Kindred Feathers Aviary

01/09/2024

📚 Educational Post 📚
The Pied Cockatiel (Light, Heavy & Clear)
Common Abbreviation: Pd or pD

When it comes to the Pied mutation, there's a lot of information! And sometimes this information paired with pictures of a Cockatiel bird can make a person question whether their bird is a Pied or not.

There is a particular confusion between Pieds, Normal Grays and Normal Gray Pearls, and a particular confusion between Whiteface Pieds, Normal Whiteface and Whiteface Pearls. But there is a difference!

⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️

To understand the Pied mutation, one must first know what the term "Pied" refers to in a Cockatiel.
It refers to a FLIGHT or TAIL feather that is either solid white (in Whiteface Pieds) or solid yellow (in Natural Pieds). Basically, a feather that is = FREE of gray.

These featherss that lack any color gray are also called CLEAR feathers.

Depending on how many feathers a Pied has that are clear feathers, they are categorized into 3 classifications:

1️⃣ A HEAVY Pied has MORE clear feathers and FEW gray feathers.

2️⃣ A LIGHT Pied has has LESS clear feathers and MORE gray feathers

3️⃣ A CLEAR Pied has ALL clear feathers and ZERO gray feathers.
- Clear Pieds are often confused with Lutinos or Whiteface Lutinos (which are completely different mutations). The primary visual difference between the two is eye color: Lutinos will have a red eye whereas Clear Pieds will have a black eye and brown pupil.
- Clear Pieds / Clear Whiteface Pieds are considered rare as it usually takes a few generations of intentional and selective breeding to obtain this mutation.

What is the PIED mutation?
1️⃣ PIED is a pattern mutation, and there are no two Pieds that look the same. They are a combination of 3 pigment colors - liprochrome, melanin and pstitacin - which are responsible for the yellow, gray, orange colors , respectively. In some cases, the melanin (gray) color appears to be a light brown, which indicates the presence of the Cinnamon mutation gene.

Pieds can be Natural Pieds - meaning they have yellow and gray in their plumage and orange cheeks, or Pieds can be Whiteface Pieds - meaning they are only white and gray and lack the yellow and orange colors (and always will).

2️⃣ Pied is a RECESSIVE mutation. In a breeding, parent pair of birds, this means that BOTH mom and dad MUST carrry the Pied gene to have visual PIED babies.
If only one parent carries the gene, the chick will be split to Pied (meaning it will carry the gene in it's genetic make-up) but it will NOT be a visual Pied.

In short - you can't have a PIED baby if both parents do not carry the gene.

3️⃣ Pied is an ANTI-DIMORPHIC mutation: males and females can display or the lack the same colors and patterns as either s*x. This means they do NOT occur in gender-distinguishing colors. no matter the age, markings, patterns or if it has molted. The colors they develop as chicks do not change as adults.

What is the visual difference between birds that are Pieds and aren't Pieds?
1️⃣ To officially be classify as a PIED, a bird must have:
- Solid yellow tail and/or flight feathers with yellow feather veins for Natural Pieds, or
- Solid white tail and/or flight feathers with white feather veins for Whiteface Pieds.

2️⃣ NOT a Pied - If a bird has yellow tail feathers with GRAY feather veins.
- Normal Gray Pearl females and Normal Gray females have YELLOW tail feathers with GRAY feather veins, which is normal!
- Normal Whiteface Pearl females and Normal Whiteface females have WHITE tail feathers with GRAY feather veins, which is normal!

3️⃣ Split to Pied... but NOT a Pied
It is possible for a Cockatiel (male or female) to carry certain physical aspects of the Pied mutation within its genetic makeup without officially being classified as a Pied. We call this type of Cockatiel being "split to Pied"
- Depending if the bird is an orange cheek or whiteface cheek mutation, the bird will have yellow or white patches on the back of the head or neck area, or
- yellow or white feathers mixed in within a mostly gray head crest
- a bird may have some black talon nails and some white/pink nails

How can a Pied be visually s*xed?
1️⃣ Pied does not adhere to many of the mutations and genetics "rules" that other mutations follow, which is why Pied almost 100% requires a DNA test (if you are trying to determine gender based SOLELY on looks)

2️⃣ There is one exception in visually s*xing a Pied Cockatiel, and this exeption is based on a 3 part condition:
1 - It is a Pied mutation + a s*xlinked mutation (usually Pearl or Cinnamon being the most common)
2 - Knowledge of the parents' mutations must be known
3 - Mom CANNOT be the same visual s*x-linked mutation as the Pied bird in question.
* If mom is NOT the same s*x-linked mutation, the Pied offspring in question is a female.
* If mom IS the same s*x-linked mutation, the Pied offspring cannot be s*xed UNLESS it carries a second s*x-linked mutation that the mom is not.

