You do not want a talking parrot.

Yes, I want a parrot that talks!

No, you don’t. Anyways, even those with talking ability do not develop it until they are mature, and take much dedicated training to master more than a few words.

Do you have any adults that can talk? I want a talking parrot….etc, etc, etc…..

My most asked question, several times a week, sometimes several times a day, ever since those videos went viral…..

As a rule, anyone who wants a parrot that talks and does not really care about what particular breed, and wants that trait above anything else, gets screened out.

It is like wanting to get a dog that will bark at strangers. If that is all you want, get a motion detector, not a long time companion that will depend on you for friendship, companionship, entertainment and love above all.

If all a person wants is a talking parrot, then best bet would be the Walmart toy section, and picking up an animatronic toy bird. Works every time, makes no mess, and you can turn it off when you want to.

And that is the big point, you can turn off a toy when you want to. You Can. Not. Turn. Off. A Parrot! They will say whatever they are trained to say, and even more of what they are not trained to say, all the time. Over and over, non stop until they get the attention that they are asking for. If you are not prepared or experienced enough to give them that attention, things will go badly.

Also remember, the more talking ability a parrot has is directly related to their intelligence. And the smarter a parrot is, the more attention they require, the more entertainment they need, the more enrichment they desire and most of all, the more noise they will make! Of course, the more fun they are as well!

Even when not talking, vocal parrots will screech and call, scream and make all kinds of loud noises. Go on youtube and watch videos of cockatoos and amazons, a couple of the best talkers, and imagine your life with that kind of noise… All. The. Time!

I have lived with Amazons and Cockatoos, and while they make great companions they require a massive time investment, and require someone with the proper level of experience. They do get destructive when they are bored, either to themselves, their humans, or their environment. Even the smaller ringnecks and quakers can be a challenge to those not prepared and properly informed!

I am located just a couple km South of Duncan BC on Vancouver Island BC Canada. Close to the highway. About halfway between Victoria and Nanaimo, a 45 minute drive from each.

Sorry, I do not ship the birds. It is too hard on both them and my nerves, and has gotten quite expensive and difficult as well. Pickup here in person only.

The Island is a beautiful place to visit though! Come out for the day, see the sights, enjoy the nature and the ocean and pick up your new feathered friend on the way home. I am usually available until 8pm for pickups.

For previous customers that I have already met face to face, delivery on Vancouver Island is possible through a third party.

Another big reason I do not ship is that I like to meet new bird parents face to face. I have turned away people before after meeting them in person, but not often. Pro tip, do not show up here drunk like a lord, high as a kite on dope or tweaking on meth. Yes it all happens. Don’t hotbox your car in my driveway smoking weed, try to engage in aggressive haggling, or use intimidation to get a better deal, it won’t work. All this is why I like doing things the old fashioned way, face to face, getting to know the people and the families that are welcoming their new member. By all means bring the children, the grandparents, all those excited to see the new addition!

Take your time and explore the web site, there is a lot of info here. It can be a bit confusing at first, and a bit overwhelming when considering the prospect of adding a new feathered family member. Even those with bird experience might learn something new, or hear about it from a different perspective. Even now I learn something new each day about my finely feathered friends!

Check out the -Available Birds- and -Available Rescues- pages to see what is currently available. Check the -Updates- pages to see what babies and rescues will be coming soon. The -Education- page has tons of articles on various topics of bird health and bird care, created by me with a practical and common sense view to bird care. You can see what bird I breed in the -Birdie Videos- section, and see where your new potential family member comes from and how they were raised.

You can message me to go onto a wait list if what you are looking for is not currently available, either through facebook or here.

My primary concern when rehoming both handfed babies and adult rescues are experience and housing. A first time bird owner is better off with a handfed baby, particularly a budgie or a cockatiel, rather than tackling a rescue ringneck or quaker. As well, proper housing, a suitable sized cage, is mandatory when taking home any of my birds. I have been taking in a large amount of surrenders here for many years, and have seen the problems improper caging causes only too well.

First you can check out the -Available Birds- page from navigation. All currently available handfed babies will have their own gallery there. Each baby in the batch will have 3 to 5 pictures, and in the first picture there will be the babies identification number. If it also says “On hold” then that particular baby has already been sold or is reserved. Just message me with the number of the baby you are interested in and we can go from there.

The other way is the waitlist. If you are looking for a particular breed of bird, and there are none currently available, just message me and let me know what you are looking for. I will add you to the wait list, and send you a notification when some babies are available. I give those people on the wait list first choice, then open up the babies for everyone else.

