Atlanta Exotic Bird Fair 2014 at the North Atlanta Trade Center
On Sunday, my wife and I took some time to visit the Atlanta Exotic Bird Fair at the North Atlanta Trade Center.
This was my visit to a bird fair as my allergies normally require me to keep a small distance from our feathery friends. The idea of being enclosed inside of a large room with probably hundreds of chirping birds just never sounded that appealing.
As it turns out, the experience at the Atlanta Exotic Bird Fair was fairly entertaining, especially with some of the interesting birds that were on display. I was surprised by how many of the sellers either had birds just sitting on top of their cages or tables, and that people were free to pick up and hold them. We’re talking about birds that ranged in prices from under $60 to $800 and beyond.
Here are some photo highlights from our visit to the Atlanta Exotic Bird Fair.
The exotic birds weren’t our main purpose at the Atlanta Exotic Bird Fair, although many of the birds were really interesting. My wife did have fun holding several of them.
We were actually here to help my mother-in-law (MIL) and sister-in-law (SIL) make an expensive purchase.
When my MIL was visiting the Atlanta Exotic Bird Fair as she normally does, she discovered a seller selling not birds but sugar gliders. My SIL has been experiencing an array of health problems, and lately they’ve significantly worsened. My MIL thought that a sugar glider would be a great little companion for her daughter and a way to help boost her spirits.
Sugar gliders are tiny little mammals that have an ability to glide up to distances of about 150 feet. You can think of them as a smaller version of a flying squirrel, but that’s just a gross simplification. Technically sugar gliders are a subspecies of the possum family and are a type of marsupial. You really wouldn’t guess those last two facts when looking at them, unless you’re a breeder. For most people, sugar gliders are just adorable little creatures that love to be held and can be taught tricks.
Anyway, this particular seller was selling sugar gliders and a starter kit. For $300 you received a sugar glider, a cage with basic supplies, and a bunch of food and calcium supplements. I don’t know how much the regular sugar gliders were being, but the seller did have a special white sugar glider priced at a whopping $1,000.
This is the little sugar glider that was purchased as a gift to my SIL. It stayed in her hands the whole time, and it seemed like a perfect match. From what I’ve heard, so far the little critter is enjoying its new home.
That was our experience at the Atlanta Exotic Bird Fair. This isn’t an event that I would attend on a regular basis (the fair is in town about every three to four months), but I’ll strongly consider returning to see the birds again next year.