3️⃣ Pied Pearls
- Female Pied Pearls will keep their pearls for their entire life, just like other Pearl mutation females. Pied Pearls (usually 3-4 years old and older) are females.
- Male Pied Pearls will eventually lose their Pearls (in most cases). In some rare exceptions exist, a Pied Pearl male may never lose their pearls. If they do lose their pearls, as most do, it usually takes longer to molt them completely away.

Pictured: Pied Cockatiels and NON-Pied Cockatiels, for reference only (see individual pictures for captions)

01/02/2024

📚 Educational Post 📚
Whiteface Cockatiels

For any new Cockatiels owners or new breeders of a *WHITEFACE* mutation who may be interested in learning more!

❤️ The term WHITEFACE references a Cockatiel cheek patch color mutation, to distinguish it from Normal Cheek mutations. Whiteface lack the color pigments responsible for orange and yellow, leaving only gray and white. They will NEVER have or develop orange and yellow coloring.

❤️ Within the Whiteface category of Cockatiels, there are a variety of Whiteface mutation variations, and they are each different from one another by a slight variation of patterns and genetics.
● Normal Whiteface
● Whiteface Pearl
● Whiteface Pied
● Whiteface Pearl Pied
● Whiteface Cinnamon
● Whiteface Cinnamon Pearl
● Whiteface Cinnamon Pied
● Whiteface Cinnamon Pearl Pied
● Whiteface Lutino (incorrectly but commonly called an Albino)
● Whiteface Single Factor Dominant Silver (SFDS)
● Whiteface Double Factor Dominant Silver (DFDS)
● Whiteface Emerald
● several more potential possibilities

So when you are describing your Cockatiel, they are more than just a Whiteface... they are a Whiteface _____ (from the category above), and it does make a difference to know what they are, especially if you are trying to visually s*x your bird or describe your bird if ever lost (hopefully that never happens to you!)

❤️ And because of this, Whiteface Tiels DO NOT all follow the same s*xing rules!
● non-Pied Whiteface mutation variations can be visually s*xed AFTER the first molt
● Pied Whiteface mutation variations can't be visually s*xed before or after the first molt *UNLESS* they are a Cinnamon, Pearl or Lutino and you know what the parents look like.

❤️ Breeders: Whiteface is a recessive mutation. That means that BOTH parents in a pair must be a Whiteface or split to Whiteface to pass on the visual Whiteface gene to their chicks.

If only one bird in a pair carries the Whiteface mutation gene, none of their chicks will be a Whiteface.

❤️ Breeders: Unlike with s*x-linked mutations, male and female Cockatiels both can be split to (meaning non-visuals of) a recessive mutation. In other words, both males and females can be split to Whiteface, but only males can be split to s*x-linked mutations (Pearl, Cinnamon, Lutino and Yellowcheek).

12/21/2023

📚 Educational Post 📚
Buying a Cockatiel based on BEHAVIORS

If you are a soon-to-be Cockatiel owner, whether new to owning Cockatiels or not, there are a few things you should know about buying (rescuing, adopting, etc) a new bird based on the behaviors you DO or DO NOT want in your bird:

🎶 Singing/whistling/talking
Males do, females do not. This is what you typically hear, right? So that leads you to either specifically want a male-only bird for the ability to learn songs and whistle and talk, and not want a female because they can't be taught.

Males typically DO sing. They typically DO whistle. They CAN learn to talk. Females typically don't sing, whistle or talk. This is a generally true statement. But this is not the hard, fast, solid rule for all Cockatiels! Personality plays a big role in whether or not a male or female will sing/not sing.

Singing is a particular trait to males because males are the ones who attract females in a courtship, and they must have some way to get her attention. It is this way among many birds in the animal kingdom. If they don't sing, they do a special dance. If they don't do a special dance, they use their colors to attract.

