Are 10 yr old African Greys ok for breeding?

[texascowboy1979]

Are 10 yr old African greys a good age for breeding? The pair is 10 yrs old and he's asking $1500... what do you all think?

 

[paddock36]

How do you know for sure that they are 10 years old and how do you know that the "pair" means male and female? I have an African Grey and have no idea how old it is or it's age as it was given to me by my grandmother before she died. I would make sure this is someone you can trust before spending that much money.

 

[Kennyog]

Yes,they should be ok to breed.They are normally not sexually mature till they are 5yrs.old.You should be asking this to the person you are buying them from.Another thing,unless you are very experienced with the greys,you really need to do alot of research on breeding them.They are not hard to breed,but to be successful,you really need to know what you are doing.I would ask the seller if they have bred them before.I would also ask the seller to provide proof they are male and female.You can't depend on looking at them,they should be DNA'd sexed to make sure.Don't want to hear that you paid $1500.00 for the same sex.And,that's not a bad price for a breeding pair.I've seen them go for way more than that.Do your home work first before you shell out that kind of money.Hope i was of some help.Good luck.

 

[J3172]

I've seen them for $800-$1000 for a single bird so I would say it was a good deal.

 

[ShrekDawg]

I think they should be ok, parrots and especially greys can live for a VERY long time if properly taken care of so I think they are still considered "young" in the parrot world so they should be ok. but another thing, as most other people said, where are you getting these birds from? I would make sure that they are really male/female before you pay that kind of money for them, they should really be DNA'd to be sure, I would hate for you to pay that kind of money for them and then find out later that they are actually the same sex, although I am sure they are lovely birds, but you really shouldnt pay that much for a "breeding pair" if they really not, so make sure they are really what the seller says they are before you buy. also I would think this would be a question you would ask the seller (if theyre ok for breeding) and also ask if theyve ever bred them before. Also, another thing, unless you're experianced and/or have had/bred greys before, I would do some research on them and about breeding them before I got them, I dont think theyre too hard to breed but you really have to know what youre doing first before you delve into this. That being said, I am sure they are lovely birds and I have seen birds go for way more than this, even as individuals, so I think this is a good price for them. congrats!

*edited for spelling

 

[texascowboy1979]

Ok.. so from what I have gathered... the price is good.. and the age is good... I just need a guarantee that they are a Male and Female... Ill see if he can do the DNA testing... but to be on the safe side, see if there is a clause that lets me do the sexing and then return them back if they are not a male and female... that way theres no question he's using different papers for the birds just to say male and female to sell them..

sound about right?

I called my Vet, and they said its $70 bucks to DNA per bird... yet i went to a pet store and the lady who sells them said she's done it for $25... so Ill have to look around on sexing before i make my mind up.

 

[Kennyog]

Quote:
Check around,$70.00 is too much.

 

[CityChicker]

You can do the sexing through a couple places MUCH cheaper. Avian Biotech is only about $25 and you just send them a couple feathers. To be honest though, I personally think that $1,500 for a pair of Greys is way too high, especially in your area. I have frequently seen pairs of Greys down there for literally half that. Bird prices, in general, are not great these days and I have been asked to take several for free (including some worth far more than Greys). I have also always been reluctant to buy proven pairs unless I know the person extremely well.

My advice to you and what we used to do is to ask the person how long they have had the birds set up and what kind of production they have had with them. Once you have their answer, then ask them for references from people that have bought BABY African Greys from them. If they say they have raised several babies from the pair, they should have no problem giving you at least a few references of people that have purchased babies. If they can't provide this, turn and run.

 

[NaomiSarah]

*EDITED* I posted here about breeding African Greys and how I'm relatively against it because of captive overpopulation, but I felt bad about it because I don't know your situation so I deleted it here. Apologies for wasting space!

Naomi

 

[RioLindoAz]

When I first looked into African Greys, I learned that at ten years is their prime breeding age.
I'm not to sure of this, though, as I don't have any experience with breeding African Greys.

Always make sure the guy selling you the pair is reputable. Interrogate him like a criminal, and make sure his best interest is for the birds. Don't miss out on any detail.




Hopefully you'll be going home with a pair of AG's soon!



~RLAZ