ANSWERS to the COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The Hawaiian Islands
The Island of Hawaii, the "Big Island"We are located in the state of Hawaii, on the island of Hawaii, the "Big Island". We are about ten miles from Hilo, off the Volcano Highway, in a very rural setting in Hawaiian Acres. We do not have conventional electricity available to us. The road we are located on is unpaved and very rocky. It often floods during our heavy rains. The average rainfall for our area of the island is between 90 and 150 inches a year; the worst year we have experienced was a little over 200 inches in one year, several years ago. The worst single 24 hour period occurred from 8 PM on November 1, 2000 to 8 PM on November 2, 2000. In Mountain View, 3-4 miles uphill, they had 28.97 inches of rain! My road? Well, a photo is worth a thousand words! This was taken around 5 PM on November 2, 2000.
The National Weather Service said rainfall in Hilo in November 2000, as measured at the airport, totaled 45.90 inches, making it the wettest November on record. The old record for a November was the 45.75 inches that fell in 1990, which is also the wettest year on record when 211.22 inches of rain fell. While the November 2000 total is the fourth highest monthly total ever, it marks the wettest month since 1927. The wettest month on record in Hilo is March 1922 when 66.96 inches of rain fell.
2. Do you sell unweaned babies or fertile eggs?
No, we do not sell unweaned babies to the public nor do we sell eggs. We take great pride in our handfed babies. Much time, effort, care and attention is given to each individual baby in order to provide you a happy, healthy and well-adjusted bird. We feel a great responsibility, both to the birds and to our customers, to make certain that a baby bird is eating well on its own before leaving our facility. It is a popular misconception that you must handfeed a baby for it to bond to you. Weaned birds quickly bond to their new owner. Weaning is a very stressful time in the life of a young bird. It is during the weaning process that the start of one or more unwanted behaviors (screaming, biting, feather picking, to name a few) can occur due to the inexperience of the new owner. Buying an unweaned bird is extremely risky and can lead to illness or even death. Any amount of cost savings is quickly offset by just one visit to a veterinarian for testing and/or treatment. There is absolutely no benefit to the purchaser. By weaning the babies that we sell, we can completely guarantee our birds’ health.
3. May I come to see your babies?
No, our facilities are not open to the public for visitation. We do not operate a retail store nor showroom. Either one of these would significantly increase the prices we would have to charge for our babies. We do not have the time nor the space to allow visitors. This policy protects our birds from theft and the possible introduction of disease from another facility. Health and security are the main concerns. By restricting access to the nursery, our babies are protected from diseases that could be introduced by a visitor who might have been around other birds. We operate under the Closed Aviary Concept. To read more about the closed aviary concept, click here: The Closed Aviary Concept.
4. Are the babies checked by a veterinarian before shipment?
We do not take every bird we sell to our veterinarian before sale, but we do give a complete guarantee of health. We have been doing our own bacterial cultures for over 11 years now. Any sign of potential problem is investigated immediately.
5. Is a health certificate a guarantee of health?
No, a health certificate is usually issued in situations where the airline or the state/country to where we are shipping requires it. Simply stated, it means that the bird(s) has/have been examined by an avian veterinarian and found to be free of disease SYMPTOMS and external parasites. Depending on requirements of the receiving state/country, other statements as to other health tests that might have been performed are included. This does not mean that the bird is healthy. We do guarantee the health of our domestic babies.
6. Do you accept credit cards?
We accept personal checks, cashier’s checks and money orders. Personal checks must clear prior to shipment/delivery. We are now accepting electronic checks and Visa/MasterCard credit cards through PayPal. PayPal allow you to send and receive money by email. PayPal was originally developed for use with online auction sites, like eBay. It is very safe and secure.
7. What are the terms of sale?
For unweaned babies, we require a deposit equal to 25% of the purchase price. No further payment is required until the baby is weaned, at which time the balance is due. You will be notified of weaning by either email or telephone. If you fail to pay and complete the transaction within two weeks of weaning, your hold on that baby is released and it will be made available to others. Your deposit will be applied to the next available baby of that species. For weaned babies, we require payment in full at the time of the order. If payment is not received within two weeks of the order, your order is canceled.
