06/03/2026
Ever wonder why breeders charge so much for their birds?
I've heard it time and time again.
"Too expensive!", "Overpriced!", "I can get that bird from x place for x price!"
Whatever the complaint is, it is always the same: price.
So why do people charge so much for well-bred handfed birds?
The main factor of this is the time and effort that goes into handfeeding. It is NOT easy. It is NOT simple. Handfeeding 3-5x a day for weeks at a time is EXHAUSTING! It takes over your life. Fun trip planned with friends? Yeah, not happening. Vacation? Nope! Day trips? Out of the question. Your entire focus, for at LEAST 8 weeks for smaller species and LONGER for larger species, is your baby birds, feeding them, weighing them, handling them. You don't get a break. You don't get weekends off. You can't hold a "real" job usually due to babies needing to be fed constantly and most jobs not allowing you to bring them with you. You sacrifice a lot to breed birds. It is not for the weak.
Disease testing affects the price as well. Disease is rampant in aviculture. It's not cheap to disease test. Vet care ties into this as well. Birds are fragile animals, and eventually need to see a vet at some point in their life.
General care. Food, toys, supplies, caging, aviaries, and even the parent birds themselves... it adds up fast! Especially when you don't go for the cheapest food or toys on the market. It gets expensive to maintain so many birds, especially at a high level of care. That person you bought your bird from because the only factor that mattered was money probably kept the parents in subpar conditions. They probably get no toys, tiny cages, only dowel perches, no vet care, overbred.... the list goes on. Always ask to see pictures of the parents, their setup, and how they are cared for.
There is also the safety aspect. Generally, if someone is willing to pay the higher price tag for a well-bred animal, they are more likely to seek vet care in the future should the bird need it. They are less likely to cut corners. It shows that they care what environment their bird is coming from rather than only focusing on the price.
And, of course, supply and demand. More rare and sought after species will cost more, sometimes thousands.
So, next time you feel the urge to tell someone their hard work is "overpriced" simply because it is out of your budget, consider all the time, effort, money, and love that went into those birds. Think of all the sacrifices they make to be able to provide well-bred animals to others. And, if the animal is truly out of your budget, it costs nothing to be kind! Simply say the bird is out of your budget rather than lashing out and being rude.
