A certain pet chain... Is it wrong?

[CaptMicha]

Petco has a bird room in it and of course I like going in there to hold them but towards the backwall in the corner, they keep the smaller, less showy birds. The less expensive birds. Like the lovebirds.

The cage was okay, not too small but when I asked the person told me that they bite because they never get handled.

They're in good physical condition from what I could see but won't this lead to some one buying one, giving up on the feral bird and dropping it off at a shelter?

Is it really that big of deal? Is there anything to call them on?

[Tango's_Mom]

They're in good physical condition from what I could see but won't this lead to some one buying one, giving up on the feral bird and dropping it off at a shelter?

Is it really that big of deal? Is there anything to call them on?

I honestly don't think that you can call them on anything, if the birds have food, water, appear healthy and relatively happy, there is no neglect, and nothing you can do about it. I may not be ideal, but it is what it is.

I know from talking to a friend who works at the local superpet, that most of the large birds they get come to the store already socialized and they just continue that, the small ones don't, and so it's very difficult for the petstore to handle and socialize them. Especially if they have alot of them.

I have held most of the animals in this superpet without a problem, but not the little birds, a petstore, (think huge open space) is not the place to try and tame a small, skittish bird.

As for people getting a feral bird, giving up and dumping it. That's the fault of the "person" buying it, not the petstore. It's your job to do your homework, and understand that unless you go to a breeder who does a good job of socializing babies and you continue that socialization, that you're likely to have a long road ahead in taming the bird.

I got Tango from superpet, the cages were clean, they were not overly crowed, they had plenty of clean food and water, and one thing that impressed me is that the petstore had already weaned them onto a high quality mix of pellets and seeds. But he was essentially wild, and terrified of hands. It took me over six months to get him to step onto a finger, or allow me to pet him, or give him scritches, and he is just now learning to love a good beak rub. Did I get bitten? absolutely. Did I care? not really. And yes there were a few times I had to adjust my expectations of how the relationship should evolve, I did and things have gone pretty well, all considered.

Ok well that's my :2cents: I'm off to snuggle the little green birdie now.

[CaptMicha]

Tango's one of the lucky ones then.

[mangotiki]

I really think that unless the petstore is selling those birds by saying that they will tame down as soon as they get used to their new surroundings, or something like that, they really can't be at fault. They need to be honest about what can be expected from these birds. Anyone buying a pet should really do their own homework first (unfortunately petstores don't always assist the customer in this regard).

Reminds me of a man I heard at the feed store complaining that his 8 week old puppy (from a pet store) who he was giving adult dog food once per day had diarrhea and was messing on the floor. The girl told him to feed the puppy twice a day on puppy food and place her nose in it. I told him to feed her 3-4 times, how to start crate training her, understand that she is a baby still, and get her to a vet.

Ok, now I have vented.>o

Traci

[Eliza]

Keep in mind that an untamed bird is not a feral bird -- feral refers to domesticated or companion animals that have been released and continue to thrive in the wild (think mustangs, the wild Quakers in various colonies, etc.).

It's hard to say whether Petco (be it the chain as a whole or the particular store you mentioned) is contributing to the problem of birds needing to be rehomed is up in the air... In a perfect world, pet stores would sell pet supplies only and perhaps donate space to shelter pets in need of new homes. In a perfect world, pet stores that did offer to sell small parrots (or any animal, for that matter) would have employees that spent time each day working on behavior and taming to improve the chances of the bird having a successful time in its first home. And in the most perfect world of all, everyone who considers bringing any animal into their home would devote several hours (if not weeks, months or even years) to researching any potential pet.

I think that Traci put it best. If the store sells a lovebird, saying that it will definitely be a cuddle-bug, never bite and learn to talk, then certainly, they are to blame. But if a knowledgeable employee takes the time to educate a potential lovebird owner of what goes into being a lovebird caretaker, then what can you do? They did their best.

-e-