06/06/2026
🐦✨ Waiting List Update ✨🐦
❤️ I wanted to give everyone a little update regarding the waiting list, as there has been a noticeable change over the last few months. The good news is that the estimated waiting time for general offers has now reduced significantly and has gone from around 8 to 12 weeks down to approximately 4 weeks. 🎉 Unfortunately, the reason for that reduction is not quite as positive as it might first appear.
📱 Over the last two days alone, I have spent my time messaging and waiting on 10 different people who had a combined interest in 18 birds. That's a lot of messages, a lot of photographs, a lot of checking Messenger, and quite honestly, enough waiting around to make me feel like I'm starring in my own episode of "Will They Reply?" 😂
One of the things that really brought this home for me was that two enquiries alone represented interest in 14 birds. One person was looking for 6 budgies and another was looking for 8. Both received photographs, information, and offers, and both simply disappeared. When numbers like that are involved, it has a huge knock on effect not only for me, but for the birds and for the families waiting further down the list.
🐦 One thing that is really important to understand is that I breed according to demand. When people join the waiting list and tell me what they are looking for, whether that is a particular colour, mutation, gender, or type, I use that information to help plan pairings and breeding decisions months in advance. In many cases, those decisions are being made around three months before babies are ever offered, so when somebody joins the waiting list, I take that interest seriously and begin planning accordingly.
🏡 Because of this, I do ask that people only join the waiting list if they are genuinely ready to receive offers. I completely understand that circumstances can change. Holidays get booked, house moves happen, finances shift, family situations change, and sometimes people simply decide that now is not the right time to bring home a new feathered family member. None of those things are a problem, and I would never be upset with somebody for being honest about a change in circumstances.
💬 What does become frustrating is when I am not told. I have absolutely no issue with people asking to be removed from the waiting list, and I would much rather receive a quick message saying that plans have changed than spend days chasing conversations and waiting for responses that may never come. Communication makes a huge difference and helps me keep things moving fairly for everybody involved.
📋 I also do not allow waiting list spaces to be retained for holidays, moving house, future plans, or any other reason. While I know that may not always be the answer people want to hear, it is the only way I can manage the waiting list fairly. If spaces were routinely held, the entire system would slow down and people who are ready to receive offers would end up waiting much longer than necessary.
📸 Another thing many people don't realise is that I only have a relatively small window in which babies are photographed, offered, secured, and booked for collection before they reach eight weeks of age and are ready to leave. The 24 hour holding period exists to give people time to think and make a decision, and I am completely happy for people to use that time if they genuinely need it. The issue comes when messages are ignored altogether, or replies arrive right at the end of the holding period only to say that interest is no longer there.
Every time I am waiting for a response, there may be another family further down the waiting list who would have happily secured that bird immediately. Before long, days have disappeared, other waiting list members are left waiting unnecessarily, and babies can end up older than the ideal age for settling into a new home and beginning their taming journey.
🌱 My system is actually quite different from many breeders. A lot of breeders only advertise babies once they are fully weaned and ready to leave. I choose to offer babies earlier because it allows families to secure them at the right stage of development and helps prevent birds from being overlooked simply because they were advertised later. It works extremely well for both the birds and their future owners, but it does rely heavily on prompt communication.
✅ If a baby is offered and they simply are not what you are looking for, please don't feel awkward about saying so. A quick message saying "pass please" is absolutely fine and allows me to immediately move on to the next person who may have been hoping for that exact bird. There are never any hard feelings, and honestly, a polite pass is far better than silence.
🤔 I'll be completely honest and say that I have spent quite a lot of time recently umming and ahhing about whether I should introduce a waiting list deposit. I really do not want to do that because I have always preferred to work on trust and keep the process as straightforward as possible. I would much rather spend my time raising babies and talking about budgies than managing deposits and terms and conditions. However, the increasing number of enquiries that don't progress beyond the waiting list, unanswered messages, and people disappearing after joining the waiting list are making the current system increasingly difficult to manage.
❤️ For now, all I am asking for is honesty and communication. If your circumstances have changed, tell me. If you are no longer looking, tell me. If a baby is not for you, tell me. I promise I won't take it personally, although I can't guarantee I won't dramatically sigh at Messenger while one of the budgies watches and judges me from across the birdroom. 👀😂
😂 And before anybody mentions the graphic, yes, it is a fairly accurate representation of me over the last couple of days. The coffee was real, the Messenger refreshing was real, and the dramatic staring into the distance while questioning my life choices was also very real. I am beginning to suspect some of the budgies are checking Messenger more often than I am. ☕🐦📱
🙏 As always, thank you to everyone who communicates promptly, keeps me updated, and helps make the process run smoothly. It genuinely makes a huge difference, not only for me but for the birds and the families waiting patiently for their perfect new companion. ❤️🐦
🐦 Want to learn more about nutrition for your flock? Follow Golden Wings Aviaries for more budgie care tips and updates!
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