8. Why is there a deposit on the shipping crate?
Many of the shipping crates we use come from the mainland and are not available here in the state. They are very sturdy and can be used for shipping to the mainland. Some of the plastic carriers we use are allowed only on interisland flights. Some times we have difficulty obtaining them here on the Big Island. Before we started charging a refundable deposit, many customers promised to return the crates but never did. All of a sudden, we’re out of crates! Since we ship on an average of 5 times a month, this can get rather expensive. We could charge for the crate and increase your cost, but then we are still faced with the problem of replacing our crates. The crates can easily be returned to us by US Mail or by "dunnage" at the airlines.
9. How do you ship my bird and how much does it cost?
Interisland: Birds are shipped on either Hawaiian Air or Aloha Airlines. We prefer Aloha Airlines for single crate shipments and Hawaiian Air for shipping two or more crates. Either airline will return our crates by "dunnage". Either airline takes excellent care of animals. We try to always utilize direct flights or flights with one stop with no change in aircraft. The airlines will call you for pick up at a telephone number you provide us. Of course, we ship at your convenience. Shipments on interisland flights require inspection by the State Department of Agriculture and therefore are limited to Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. We provide a sufficient amount of seeds and pellets in the crates. Currently, interisland shipping costs around $35 for one crate and $42.50 for multiple crates.
Shipments to the mainland or US territories: Birds are shipped by an airline servicing Honolulu and the destination airport. The fewer carriers involved, the cheaper the charges. Hawaiian Air services several cities on the West Coast and shipping charges are usually around $155. Counter to counter service (Delta Pets First, for example) can be very reasonable, but many airlines will no longer carry live animals at all! Many mainland flights leave Honolulu in the evening and arrive at their destination early in the morning. Most airlines now require freight to be pre-paid at the time of shipment. In addition, a health certificate is required by the state of Hawaii. This costs about $25 to $50 depending on the number of birds. Call for estimated freight costs. Shipping rates vary depending on the size and weight of the crate. We can only estimate the shipping costs as we are never sure of the exact amount until the day we actually ship. Even though the airline gives us a price quote, it is not always correct, but it is at least a starting point.
In addition, the airlines have restrictions on shipping with regard to temperature. Temperatures too high or too low can cause the airlines not to accept a shipment. Often this is a judgement call made by the cargo agent shortly before your bird is scheduled to depart. Not only do we worry about temperatures in the departure and destination cities, but also at any stops along the way. It can get very frustrating, but everyone wants your new bird to arrive safely.
Yes, we do now sell cages, stands and play gyms. To see our line of quality cages with FREE shipping directly to you, please click here: Check out our cages. We certainly can provide guidance as to the size of caging required.
11. Can you recommend a bird for me?
Not really. It is extremely difficult to recommend a baby for someone else as this is akin to recommending what car you should buy. We will be happy to provide information as to general characteristics of any species. However, the final decision and the responsibility for that decision are yours.
12. Will my new baby get along with other family members and other pets?
This question is impossible to answer. Bird behavior is as variable as is human behavior. A bird’s personality and acceptance of other people and/or other pets is largely determined by its early socialization. A baby bird will reflect the care, attention and training that it receives. Babies of most species are very adaptable.
13. Can I pick up my baby instead of having it shipped?
Depending on our schedule, we will be very happy to meet you to deliver your babies personally. Payment must be made in advance; no money is to exchange hands at delivery.
14. What is the Closed Aviary Concept?
Avicultural facilities which use this concept have an effective means of disease control. The Closed Aviary Concept provides the aviculturist with a means to secure and maintain flock health, to isolate and control disease outbreaks in flights or in the nursery, and thus to reduce losses and achieve production goals. Applying the principles of the Closed Aviary Concept to avicultural husbandry practices lays the foundation for a successful bird farm.
