petsmart...

[chieu]

should i buy a bird from petsmart....

[Janie]

That is a question only you can answer for sure. Depends on what type bird (I'm assuming lovebird) you want.....and how tame you are expecting it to be from the beginning. I'm sure that Petsmart and the other chains do get in hand fed socialized babies occasionally but once they get to the store, they can revert back to being totally wild in a very short period of time. You might find a Petsmart with very knowledgeable employees (regarding birds) but in my experience, they are few and far between. Doesn't mean you won't get a very nice and healthy little lovie from them, it's just not the choice I personally would make.

I got my last two from a breeder that I met at a bird fair and then kept in touch with often until she had exactly what I wanted, color and sex. She DNA's her babies for a customer ahead of time if requested and since I only wanted males, I did make that request and pay for the small additional charge for that. I'm never going to breed and knew that the chances of two males getting along together were better than two females (by the way, having only ONE lovebird is absolutely fine, too, when given lots of attention and a great cage with plenty of toys) so I opted to wait till I got exactly what I wanted. I met her in early April but did not buy from her then and ended up with my two boys 4 months later.

No matter where you get a bird, I definitely recommend you make an appointment with an avian vet as soon as you get the bird. Even though I bought my two from a very reputable breeder, I took them in with in two days after I got them and she also recommended that I have them vet checked. Any good breeder, IMHO, would.

My birds were tame from the beginning. It did take them a few weeks to get used to being in a new home but I did not have to work very hard at gaining their trust. If you want an easier start, I would recommend going through a reputable breeder. Good luck in you decision and check out the Lovebird Resource Library for more information that might help with that decision. :)

[michael]

Like Janie said, only you can answer that one. I think really you can end up with a good choice regardless where you go, at least to some extent. Armed with the knowledge of what to look for ahead of time will at least put the odds in your favor. You may prepare a list of questions to ask, like what each lovebirds diet consists of at the present time, what type of medical exam have they had and who does it, is there proof of age, are they DNA'd as proof of sex or is that an option before purchase, can they recommend a good avian vet. A reputable breeder or chain store will be able to answer most, if not all without a problem. If on the other hand they stumble along the way to find answers, you may want to have second thoughts about dealing with them. Although most stores don't allow for handling, and there are some good reasons, I see nothing wrong with asking for a one on one meeting. The lovie may not let you near, but at least you can check its response, especially if they are hand fed. And they may have a separate room for that purpose. Keep in mind you need not purchase at that time, and pressure to do so because you've "wasted their time" is just one more reason to walk away. One thing about handling any bird should you get the opportunity, always always wash your hands and anything that may have been defecated on so as not to spread disease. .........Now the written guarantee? Thats another story!............Wish you the very best in your search............Michael and Goofy

[Screamer]

Check with the BBB to see if there have been any complaints filed against the location you are planning to visit.

Take your time, before you ask for assistance spend some time and observe their lovebirds, look at how they act, are they playful, do they look happy? are their cages clean, is their water dish clean etc.

Good Luck

[Janie]

Oh, I completely forgot about the "age" issue. They might tell you a lovie is very young when it is much older. It's happened here and not necessarily because the employees were lying, they were just saying what they thought or were told to be the facts. If you find a peachface lovie (most of them, anyway) with no black on the beak, you can bet that it is more than 4 months old. The sales staff turnover is tremendous in most of the chain stores and very few of their folks have much if any bird experience.