Females don't have the same need to attract a male with singing. This doesn't, however, mean that they lack the ability to sing or whistle, or lack the ability to be. There are breeders in the group and in other groups who have females who chat up a storm, say a few words, even do the characteristic HEART WINGS that is usually just a male behavior. It's not common, but it's not uncommon either.

Males don't always sing either. I personally had a male who was DNA tested twice by myself and his breeder because nothing in his actions indicated he was a male, and it was not a mutation that could be visually s*xed. He never sang, never courted, never whislted, never did heart wings, never got moody. He never made a peep. Yet my DNA test came back the same as the breeder's: male.

Before you do get a male just because of the singing/talking/whistling ability, please be aware that some, once they start, NEVER STOP. If you don't want your afternoon nap interrupted, the baby or kids being awoken, your mornings to start early before the sunrises, your phone calls to be cut short because the caller/listener can hear your bird in the background, or your Sunday Football game extra noisy - don't get a male. Some never stop. And if you can't handle that possibility, a male is not for you.

**** PLEASE don't buy a bird based on their ability to sing or whistle!!! You will either be very happy with your choice to do so or very disappointed. And that's not just unfair to you, but unfair to the bird ***

🎶 Egg laying / egg binding
Females always lay eggs, and they can die. Not true, and true. But this is what you hear about females.

And for this reason, many people are too scared to get a female, because of the fear she will lay eggs and die.

**Disclaimer - this IS a true story for some people, and I'm truly sorry for your loss. Your story, your experience, is NOT being put down or being taken lightly by any means. But this experience ISNT the case for most female Cockatiel owners **

Because of the fear that people do have about females, breeder's and pet stores alike usually get more requests for males than for females. There are other reasons as to why females are not as desired as males, but this is the primary reason. And for this reason, females are actually harder to sell but more commonly available because all of the males are spoken for.

Here's what you need to know before you pass up on female birds:
🌸 Females can lay eggs with out without a male
🌸 Most females never lay a single egg, which is why so many are mistaken for males (especially if they visually look like a male in color and/or pattern or display male behaviors).
🌸 Of the smaller percentage of those that that do lay, most are accidentally and unknowingly triggered by something their owners did or something their owners added to the bird's environment.
🌸 Of the even smaller percentage of those that become egg bound - which is the common fear among bird owners - this is usually the result of a very poor diet, lack of exercise, being too young or too old, and/or having had too many previous clutches in a short space of time.
🌸 Very few are actually chronic layers - females that lay regardless of what you try to do to prevent it.
🌸 With education, egg laying can be - and should be - discouraged if the hen is a single female or if the owner has no intentions encouraging breeding for reproduction.

**** PLEASE don't pass up the opportunity to get a female bird just because of the small chance that she could start laying eggs! Most females are or can be just as sweet and cuddly as males, and be just as beautiful and bright in color as males (when they are a certain mutation). They are not any more or any less moody or aggressive or cuddly or loving as males ***

Summed up....
Having been a pet owner, having been a breeder, I truly encourage anyone and everyone to get the s*x bird they want, for whatever reason they have. This isn't a "shame on you" post for having a particular reason to get a particular s*x bird! Most people do have one s*x or the other preference in our birds, and that's okay! I personally love my Whiteface boy, Nimbus, but if I could only have one s*x bird, I'd pick a female 8/10 times!

This is an educational post, to prevent birds being bought or adopted simply based on behaviors and traits you hope for them to have. In the event they do not display, or do display, those traits, you will either be very disappointed or very stressed, leading to the rehoming of that bird for behaviors they do or do not display.

Picture just for Share:
Holly - Cinnamon Pearl female - cuddle bug and snuggler!

12/12/2023

12/07/2023

There have been several posts in several Cockatiel groups about females laying eggs, followed by questions of what to do. So here is some general information and tips on what to do about egg laying!

NOTE: this applies to all egg-laying females, but is geared more towards single females and eggs that are INFERTILE. If you have a male and female that has laid eggs, the approach to dealing with FERTILE eggs will be slightly different.

