Why I HATE Petco

[Pajarita]

And that's why we need laws like they have in Sweden to regulate the bird industry from breeders to owners.

[Blu]

That would be awesome

[Blu]

And more educated employees so they can inform people that budgies are intelligent creatures and arent disposable pets

[liz]

Birds can get salmonella, too.

The only bird that is immune to such things is the vulture. They can even eat animals that died of anthrax.

[Wolf]

Birds can get salmonella, too.

The only bird that is immune to such things is the vulture. They can even eat animals that died of anthrax.

I am not sure that I can swallow that, Where did you hear that?

[liz]

Ditto!!! I literally have to bite my tongue every time I see somebody walking into a petstore with an animal! They are breeding ground for all kinds of diseases, not only from the animals they sell but also from all the people that bring their potentially sick animal into them. Please stop taking your bird everywhere, you are not doing her a favor, my dear. I know you think it's good for her but it's not.

I really really agree. I don't even put my pet on the examination table before I clean it. Some vet techs take it as an insult. I have to remind them that they are my babies and I am a protective mother.
40+ years ago Pampers were just coming on the market. There was no such things as antibacterial wipes. I carried a receiving blanket with me to put the baby on to change it's diaper. I carried wet washcloths to clean them off with the change. I also carried wash clothes soaked with mouthwash to wipe down the part of the shopping cart where I put the baby. My kids are 18 months apart so when the new baby went in the baby seat the other was in the cart. By then he had already learned about dirt (germs) and knew not to touch everything and don't touch his face before he washes his hands. He learned not to put toys in his mouth. No, they did not grown up germaphobic. I did not even take them to church until they were 3 months old because everyone wanted to touch them and stroke their faces or touch their little hands.
Why should we do less for our pets. They are totally dependent on us too.

[liz]

Birds can get salmonella, too.

The only bird that is immune to such things is the vulture. They can even eat animals that died of anthrax.

I am not sure that I can swallow that, Where did you hear that?

Animal Planet had a documentary on the arid season in Africa. They had gone without rain for a year. The hooved animal kicked up the dry soil and in the dust was anthrax spores. Many died. They said that vultures were the cleaning crew to get rid of contaminated dead animals without being contaminated themselves. It has to be true that they have more immunities or they would be extinct with all the rotten stuff they eat.

[Pajarita]

Liz is correct. They can eat animals dead from rabies and other terribly contagious diseases, too (anthrax included) and are actually impervious to botulism! They are pretty unique in the animal kingdom because of the high acidity of their digestive fluids (if I remember correctly 1,000 times more acid than ours) and because they have, by far, the strongest immune system of all animals. I had a co-worker that used to call me Buitre (vulture in Spanish) and I was always inordinately proud of the nickname because without vultures to consume infected dead animals and people, the human race would have succumbed to pandemics long ago.

[Wolf]

Are you saying, in effect that if I could kill all the vultures, that I could rid the world of its largest parasite and polluter?

[liz]

Just the opposite. Vultures digestive system destroys the bacteria. If there were no vultures a lot of people would die.