Don't be put off by a closed aviary. In truth, this is the safest type of aviary as long as they give you a health guarantee. The reasoning behind a closed aviary is that the fewer exposures to outside influences, the less likely it is that the birds will be exposed to disease. You might think your birds are healthy, but they could be silent carriers of polyoma or other diseases. You can carry feather dust on your clothes and shoes into a clean aviary. Generally, a closed aviary means the breeders keep the same birds in the same aviary space and they do not bring in other birds. If new birds are purchased for breeding, they will quarantine for two months and get a battery of blood tests to make sure the new bird won't infect the rest of the flock. Even if you don't own a bird, if you visit a pet shop with birds then go into a closed aviary with the same clothing and handle birds (particularly baby birds), you are breaking the closed aviary guidelines. In this day and age these types of guidelines are essential.
15. Who is the owner and what can you tell us about him?
Birds of Paradise Aviaries is owned and operated by Joe Baker. Joe has lived in Hawaii for over 36 years. Born and reared in Middletown, Ohio, Joe graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, with a Bachelor of Science. Although his degree is in Mathematics, most of Joe's courses were in the field of Computer Science. At that time no undergraduate degree in Computer Science was offered. While in college, Joe received a Naval ROTC scholarship. Upon graduation, Joe was commissioned as an Ensign in the U. S. Navy. After six months at Submarine School, Joe was ordered to duty upon the USS Carbonero (SS 337), home ported at Pearl Harbor. After a year, Joe was transferred to Fleet Operations Control Center Pacific where he put his computer skills to work. After becoming a civilian near the end of the Vietnam War, Joe went to work for a computer manufacturer, providing technical support to users and sales support for the sales staff. Joe also worked in the law enforcement field writing computer software for various national, state and local law enforcement agencies. Some of his work is still standard of the industry. After 9/11, Joe talents were again sought by various agencies of the federal government, but he preferred to remain a private citizen doing what he loved.
Joe Baker has been an animal lover his entire life. His interest in parrots was sparked over thirty years ago when Joe saw a bird at the Cincinnati Zoo that he thought was the most beautiful bird he had ever seen. "Someday I’m going to own one of those", he thought to himself. The bird? Well, it was a Sun Conure.
In 1983, Joe persuaded a friend of his to give him a bird in his care that was being neglected. That bird was a Mitred Conure. Utterly fascinated by this wild creature, Joe remembered his trip to the Cincinnati Zoo years before and, deciding that two birds couldn't be much more work than one, answered an ad for a handfed baby Sun Conure. This led him to the home of Dick Hart and Hiroshi Tagami from whom Joe purchased his first baby. The bird? Well, it was a Sun Conure.
Joe and Dick became good friends. Joe was a quick learner and Dick began teaching him about raising birds and handfeeding. It was through Dick that Joe met Joyce Ferguson who instilled in him her love of the Eclectus species. Joe’s bird population began to slowly grow. He was breeding Congo African Greys in the second bedroom of his Waikiki condominium. He had seven clutches in two years – 27 babies! That early success helped Joe decide to open his own bird breeding business.
In 1989, Joe left the wilds of Waikiki and moved to wilds of the Big Island, the island of Hawaii, where he resides today. Joe had amassed a collection of about 70 mostly proven pairs of about 35 different species. He owned and operated Birds of Paradise Aviaries, supplying handfed baby parrots to pet shops and private individuals in Hawaii and beyond. Joe is now "semi-retired" from the bird buisness and is a substitute teacher at High Scools in the Puna District on the Big Island. He still keeps in touch with breeders across the US and helps them find buyers for some of the rarer species of birds. His breeding efforts now are primarly breeding the Hawkhead Parrot. He has been very successful with his pairs over the past siz year.
Joe has served in numerous positions for two different bird clubs in Hawaii and has been the Hawaii State Coordinator for the American Federation of Aviculture for the past ten years. Joe and Laurella Desborough are the representatives to the AZA Bird Coop for the Eclectus species. Joe’s other interests include tournament bridge and rock music from the fifties and sixties. Joe's biography has been included in various editions of Who's Who for over 15 years.
