UK Parrot Stores and Sites

[Sunny]

Being from the UK I'm not as lucky as many of the people on this forum, we have almost nothing in the way of shops or sites that have a wide range of parrot toys or food. I have never seen any pellets in any of the pet shops I have gone to, which means I need to order online, £15 for a 2KG bag of optibird pellets, with £6 for mailing. and even the "good quality" bird seed is riddled with sunflower seeds - i should know, i sat and picked them out for weeks.

as for toys ... sheesh ... most stores tend to cater to budgies, and only sell those little plastic ladders or those mirror toys, so much so that i have taken to looking at rodent toys to see whether it is suitable for my cockatiels.

so i thought that we could share here, swap sites and places that we've discovered, that actually cater (and cater well) to our feather friends.

p.s. I hope this isn't breaking any rules, i'm not here to scam or to earn any kind of money, I actually want to be able to spend money lol and help others spend theirs, and am hoping we will be able to point each other in the right direction.

one place that I've found and love is http://scarlettsparrotessentials.co.uk/default.aspx it's a very small company with a large range of toys and great prices, the lady who runs it is fab about answering any questions and the delivery is very quick indeed. I ordered a whole bunch of stuff from her and my birds loved it all. however, orders are only free when you go above 100. and it is 100% only for birds.

I've just been to a pet shop last week (Purrfect Pets, in Pinner), which had a small section for birds, a few hanging toys for large birds, and a rope perch that i picked up for £4.50 (actually i lot expensive since i've seen them for under £3). They even sold birds, which is quite rare where i live, but their cages were so filthy and i heard some sneezing so i didn't really spend a lot of time in there, just in case.

anyone else have any other addresses or sites?

[idlepirate]

Hi there, excellent idea! I have the same problem, Just been rambling on about pellets in another post because I just cant find any in any petshops and online you can just about buy Harrisons and maybe one or 2 other known brands, the rest are unknown in america so its hard to ask for advice on them.

I have a local petshop down the road I try to support as much as i can but they never have much for parrots as there isn't much demand (besides me hehe), I managed to buy a shower perch and a pedicure perch from them + some random toys. Haha actually i think ive now bought one of everything for parrots. Lovely family runs it though and they also sell small birds like budgies and cockatiels, finches etc. They look after them so well, big passion for all animals which I always love to see.
They're lovely to me and if I need something in particular they try to make the effort to order it in.
I was also lucky because I fixed the owners back (he was was suffering for years with extreme back pain), he was very grateful and always gave me discounts or free presents for lorenzo. Even right in the beginning before I knew them and I ordered a cage, he gave me a free 7£ cement pedicure perch thingy with which i thought would never happen in any other shop.
Everything else is for budgies... one or 2 toys for budgies still are ok for lorenzo, he likes taking them apart and they're cheap. The shop is also good for sugarcane or microwave popcorn, pine nuts...random special treat things like that.

I think the larger commercial petshops have an ok variety, its good to see the sizes of the toys and what they feel like and then order them off ebay where they're probably cheaper. These shops are run by a bunch of idiots most of the time, teenagers looking for a parttime job who dont even know a thing about parrots and are completely uninterested. I feel really bad for the parrots kept in there as they end up staying years sometimes just getting issues and becoming so obese. and what the shops have is all they'll ever have, i never see any new stock come in. always the same old same old.

I pretty much buy most of my toys off ebay. Ive bought from scarlett too! shes excellent, my first load of toys while i was still waiting for lorenzo to be weaned. Delivery costs are a bit much and its hard to guess how big the toys will be. she was great though as the delivery costs added up wrong and I overpaid so she sent me a free preening toy.

Have you tried http://www.24parrot.com/ northern parrots?
They have a good selection of treats and food but I find them quite expensive. Im trying to buy harrison pellets but they're already 8£ for a small pack plus 4£ delivery. madness I know, it is unfair:( if a shop sold them they'd just be max 7 pound and i can walk home with it on the day.
I think the UK are more budgie orientated when it comes to birds.

