Your parrot buying checklist

Use specific questions to understand the individual bird and the proposed purchase before agreeing to a handover.

Identify the bird and its background

Ask for the exact species, known age and any identifying information. Find out how long the bird has been with its current keeper and what is known about its earlier history. Do not assume “young”, “baby” or “hand-reared” tells you everything needed to make a decision.

Ask which details are supported by records. If some information is unknown, have that stated clearly. Request any documentation relevant to the particular species and transaction, and confirm requirements with the appropriate official source where needed.

Understand diet, health and daily care

Request a description of the actual daily feeding routine, including foods the bird reliably eats. Ask about known health issues, previous veterinary examinations and available records. Agree how existing information will be passed on.

Discuss exercise, sleeping arrangements, cleaning and enrichment. These details help you prepare a stable transition rather than replacing every part of the bird’s routine immediately.

Clarify handling and behaviour

Ask how the individual reacts to familiar and unfamiliar people, how it communicates discomfort and what kinds of interaction it prefers. If you have children, pets or existing birds, discuss those circumstances before choosing.

Look for context rather than absolute promises. Talking, tameness and sociability vary. A bird that steps onto one person’s hand may still need patience and gradual training with another.

Resolve the terms before paying or travelling

Confirm the specific bird, price, what is included, any proposed deposit and the applicable terms. Verify the person or business you are dealing with and the arrangements for viewing and handover. Ask questions before transferring money.

Discuss collection or delivery rather than assuming either service is offered. Confirm the care information and records that will accompany the bird. Keep a copy of what has been agreed.

Prepare the home before the handover

Work through home and first-week preparation and identify an avian vet. Check the enclosure, food, safe perches and transport arrangements ahead of time. If you already keep birds, obtain professional advice on separation and health precautions.

Use Crownwing’s UK buying enquiry pages to explore a particular group, then prepare an enquiry with the questions you still need answered.

A question sheet you can use with a seller

Keep three headings in your notes: documented facts, the keeper’s observations, and information still unknown. Ask which category each answer belongs to. An estimate can be useful, but it should not become a recorded fact simply because it appears in an advertisement.

Identity: What is the exact species, and what supports the identification? What scientific name is relevant to any paperwork? Is the bird in current photographs the individual under discussion?
Age and background: Is the age recorded or estimated? What is known about previous keepers, rearing, socialisation and changes of home?
Independent feeding: Is the bird fully weaned and eating independently? What does it actually consume, how is food presented, and what routine should initially remain familiar? Do not agree to finish weaning through hand-feeding yourself.
Health information: What relevant history is known? Are veterinary records available, and what remains unconfirmed? A photograph or a description such as healthy is not a veterinary assessment.
Ordinary behaviour: What does a normal day look like? Which handling does the bird choose or avoid? When does it call, and how does it respond to unfamiliar people or changes?
Care and accommodation: What exercise, sleep and enrichment routines are familiar? What equipment and supervision will be needed in your home?
Identification and documents: Which records or identifiers relate to this actual bird? What checks apply to this species, transaction and proposed journey, and who will resolve uncertain requirements?
Written terms: What is the price, what is included, and what are the agreed payment, deposit, cancellation and refund terms? Do not infer an inclusion from a photograph.
Handover and follow-up: Where and when could an agreed handover happen? Who is responsible for any proposed transport? What care information and aftercare, if any, have actually been agreed?

Use the UK documentation guide to organise official checks, and read the confirmed business policies before paying. This sheet is not a certificate check, a health guarantee or a promise that every bird has the same records.

Decide what must be resolved before proceeding

Highlight answers that affect welfare, identity, cost or the feasibility of a journey. Ask for clarification rather than accepting pressure to decide during one conversation. If the keeper does not know an answer, record that uncertainty and decide what further evidence or professional advice you need.

Separately check your own readiness: suitable housing, familiar food, household agreement, access to an avian vet and a backup carer. The home-preparation guide covers those tasks; the buying cornerstone explains the wider decision. Keep this shorter sheet for the seller conversation.

Use the contact page to send Crownwing your questions about available birds, care and proposed arrangements.

Keep identity, terms and handover questions together

Keep the written answers, current individual photographs and any relevant records together. Ask when photographs or video were taken; a brief clip cannot establish health, temperament or all-day behaviour. Distinguish recorded age and origin from estimates or gaps in history. Ask which identification and documentation relate to the actual bird, using the scientific name where official checks require it.

Before travelling or paying, confirm the quoted individual, included items, written terms, handover location and responsibility for any proposed journey. Use the documentation guide to separate transaction and movement questions. Unresolved information should remain visible in your notes; no single photograph, ring or generic assurance proves every legal or health requirement.