Best way to go on the wait list for one or more breeds of birds is to contact me on facebook. If you are not on there, or just don’t like it, message me from here. It works, but might be a little slower.

You can also join the newsletter and check the -Updates- page for news when new babies are available and what is coming up soon.

First you can check out the -Available Rescues- page from navigation. All currently available Rescues will have their own gallery there. Just message me if you are interested in the birds and we can go from there.

There is a bit more screening done with Rescues, as they are often more of a challenge than handfed babies. They are usually adult birds, with their own habits and behaviors well developed. They are also often non-tame or semi-tame, and may not have had much human attention before coming here. I will also want to ensure that they will have suitable housing in their new homes. They are all beautiful birds, doing the best they can, and deserve a good forever home and happy life best suited to them.

I do not recommend rescues for everybody, and many are not suitable as a first time bird, especially the more challenging breeds.

I only charge a nominal rehoming fee for rescues, and want to ensure they are not going to homes with people who just want a “cheap” bird.

You can also join the newsletter and check the -Updates- page for news when new birds are available and what is coming up soon.

Nope, a transport box will be provided here free of charge. I prefer using a cardboard transport box, as it is generally safer than using a carrier or cage. They cannot see out, are less likely to become spooked, panicked or overwhelmed, and are less likely to injure themselves. No bars to get wings caught up, no perches or toys to collide with.

They are good in there for at least 4 hours, and will likely just snooze in the darkness. For longer trips a water dish can be fastened to the inside, I usually have some in stock here. A spray of millet makes for an easy snack. With food and water added, and checked on periodically to ensure there is no spillage, much longer trips are safe to take.

If you are on Facebook, messaging me on my facebook page is the fastest way to get your message to me. I am used to it, I am old and Facebook is easy enough.

If you don’t like Facebook, you can message me through the -Contact Me- form at the bottom of every page here on the website.

You can also Email me at LittleJoesCompanionBirds@Gmail.com

Sorry, no phone number. I did that just once a year ago, put my number up on a one-off ad. I spent most of the next week on the phone, answering most of the same questions you will find in this FAQ. With all the birds sitting on my shoulder and screaming into my ears, I am more than a little hard of hearing.

I do require a photo of the cage you plan on using to house the new bird, in the location you plan on putting it.

For an extensive information dump on picking out a suitable cage, go to this page HERE.

I also usually have cages here in stock, new in box, at reasonable prices. Amazon is also a good source for cages, if you know what to look for and what to avoid, and I can give you my recommendations.

the biggest concern is size, is it big enough to keep your birdie happy and healthy.

This means a width across the front of at least 24 inches for budgies and parrotlets and at least 30 inches. for all other birds such as cockatiels and conures.

This is just large enough to allow birds to get some exercise, and prevent them from feeling too confined and getting stressed.

You also want a cage of good quality that will keep your birds safe. that $60 cage you found on Teemu or the $20 cage on marketplace probably won’t cut it either. Make the investment for something good that is easy to use and service. After all, this is something you will be seeing and working with every day for the next 10, 20, 30 or more years.

Mainly I have the big 3, handfed budgies, cockatiels and conures, both green cheeks and sun conures. I will occasionally have lovebirds, parrotlets, lineoated parakeets, quakers and ringnecks as well. The wait list for quakers and ringnecks is quite long though, and I do not breed these birds as often. Mostly because it has become difficult to ensure they go to good homes, due to their popularity in certain viral videos.

A baby that goes through handfeeding here is pulled from the nest at about 5 to 7 days of age. They are kept in a special brooder, and fed formula 5 times a day from a syringe until they are 8 to 10 weeks old. They are taken from the nest with their clutchmates before their eyes open, and most importantly before they develop the natural fear response towards people. A handfed baby will never have developed this fear response, they will not naturally be scared or untrusting of people. They will know only food, comfort and play to be associated with people.

Once a baby has begun to feather up, they are taken out of the brooder for an hour or two once or twice a day for laptime. This is where they become used to the sights and sounds of people, and get used to being touched and stroked. As the baby gets older they begin to explore from the lap, and eventually move up onto my chest, shoulder and then head. It is from this perch that they will take their first flights, and it is back to me when they take their second.

Handfed handraised babies are birds that are raised by a person instead of another bird. They live longer, healthier, more enriched lives with their people as they are well used to being out of the cage enjoying free flight, and are well socialized with other birds.

