Critters in the Valley

Critters in the Valley Located in Brunswick, Ohio. We primarily breed parrots, with small projects of mice and snakes on the side. Feel free to message with any questions you may have!

Baby mooncheeks! 🥹😍 They are just the cutest! Pending DNA sexing 🤞❤️ Once that's back they will be ready to have deposit...
06/24/2026

Baby mooncheeks! 🥹😍 They are just the cutest! Pending DNA sexing 🤞❤️ Once that's back they will be ready to have deposits placed on them! It looks like we may have a high red from them too 👀

I have seen an overwhelming amount of people using AI to enhance the colors of their birds they have listed, make flyers...
06/22/2026

I have seen an overwhelming amount of people using AI to enhance the colors of their birds they have listed, make flyers to sell their birds, etc.

In my opinion, this is wrong on so many levels!

I am happy to say that we never have, and never will, use AI to enhance our photos, make flyers, write our posts, make our logos, or do anything of the sort.

I will always choose to support real artists and make things myself when it comes to my business. To waste resources on something I could easily do/make myself (or pay someone else to make) would be a disservice to the animals I breed, considering I am breeding to help conserve the species I work with, and generative AI is actively harming our environment. And, while there are many things that you can't avoid in life when it comes to the environment, not using generative AI something that can very easily be avoided.

Additionally, not only is generative AI harming the environment, but enhancing the colors of your birds in your pictures is misleading your customers. I have seen multiple breeders doing so and it always rubs me the wrong way. Using AI to make your flyers for the birds you sell makes you look like a scammer. I would rather see a flyer someone quickly put together themselves in a few minutes than see AI flyers that all look the same.

Pictured is one of our grey Indian ringneck males currently available.

Meet Miso!Miso is a 4 month old male mouse looking for a new place to call his forever h0me. He was from our Fruitcake a...
06/21/2026

Meet Miso!

Miso is a 4 month old male mouse looking for a new place to call his forever h0me. He was from our Fruitcake and Fudge litter! His previous owner unfortunately had to move to a new place that did not allow rodents, so he was given back to us.

He is incredibly sweet and social! He was clearly very well loved and cared for ❤️ He wants nothing more than to hang out with you! He would make a great pet for a first time mouse owner or for someone experienced with mice.

He comes with a full 20gal tank setup as well!

Please message if you have any questions or if you would be interested in this sweet boy! We are located in Brunswick, Ohio but able to travel.

Look at these cuties! 😍 We have one male and two females ready to go to their forever perches! DNA sexed and the clutch ...
06/20/2026

Look at these cuties! 😍 We have one male and two females ready to go to their forever perches! DNA sexed and the clutch was spot tested negative for PBFD and Polyoma. Dm for more info 🥰

We have had a good amount of interest on the sun conures recently. With that comes people who are not prepared to own su...
06/17/2026

We have had a good amount of interest on the sun conures recently. With that comes people who are not prepared to own sun conures, though. People love the look of the bird and decide that's enough for them to get one. The number one reason I see sun conures being rehomed is....

Because they are "too loud".

Something that could have been realized with a little bit of research before buying the bird. Something that breeders and rescues warn new owners about all the time, because the excuse is given time and time again.

And it's not an exaggeration. Sun conures are EXTREMELY loud!

I'm not talking kind of loud. They are deafening! I was trying to get a reading of their decibel level to add to this post and my phone couldn't get an accurate reading because they are so loud - but they can reach over 120 decibels! That's about as loud as a rock concert, inside of your home, screaming directly into your ears.

They are so loud that even from just feet away, your ears will ring after they scream. They are extremely clingy. They will flock call for you when you aren't paying attention to them. They are NOISY, LOUD birds!

So, needless to say, these are not birds typically recommended for apartments. They are not birds that people sensitive to noise or loud sounds should own. They are not typically good fits for families with young children (though, is any bird really?)

