Oh I totally agree with you guys that rescues are a much better way to go than a breeder. I’ve had three parrots over my adult life and they are all rescues. The problem is, I get very attached to my birds and two of them passed on my watch, which is just the worst, easily the worst moments of my life. I took them to the avian vet a lot because they had health issues (extensive history of self mutilation with my citron cockatoo, arthritis in my elderly Meyers). But the vet didn’t/ couldn’t help and I still cry every time I think of them. So I’m trying to find a bird that can be with me for many years because I can’t handle the heartbreak of losing another bird any time soon.
Another issue is that all of the local rescue birds that I’m interested in are either old, have significant health issues, or really insist on having a male caretaker. When a new bird pops up on the rescue website, I immediately contact them only to find out that the bird is already being adopted. And this happens over and over again. So the breeders are my last stop just because I’m getting very frustrated.