All of this information and assistance is valuable. Your time teaching (or even writing down) the new owner how deal with and get the most out of the birds is valuable. It will not only help the birds adjust better, but it will help the new owner have a better chance to get their investment back sooner. Can a person reasonably guarantee that a particular pair of birds will produce? I think it depends on the buyer - will they listen, can they keep a similar feeding & care schedule?? Will the birds be indoors or out doors - is the climate (temperature & humidity) about the same as where they came from and used to??  Will they be left alone - or amused (depending on the individual bird) in a similar fashion as they are now? What other birds will be around them? Can they see or hear the other birds (thus being challenged, distracted, or involved in a territory dispute)????

In our limited experience, we have found that truly baby producing pairs will NOT miss the next breeding season if they can be taken care of in the same style (or better), within a similar environment, as well as they are used to. Obviously, the persons experience and ability to learn, listen, and follow the instructions really help. So, yes, I do think some reasonable guarantees can be made.

We have had babies out of a newly paired set of birds within a month from putting them together. Others have done nothing after a couple years. We have brought in "baby proven" pairs, that have gone to nest within a month or two... others that never did anything for us. We are very lucky in that all of the birds we have purchased, traded for, or been given over the last few years were, for the most part, accepted with FULL DISCLOSURE that was 100% true and accurate. Only once has there been a problem regarding a sellers failure to disclose all known problems, sex, and quality to us. That was dealt with quickly, and although very stressful during the working out stages... the end result was fair, reasonable, and the best for all (including the birds).

Now, let's look at some definitions. Understanding what how we define the words and the immense almost "legalistic" stance we take on mis-representations from these definitions, will help you (the prospective buyer) understand our guarantee and our business ethics:

Proven (had babies) - also referred to as "Baby Proven." Has had babies that the current owner has physically seen with their own eyes. I will absolutely guarantee the sex of this type of birds, and expect the same type of guarantee in return. Obviously, if there are actual babies, the birds MUST be male & female - if they aren't, it's fraud - a crime, and I would absolutely push it to the fullest extent of the law (criminally & civilly). If the birds were valuable, or supposedly high producers, I would also seek damages for the reasonably anticipated lost profits. All we ask is that people are honest with us - as we are honest with the people we sell to, and will readily make a full disclosure and written guarantee about the state of the bird(s).

Regardless of the birds name, our guarantee specifically deals with these type of issues - and we do NOT represent any bird as a given sex, unless they are:

Proven (laid eggs) - Has laid eggs that the current owner has physically seen with their own eyes, or as reported from an extremely reliable source. Now, this means the birds are either a male & female or two females (which is generally worth a lot more than an unproven pair or even a bonded pair). If someone represents that they are selling this type of pair and the birds turn out to be two males - the seller should be responsible to repay the buyer the full purchase price AND all expenses (including the DNA tests & vet bill) and the buyer KEEPS the birds... or TWICE the purchase price! It's not a crime to not know the sex of the birds, and it's not a crime to say you don't know something - or that you were told "ABC" but suspect "XYZ." It is a crime to say that you have SEEN eggs from a given pair of birds that turn out to both be males! We would NEVER do that, and would likely sue anyone doing it to us for the fraud and misrepresentation.

Bonded - Is together, getting along really well, sits beside each other, preens each other, eat at the same time, protect may or may not be feeding each other (which should be disclosed to the prospective buyer).

Paired - The birds are together and seem to get along. They might preen each other and occasionally sit side by side. They don't yet eat together (at the same time) and don't feed each other yet. The amount of time they have been together should be disclosed to the prospective buyer.

In conclusion, using the above example birds (the Bolivian Blue & Gold's) I will set values I would sell them for at the various types of pairings.

To give you an idea of how I would value single birds (same type as above) I've put together the following chart. You must first understand that I don't want, and would put down any breeder that killed it's mate. That is bad and can be very costly. So, it is assumed that the singles below have never killed another bird - especially a mate.

There are always going to be people "dumping birds" - babies out of the nest, at 4 or 6 weeks old, singles, or breeders for a wide variety of prices. Some far below the normal standard - some higher than normal. Region also controls the price and value - especially of babies & pets. It is all based on Supply & Demand. No matter what price a person has established, if no one is willing to pay it - either it is too high, or there isn't enough service, supplies, or value being seen by the prospective buyer.

A bird that goes straight from the breeder, who has spent time taming, handling, teaching, and caring for the bird is worth more than the bird that has been sitting in a cage for 6 months without being handled and having people poke at it through the cage. A handfed baby that is going into a family is worth more, when the person hand feeding has kids that the bird can grow up around - the extra noise & handling. Same is true with an animals - a bird being raised around other animals (dogs & cats) - going into a home with dogs & cats - is worth more than a bird that has never been around animals.

Good Luck

We hope you really enjoy your birds
whether they are pets or breeders.