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➡️ General female and egg-laying facts:
🔸Most females never lay a single egg, which is why so many are mistaken for males (especially if they visually look like a male in color and/or pattern or display male behaviors).
🔸Of the smaller percentage of those that that do lay, most are accidentally and unknowingly triggered by something their owners did or something their owners added to the bird's environment.
🔸Of the even smaller percentage of those that become egg bound - which is the common fear among bird owners - this is usually the result of a very poor diet, lack of exercise, being too young or too old, and/or having had too many previous clutches in a short space of time.
🔸Very few are actually chronic layers - females that lay regardless of what you try to do to prevent it.
🔸Egg laying can be - and should be - discouraged if the hen is a single female or if the owner has no intentions encouraging breeding for reproduction.
🔸Sadly yet understandably, many females are overlooked, not desired or passed up for males for three reasons: (1) the fear of the hen becoming egg bound, (2) the desire to have a colorful bird, which males are believed to be more so than females, and (3) the desire to have a bird sing and talk, which females are generally believed not to do. With education and understanding, females can be discouraged from unnecessary egg laying, can be found in certain mutations to be just as colorful, and do have the ability to sing and whistle (even though this is less common).

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➡️ What triggers or stimulates a female to lay:
🔸The presence of a male
🔸The presence of a nest or bed of any kind (a place that looks dark, private, cozy)
🔸Getting a second bird who is not DNA tested (or whose s*x is merely guessed) or getting a second bird despite not knowing what s*x the first bird is.
🔸Allowing females to free roam (supervised and especially unsupervised) or allowed to have too much access to the house or designated bird area, making it too easy to find multiple places to nest and become hormonal and/or aggressive
🔸Too many long hours of daylight (12 or more hours of daylight)
🔸Inappropriate petting below the neck
🔸Indoor birds that are kept in warmer, household temperatures (this imitates the warmer seasons ideal for breeding)
🔸Toys that are located within their safe area or cage that tough their backs (so try rearranging them along the sides of the cage and at chest to eye level)

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➡️ What to do to discourage egg laying:
🔸For homes with 1 BIRD: Always make sure your single bird (or subsequent birds) are DNA tested or confirmed before getting more.
🔸Give 14 hours daily of darkened, daily sleep during hormonal / breeding seasons (for outdoor birds, typically Spring and Summer).
🔸No petting below the neck
🔸A cooler home or bird room (warm temps = breeding environment)
🔸For FEMALE birds: when in the mating stance (chest low, tail up, sequential chirping sounds) - iterrupt and remove your bird from the person, place or thing that has her s*xually stimulated
🔸NO BEDS or nests of any kind! No cozy hut, happy hut, nest, shoebox, coconut toy, hammock, etc. Beds are breeding only, never sleeping. Beds shouldn't be given even if she does lay eggs - leave on the bottom of the cage on the cage grate.
🔸Use a cage grate to separate your female from the cage bottom bedding material. Yes - females can still choose to lay on top of the cage grate, but the cage grate being present is just one more uncomfortable deterrent to discourage egg laying (it does not look appealing to her as a nest).

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➡️ When eggs are laid, despite attempts to discourage:
🔸Use dummy eggs! Buy 7 Cockatiel dummy eggs from Amazon. As soon as she lays her very first egg, add as many dummy eggs as are needed to make a clutch of 7-8 eggs total. This tricks (most) hens into thinking they've laid all they need to lay and will not encourage more laying.
🔸Do not remove any real eggs laid or dummy eggs added. Allow her to sit on them for 25-28 days OR until she ignores them, usually around the same time frame.
🔸Eggs can be removed 25-28 days after the last egg is laid or after the day dummy eggs are added OR after she ignores them herself. Do not leave her eggs longer than 30 days and **DO NOT** remove the eggs one at a time, every other day!!!!! Remove all at once on the same day. This prevents her from thinking she must start laying again since the first clutch "didn't hatch."
🔸 The last resort is a hormone (birth control) shot called Lupron that can be administered by a vet.

11/29/2023

📚Educational Post 📚
Birds (animals) as presents: good idea or bad?

Animals are commonly bought as presents for people all year long, but especially so during Christmas. There are many opinions on this topic. Some breeders feel so strongly against pets as Christmas presents that they will not sell their babies during the Christmas season. Others may not like the idea of selling their babies during Christmas, but they also understand that breeding, at its core, is a business like any other, and Christmas time is especially a time of high demand for animal babies.

The truth is, animals are sold and bought as presents for other people all year long; it just so happens to be more common around Christmas. Does that mean we shouldn’t sell or buy animals at all for another person, no matter the occasion?

That’s the topic of this post: animals as presents: good idea or bad? And since this is a group about Cockatiel birds, we’ll refer to pet Cockatiel birds in particular!

