Scammed

[Krammer]

Hello everyone im new to the forum my name is jenny and i got scramed by a company named malva broillers and just want some advise best way now to purhase a parrot please can i get help scared to try and buy again but would love to hav a parrot thanks

[Pajarita]

You need to post this in the Introductions forum. Nobody will see it here.

[Barbara]

I am also new to the list but will attempt to help. I'm sorry you got scammed. That's a real shame. If I were looking for another bird, I would "Google" the species of parrot I was looking for. I would check out all the breeders I could find, and read all the reviews I could find- looking specifically for ones in my area. I would also look on Petfinder for parrot rescues and see if any of the rescues have the bird you're looking for. I would also look on Craigslist where someone may have to part with their pet for unforeseen circumstances. I would keep notes on owners, breeders and reviews. If you're in a big city, there may be pet shops that deal specifically with birds and you could look there. Down in Port St. Lucie or Jensen Beach, Florida, there is such a store that is called Birds on Safari and it is such a phenominal place to visit. I would want to find a bird close enough that I could go see it, meet it and the owner, and then make up my mind, and if I decided on that bird, I would want to take it home with me that day. If it's a high dollar bird, then I would want a veterinarian to check it out before I bought it, at my expense, of course. I think that covers the high spots. I hope others chime in to help.
Best wishes in finding your perfect parrot.
Barbara

[Pajarita]

Thank you, Barbara, for your well thought-out reply but, to be honest, I would not recommend getting a parrot (or any other bird) from a store. The sad truth is that, although all of them tell you they only buy from local, small breeders, it's simply not true. Small breeders charge too much for a store to be able to make any money so they always buy from bird mills and, leaving aside the fact that the poor parent birds live under terribly cruel conditions, a lot of the babies often have either medical or behavioral problems which might not be apparent when they are babies but which do come up as they become adults. Actually, for a first time bird owner, I will always recommend adoption as it's much easier on them.

[Barbara]

Thank you, Pajarita, for enlghtening me. I had no idea that there are parrot mills. I knew about puppy mills since I do rescue but had no idea that the poor parrots were subjected to that also. I hope Jenny has lots of luck in finding the perfect bird for her. Thank you for your input. I hope more folks join in. Perhaps if Jenny with share her location, nothing specific, just near such & such city, or northeast, southwest, etc. - perhaps there would be parrot owners in that area who could guide her in her search.

[Pajarita]

Oh, yes, lots and lots of bird mills in the Southeastern States and California. I remember years ago, there was an avian vet that had one and, when she was getting a divorce from her husband, she had to sell most of her breeding pairs (so as to split the common 'assets') which she auctioned off and do you know how many she was putting up for sale? 450!!! And she was keeping some to continue her business so imagine the huge size of that mill! This lady avian vet was a personal friend of the owner of The Gabriel Foundation, a parrot rescue in Colorado, and there were rumors that parrots that had been given to the rescue had ended up as breeders for this AV's breeding operation.