The Nursery

January 20, 2012

See pictures of the current babies on our Facebook Page

We will set up boxes again Jan 21. Look back for Red-Bellied or Brown Headed chicks in Feb/Mar.

African Red-Bellied Parrots are $ 500.00 each.
African Brown Headed Parrots are $ 400.00 each.
Lovebird Chicks range $65 - $110 depending on the Mutation, we shall see what we get.

Note:  For Poicephalus - we set up boxes for the fall season on in mid August. Generally, if eggs are laid within 2 weeks, we will have chicks available in mid-late November. The breeding season is September to March. I usually only allow my pairs to breed twice each year. That means that usually I will only have chicks in December and April.

For the Lovebirds - I am told they are year round breeders. This is our first year with Lovebirds, so we will have to see how our schedule will work with them. Be paitent as we learn how to manage a new species that is drastically different from the one we have been breeding for years

Waiting List

If you want to be put on a waiting list, please contact us. There is a $25 non-refundable fee for being added to a waiting list. When eggs are laid, I send out one email to each person that is currently on the waiting list. Then when the babies hatch, I send out an email about how many babies there are. There will be a third and final email when the babies are 2 weeks old. At this time I will also try to make a phone call if I was given a phone number. If I do not receive any response by the time the babies are 3 weeks old, they will be offered to the general public, and your name will be removed from the waiting list. If you change your email address and do not notify us, it is your responsibility to check this page to see when babies are available and contact us with your new contact info. If you do not contact us and our attempts to contact you are un-successfull, you forfeit your Waiting List fee and first choice. If you do buy a chick after being on the waiting list - your $25 fee will go towards the final purchase price of the chick.

The reason for the deposit to be put on a waiting list is due to the fact that people have time and time again told me they want to be on a waiting list, and then 6 months later when I finally have babies, I continually try to contact the waiting list before offering the chicks to the general public. And then I never hear back from the people that said they want to be on my waiting list. Due to this lack of respect for my time, and efforts the babies then don't get offered to a pet store, and they get offered to the general public at a later date, making it harder for me to sell them by weaning. I have ended up keeping chicks untill they were two years old because I set up a box to breed based on names on a "waiting" list and then no one on that list even responded to any of my attempts to contact them, the babies were too old to go to a pet shop and I had a hard time finding homes for them with my other advertising. So now due to the economy, if I don't have "DEFINITELY INTERESTED" parties - I won't even give my pairs boxes as I don't have room in this house to keep babies for more than about 6 months.

I will pull the Poicephalus chicks from the nest box at 4 weeks of age and Lovebird chicks at just under 3 weeks of age and begin hand feeding and socializing. I will not allow any chick to go home till I am sure that it is properly eating on its own.

Payments

To put down a Non-refundable deposit on a Poicephalus chick you will need $ 200. Deposits for Lovebirds will be $40.

The balance will then be due at time of delivery of the weaned chick. Payment must be in full prior to delivery/pick up.

Choice of a chick is on a first deposit basis. However, understand that having first pick is not guaranteed if another customer opts to pay for DNA sexing. In that case, the person that paid for the sexing will get first pick of the babies that are the sex they prefered. DNA Sexing payment is non-refundable. Deposits are non-refundable after the Poicephalus chicks are 4 weeks old, or after Lovebird chicks are 15 days old. If your chosen chick does not survive to weaning, you may choose another chick provided they were not already claimed, you may transfer your deposit to a future clutch, or you may request a refund.

Deposits may be made by cash, money order, check (made out to Christy Catterton), or Paypal.com.

After a baby takes the last hand feeding, I keep them 1 week to be sure they are eating completly on their own. I will then notify you that the chick is ready to go home. The balance of the purchase price will be required within 1 week of such notification. If the balance is not received within 1 week, you forfeit your deposit, and the chick will be put up for sale.

If you wish to use check or money order for the final payment, shipping/pick-up will not be set until after payment has been received and cleared the bank. For Paypal payments (instant only) shipping/delivery can be scheduled as soon as notification is received of the payment. Otherwise, at the time of pick up cash, certified check or Money order only will be accepted as final payment.

Pick-up of the chick must then be within 2 weeks of the ready notification. If the chick is not picked up in 2 weeks, there will be a boarding charge of $8/day or $32/week.

Purchase and Health Gurarantee

Once you receive your chick, you accept full responsibility for that chick. You are accepting that the chick was raised in a way that you feel is acceptable. Once the purchase is final, there will be no refunds or returns for any reason, except as explicitly stated in the Health Guarantee.

Read the terms of our Purchase contract and Health Guarantee. As part of the health guarantee, your chick must be kept on Hagen Tropican pellets till after a vet check and normal results of all tests. I sell a 2 lb bag out of my stock to get you started for $ 5.00. This should last your Poicephalus chick about 3 weeks. For a Lovebird Chick I will give you 1lb of food out of my stock for $2.50 and this should last a LB at least 6 weeks. It is plenty to allow time to change the chick over to a new food if you so desire.

Sexing

If you want to know the sex of your chick, you must pay the deposit fee and the sexing fee of $ 29.00(per chick). Sexing takes about a week to get the results.

If you need a specific sex then you will be responsible for the sexing of the whole clutch, paid by the time the chicks are two weeks of age and is non-refundable. You understand that it might be possible that none of the chicks in a clutch are the sex you desire, and you will have to wait till the next clutch and pay for the sexing of the next clutch. Sassicat Aviary will make every effort to sell the sexing results to the buyers of the other chicks, and refund such fees back to you, though there is no guarantee that other buyers will want to know/pay for the sexing of their chosen chick.

Shipping

Yes - I can ship your Poicephalus chick, however at this time I will not try to ship a Lovebird baby. I haven't been able to prove if it is too stressfull on such a small bird and won't take that chance till I receive more evidence that it is safe.

When shipping a Poicephalus chick, I will search for the best airline with the shortest flight and thus less stress for your chick. Delta is about $ 90.00 and they allow you to pay COD. American is about $ 170.00 and they require me to pay when the flight is scheduled. Continental is about $130. So far I have not used any other airline so I don't know what their costs or regulations are. Be aware that when shipping live birds, there are restrictions due to temperature at any point along the flight. So even if your chick is weaned, if the weather conditions are not warm or cool enough you will have to wait for your chick to be shipped (subject to boarding costs if more than 2 weeks), or make other arrangements for pick-up. You will be responsible for all costs associated to the shipping, including but not limited to a carrier,water bottle, perch, mesh covering for the carrier, padding inside the carrier, vet vist, health certificate, permits and parking at the airport.

I am willing to drive to meet partway if shipping is not possible for a Poicephalus chick. Such trips will have to be scheduled around my other responsibilities and Marts that I travel to. Due to health issues, I can not travel more than 1 hour from my home in Northern Va. For Lovebirds - I do not deliver, you must come pick up your baby.

Our goal is to ensure that our chicks are adopted into a safe and healthy environment; therefore, we reserve the right to refuse sale for any reason.