I will never condemn people for rehoming a pet that doesn't fit their lifestyle. I think it is better for people to rehome the pet than neglect it. But proper research should be done first. I will make sure any of our adopters are well aware of the noise level of our birds.

That's not to say they are bad pets. They can make great pets for the right people! But you need to be prepared for the noise level and do your research.

These are some of our babies ready to go in July! DNA sexed, disease tested negative for PBFD and Polyoma. Very friendly...
06/15/2026

These are some of our babies ready to go in July! DNA sexed, disease tested negative for PBFD and Polyoma. Very friendly little guys! Located in Brunswick, Ohio, able to ship via Delta Cargo or travel. Dm for more info!

Something I get asked often...."Why don't you clip your bird's wings? Almost every other breeder does!"Wing clipping is ...
06/14/2026

Something I get asked often....

"Why don't you clip your bird's wings? Almost every other breeder does!"

Wing clipping is a controversial subject in aviculture. I've made a few posts on this before. There are many, many reasons why we do not clip, and many myths we have heard circulated over the years...

1. "Parrots have no issues when clipped"
By clipping a bird's wings, you are taking away a vital part of their natural behavior. Flight is an important aspect of a bird's life, especially as developing babies. Birds that are clipped often develop not only health issues due to their main form of exercise being stripped from them, but also mental issues. They can deal with plucking, aggression, and other unwanted behaviors.

2. "The bird won't bond with you if its flighted"
The only people who say this are the breeders that aren't actually putting in the time and effort to socialize their babies. If you have to force the bird to hang out with you by taking away what makes it a bird, then that is a trauma bond and will likely lead to later issues down the road. Bonding with a bird takes time and patience. You should not be forcing your bird into bonding with you.

3. "Clipped birds can't fly, so they aren't going to escape the house"
Clipped birds can still escape out the door, and actually are less likely to survive than flighted birds. Wind can lift a clipped bird up still, and since they don't know how to fly properly, they will struggle immensely trying to control where they are going. This makes them a very easy target for predators. A fully flighted bird will know how to fly better, how to get down from a tree, and how to control their flight.

4. "Clipped birds are less likely to hurt themselves"
Another false myth. Clipped birds have a harder time controlling their flight, especially with an uneven clip. Some "breeders" even clip only one wing so that they can't fly at all (please, DO NOT DO THIS! Your bird can and will injure itself!). Clipped birds can still hit windows. They can still hit walls. They can't control themselves as well as flighted birds can.

All in all, we will never clip our babies here, nor will we allow our homes to clip!

I see lots of posts from breeders pushing the idea that birds make good pets for everyone.This post is going to be the e...
06/13/2026

I see lots of posts from breeders pushing the idea that birds make good pets for everyone.

This post is going to be the exact opposite.

Why do birds NOT make good pets?

Birds are messy. Do you know how much cleaning I do? I spend hours every week cleaning up after my birds. They are INCREDIBLY messy. They p**p everywhere, and there's nothing you can do about it. They throw their food everywhere. They molt feathers, which go everywhere.

Not only that, some birds can be incredibly dusty too! Cockatiels are especially known for this. If you do not keep up with frequent dusting, everything in the room will be coated in a layer of dust.

Birds are loud. Do you know how many rehoming posts I see for parrots because of the noise level? This is not meant to be a bash on rehoming at all - I would much rather see people rehome a pet that doesn't fit with their lifestyle than keep it and neglect the pet. But people need to do REAL research first! People see the cute, cuddly videos online but do absolutely no research into the noise level of the birds. The calls these birds make are meant to travel miles across a forest. Inside your home, it will be ear piercingly loud.

Birds can bite. "Is your bird good for my child?" The answer will almost always be NO. I do NOT recommend birds for small children. Birds bite, it is a fact of life. It's not if you get bitten, it's when. A larger bird can easily take off a finger. Even smaller birds can do some serious damage and draw blood! Please keep this in mind when selecting a bird for your family!

