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What is your career? Do you love it?

I'd really love a career in animals [maybe breeding African Greys] but what do i do?

  • i adore animals &would absolutely love a career involving them. i'm 16& a junior in HS. i currently work at the local animal shelter. i don't really want to be just a vet& have really been looking into possibly breeding african greys but what do i go into study when i go to college[possibly A&M]? if i were to go into a career such as that i would want to know absolutely everything there is to know about the animal including the medical stuff & well, everything! what courses would i need to take b/c i haven't really seen one just for that? I'd want to be the best at it and not appear as just someone who does it to make a few extra bucks and isn't very reputable. they'd have to be very well taken care of & to do that i need all the info possible. any help will be greatly appreciated. thanks!

  • Answer:

    First of all, you don't need to have a college degree to become a bird breeder. Most breeders start with smaller birds like cockatiels or conures and get some experience. THey read a lot of books and magazines. They network with other breeders on the Internet and at bird shows. You learn bird breeding by mentoring and experience, not going to college. If you went to college for agriculture all they will teach you about is caring for and breeding chickens and turkeys which are very different from parrots. Secondly, you won't be able to make a living breeding greys. Every breeder I know breeds birds on the side and they have a full time day job or other source of income. They pretty much say that they breed birds as a hobby because they love it but they really don't make much of a profit from it. Bootom line is that I think you'd be unhappy with your degree and you can't make a career from parrot breeding. Here is something to consider. There are avian vets, vets who only see pet birds. Mostly they work at univerisities with vet schools. It would be hard to make a living seeing only birds in a rural area, but at a vet school or in a large city that is a possibilty. Frankly, it is hard to find a good avian vet. It is hard to get into vet school, though, and you will have to have excellent grades.

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OMG thas is soooooooooo unfair! I'm 16 and wanted to volunteer in a Animal Shelter but they told me I had to be 18! :(

Lisa L

I have suggestion yes i understand that you don't want to be an ordinary vet but how about this i also want a career in animals and im going to be a vet that works at a zoo out out the united states and treat all types of animals as a vet for wild animals at zoos.

Dew

JUST A VET !?!?!?!? My goodness, we are really full of ourselves aren't we? Have you heard of Avian Veterinarians? Start with a job there. You might start learning about all the "medical stuff". You're a junior and this is the best you can do? Good Luck.

risa131313

I think if you do consider that seriously as a choice for a future, it should be secondary. Healthy birds should breed no more than twice a year, especially since weaning takes so much longer in addition to laying and incubating. If you have multiple breeding birds, make sure you're not getting yourself in over your head. I also find that breeders aren't relying on breeding their animals as their sole income. Remember, there are already many homeless birds looking for parrot parents to be kind enough to take them in. To bring more babies into the world leaves those awaiting homes in rescues to continue waiting - and they live 80+ years; it would be better if those older birds were adopted out before more babies were sold. Besides, some owners may buy into baby birds but find something life-altering comes into play, or they didn't realize the responsibility of a parrot, and have to surrender it too, adding to more homeless birds. There's also the fact that they can outlive their people, so birds whose owners have died must be given up. All I'm saying with that is to be aware of the pet overpopulation and consider how appropriate it would be to add to it. Make sure you're not breeding aimlessly. Breed when you know the parent birds are healthy, when you know you'll have the time to devote to them, when you know there are owners lined up for them! If there are no owners lined up, there should be no babies unless you plan to keep them yourself. If there is no 'demand' for your babies, you're not producing any income. Breeding is VERY stressful on both people and the birds, so study more into that while considering this decision. Anyway, in terms of area of study, I would suggest studying basically what you would to be an avian vet. The best educated you can be is as educated as a vet you'd trust your bird with. There are no specific fields that would prepare you just for breeding parrots, but you'll definitely be studying aspects of biology, zoology, possibly chemistry, animal behaviour, and study of exotics. The only thing is that most vets are very general in that they don't deal with 'exotics' right away. You'd fall into a generic cat/dog system, and to specialize in exotics is another level of schooling. You may want to speak to reputable breeders, avian vets, animal behaviouralists, and ask what they know and what they studied. To be most aware and careful with your birds and their health, you'd more than likely be heavily involved in sciences and somewhat hand-in-hand with some maths.

PinkDagger

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