Even supposedly respectable stores can have a greater concern for the bottom line than the welfare of the animals they sell, and the amount of training that a sixteen year old sales clerk has received probably makes them a poor source of information regarding the future attributes and needs of your pet. Quite often, the selection at a pet store is limited unless you are willing to be placed on a waiting list. Remember too that when you purchase a bird from a pet store, you have absolutely no idea where the bird came from, and under what conditions it was raised. You need to be sure that the pet store owner purchases livestock only from reputable sources. Make sure the bird that you buy is captive bred.
Breeders are usually much more familiar with the behaviors and requirements of the birds they sell.
Breeding parrots is very difficult. It requires knowledge about nutrition, housing, and bird psychology. For that reason a good breeder can be a wonderful source of accurate information. However, just as there are puppy mills where breeding dogs are kept in poor conditions and are denied veterinary care just to make a profit, there are some irresponsible parrot breeders that keep their birds in less than optimal conditions. Don t expect any breeder to give your entire family a guided tour through the breeding area.