Now personally, I don’t believe that it’s ultimately anyone’s right to tell another person that they should or shouldn’t buy another person a Cockatiel for a present. That is my subjective, personal opinion. Neither I nor any other person knows the circumstances of why or for whom the bird is being purchased. The reasons why are known only to the buyer.

This post will not be used to tell people that birds shouldn’t be presents for someone else, Christmas time or otherwise. This post will simply suggest what to consider before deciding to purchase a bird for someone else, as well as why and when it may – or may not – be a good idea 😊

🎁What to consider before a purchase:
· The age of the person – are we talking about a child, a teenager, an adult or a senior adult?
· The lifestyle of the person – are they at home often, constantly travelling and on the road, do they live do they love their scented homes or did they put a ton of money into their Teflon cookware?
· Other pets – do they have free roam cats or natural bird dog breeds or other bird species?
· Finances– does this person support themselves or are they dependent upon another person financially? Do they seem to have money struggles, as in taking care of monthly bills?
· Medical issues – are they physically able to care for another pet or do they have a medical condition that may prevent them from taking care of a pet?
· Expressed desire – has this person vocalized often about wanting a new pet? Have they made comments suggesting they want one but it’s not been the right time? Or have they made comments suggesting they are done with pets?

Normally, these are the things that people think about (or should think about, lol) before they pick and purchase their own pet. And normally, these things might be considered “none of our business” to think about for another person. But if you are wanting to make a pet purchase for another person, it might be really wise on your part and considerate to both the person and the new pet to think about these questions before you do make that purchase. A bird bought for a medically or financially challenged person might only put more strain on that person, even if they have expressed wanting a bird or new bird.

🎁When and why might getting a pet for someone else be a BAD idea?
· If you are buying a bird for a child without the parents’ consent or prior knowledge of the idea.
YOUR child might be a great bird owner, and take care of it and love it and play with it correctly. But you can’t speak for ANOTHER person’s child, even if that child is related to you in some way. And if that child you're buying for is unlike your child and loses interest quickly, then it's the child's parents or guardians who are left with the responsibility. They may have ZERO interest in being a pet owner.

· If you are buying for a person who just recently lost a pet bird.
It’s normal and natural to want to comfort a grieving person who just lost their beloved pet with a new pet that they can love and focus on, but not everybody is immediately ready to love a new pet. There is a grieving process to go through first.

· If you are buying a bird for a person who YOU consider is not in a good place financially.
Birds can be just as expensive as dogs and cats. If the person you are wanting to buy for is, in your opinion or based on your observations, irresponsible with their money, or very responsible with their money but living on a tight budget, then giving them a potentially expensive pet is not a good idea. You could be contributing indirectly to that bird's bleak future with a person who simply can't afford it.

· If you are buying a bird for a young adult about to go to college or a senior adult in the fall or winter stage of their lives.
College kids, when you think about, really aren’t in a good position to have pets. Having been in college myself, I got to watch other college kids either show up late to events or turn down invitations because they had a puppy they had to go walk first (since most live in dorms and/or apartments). Birds aren’t accepted by all college apartment complexes as approved pets to keep, and if they are approved pets, they run the risk of being loud at any time of day or night. College is not a good age to take on a new pet, generally speaking.

Adults in the later years of their lives are usually (hopefully) retired and in a good position to take on a pet bird, but age wise, they may not want to take on a new pet knowing the bird may outlive them. In that particular case, you might not want to gift them with a younger bird that will only have to have a new home sought for him in the future.

· If you are buying for a person who you’ve never heard express interest or desire in having a bird as a pet.
You might like your pet birds, but that doesn’t mean another person will. And if this other person has never expressed interest or desire, then you’re very possibly sending a bird to a home that will only be disappointed or shocked (in a bad way) and will ask to take the pet back. That’s heartbreaking for you, and may bring unnecessary guilt upon the other person for disappointing you and/or returning a gift.

🎁When and why might getting a pet for someone else be a GOOD idea?
· If you are buying a bird for a child WITH the parents’ consent or prior knowledge of the idea.
Get permission from the parent – it’s always a good idea 😊 And speaking from experience, get permission from the child without the child's presence! To ask for permission - or to just announce that you're getting that child a pet bird - in front of the child, you're putting the parent on the spot and making the child excited for something their parent may decline.