Anyway its great to have another person from the UK here, we can support eachother lol

[Sunny]

thanks and i know what you mean, i spent weeks researching, emailing all the companies, asking for samples ... looked at uk based forums to see what they gave their birds and after the tongue lashing one bird owner was given for asking about pellets vs seeds i decided to just go at it alone. I got the optibird natural pellets from Scarlets and so far my birds seem to love them, at first there was a lot that they ground up into dust but when they realised that this was it they started scraping the food dish clean. lol.

how are you faring with harrisons? i heard that it goes off really easily?

awww .. that petshop owner sounds wonderfully sweet, i wouldn't mind having a look there but with my luck it's probably really far away. where are you based? when i was doing research on where to buy my cockatiels i heard from some petshops more in the city area where they sell big parrots, maybe they'd have toys ... it would take me some time but maybe i can dig it up again if you live near there.

wow i'd go there just to buy the special treat things that you mentioned, never seen any of those in a store.

yep, it's the delivery in scarletts that puts me off too, i ordered £44 worth and had to pay £6 in mailing cost, but since nearly all the toys i bought cost under £3 all i could think was that i could have bought them 2-3 extra toys with that money ... cheap, i know. and double yep for the sizing too, i bought a java branch for my cockatiels for under £7, it didn't have a size on it but i was hoping it was going to be a lot larger then it turned out to be ...

i have heard of 24parrot but havn't ordered from them yet as i too found them quite expensive, and they only do harrisons pellets don't they? plus side, they have a 75% january sale at the moment - which still leaves them only, maybe, a little cheaper than scarletts.

definitly will have to support each other, if i see a bargin i will pester you with links asap lol.

[zazanomore]

I was browsing Etsy, and I came across this store: http://www.etsy.com/shop/BusyBeak?page=1

Cheap homemade bird toys and toy parts. Hope this helps!

[idlepirate]

I got the optibird natural pellets from Scarlets and so far my birds seem to love them, at first there was a lot that they ground up into dust

Havent heard of these, are they any good? My petshop (the one i was on about) just started selling nutribird this week but i dont want get them as they look too large for lorenzo plus being colorful, probably hell just be picky which i dont want.

how are you faring with harrisons? i heard that it goes off really easily?

Im still trying to get ahold of a cheap pack haha. I THINK they are the same that I used on my previous green cheek about 6 years ago since they look the same and i bought them from the vet but i just cant remember what they were called. If so I thought they lasted ok. I was told just to buy the smallest pack and keep it in the fridge. Figured Ill test it out im just worried he wont like them, even if they're the best for birds. Scarletts might be cheapest or what do you think? its that delivery charge arrrgh. at the moment im feeding vitakraft amazonian and thats only gonna last another few days so i need some pellets now.

awww .. that petshop owner sounds wonderfully sweet, i wouldn't mind having a look there but with my luck it's probably really far away. where are you based?

Im in the westmidlands (not that i want to be here but hey had to follow the boyfriend lol). Its a bit small for the effort of driving over. however there is a big shopping centre near by called "merryhill". there is a big pet store inside, they sell large parrots as well but thats the one where they couldn't really care too much about them. the toy selection is good but more for larger parrots too. I did find some great swings however for my conure.loads of java stands and that sort of thing. Else id stick with scarletts and ebay. Ill send you the link for this one guy i bought from on ebay, he makes sisal rope swings and all other sorts of handmade stands and swings- really really special stuff and affordable i think.

:shock: wow i'd go there just to buy the special treat things that you mentioned, never seen any of those in a store.

yu can order them online i think too but more expensive probably. I can find out for you from my petshop how much hed charge to send you what you need if you like. i think postage costs from a normal person will be cheaper then a big chain online hehe. You must try sugarcane, its nutricious and they get to rip it apart and love it. the popcorn i still have pretty much the whole pack as lorenzo wasnt very keen
The nuts are great too but i havent bought any because id have to crack them open myself, they're not really made for little beaks.

plus side, they have a 75% january sale at the moment - which still leaves them only, maybe, a little cheaper than scarletts.

Im having difficulty finding anything thats actually got the 75% off though haha

[idlepirate]

I was browsing Etsy, and I came across this store: http://www.etsy.com/shop/BusyBeak?page=1

Looks like a great store but isnt that only for america too?

[zazanomore]

That store is located in Dublin.

[idlepirate]

really! that would be excellent. Sorry about my blonde-ness, it just all shows up as USD but I guess that I have to change the currency somewhere.

[Sunny]

Havent heard of these, are they any good?

so far i'm doing great, they really gobble it all up, what i love about it is the fact that they have some seeds in it too - not sunflowers, but those little white ones. when japh and alex were on a seed diet they wouldn't even touch those, and i used to despair and try everything to try to get them to eat it, i even cracked them open myself. but now that they're on optibird they seek these out first. i'm hoping to take some more pictures of them, as the ones i posted were either when they were on seeds or only a little into optibird, i want to see if they do look brighter and healthy-er.

