Is the pet bird trade slowing down?

Question

Do you think the breeding and selling of pet birds is less than a decade ago? More and more pet shops don't sell larger birds at all.

Answer 1

I wish that were true. But unfortunately it's still happening. I wish breeders would stop. There are too many abused birds out there who needs homes :/ .

Answer 2

Yes, I've noticed this, although I think it's the smaller birds that are becoming less popular, (e.g finches, lovebirds). A shop in the UK called Pets at Home used to sell a variety of live birds and bird products, but last year, the stopped selling birds and have cut down on the amount and variety of products they sell for birds, however, this hasn't happened with any of the other animals they sell (e.g mice, guinea pigs).

Answer 3

The reason for the decline in large parrots being sold at pet stores probably is because it's not nearly as profitable.

A pet store is more like to sell 30-50 cockatiels a month than one single cockatoo or large parrot.

The expense means people are less likely to purchase something.

While it's more profitable, you may sell one cockatoo every 6-8 months to double that in smaller parrots each week.

Having to house a parrot of that size and magnitude for such a long period of time has two separate downfalls for the store: 1. the cost of maintaining the bird and 2. the cost associated with the lack of attention it inherently receives.

This makes the bird even LESS likely to be sold.

It's easy when you have a "touch take" of baby cockatiels to sell them like hot cakes.  People get in, touch them, hold them, cuddle them, and fall in love and want them.. and it's much easier to justify a $70 bird than a bird that costs as much as a young quarter horse (without including cage and accessories!).

You can't have an open cage for large parrots because they *can* be so unpredictable.  If a cockatiel nips at someone, it will most likely do nothing but scare them.  If a cockatoo does it, a child could lose its finger.

There's just a lot of cost and accountability that goes into offering these birds for sale.

It's much more profitable for large parrot breeders to sell privately to individuals than to pet stores, too - who want the birds wholesale so they, too, can make a profit.

I don't think the trade has declined in general.. just perhaps within the pet store chains.

Answer 4

Yes I do think that the market is much slower for birds than it used to be. People act like they want a pet but it's too much trouble for them, they are too busy.  That is better for the pets that they don't just buy one and don't really take care of them.