A parent raised bird can be trained to become tame, but they will never lose that basic instinct, and the stress of the taming process can have serious side effects.

A hand raised baby will grow to become a happy and healthy companion bird, that enjoys spending time with their people, with their flock.

I do both breeding of handfed babies, and rescues and surrenders. I see both sides, and I try to be as open about what I do, how I do it, and why, as possible.

When I first started getting in to birds in a big way many years ago, I found that most of the breeders I had interactions with had no cares past the point of making a sale. They were often secretive about their methods and did not put in much effort to ensure a good home for their “product”.

Much of what I do is education and instruction, something I am working on every day with this site, the facebook page and youtube channel. I continue to make instructional and educational posts and videos hoping to ensure that everyone’s companion birds are as happy and healthy as possible.

I don’t just sell or rehome any bird to every person who comes to me. I want to ensure that people are prepared and ready to welcome home their new family member.

I don’t do this for the money, because, at the end of the year, there isn’t any really. I do this because I love these creatures and I want as many people as possible to be able to enjoy living with their happy and healthy companion bird.

I feed only two things, 50/50, seed and chop, the rest is supplementation on various time scales.

For seed I use Mother Natures seed mixes from Chin Ridge in Alberta. A good basic seed mixes, made specifically for budgies, lovebirds, cockatiels and larger parrots. You might have to call around to stores in your area to find this brand. It can be hard to find, but good news is that most stores that sell a “House Brand” seed mix, use Mother Natures seed, just repackaged and with a slight markup.

Chop is the important part of a birds diet, and you can find my recipe HERE. Basically it is a mix of vegetables and other fresh ingredients prepared in a way that is easy to serve and consume. Every bird should be offered fresh veggies and more every day to keep them happy and healthy.

I do not restrict my birds diet, I simply keep their seed bowls full at all times, and give them more than enough chop every day. They should never want for food, never have to go hungry, never develop food security issues.

I do not feed or recommend pellets. They are after all an ultra-processed food source. They can be offered, but should not be more than 50% of a birds diet, and they must never be restricted or forced to eat pellets. Yes, I have known several birds that have died when put on a pellet only diet, quickly by starvation or slowly by malnutrition.

Supplements are also recommended, especially boiled egg yolk to provide the Vitamin D that neither seed nor chop can provide.

A mineral block, or a cuttle bone, is also important for calcium and minerals.

And of course the most important thing, clean water changed out at least once daily, if not more.

Much more information can be found in the -Education- and -Bird Health- pages

There is a massive amount of work that goes into hand feeding and hand raising a bird, even a budgie.

The parents must be kept well and in top fit and form. Happy and healthy parents make happy and healthy babies, after all.

Handfeeding is not just putting some seed in your hand and sticking it in front of a baby.

A baby is pulled at about a week old and kept in a brooder setup. They are then fed a mixed formula, from a syringe, at the perfect temperature and consistency. I do not gavage, or crop feed. I do it the slow old fashioned way, one mouthful at a time until the crop is nicely full. This is done every 4 hours, 5 times a day. For seven weeks. That is 345 feedings average for each baby! Well, more like 320, as there are quite a few refusals in the last week or so, but that is still a lot of work!

Then there is the daily socialization, shoulder, flight and poop training when they are old enough.

Yes, parent raised birds, bred in large operations, are cheaper. They are also NOT handfed hand raised babies.

This is why I sometimes get a little miffed when people insist on trying to haggle or “get a deal”. I work the birds 12 to 14 hours a day in season, and only make a couple dollars an hour for my time. But if money were the only reason or goal, I would still be workin in IT or the trades..

All sales are final, so please be Sure that you are ready for a new feathered friend before pickup. I do take birds back, I do have a rescue / surrender operation as well after all, but I cannot give refunds.

Why? Warning, it was hard to write and could be hard to read.

For the health and safety of the birds unfortunately. For the first few years I did have a no questions asked compatibility refund policy. I believed that it would be the best for the birds, to take them back, readjust them, and go on from there. Unfortunately a small percentage of my customers, a small percentage that grew alarmingly quickly, ruined that for everyone. Often the case.

For the first few years I would have to take a return very very rarely. Then with the increasing use of Facebook, it suddenly started to become more common, then commonplace. And the birds were not coming back in good condition either, they were stressed, malnourished, mistreated. Then four Sun conures came back in one month, two in very rough condition that took much time to recover from. One unfortunately did not recover, and died in my hands a day later.

Facebook being Facebook, I started looking into the people who had taken and brought these birds back, and was shocked at what I found looking through just a few dozen profiles.

