# Finally, I can quit buying birds



## Mentha (Jul 11, 2010)

I just got back from the bird mart and I finally got my emerald male. I think I can quit now, unless I can find a silver for a reasonable price, that is.  Isn't he beautiful?


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

O Lordy lady you are so lucky!!! He is gorgeous!


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## Mentha (Jul 11, 2010)

I am lucky, usually the breeder is swimming in emerald 'tiels. He told me he was at the bird mart in San Francisco a few weeks ago and someone bought all of his emeralds, about 30 birds. He only had five left, two males and three hens. He even gave me a discount because the last bird I got from him turned out to be a male when I wanted a hen. I'm beaming I'm so happy. Happy Early Mother's Day to me!


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## SuzieQueue (Mar 12, 2012)

wow he is absolutely stunning  congrats ...


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## Injood (May 8, 2011)

Congrats, hes one handsome boy


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

*Wow....he is gorgeous!!!* Was the breeder a Richard C? if so he has some really really *beautiful* birds


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

He is absolutely gorgeous


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## Mentha (Jul 11, 2010)

srtiels said:


> *Wow....he is gorgeous!!!* Was the breeder a Richard C? if so he has some really really *beautiful* birds


I'm not sure who the breeder is, he's not banded. I'm pretty certain that the guy I got him from is a bird broker, though. He tends to have a large variety of birds. I should have got his card. The man is Hispanic or of some sort of Latin descent.

This time he had some mouse birds. I was so tempted to get one, they were a bit frayed, and I didn't know if they were flock birds so I didn't. Do they usually hang upside down in their cages?


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

*This time he had some mouse birds. I was so tempted to get one, they were a bit frayed, and I didn't know if they were flock birds so I didn't. Do they usually hang upside down in their cages?*
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Yes, that is Richard. He also breeds Mutation Indian Ringnecks and other species in the rare color mutations.

He was buying up mousebirds a couple years ago, and I think he is now selling them because he found they are not as easy to breed as he thought they were.

if the mousebirds were young handfeds they would have had ratty looking tails. it is so hard to keep a nice clean tail on an adolescent mousebird. If adults and ratty it is how they were caged. They don't perch, they climb and skitter along and up the side of the cage. When they sleep it looks like someone trying to do pull-ups....they sleep hanging upright by their feet.


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## Mentha (Jul 11, 2010)

Yes, I did notice the different colors of Indian ringnecks, he also had some amazing sun & pineapple green cheek conures. I drool every time I go by his table. He also had some sort of dove about the size of a diamond dove, a little bigger, but they had dots all over the body instead of pearling. One of these times I'm going to get a pair of those.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

From your description of the variety of birds it was Richard, and he has some beautiful mutations in the various species. Also you mentioned you wanted a Silver. Have you ever seen a Whiteface Emerald? They are stunning and a truly a pale silvery color, whereas a Dominant DF silver is light-toned but has a slight beige cast to it, that takes away from the silver color. Ricjhard also breeds WF Emeralds.


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## Mentha (Jul 11, 2010)

Wow! I didn't think WF could be bred to emerald. I mean I thought they were on the do not breed together list. hmm there's an idea. I have a lovely grey hen picked out to breed him to, but I also have a wf pied which would be another idea.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Here is a pix of WF Emeralds. They are truly a beautiful silver color.


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## Mentha (Jul 11, 2010)

Oh my! I'm in love.  Those are both hens, right? I guess I'll be breeding him to the wf pied hen after all. It would take a couple of years before I have bred some WF emeralds of my own, but now I know what direction I want to go. You had mentioned that emeralds were skittish even in hand fed ones. How does the double recessive act with disposition of the offspring?


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

* How does the double recessive act with disposition of the offspring?*
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By double recessive do you mean a pairing of 2 recessive mutations? If so, you want to pair an EM with a bird that has a naturally easy going, non flighty disposition. Pied tend to have nice dispositions. Since Emerald is a recessive mutation you will either have to find a split to pair with your splits. or get another unrelated visual to start another line.

The birds in the pix were cocks. Sadly 75% of the available Emeralds are cocks. Hens are harder to come by and when you find them hold onto them.


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## RexiesMuM (Sep 7, 2011)

He is gorgeous Mentha congrats !


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## Mentha (Jul 11, 2010)

srtiels said:


> The birds in the pix were cocks. Sadly 75% of the available Emeralds are cocks. Hens are harder to come by and when you find them hold onto them.


Why is that? Unless there was a difference in the ways the birds are bred and to who, shouldn't, statistically, the outcome be about the same as any other recessive gene? I know someone mentioned that emeralds had an off amount of gender, but I figured it had to do with who the parents were bred to more than anything else. My theory is when the birds become more prevalent and less of an oddity the genders will even out.


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## Kannagi (Jun 18, 2011)

Gorgeous cockatiel !
Congratz!


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

I don't know why. The fallow mutation also has a higher incidence of cocks to hens too.


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## Rzst (Apr 23, 2012)

Wow I really tried to go today but had to work I was bummed even though its a 5 hour drive I was truly excited to go, but plan on going to the one in June thanks again mentha for the bird mart info and I must say that is a good looking tiel and I kinda wished I had called out sick


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## Mentha (Jul 11, 2010)

Wait for the one in Pomona. I can guarantee it will be worth the wait. It is 5 times the size of ours, at least.


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## JaimeS (Nov 28, 2011)

He is beautiful


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## sunnysmom (Sep 23, 2011)

Congratulations! He is beautiful.


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## sweetnsour924 (Oct 20, 2010)

He is stunning... I have a quick question. You don't have to answer if you dont want but what does a tiel of that fancy mutation go for these days? You never see ones like that in my area.


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## Mentha (Jul 11, 2010)

I paid $75 for him at a bird mart, so the price is about 1/3 what I'd pay from a breeder. If I had more money I would of gotten all he had left. Unfortunately my husband is not supportive of my birds so I have to justify purchases. This was my Mother's Day gift.


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## sweetnsour924 (Oct 20, 2010)

Is he just a breeder or tame?


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## sweetnsour924 (Oct 20, 2010)

I am in Maine and around here we usually only get normal greys, cinnamons, pieds, pearls, pearl pieds, lutinos, whitefaces and albinos. Depending on if they are tame or not they usually go from $50 to $150 around here. My lutino baby was $75 but I got a lil deal on him because it was a friend. Normal price was $100. Alot of the pricing depends on their mutation and tameness.


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## Mentha (Jul 11, 2010)

He's not tame, which is fine by me, he is going to be bred. He does not like my dog either, which could be problem if I keep him in the house with the mate I've picked out for him. You might have luck finding a breeder willing to ship. I know there are a few breeders on this forum that ship their birds.


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## sweetnsour924 (Oct 20, 2010)

The tiel I really want is a cinnamon whiteface pearl pied hen. I love them. I acually have a breeder up here that has a pair that has them once and a great while and im on her waiting list for one.


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## Mentha (Jul 11, 2010)

I saw those at the bird mart too. I was really tempted to get one of those instead.


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