Petland Sadists

[Vikki]

I abhor most big pet stores as well. The Petsmart in our area is actually very good, take care of their small animals well and there is actually a vet hospital attached to the store, but in most cases, employees have no idea about birds and will just sell them to sell them and that is such a nightmare.

As mentioned before, I work at a parrot rescue as a volunteer and it is something I wish more people would do. Not only will you learn everything you need to know about every bird imaginable, you will also see the dark side of the business of bird sales and it will change your perspective forever. Our rooms are full of birds that are agressive, dejected, frightened, untrusting.... because some moron walked into a store and said "Oh how pretty and colorful and cute" and had absolutely no idea that the bird actually needed to be cared for and nurtured beyond feedings and the occassion cage cleaning.

I cannot tell you how many wonderful birds we have that have been irrepairably damaged emotionally and some physically because their first owner saw them as part of the decor or was so frustrated with their noise and dirt that they simply abandoned or abused them. We have one Nanday that we have to keep in a dark cage because its owner couldn't stand him so he put the bird in his closet and left it there for years, so now the bird cannot deal with light. It hurts his eyes and terrifies him. We have birds with broken wings and broken beaks because their owners became so angry that they hit them or threw them against walls. It makes you want to do the same to these people, really it does.

And though I have nothing against breeders, per se, all they are are mills themselves. Some will say they do it for the love of birds, but most of them do it for the money and all they are doing is putting more and more birds out there when there are so many abandoned ones that will never have homes. It is such a shame.

So, I suggest, when you can, find a bird rescue and donate some time. I have seriously learned so much from the experience that it has changed my life and I have met some truly wonderful, generous people.

[zazanomore]

I cannot tell you how many wonderful birds we have that have been irrepairably damaged emotionally and some physically because their first owner saw them as part of the decor or was so frustrated with their noise and dirt that they simply abandoned or abused them. We have one Nanday that we have to keep in a dark cage because its owner couldn't stand him so he put the bird in his closet and left it there for years, so now the bird cannot deal with light. It hurts his eyes and terrifies him. We have birds with broken wings and broken beaks because their owners became so angry that they hit them or threw them against walls. It makes you want to do the same to these people, really it does.

Why do these people even keep the birds? I don't understand why they can't just sell the bird, or take it to a rescue if they find that a parrot wasn't the right choice. Keep it in a closet for years? Wouldn't it be easier on everyone if he rehomed it?

People are stupid. I much prefer the logical thinking of my birds

[GlassOnion]

I don't understand HOW anyone could have the conscience to shove their birds into a closet for years. Okay, hitting is awful too but at least it was a spur of the moment anger. But locking up a living animal with emotions into a closet without any guilt, all during that to laugh and enjoy life in the meantime.. I simply don't understand the works of these brains.

But then, this is coming from the girl who rescues worms off the sidewalks on a regular basis.

[Vikki]

Seriously, there are days I leave there and just cry, but then I think to myself that they are now in loving hands and will be cared for and paid attention to until they are found a proper home (we have VERY stringent adoption policies).

Some people will bring us their birds when they realize they have purchased beyond their skill level (which is why we have a room full of cockatoos), but I just think many, especially the abusers, don't care and have no conscience. They don't see them as pets, they see them as mistakes... inconveniences, and its easier to abandon them then to actually do something about them.

And I agree... I would rather have a room full of birds who will give unconditional love than to be in a room full of people, most of whom are ignorant, self-agrandizing and useless these days.

[captwest]

I;m sorry i don't understand why 'breeders " are such bad people.Maybe we should be smuggling birds out of the wild.Yes impulse buying is an issue,but i carefully interview all of my customeres, no diferent than your adoption protocall, I rescured two amazons today'I think that your volunteer work is very nobal, but for some reason has left you a bit bais , and uneducated.

[Vikki]

I never said they were bad people, I said that they were contributing to the overpopulation of birds, which upsets me, yes, when I have to deal with abandoned birds on a daily basis. I have friends that are breeders and they do understand our plight, as do you. My peeve is with the breeders who do it merely for profit, have no care to who they sell their product to (and to them it is product, not an animal with a soul) and then we end up with rooms full of aggressive birds because of this lack of protocol. Perhaps I am a bit biased, but in my dealings, we have run in to some very heartless, greedy people and its hard not to have some bias after what I have seen. Trust me, I have been educated more than I wished I have in some cases.