· If you are buying for a person who just recently lost a pet bird.
ONLY if you’ve heard them say they’ll be looking for a new bird to fill the void of their grief. After all, some people really do need to have an animal in their life to love and focus on!

· If you are buying a bird for a person who stays mostly at home or has a stable, non-travelling job.
A lot of people want birds but don’t feel they can have one because they don’t work from home. That’s fine for them to feel that way, especially if they feel that they wouldn’t be able to give their new bird attention on a daily basis. Yet there are just as many people who do work outside their home and have birds, and both the person and the bird adjusts and adapts just fine to the schedule. In this particular case, Cockatiels especially do better with this kind of schedule when they have a same-species friend and buddy to pass the time. Other birds that are less people-oriented, like Canaries or Finches, will do just fine so long as they have friends and a large cage or aviary to fly around in.

If you are buying for a person who you’ve heard express interest or desire in having a bird as a pet.
A surprise pet for a person who is already planning on getting another most likely won’t have a negative outcome.

🎁 Exceptional Cases - there's ALWAYS an exception!
· Pet birds for children or any age person with medical issues - some people who have medical issues actually do benefit and NEED a pet. Seeing eye guide dogs, emotional support animals, service animals, etc.
· People who are truck drivers often travel with their pets - and those pets don't have to be dogs or cats. There are perches that can attach to car windows. Whether you would do this or not with your own bird isn't really the point - some people do, or would, and it could potentially made a bird-loving truck driver so thrilled to know they could travel with a bird!

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Pictured: Lutino Pearl purchased last year by a client of mine for her daughter, who absolutely LOVED her new bird! Picture cropped for privacy.

11/22/2023

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11/19/2023

📚Educational Post 📚
Scammers: it’s that season again!
(longer read)

It is mid-November! And that means a few things: (1) Cockatiel babies hatched two weeks ago are currently being DNA tested or are already pending the results of tests done, (2) breeders are prepping babies now that in a month’s time will become someone’s Christmas pet, and (3) scammers are on the lookout for those looking to become one of those babies’ new home.

YOU might just be one of those people looking for a new baby Cockatiel this next month. The problem, the fear, you are dealing with is HOW to avoid a scam, how to tell when you are being scammed, and how to find a real breeder.

Sadly, the real, reputable, honest breeders are dealing with the same fears, same issues that you are, just from a different perspective.

This post is going to be similar to past posts I’ve written about scammers, and hopefully by the end of it will help differentiate between the scammers and the breeders (what to expect from each) AND to bring about some awareness of BREEDER issues with scammers too (because scammers make us just as mad!).

SCAMMERS:
😡 May ask to receive payment up front and in full before you ever receive the bird in hand
😡 May ask to have your personal information, such as your address, so as to know where to ship the bird
😡 Will not hesitate to offer shipping
😡 May ask for gas money to be able to hand deliver the bird to your location
😡 May ask for money to have the "papers of ownership drawn up and transferred to you"
😡 Will not be okay with the idea of getting paid a deposit now and getting paid the rest when you get the bird in hand (they’ll “need” it in full first)
😡 May pressure you with the “get it now before it’s gone” tactic, using phrases like, “I only have one baby left and don’t know when I’ll have more, and I have many people wanting it, but I really want you to have it.” If the source will not or cannot allow you any time to think about buying their bird, and is immediately requesting money sent, your answer should must definitely be NO.
😡 May not have pictures of the bird (or the bird’s set up or cage or parents) to send “right now, but I can later.”
😡 May have a page or website for the birds, but that page/website may lack “depth” to it – meaning, it may indicate a lack of effort in keeping it updated daily or cleaned up, organized, inviting. It may show just enough pictures to feel real but not be real.
😡 May post or send you the same picture of the same bird multiple times, hoping you haven’t realized it or caught on.
😡 May send you messages that contain poor grammar and punctuation, sentences that are broken or don’t make sense, or may not even write full (complete) sentences.
😡 May paint a picture of the bird that describes EXACTLY what you’re looking for (and of course, the bird will be perfect, have not flaws, etc).
😡 May be willing to negotiate the price of the bird. Who really cares how much money it is, so long as they get your money?

