no understanding of why people behave that way. It just would never occur to me to call someone I don't know at that hour demanding something from them. I mean, I won't call family members after 9 p.m. unless someone is bleeding, for heavens sake. I just don't understand that mindset. I'm glad you have taken steps to make it stop.

 

[danieljay]

I have looked at 4 websites that all have "parrot farm" in the name. All have been scams. In the case of Terrys they claim to be located in Oklahoma as did the other 3 parrot farm websites I found. Also, the domain registration for all lists addresses that are not real places.

 

[BrianB]

The scam sites come and go so fast, but sometimes it's worth the work to get them shut down by their host. In the end, it costs them money to find another company to host them. If you have the time it's worth it to engage them in conversation. Never give any personal information away, but ask them really obvious and stupid questions. The longer you drag it on the less time they have to rip off others. One of my favorites is to ask if the bird has been vaccinated for equine distemper or something along those lines, then keep dragging it out as long as possible.

 

[Sparkles99]

Equine distemper.

 

[UltraCon]

I also just realized that you're a minor - please take into account the amount of attention, out-of-cage-time, lifespan, etc.. of a mini macaw. Be sure you can make the commitment before bringing one home. Of course this is a consideration you should make before you get any animal, but I think some people underestimate Hahn's. I've had mine since she was a peanut; she's now 6 ½. She grew larger than I had anticipated she would. She's louder than I anticipated she would be. And her bite is much stronger than I had expected; keep in mind I was fully aware of the strength of a large macaw beforehand as I already had one. If you do decide to get one, it will still need your care and affection even if you're tired and busy from college and/or work. And it will still need your care and affection even if you move out on your own and can't find a place that will accept potentially noisy pets.

Oh yeah, I have. My whole family is a bird family.

 

[UltraCon]

Can you show us a photo of this cage?

Most small animal cages aren't suitable for birds. They're the wrong shape for the bird to move around, are usually too low so offer limited scope for perching, toys and enrichment, and the bars are usually plastic-coated or painted. The metal underneath may be harmful to your bird if they chew on them.

The cage is MASSIVE. It’s big enough for a full macaw!

 

[UltraCon]

Don’t worry guys, this is not an unprepared, spur-of-the-moment decision. We have more than enough of all of the resources required to take good care of this bird. Money, time, and love.

 

[Oscarbird]

The cage is MASSIVE. It’s big enough for a full macaw!

Just a reminder ... Wingspan Info | Natural Inspirations Parrot cages

 

[Sparkles!]

We have more than enough of all of the resources required to take good care of this bird. Money, time, and love.

If this is true, Then I would recommend just paying the $3,750 from Avalon in Loveland. You’ll get a good bird from great people. That price isn’t gouging- it’s market rate right now for a hand fed baby of that species.

Back to your original question- No, you truly are not going to find a baby hand fed hahn’s for less than $1,500.

 

[Mizzely]

Remember too that when members bring up stuff like the cage it is not a reflection on YOU. It is because they have seen many times before the "huge" cage that people have waiting for their bird as media and pet shops have skewed how a lot of people see bird cages. For instance, every non-bird person that comes to my home remarks on the "HUGE" cage I have for Ripley, even though it is bare minimum for his size. They just want to make sure everyone is on the same page

My comment would be, without knowing anything specifics about what you have, is that guinea pigs usually have larger bar spacing too for their cages so that would be the thing I would worry about. Hahns have big beaks for their size but they can still get themselves in trouble easily with too wide of bars! And huge cages with small bar spacing is sometimes hard to find. Not to mention that it will be harder for them to climb if its too wide. I would feel most comfortable with under 3/4" for a Hahns; 5/8" or 1/2" would be ideal.

 

[BirdLady13]

The cage is MASSIVE. It’s big enough for a full macaw!

Don’t worry guys, this is not an unprepared, spur-of-the-moment decision. We have more than enough of all of the resources required to take good care of this bird. Money, time, and love.

I'm glad you and your family have the time, money and heart, but the picture I have in my head of a guinea pig cage is not ideal for a mini macaw (and definitely not even remotely close to okay for a large macaw); it would put my mind at ease if you posted a picture of the cage.

 

[tka]

I have to say that I'm struggling to visualise a guinea pig cage that would be suitable for a parrot. Most guinea pig cages or pens I've seen tend to have a lot of floor space which is great, but tend to be very low and not offer much scope for climbing. Parrots do appreciate some height especially when they roost at night, and being in a very low cage will probably make them stressed. If nothing else, would you help me out by satisfying my curiosity?

And yes, as @Mizzely says, I've lost count of the number of people who come on the forum and assure us that they have a huge cage, then it turns out to be something like 24"x24" - this is okay for maybe a budgie or lovebird, but too small for nearly any other species. Visitors remark on the cage I have for Leia but at 40x30" it's by no means huge and would be too small for any large macaw species. 40x30" is about the minimum size you'd want for a Hahns.