Lovies from the petstore!

[Raindroponthrose]

How many of you have a lovie from a pet store? Mostly people buy from breeders I know,but there are some nice lovies at my pet store(to be exact "petland" chain of stores) so I was wondering would you buy a bird(lovie) from a store? There must be positive and negative sides of that,so what's plus and what's downside of purchasing lovebird from a such petstore??
Oh,by the way...anyone knows if PETLAND or similar store does featherclipping??

[carrier]

I got my first lovie, Fenway, from a Petsmart. They had 3 lovebirds, a pair of Black Masks and Fenway, my Dutch Blue. I only wanted one bird, so I decided against one of the two that were together and got my little green monster. :)
I was told that Fenway was a return because he was part of a pair that was purchased and his mate had died, and I felt sorry for him..I was very new and uneducated about birds at the time, and unaware of all of the potential illnesses that birdies from stores like this could have. I was VERY lucky that Fenway wasn't ill and that I ended up with a healthy lovie! And he is!

I adopted my second lovebird from a member on this forum who was downsizing her flock, and I believe he was from a breeder. Wrigley, an austrailian cinnamon, has turned out to be the one of my two who has been to the vet the most. He was in the avian ICU for almost 3 days, and very sick about a year and a half ago. We were unable to determine what caused his illness after a barage of tests, and fortunately he bounced back and is relatively healthy now. He did start to pluck about a year after I brought him home, and we think that is due to stress or some other psychological unknown, as again I had him tested and found no medical cause for him to be plucking. I montior the severity of it, and it gets worse and better depending on if he's molting or not. I have heard suggestions that some people think birds that are bred specifically for special coloring, if not done responsibly (NO inbreeding) can sometimes have a tendency to pluck or get sick. I have no real opinion on this, as I don't know enough about it.

In hindsight, I would go through a recommended breeder if I were to ever add to my flock- they are interested in the health of the babies, and not necessarily the money they make. Most of the time I think that places like Petco, Petsmart, and probably the Petland you speak of get thier lovies from people who arent really interested in the health and well-being of the birds, but just want to make a quick buck.

Just my :2cents:

[linda040899]

Regardless of where you purchase your lovebird (or birds), you always run the risk of getting one that is sick but not displaying symptoms. That's why it's necessary to quarantine for a minimum of 30 days. 60 days is better. My avian vet recommends 90 days.

As soon as possible after purchase, make an appointment with an avian vet and do at least the following testing: PBFD (Psittacine Beak & Feather Disease), Chlamydia and Polyomavirus, especially if the lovebird is newly weaned. PBFD can be carried with no symptoms and it's very contagious. Polyomavirus is a disease of very young birds and by the time you see symptoms, it's too late. The virus has been shed so other birds near the sick bird have been exposed and most birds do not survive Polyomavirus.

[Z28Taxman]

Ditto came from a a store that specialized in birds. Every one of their birds are socialized for hours a day and are very friendly. :happy:

[KenDRAGON]

i'm super anti-petland due to their selling of dogs and connections with puppy mills, but having worked in a pet store for a good amount of time, i can say you're better off buying from a breeder or a place that specializes in birds. they're more likely to have been raised and kept in a cleaner and healthier environment. i know our store had a clamydia scare (that turned out to be nothing thank goodness!) with one of our cockatiels that could have been very serious as all our birds are kepts in very close quarters together. we get NO paperwork on them so we have no idea if they've ever been checked over by a vet or if the birds they've come in cantact with have ever been etc. our birds we get are also not banded and we have virtually no idea of their hatch date. i got muffin from our store because she was in poor condition and i knew she would be better off with me but in the future i would never get a bird from a chain like petco, petsmart, etc.

[Janie]

Personally, I would not buy anything from Petland......they sell "puppy mill" dogs. They deny that but it's true.

[linda040899]

As a breeder, I'm always very careful where I get birds when I'm looking for breeding stock. There are tons of backyard breeders who put pairs together with no thought as to what the outcome might be. You will pay a bit more from a reputable breeder but it will be well worth the extra.

