>It is not PARROTS, that has "gerochen" Deutschland  - but
>Deutschland has "gerochen" PARROTS; because "gerochen" means
>"smelt", (and "reached" is "erreicht"). So much to that!
Ooops....I followed the wrong line in the verb conjugation table in my
German dictionary! Sorry! I never was too good at anything other than
present tense. I'll stick with English out here from now on.
>Besides: My BBS "Basis" is a typical Science Fiction Mailbox
>(Startrek, Perry Rhodan, ...), and it is just a wonder, that brave
>Sysop Heiko has put PARROTS between SF-message-areas! Hope he
>lets it there also in future...
Thank your sysop for me, will you please? Tell him we'll try to get him
more Parrots users, so it will be worth his time and expense to carry
the echo. Are you a "Trekker"?  If so, we will have to talk more in
Netmail...I LOVED Star Trek: Next Generation! 
>Well, in Europe there are about 5 German avian magazines, some
>Dutch and Danish magazines, TWO ENGLISH! ("Cage and Aviary Birds",
>London, and "Foreign Birds", Benson, GB)
Do you ever see copies of the American "Bird Talk" or "Bird Breeder"
magazines? Those are two of the largest and best ones published over
here.
>We here in Germany have a lot of bird keepers, but I think, they all
>have got no modems. I am the only one till now.  That'll change
>soon. A 14400 fax-modem incl. software is now available for DM 159.- (=
>$ 86.)
Yes, prices are getting lower on computer equipment over here too. Just
keep telling all your bird-keeping friends to get out here with us on
the echo!
>You asked about laws about parrots. Oh, there are a lot of laws about
>PET birds. Even the changing of the home (location) of a bird has to be
>written to the proper officials! 
So, for example, if someone wants to give a bird to a friend, they would
have to prepare documents for the officials about where the bird went
when it left their home?
>Always with a paper called CITES.
CITES is the "Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species".
They have international laws concerning many species of animals and
birds which are endangered in their native lands. There are many birds
that ARE on the CITES endangered species lists, but not ALL of them are
listed by CITES.
>Parrots must be banded, of course. Some were chip-implanted. Even the
>smallest hobby breeding of parakeets needs certification. The asked
>procedure to reach this is as expensive as half a driver's licence.
I understand that a driver's license is quite expensive (I was told it
cost over $1000.00). I simply can't imagine having to pay that much
money to be able to breed my birds. In some states in the US, there are
laws which require the birds to be banded and the aviaries must be
licensed by that state. But not all states have such laws. I am
fortunate; Michigan has no such laws. I would protest loudly, and get
everyone I know to protest with me, if they tried to make such a law.
> endangered birds are forbidden to sell for money! (Except if you have
>an "exception permission"). In advertisements Germans do not
>"verkaufen" (sell) a bird, they "geben ab" (give away) the parrot
>without saying the expected price. (Although a price is paid at
>last...) All of that reason.
If someone DOES "give away" a bird by means of an advertisement, and
they DO receive money for it, then that would be illegal, am I right? Is
this commonly done despite the laws?
>e.g. Amazon youngs, (Bluefronted is the most bred amazon species here),
>cost about (converted) $ 1000, if they are tame.
That is approximately what they go for over here, also. It depends on
the area of the country--in some places they are more common than other
places.
>In PET shops, you see nearly no parrot; twenty years ago, they were
>full of them and much cheaper.
That is also becoming true over here. The importation of wild caught
birds has been stopped by the US government. The pet stores used to sell
many wild birds cheaply. Now most pet stores only have a few birds at a
time, because they have to pay more for the domestically raised birds.
>BTW: Do you know anyone in Grand Rapids, Mich.? I have got wonderful
>old colored postcards of that town to swap. Relatives emigrated there
>at the beginning of this century.
My husband's sister attended college there. I also have several friends
who live there, and in the surrounding smaller towns near Grand Rapids.
It's about a 3 hour drive from here, so I don't go there often.
>Again thanks for your nice mail
Thank you for yours! Write soon!
--Kathy
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