[Saerphe]

Err... I'm sad to say that my friend's mom is one of those people who are keeping their unwanted birds in a closet...

My friend and I are devising a plan to take the birds off her hands as diplomatically as possible... If she's keeping the budgies in a closet, she can't want them that much, but if she won't either give me the birds or sell them to me, then I will call the Humane Society to have them seized. If I can get permission from my parents, I want to foster them and resocialize them as best as I can.

My friend just got off the phone with her mom and she says she'll think about letting me take the birds and give me an answer on Monday. So, here's hoping it goes through! If not, well, she'll be payed a visit by the Humane Society.

Wish us luck!

[kaylayuh]

Err... I'm sad to say that my friend's mom is one of those people who are keeping their unwanted birds in a closet...

My friend and I are devising a plan to take the birds off her hands as diplomatically as possible... If she's keeping the budgies in a closet, she can't want them that much, but if she won't either give me the birds or sell them to me, then I will call the Humane Society to have them seized. If I can get permission from my parents, I want to foster them and resocialize them as best as I can.

My friend just got off the phone with her mom and she says she'll think about letting me take the birds and give me an answer on Monday. So, here's hoping it goes through! If not, well, she'll be payed a visit by the Humane Society.

Wish us luck!

My parents did the same thing with their Moluccan Cockatoo. They kept his cage in a dark room, covered with a heavy comforter, chained and padlocked so he couldn't chew his way out. They hardly cleaned his cage. He had no toys, and if they somehow remembered to feed the bird and change his water, they'd feed him a crappy seed mix.

My parents were unfit to have children, muchless a bird. I was always so fascinated by him and would have loved to have been old enough to remove him from that situation. Eventually when they got too annoyed by the bird, they put bleach in his water to kill him.

Now my birds are like my children. They have regular feeding schedules. Their cages overflow with toys. They're in and out of their cages daily, have free reign to fly wherever they please. Even though the budgies don't like to be handled, they're in and out of the cage doing laps around the floor and flying around the ceiling. Even as I type this, Cheney Bird is in my hair and fluffing himself up so I scritch him.

[patdbunny]

I'm a breeder like Capt. Darn, all I am is a mill! I wish someone had told me that ahead of time so I wouldn't have bothered to put so much time into socializing the little beasties and raising them like they were going to be my own pets! I guess I should stop providing post-purchase behavioral and general question support - eats into my profit margin ya know.

I guess I should quit describing jendays as: "Noise - They do have a brain splitting, aneurysm bursting, screechy scream."
And I guess I shouldn't have this on my blog if I want to be selling any birds:
http://staringatbirdsandgoats.blogspot. ... chive.html

Whatever you do - DO NOT CHOOSE A BIRD BASED ON ITS BEAUTY. That beauty will be short lived if the bird doesn't fit your lifestyle.
* If you're a neat freak, don't get a bird.
* If you like a quiet atmosphere, don't get a bird.
* If you want a pet that you play with on weekends, don't get a bird.
Don't buy a bird on impulse.
* They're very messy - poop, fling food, feathers/feather dust everywhere.
* They're noisy - every single day even if you pick a species known for being "quiet".
* They NEED hours of attention each and every day.
* They're diet is complicated - not just bird seed - they NEED fresh foods, cooked foods each and every day.
* They're expensive to acquire and own - bird alone can cost several hundred to thousands of dollars; caging is several hundred dollars; they NEED new toys often; veterinary care is several hundred dollars just to find out what's wrong, possibly into the thousands to actually treat.

[Michael]

They're diet is complicated - not just bird seed - they NEED fresh foods, cooked foods each and every day.

This is very off topic from the already wildly off topic conversation, but I don't think this is necessarily valid. I see absolutely no reason why parrots would require cooked foods when they have nothing like that in the wild. I don't think it's bad to give them cooked foods from time to time but I don't think it is at all required. I'm sure a companion parrot can go its entire life without eating a cooked food and be just as (if not more) healthy as the one that does. Plus, I think a lot of the nutrition is lost in the cooking process (but I'm not entirely sure or ready to back that up right now).