How to Sell Pet Birds in Canada | PetzLover

What laws apply when you sell a bird in Canada?

• Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994: without authorization you may not buy, sell, exchange or give a migratory bird or its nest. Songbirds and waterfowl taken from the wild can never be sold as pets, and live migratory game birds such as ducks and geese kept under an avicultural permit may change hands only between permit holders.
• WAPPRIITA: Canada's CITES law makes it an offence to hold an Appendix I bird for sale or other distribution, or to offer it, unless an exemption in the Wild Animal and Plant Trade Regulations applies: for example, the bird was bred in captivity, is part of a captive breeding program or was legally imported. An individual convicted summarily faces a fine of C$5,000 to C$300,000, up to six months in jail, or both.
• Provincial and municipal rules: welfare laws such as Ontario's Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act, 2019 and British Columbia's Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act cover the birds in your care, and by-laws may limit how many animals you keep. If you breed and sell often, ask your city whether you need a business licence.
• Criminal Code: wilfully causing an animal unnecessary suffering, or failing to give a captive bird adequate food, water, shelter and care, is an offence.

Which birds need extra paperwork before you sell?

• Appendix I parrots: African greys (on Appendix I since January 2017), scarlet and hyacinth macaws, and Goffin's and Moluccan cockatoos. Keep the breeder's records with the hatch date and closed band or microchip number, or the CITES import permit, and give buyers copies.
• Other parrots: most are on Appendix II, which matters once a bird crosses a border. Budgies, cockatiels, peach-faced lovebirds and rose-ringed parakeets are not CITES-listed.
• Imported birds: a bird brought in under the CFIA's pet-bird rules was declared a personal pet, not for resale, and importing birds to sell needs a CFIA permit. Selling a listed species to a buyer abroad needs a Canadian CITES export permit; CITES permits are free of charge.
• Between provinces: a province may require its own permit for some species, and transporting illegally obtained wildlife between provinces is an offence.

How do you get a bird ready for sale?

• Sell only birds that are fully weaned and eating on their own.
• Have a vet who sees birds examine the bird, and keep the record for buyers.
• Note the band or microchip number, hatch date and parents.
• If you state the sex, say how you know it (a DNA test or adult plumage).
• Write a diet sheet and daily routine, and pack a few days of its usual food.
• Keep birds for sale apart from newcomers: the CFIA advises at least 30 days for new birds and 14 days for birds back from a show.
• Take clear, recent photos and a short video of the bird moving and eating.

How should you price a pet bird?

Start from current listings for the same species, age and tameness near you, because independent Canadian price surveys for birds are scarce. Shelter fees show what an older or untamed bird competes with: Toronto Animal Services charges C$5 for a budgie or finch, C$20 for a cockatiel, C$50 for a small parrot and C$100 for a large parrot.

If you would rather find a good home than make money, see our guides on giving a bird away safely and rehoming your bird.

How do you write a pet bird ad that gets serious buyers?

• Species, colour, hatch date or age, and sex, with how you know it.
• Band or microchip number, and for Appendix I parrots that you hold breeding or import records.
• Tameness, talking or singing, and any biting, screaming or plucking.
• Diet, health and vet record, and whether it has lived alone or with other birds.
• Lifespan, so buyers know the commitment: an Amazon can live 40 to 50 years.
• What is included (cage, carrier, food), the price and your town.

Post your bird for sale on PetzLover with your town rather than your address, keep your phone number out of the ad text, and ask buyers to message you first. Your ad then appears with other pet birds for sale near you.

How do you screen bird buyers?

• What birds have you kept, and for how long?
• What cage is ready, and where will it stand?
• How many hours a day will the bird be alone?
• Do you have cats, dogs or young children, and does anyone smoke?
• Do you cook with non-stick pans near where the bird will live?
• Do you have a vet who sees birds?
• Who would care for a long-lived parrot if your circumstances changed?

VCA Canada warns that non-stick cookware heated above 280°C gives off fumes toxic to birds, so a cage beside the stove is a deal-breaker. Ask for answers by message, so you have them in writing.

How do you take payment and hand over a bird safely?

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre warns sellers about buyers who overpay and ask for the difference back, fake e-transfer notices saying payment is pending until you send a tracking number, and QR codes you must scan to receive money.

• Meet at your home or an agreed place, with someone else present.
• Let the buyer see the bird before paying.
• Take cash, or wait until an e-transfer has been deposited in your account, not just announced by email.
• Refuse overpayments, refund requests and any request to ship first.
• Give a receipt with the band number, price, date and both names, plus copies of the records.
• In winter, hand over indoors and ask the buyer to bring a covered carrier and a warmed car.

Avoid shipping birds to buyers you have not met. Our guide on how to buy a pet bird shows what careful buyers will ask you.