My petshop (the one i was on about) just started selling nutribird

i did some research into that ... one of the things that it promises is ... early sexual maturity ... is that a good thing? and nutribird does do natural pellets too, does your pet shop have them? online the price seems a little dear, but you would be able to get the right one for lorenzo. yeah the pickiness is something to worry about though, with the coloured, i've read reviews where some parrots refuse to eat a certain colour.

I was told just to buy the smallest pack and keep it in the fridge

even the smallest pack? wow, the optibird i have comes with a great resealable bag and apparently it won't go off till sept 2011, not that it would last that long. they annoying thing is that they don't do 20 kg packs for the small birds like they do for the big ones.

its that delivery charge arrrgh

I know what you mean, the reason why i ordered from scarletts is coz it had a great range and i wanted to spend a largish sum (for me anyways) there. but i guess it would be pointless if all you need is food, and fast.

Im in the westmidlands

A little outside birmingham? damnation, that is far, we actually got japh and alex from a breeder in birmingham - if i had only known ... i would have had the car stocked to the brim before my dad could say "where to i put the travel cage?" lol.

Ill send you the link for this one guy

Looking forward to it

I can find out for you from my petshop

Thanks in advance for that too!

I was hopping to buy them sugarcane so that works out great. oh the palm nuts, i found a jar of palm oil that they sell online on scarletts for - what £7, in ASDA for 94p, if you have any asian stores near you try those too, my parrots can't eat fast enough on palm oil day.

http://www.junglegold.com/dried-herbs-s ... 019d3c698e - came across this site, it sells Spirulina for a way cheaper price then most heathstores i've looked at, and apprently it's meant to be a miracle herb for parrots (with the right dosage), and a whole bunch of other health items too

thanks for the link Zaza - checking out as i type - well after i finish typing this lol

[idlepirate]

Right been searching all night for the cheapest Harrisons. Ended up on one on ebay for 10.70 for a small pack with delivery. I will let you know how they are when I get them. Im sure ill have a problem getting loro to like them. il keep them mixed with his amazonian seed mix and his dried fruit.
Would be great if he does take to them. still it says the shelflife for harrision is that it has to be used within 4-6 weeks. I doubt its possible to finish them by then but Ill see what happens. cant afford wasting and buying every month. The amazonian bag lasts me like 3 months almost and thats maybe even smaller then the harrison pack lol.

i did some research into that ... one of the things that it promises is ... early sexual maturity ... is that a good thing?

wow ok....cut those out then, cant be a good thing. haha ill tell the petshop about that. too many bad points on the nutribird now so ill leave them to last. i thought if loro doesnt like his harrison at all i might try the zupreem fruity ones. maybe not the healthiest but they have a more likable factor.
I really wish someone would sell roudybush in the uk, they seem great but i searched everywhere and the only option is ordering from the states which is a bit ridiculous unless I really had nothing better to do and was loaded haha.

A little outside birmingham? damnation, that is far, we actually got japh and alex from a breeder in birmingham - if i had only known ... i would have had the car stocked to the brim before my dad could say "where to i put the travel cage?" lol.

Ahhh if I had known id have directed you to the good petstores around here. theres some mega mega ones around birmingham.

i found a jar of palm oil that they sell online on scarletts for - what £7, in ASDA for 94p, if you have any asian stores near you try those too, my parrots can't eat fast enough on palm oil day.

Oooh sounds interesting, never tried the oil form, how do you feed that to your birds, just over their food or with a spoon? I love the asian stores, im right next to a pretty decent one which is great for my fruit and veggies, can just buy like 5 beans, 1 leaf of spinach hahaha...instead of large expensive bunches in the big grocery stores. also the small nuts and coconut shavings are dirt cheap compared to grocery stores.thanks for the palmoil idea, ill definitely get some next time im at the shops.

That site you linked is great, so interesting, i also just posted about herbs in the health section, all these new things to look into. Spirulina never heard of it either but now i cant stop googling it.

Trying to find the guy on ebay that makes all these awesome rope swings and hes vanished. really annoying ill find him somewhere and send him to you, had his brochure here too but think i threw that away recently as well lol.