I receive many requests to buy my shamas and it may be of help if I set out the letter that I write in response to a general inquiry.
Hi
Thank you for your interest in my shamas.
I keep shamas as a hobby and may breed only a few pairs each year.
My aim is to produce birds of outstanding quality - with excellent structure, strong character, musical song, and primary tails that are at least 12”. Such birds are rare and are much sought after. They are hardly ever found any more in the wild.
It has taken many years to develop my present strain of shamas. I would discourage beginners from keeping such birds. They are more difficult to keep in perfect condition because of their long tails and they cost many times more than the shamas available from the shops.
My excess males usually go to friends and I hardly have birds for sale - perhaps 3 to 6 juveniles a year. Last year, I had no juveniles available for sale.
The price of a male juvenile, if available, is from S$3,500.00 to more than S$4,500.00. To put things in perspective, I recently paid S$7,000.00 for a captive-bred first molt male shama with tails of 11.5", and this was supposed to be a special price to me from a fellow breeder.
Because of the scarcity of the type of birds that I try to breed, there is always a waiting list of buyers for my juveniles. If you are still interested and prepared to wait, please let me know your budget and I will get back to you if I have a shama that may meet your requirement.
I keep shamas as a hobby and may breed only a few pairs each year.
My aim is to produce birds of outstanding quality - with excellent structure, strong character, musical song, and primary tails that are at least 12”. Such birds are rare and are much sought after. They are hardly ever found any more in the wild.
It has taken many years to develop my present strain of shamas. I would discourage beginners from keeping such birds. They are more difficult to keep in perfect condition because of their long tails and they cost many times more than the shamas available from the shops.
My excess males usually go to friends and I hardly have birds for sale - perhaps 3 to 6 juveniles a year. Last year, I had no juveniles available for sale.
The price of a male juvenile, if available, is from S$3,500.00 to more than S$4,500.00. To put things in perspective, I recently paid S$7,000.00 for a captive-bred first molt male shama with tails of 11.5", and this was supposed to be a special price to me from a fellow breeder.
Because of the scarcity of the type of birds that I try to breed, there is always a waiting list of buyers for my juveniles. If you are still interested and prepared to wait, please let me know your budget and I will get back to you if I have a shama that may meet your requirement.
Best regards,
David
songbird keeping hobby in singapore not looking good in time to come. good birds are hard to come by and the good ones are beyong the reach of the ordinary guy. singapore is pricing itself out of the game. sad and disappointing.
ReplyDeletetake mata puteh instead of shama. the good ones will be preselected by the shop and tagged with a high price from just a hint of a good voicing. but they can turn out to be poor speciment after bringing them home. damn bird keeping in singapore, used to be so much fun to forward to. not many hobbbyist are high income earner. this comment is not targeted at the price of your shamas but is with an open mind to share it with you...
maybe there is a conspiracy theory behind it. the power to be restrict the supply of songbirds. thereby the dearth of songbird in cages in singapore. some people make no compromise, birds are supposed to be free flying???
ReplyDeleteHasn’t it always been the case that the desirable bird is more difficult to acquire and commands a substantially higher price than the “ordinary” bird in the shop?
ReplyDeleteSurely, this principle applies to everything. The Rolex is priced 1,000 times more than the S$20.00 digital watch I bought recently for my son who is starting to do his National Service. The Rolex is not even as accurate in telling the time. Should it be priced lower just so that the “ordinary guy” can also buy it?
The fact is that whether it is cars, dogs, cats (and whatever else you care to name), demand and scarcity must always naturally result in a higher price.
In the case of my birds, I hardly have any available for sale each year. Moreover, they are insectivorous and the cost of feeding them is unbelievably high. The few birds that I might have for sale each year, may not even cover the cost of upkeep. But it is my hobby and I am prepared to sacrifice by spending on my birds instead of on something else that I might want.
I price my juveniles on the basis that their market value is likely to be double when they are adult. I also take into consideration that when I do acquire birds, I have to pay similar prices.
I am already unable to satisfy the requests for my shamas. Pricing them lower merely increases the costs of my hobby and gives a discount to the purchaser which enables him to make an even greater profit later.
Need advice tat how old is the first molt?
ReplyDeleteI'm Chloe from Sarawak Malaysia, my dad has some white-rumped shamas for sell. They are bought from a friend who lives in the interior part of Sarawak. Those who are interested can email me: chloe_bong@hotmail.com
ReplyDeletePrice: RM 1500 each (negotiable).