Practice proper quarantine procedures when bringing in birds (and equipment) from Bird Shows. When you get home, head straight to the showers. Put all your clothes straight into the washers as well.
While there are definitely lots of nice and affordable birds in shows, it's also a place to easily catch diseases. You could potentially get more than you bargained for.
Depending on the show it can be nice to go. The show near my house every year is very well run and all birds must have a vet certificate and be checked by the show vet before entering the building. Now this doesn't mean that sometimes, I think some of the birds look rough. But being at a show and with all those people can be quiet nerve racking.
Good luck and have fun. I say you know enough to make wise choices if you are purchasing a bird.
oohh, good advice so far! SEE? thats what I'm looking for; advice.
Since I have a back door that opens 2 feet away from the bathroom, I think I can handle sanitization procedures, and I haven't made the bird room yet.. its just a sheetrocked room, empty except for my books and a coffee table, so that would be a good quarantine-and no other birds are down wind of it via the heating system.
Good idea to leave youself open for any kind of new bird. You might head there looking for a special as you said mutation and find something totally different you might fall in love with and can't live without. Who knows? You might even fall in love with a crested blue and white norwhich canary! he he he.