What happens to babies that are not sold?

[marie83]

There is a red bellied parrot in a local Petco that is two years old, marked down from $599 to $174. So, I am sure that bird has moved thru a few stores. I just hope someone with knowledge and patience buys her. At this point, why don't they just give to a rescue? I know that where I volunteer, she would be welcome. But, they are not going to purchase her.

Offer them $50 to take off their hands. They will have a great loss but you would be saving it from an impulse buyer who does not know how to care for it. If you can't keep him then you will have controll over who gets him.

Whilst saving that poor parrot would be a good thing for that particular bird there will be others that take it's place. It is an endless cycle unfortunately.

[liz]

Not if they loose a lot of money on it. They paid well over $50.

[BudgieGirl]

I used to have a friend that worked for a big pet place, and when birds didn't sell they put them in back with no food or water until they died. That way they died of "natural causes" and they got their money back from the birdy mill. She may have brought one or two home... I assume she paid for them, but didn't ask...

When I was breeding, if ever I had a bird that didn't sell/was given back (or in one case, reclaimed) I just went down my list of people who'd bought from me in the past and offered them a free bird. Worked every time. If it hadn't I would have kept them.