I'm also going to add this comment. There are breeders out there that will not allow anyone in their aviaries. I happen to be one of them. Reason? Birds are creatures of habit and they get used to seeing familiar faces. Bring in a stranger and many birds will go into panic mode. If there are parents with babies, this is not a good thing. Additionally, if visitors happen to have birds at home, I have no idea if those birds are healthy or if disease could be introduced to my aviaries because the bacteria/virus or fungus arrives attached to clothing, shoes or even hair. That doesn't make me a bad breeder or not reputable. It simply makes me very careful and caring about my flock.

[Enko_chan]

Not all pet shops are created equal.

Not all breeders practices are equal.

Even the most careful can make mistakes.

It can be difficult to know who to trust and where the best place to go is, especially if you're just starting out! I, personally, happen to know several excellent breeders and have no local pet shops that are good to buy birds- but that is not the absolute rule. Pet shops run and staffed by people who love and care for birds that have excellent safety and business practices do exist, and so do back yard breeders who are just out for a buck and couldn't care less about the animals they sell. As far as chain and corporate shops go, their prices tend to be high which leaves many parrots sitting in their too-small cages for too-long with too few toys, too-little interaction and poor diets... which may perhaps vary in particular franchises or chains that I haven't personally seen, but in general, isn't very good for the birds. Plus, if you buy from a quality breeder or a quality bird shop, they can tell you about your bird, his/her lineage, what could petco tell you about where your bird came from? I've asked the employees of our local petco about their birds to no avail. They know the mutation and price and occasionally there will be a bird-lover working that will know about the bird's personality. I was impressed to see that Petco has begun testing for PBFD, chlamydia and polyomvirus, that is an excellent practice! Still, Petco is hardly a closed avairy, people are constantly bringing in dust from their own aviaries, so if I go to buy supplies in a pinch, or bring toys to the parrots there, I still change my clothes and take a shower when I get home.

I'd prefer to support someone, be it a shop or individual, with practices that are healthy for the birds all around.

Ultimately, it is our own responsibility to be sure that we research carefully and do our best to buy from the safest sources, quarantine, vet check, etc. It can be difficult to know where to start from, though!

No matter where you buy from, always quarantine. Get your birds tested for the big 3, as Linda said... avian polyomavirus, chlamydia, and PBFD. IF you even suspect your birds may have been exposed to PBFD, whether or not they test negative, QT for 90 days and then re-test before exposing them to your other birds! It doesn't always show up right away in tests and can have a lengthy incubation period.

[Pips mom]

When I bought my first bird, my cockatiel Woody, I got him from a chain pet store......I was dumb back then! If you buy from a pet store, for one, you usually paying way too much!!! plus you are supporting the raising of birds to sell in a pet stores, and making money off of them becomes big business and they are not raised with love and in a good environment....breeders usually are bird lovers and pay more attention to the birds they raise and give them better surroundings.
For me.....taking in a bird who is being given up by it's owner is the only way to go. Birds are sometimes overbred, leaving too many birds and not enough homes.....supporting breeders adds to this problem. Taking a bird who is being re-homed, you tend to know more about the bird, plus it's cheaper and alot of times they will come with their cage and toys. Alot of people want to buy babies from breeders, leaving behind birds that are being given up who need a home. Adopting a bird from a previous home makes you feel good that you are giving the bird a second chance to have a forever home, also sometimes the owners have to give up their bird and have little choice and heartbroken......finding a good, loving home makes them feel alot better about it. Just because you take in a bird from another home, doesn't mean that you'll end up getting an older bird.......Pip was only nine months old when he was re-homed and Ivy was ten months.....still quite young.
http://forums.manhattanbirdclub.com/post?id=3578105
You can buy from a pet store or a breeder......alot of times you'll be paying alot this way. My pionus Ivy at a store that raises them sometimes, it costs 825 dollars for a baby bluehead pionus......WAY too high! but re-homed you can Ivy's species alot of times for about half that with a cage! I paid a little more than half and she did not come with cage, but that was ok, I already had bought a cage, so it worked for me. You should look around your area and see if anyone has a lovebird they are giving up.....Pip's owner was giving him up for free with cage. Of course I didn't take him free and gave his previous owner something, but Pip has been an amazing little bird and I feel so lucky to have found him! The money you save by taking a re-homed pet can be put aside for any vet bills that may come up, or maybe to buy him something nice like a playgym!