Word had gotten out that myself, and a couple other established breeders, were a good place to “borrow” parrots from for a few days. Either to try them out or for other uses, and that this had been going on for some time.

One of the three suns was taken by a young man who’s girlfriend later bragged in a post that her man had “borrowed” a parrot to use as a prop for a tropical themed date. They had both played with the bird for hours that day, overstimulating them too soon after a move. The bird came back a couple days later, unfed, unhoused and barely watered.

The second sun I finally found in pictures of the man’s ex wife. Apparently he had custody of the kids for the weekend, and picked up the bird to entertain his small children. This sun also came back in rough shape, missing several feathers, and took months to recover and trust again.

The third was the worst, and the quickest to figure out. These people had picked up the sun as a prop for their child’s birthday party. They and many others took pictures of the poor bird being passed from child to child, handled in the worst way, with wings clipped. That bird came back in extreme distress, and did not last long even with me. That was a very long and very difficult night.

When I called the parents to ask them what the hell they were thinking, quite upset, they simply reminded me of my no questions asked return policy and hung up on me.

I took a couple months off from rehoming after that, as I was no fit company for anyone for a while. I realized that things had changed since I started this, people and attitudes had changed. Talking to other breeders, they all had similar situations. Thus ended my returns policy.

when I began seeing customers again, I made it vey, extremely, exceedingly, incredibly, immensely, and profoundly clear to each and every one that the return policy was no longer in effect. With no surprise, but with great disappointment, about a third of the potential new homes cancelled their holds.

Thankfully once word got out, the issue seemed to correct itself, but it does pop up once in a while still today.

Only for very specific situations.

If a bird passes away within the first week, a necropsy by a licensed avian vet can be done. A refund will be given if the death was due to a genetic cause. I will have to be given a copy of the report.

I cannot and will not give a general mid or long term health guarantee. I simply have no direct control over what happens to the bird once they leave here, and there are simply too many things that people could do wrong. Birds are not as hardy and forgiving of mistakes like a dog or cat. They are definitely not as bad as tropical fish, but they do require proper knowledge, care, feeding and housing to thrive. And of course, people lie. Not everyone of course, but enough. See the previous FAQ entry. I could say that a small percentage ruined it for everybody, but a bird passing happened so rarely that it was actually a high majority that was found to be untruthful.

That being said, all birds that leave here are in full health. I have been doing this for a long time , I know what I am doing, and how to do it to give people the happiest and healthiest babies possible.

Again, I did have a blanket health guarantee when I first began breeding and rehoming.

Why the change?

Over the course of the first several years I only had 3 occurrences. I took the bodies to a vet myself afterwards, and paid for the necropsy. The first bird had died from a broken neck, later determined to have happened when the bird nipped a finger that was drawn back too quickly in pain. The customer claimed the bird bit and then had a seizure, could have been an honest mistake. The second death was caused by crushing, with several broken bones, most likely the bird was sat on or stepped on. That customer claimed to have found the bird dead in the cage in the morning. The third came back after four days, looking emaciated. The necropsy found that the bird had not eaten since being picked up. Customer again said they found the bird dead for no reason. Upon further questioning I discovered that they had decided on a pellet only diet for the birds health. This was something I had warned them against most strongly and had them agree to. Of course, they then decided to do what they knew would be best, and starved their poor bird to death. They later admitted that they believed the bird would start eating pellets when they got hungry enough, not knowing or probably caring, that a birds high metabolism puts them at higher danger of malnutrition.

The real kicker came when a person began objecting to my new no return refund policy change, see previous entry. They were being somewhat insistent on having the option of bringing a pair of cockatiels back for a full refund if it turned out they did not fit in. When I again refused and offered to show him the door, without the birds he came for, he asked again “OK, but what if the birds die in a couple of days, do I get a refund then?” Aaaaaand… I might have gotten a little upset. I might have taken this fellow by the hair and a belt loop and shown him an alternate way of leaving the aviary.

I then realized that having a blanket health guarantee would not be realistic, and would likely cause more instances like this in the future. I know my birds are healthy and happy when they leave here, and there has not been a single instance since I had to implement this policy change some years ago.

This is one of the multitude of reasons that I began doing bird health and care educational and instructional post and videos, and making sure everyone picking up a bird from me knew of them. Heck, for many years I would print out a complete 20 page copy of by bird care guide and new baby guide, and give the bound copy to each and every customer. Boy was that expensive! Much easier nowadays with everything being available online on a smartphone.