About our start

We started as a small, hobbyist aviary located in North Okanagan, B.C. registered with the Avicultural Advancement Council of Canada (AACC). We unofficially became an aviary in February 2021 when we took in a bonded pair of pet store parrotlets who had started laying eggs. Our first parrotlet chick hatched on March 17th, 2021, and we have been specializing in raising hand-fed, friendly and social Pacific parrotlets since.  We became a registered breeder and aviary in July of 2021. 

Keywords: ethical breeding, humane breeding, animal welfare

The Humans

Our educational backgrounds may have nothing to little to do with veterinary care or other studies regarding animal biology, but we (the humans) have always been dealing with all kinds of animals, both small and large and both domestic and exotic. Animal welfare and rescuing attempts are important to us, and we have experience working with animal shelters and volunteering. We keep educating ourselves every day in the matters of the bird world, and being research-driven, we will also occasionally publish our findings and thoughts on different topics and issues in order to help other bird people learn more about their pets and aviculture at large to educate others as well.

We believe that there is a general bias against parrots as well as other exotic pets, and are advocating for both these pets and their owners. While we do not condone illegal animal trade in any shape or form and firmly believe that only tame, domestic-bred parrots should be kept in captivity, we believe that people have the right to own parrots, as long as the owners are well-informed on the needs of their feathered friends and are willing to stay committed. In our view, captive parrots and aviculture as a practice should also be protected by laws and regulations to ensure that parrots everywhere are taken a good care of and that bird enthusiasts can carry on with their activities.

Breeding Practices and Aviary Protocols

Ethical and humane breeding are the guiding principles of our operation. While there may be different definitions on these two concepts, for our aviary this means:

• Generous cage sizes for all birds. For one parrotlet, the minimum cage size is considered to be 18" x 18", but we believe that the bigger the better (even when our birds barely spend any time in their cages during the day). 

• Toys in all cages. Too often, one comes across breeders who maintain that in order for parrots to breed successfully, their cages need to remain as plain as possible in order for the enclosed space not to stimulate and inspire them to do other things. We think that this is downright cruel and also false information. Our birds have the opportunity to play whenever, inside or outside of their cages, and when they want to breed, they still will go ahead and build their nests. Keeping these beautiful birds as prisoners in small cages all day cannot and should not be justified under any circumstances. 

• Healthy diet, access to a UVB source, a daily routine for establishing a feeling of familiarity & safety, and a clean environment.

• We want what is best for our birds and their new owners and always go through a checklist with anyone adopting a bird to ensure that the bird will receive the best possible care. 

• For safety reasons, we band our birds with AACC approved leg bands (see further reasoning for leg bands below).

• We rescue/rehome birds on occasion, circumstances permitting.

• As a registered breeder, we also abide by other standards of practice as defined by AACC (link to the AACC website).

We believe in housing our birds so that they have freedom to fly around in their designated rooms. Some of our birds are more timid than others, and may not leave their cages even when the door is left open.  Others hate being in their cages and love to spend their days gathered around play stands or windowsills. For safety reasons and to create and maintain a familiar routine, however, everyone returns to their cages for a good night's sleep.

Besides plenty of out of cage time, our birds also have the freedom to choose whether they would like to build a nest and raise offspring or not. Some of the parrotlets in our care are rescues and may never have interest in that sort of endeavours, which is completely fine. There are also birds that do not have mates despite of availability, but have their favourite human instead. 

We are primarily a closed aviary, and do not generally allow visitations. This poses a health risk to our birds, and we always up our cleaning game when we have chicks. But don't worry! If you are waiting for a parrotlet chick, you can receive as many pictures or videos of your baby bird as you want. 

We always listen to veterinarians and other aviculturist experts when it comes to recommendations regarding psittacine diet. Most of our birds are on a diet that consists of 80 to 90 % of pellets, with the remaining 10 to 20 % consisting of daily chop, i.e., fresh vegetables, fruit and/or berries with occasional grains such as quinoa. All of our chicks are weaned onto this diet. When we get rescue birds, they are typically on a seed diet, and converting the birds into pellet eaters takes a while, but is possible. We have even successfully converted an 8-year-old avid seed eater onto a pelleted diet. 

We have a registered aviary code, CRE, which is featured on our chicks' leg bands. In our starting days, we did not give our chicks leg bands, but have later come to the conclusion that the benefits of a leg band outweigh their risks. Possible risks with leg bands include the bird getting caught while playing, their leg swelling and consequently the band constricting the leg, and rash. However, a bird wearing a band is always carrying around a piece of psittacine ID. Sometimes, if a bird escapes and is found, a leg band, besides a microchip, is the only way to verify with a 100% certainty that the found bird is the right one. Microchipping is generally another alternative to identify one's pet, but parrotlets are too small for this procedure.

All of our chicks that get adopted come with that piece of ID and a hatch certificate stating the code on their leg band, hatch date and time, and genetics. Our parrotlet chicks also go home with food samples, as it is easier to rehome a bird when familiar food is available. For first time bird owners, we have also compiled and prepared a small handbook with care instructions and tips for smooth transition for the new family as well.  We care deeply of every single chick and always wish them the best of luck and success on their new adventures, and like to keep in touch with the families in case they need our help with their parrotlet at any point.