REPUTABLE BREEDERS:
😃 Will NOT pressure you into giving personal information so they can meet you or ship your bird
😃 Will not negotiate the price of the bird! Whether it's a personal pet having to be rehomed and given them a ton of emotional support, or a breeder who has spent their time and energy into raising a sweet baby, the seller recognizes the value of the bird and of their work
😃 MAY require that a deposit be placed upon the bird IF you are asking the breeder to hold a specifically chosen bird.
😃 Will give you different pictures of the SAME birds, different videos of the same bird you've specifically picked
😃 Will not insist you pay the full amount upfront. The policy is usually a deposit to hold and the remainder upon picking up the bird.
😃 May or may not be willing to ship their birds to you, depending upon how comfortable they feel with shipping methods or depending upon how they feel about shipping in general. Hand delivered is more personal and is more assuring that the bird has definitely reached the buyer's hands safely.
😃 MAY ask you to sign a contract or a disclaimer prior to the sell of the bird. Most ethical breeders care just as much if not more about their birds' well-being than making a buck. If you choose not to sign one, it will not hurt the breeder NOT to choose you as their babies’ new families.
😃 May have a thorough, well-designed and/or detailed page or website, unlike a scammer who is not going to take too much of his or her time to dedicate to a website.
😃 They will be very picky in who their birds go to, therefore they will not have to put in effort to convince YOU that you need to buy their bird.
😃 They will be more than willing to provide health records of the chosen bird, parent lineage and history, Cockatiel care information packets when a bird is picked up, DNA and/or hatch

More FYI Insights about Deposits, because this is usually the biggest red flag for most people:
👀 A deposit DOES NOT automatically mean you're dealing with a scammer. Many reputable breeders require one because they value their birds too much and their time too much to risk holding a bird for a person who may only be "window" shopping.
👀 A deposit is a policy statement used by reputable breeders to protect thelselves from client scams (yes, that happens) AND to protect their babies from waiting longer to find a home.
👀 For every baby that is "held" for someone without any risk to or money put down by the buyer, the breeder risks the buyer changing their mind, which primarily means that that baby waits longer to find a new home. What most people don't realize is that older birds, older babies, are MUCH hard to find homes for because everybody wants a true "baby" to bond with.
👀 If you do not feel comfortable paying a deposit, and you are dealing with a breeder, you are not obligated to pay one! However, you should absolutely expect and anticipate that the breeder will NOT hold for you that baby you’ve fallen in love with if you do not place a deposit to hold that bird. That baby will most likely remain available to be claimed by anyone.
👀 Time and time again, a breeder has been stood up by families who changed their mind after claiming (multiple times) they wanted a bird. It's okay for a buyer to change their mind!! There are many valid reasons to do so. Believe it or not, breedesrs actually WANT you to change your mind if there may be any reason their birds may not be a suitable pet for you, or you a suitable owner for their birds. But to state over and over again that you want their birds JUST to change your mind at the last minute means breeders lose trust in buyers and lose time in finding their baby a new home.
👀 A deposit to a breeder means that they are trusting YOU to actually get a bird from them and not waste their time just like you are trusting the BREEDER that they are who they claim to be. Trust goes both ways!

BREEDER COMPLAINTS ABOUT SCAMMERS
Unfortunately for breeders, scammers are so abundant that the general public is scared to trust anyone who says they have birds for sell. And this is understandable. With the rising costs of everything, and more time spent working is required to make a living, just about NO ONE has extra money to lose to a scammer.

So how does this affect breeders? What does this mean for reputable breeders?
🤦‍♀️ breeders have to work against the deception of scammers to convince the PUBLIC that they are legit
🤦‍♀️ breeders are having to work against scammers themselves by personally dealing with them, interacting with them, even dealing with legal issues started against them by the scammers.
🤦‍♀️ breeders are having to work extra hard to show their honesty and integrity in their business
This isn’t just happening in the bird world, by the way. Dog breeders are dealing with these same issues and having these same complaints.

What can YOU do to avoid being scammed?
👉 ULTIMATELY... the best advice is to pay attention to your own instincts. If you detect the smallest of red flags, do yourself a favor and pay attention.
👉 Ask questions, investigate, read reviews (if there are any to read) or ask around to see if anyone else has dealt with that person.
👉 If it feels wrong, if it feels too good to be true, then it probably is. If you choose not to follow through with the rehoming or purchase of a bird, you will not be out of your hard-earned money, and you will not have a broken heart after finding out the bird you expected to get doesn’t even exist after all.
👉 Be willing to say “NO.” Tempting as the opportunity may be, and as hard as some birds are to come by, there will always be others and other real, legit opportunities later