[bbslovie]

Hi, I got both Bea and Pallie from Denise's Parrot Place, a place my avian vet recommended. I had them both checked immediately and they've both been fine with the exception of Bea has had bouts with avian gastric yeast. That's not something that was an issue from Denise's though. If/when I get another bird I'll be going to a breeder I've found through LBP. ;)


Barb :)

[Janie]

I'm also going to add this comment. There are breeders out there that will not allow anyone in their aviaries. I happen to be one of them. .

Linda, Jeanette also had a closed aviary and I totally respected that. I really assumed most "good" breeders kept their aviaries closed for the safety of their birds. :)

[Eliza]

I'm also going to add this comment. There are breeders out there that will not allow anyone in their aviaries. I happen to be one of them. Reason? Birds are creatures of habit and they get used to seeing familiar faces. Bring in a stranger and many birds will go into panic mode. If there are parents with babies, this is not a good thing. Additionally, if visitors happen to have birds at home, I have no idea if those birds are healthy or if disease could be introduced to my aviaries because the bacteria/virus or fungus arrives attached to clothing, shoes or even hair. That doesn't make me a bad breeder or not reputable. It simply makes me very careful and caring about my flock.

Linda, I'm glad that you mentioned this.

Beetle's breeder was comfortable allowing potential buyers into the home. Available babies would be waiting to be played with and such.

Some breeders, however, are not comfortable with this (be it for bio-security or just security in general) and prefer to meet potential buyers elsewhere.

While it would be nice to be allowed to investigate all aspect of a breeder it's not always going to happen. You have to do your research.

[bookworm0550]

i agree w/ everyone. you're gonna have to look around, research, and ask a lot of questions. we don't have a petland up here in MN, i think, but there aren't a lot of places here that sell lovebirds. i see a lot of parakeets, tiels, conures, and caiques. i've only seen 1 lovebird before in a pet shop. my work friend said there's a petland in florida where she goes when she visits her mom. it's kinda sad. she said the lovebirds and the birds there are very sweet and tame, which is fine and great that they get socialized, but then they sell MONKEYS!!! Um, those creatures totally belong in the wild, not someone's home. anyway. (and i have to add, i'm quite glad she decided not to surprise me by buying me a baby kookaburra, which by the way is also sad that they sell. thank god she asked what they eat and when they told her mice, she knew better cuz i am not touching a mouse and come to find out, they also get bigger than 5 inches and eat small birds. yikes!, definitely a no-no)

i got my birds from breeders. the breeder who i got joey, evie, pan, and hermes from, i either met her in a public place and one time i went to her mom's place to pick out one of them (evie) otherwise the other three were chosen for me by her (except for joey cuz he was the only one left of his clutch that wasn't sold, lucky me!). i got chomper from another breeder, who we got to see his aviary and got to pick out a bird. and i adopted jada from a member on this forum, which reminds me i should send her some updated photos of jada. if i were a breeder though, i personally would have a closed aviary just to be on the safe side plus i don't feel comfortable w/ strangers knowing where i live. call me paranoid, but i'm just too scared of coming home and discovering my entire flock is gone cuz i trusted some jane doe to come over. not that all people are bad, but times just aren't what they used to be anymore, which is another really sad thing

[linda040899]

One of the biggest fears I have is a potential thief disguised as someone looking to buy a lovebird. It happens here in Florida all the time. You agree to let a customer come to your home to see a bird/birds but they decide they don't want or like what you have. Several days later, the homeowner comes home only to find that someone has broken into their home and stolen valuable birds.

When "customers" come to my home, I'm never sure if they want just a lovebird or I've just made all my other parrots targets for bird theft. I prefer to make sales away from my home because birds are considered "property" in this State, which means the law doesn't consider bird theft/animal theft any more serious than if someone stole my bicycle. I would probably put more effort into recovery than the police would.

[One bird for one heart.]

I could not agree with you more Linda!

[Raindroponthrose]

That's just crazy...what people would do for money... :(

[Pips mom]

I got my first lovie, Fenway, from a Petsmart. They had 3 lovebirds, a pair of Black Masks and Fenway, my Dutch Blue. I only wanted one bird, so I decided against one of the two that were together and got my little green monster. :)

HEEyyyyy.... I got one of them little green monsters! :rotfl:wink: gotta love them lil monster lovies!