And finally... LIFESPAN. Consider the fact this bird may outlive you. Do you have a place for it to go when you inevitably are gone? Most people do not, and the birds end up in rescues.

This post is not meant to discourage people from owning birds. This is not to say that birds make bad pets for everyone. For many people, birds make wonderful pets! This is to get people thinking BEFORE they commit to the bird. I want my birds to go to homes they thrive in!

If you read all this and still want the bird, continue doing research! Watch videos, get experience in person, and consider whether you are ready for the commitment.

There have been a few times where I have been asked to sell unweaned birds to pet owners. It doesn't matter how big or s...
06/12/2026

There have been a few times where I have been asked to sell unweaned birds to pet owners.

It doesn't matter how big or small the bird is. The answer is, and always will be, absolutely not!

People often seek out unweaned birds because they think that it will create a stronger bond with their owner. This is not the case whatsoever. Handfeeding creates a positive association with people in general. You do not have to handfeed the bird to form a strong bond with it. Birds create bonds through continued positive reinforcement and spending time with their new owners.

For example, Malibu has an incredibly strong bond with me, and I didn't get her until she was nearly a year old! Her positive experiences with her breeder was the paving way to the bond we share, not because I handfed her.

The average person is not equipped with the skills or time to handfeed either, especially younger chicks. Are you ready to give up your entire schedule for two months to handfeed this little baby bird that depends on you for survival? This means no trips, planning feedings around a work schedule (which, is incredibly hard to do and sometimes impossible!), and having NO breaks this entire time. Do you know how to properly feed without aspirating the chick? Do you know what temperature the formula needs to be? Feeding chicks is no easy task!

Most breeders will sell the lie that birds are easy to handfeed, that it creates a stronger bond, etc. Why? For a few reasons.

1. Not having to handfeed the birds themselves and still sell for a high price leads to a much higher profit for them.

2. They don't need to put nearly as much time and effort into the chicks they do sell.

These breeders are incredibly unethical. Please do not support breeders that sell unweaned chicks to pet owners! Pet owners are, 99% of the time, unable to properly handfeed.

This morning, we received a call from a local bird rescue.Why were they calling? To tell us how much they loved our post...
06/11/2026

This morning, we received a call from a local bird rescue.

Why were they calling? To tell us how much they loved our posts about breeders keeping their animals in properly sized enclosures and how we screen our buyers!

Often times, people will portray breeders and rescues as enemies. But this shouldn't be the case at all! I am of the firm belief that ethical breeders and ethical rescues can - and should! - be friendly with each other.

Ethical breeders help decrease the amount of animals that end up in rescues and shelters by providing support and guidance for their buyers. They will take back or help find new homes if their buyers end up not being able to take care of their bird any longer. No ethically bred bird will end up in a rescue.

For example, we have a clause in our contract that states our birds are to never go to a rescue or shelter, and that if they do end up needing rehomed, we need to be kept in as part of the process. This involves us approving the new home, having the new home sign the contract as well, and/or taking the bird back if the situation calls for it. This isn't because we are "anti-rescue", this is because we do not want our birds to be taking up space and resources from birds that actually need it! Our birds we produce will always have a home here, no matter how long it has been since they were sold.

Rescues do lots of important work - backyard breeders often will sell birds to people under the lies of them being "easy" or "low maintenance", but then refuse to help at all after the sale to these misled buyers. Or people will see the cute little fluffy conure in a big box pet store and impulse buy it, without realizing how loud they truly are. Or, as seen with many larger birds, they outlive their owners. Rescues are able to help tremendously in situations like these! If our birds were to end up in a rescue, it would take away resources from the birds that desperately need it, and that doesn't sit right with us.

I am so glad there are rescues near us that feel the same way we do, and so honored that this rescue took the time out of their day to reach out and tell us how much they loved our posts. We appreciate it so much!

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Brunswick, OH

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