How to Sell Amazon Parrots in the United States | PetzLover

What laws apply when you sell Amazon parrots in the US?

• USDA licensing: Animal Welfare Act rules (9 CFR 2.1) exempt people who sell, as pets, up to 200 home-bred birds a year of species averaging 250 grams or less and up to 8 of heavier species, counted across the whole household. Most Amazons average well over 250 grams, so a home breeder selling more than 8 a year should ask USDA APHIS about a license.
• CITES: it controls trade between countries, not a sale between two US residents. Exporting any Amazon needs CITES documents from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and Appendix I species face the strictest limits.
• Endangered Species Act: the common pet species are not listed (checked November 2026). If you breed a rare listed Amazon, such as the endangered Cuban parrot, you need a federal permit before selling it across state lines.
• Origin: the Wild Bird Conservation Act has barred most imports of CITES-listed birds since 1993, and the Lacey Act makes it illegal to trade wildlife taken in violation of US or foreign law. Sell only birds whose captive origin you can show.
• State and local rules: breeding, animal numbers and noise rules vary, so check with your state agriculture or wildlife agency and your city.

How do you identify and document an Amazon before you sell it?

1. Confirm the species from the adult parents, not just the chick. Dr. Susan Clubb, an avian veterinarian, notes that young yellow-napes are mostly all green until about 3 to 5 years old, and the World Parrot Trust says young double yellow-heads have yellow only from the crown to the lores.
2. If the parents are different species or subspecies, say so; never sell a cross as a pure species.
3. Wait until the chick is fully weaned and eating on its own.
4. Have it DNA sexed; Clubb notes that males and females of most Amazons look alike. The white-fronted is an exception: adult males have red on the wing edge.
5. Book an avian vet exam and keep the results; VCA Animal Hospitals advises check-ups twice a year for Amazons.
6. Record the closed band and any microchip number.
7. Write a care sheet: VCA recommends pellets as about 60 to 70 percent of the diet and vegetables, greens and fruit as the rest, with fruit under 10 percent.

How should you price an Amazon parrot for sale?

The Vet Desk, a pet information site, gives typical breeder prices of $1,000 to $3,000 for Amazons (updated January 2026) and says subspecies with different colors can cost much more; its yellow-naped profile gives $2,000 to $4,000 or more. Compare current Amazon parrots for sale of the same species near you.

• A hand-raised, weaned, DNA-sexed bird with vet records sits at the top of the range for its species; VCA says hand-raised babies often make better pets.
• Price a bird whose species you cannot confirm, or a cross, below a documented one.
• Include a cage only if it meets the PetMD minimum of 36 by 24 by 48 inches for a large hookbill.
• For an adult pet you are placing for its own sake, a rehoming fee may fit better; Phoenix Landing, a parrot rescue, charges $350 to adopt an Amazon. See how to rehome your Amazon parrot responsibly.

How do you write an Amazon parrot ad that finds the right buyer?

1. Put the species, age and sex in the title, for example: hand-raised male blue-fronted Amazon, 5 months.
2. Add daylight photos of the head, wings and tail, and a short video of its normal calls.
3. Describe the noise honestly: VCA says some Amazons squawk loudly in the early morning and late afternoon.
4. Say what it says or whistles, without promising that it will talk in a new home.
5. For an adult, describe its behavior in spring; VCA notes that Amazons are known to show mating-season aggression toward their owners.
6. List the records: band, DNA certificate, vet exam and tests.
7. Give the price and what is included, say the buyer collects in person, and keep your phone number and home address out of the ad text.

You can post your Amazon parrot ad free on PetzLover, and interested buyers message you there.

How do you screen buyers for an Amazon parrot?

• Have you kept a parrot before, and which species?
• Do you rent or share walls, and have you checked noise rules?
• How many hours a day is someone home, and where will the cage stand?
• What will it eat? A good answer is pellets plus vegetables, not seed only; VCA warns that Amazons on high-fat, all-seed diets commonly develop obesity and fatty liver disease.
• Which avian vet will you use?
• Who will care for the bird if you cannot? The Merck Veterinary Manual gives Amazons an average lifespan of 40 to 50 years.

A buyer who will not visit, wants several birds at once, asks only about breeding, or wants the bird shipped out of state without meeting is a reason to stop. Buyers may have read how to buy an Amazon parrot, so expect questions about species and papers.

How do you take payment and hand over an Amazon safely?

• Meet in person, at your home or an avian vet clinic, and let the buyer handle the bird.
• Take payment at the handover. Refuse overpayments, shipping agents and requests to refund a difference.
• Sign a bill of sale with both names, the date, species, hatch date, band, sex, price and the records handed over.
• Hand over a care sheet, a week of its usual food and the vet records.
• Remind the buyer never to let the bird loose; Florida, for example, makes it illegal to release nonnative species.

If you are placing an adult pet rather than selling a young bird, you can list your Amazon for adoption instead.