Poor pet store Senegal

[Strawfrawg]

I have to tell somebody about this who will share my concern.

I was at a pet store over the weekend, picking up some stuff, and I heard this ear shattering, persistent high-pitched screaming from the live bird section. I had to see who was making such a racket...the culprit sounded postively terrified, almost like it was being attacked. It turned out to be a young female Senegal, about three years old, according to the guy who was working. It was bought by the pet shop owner as half of a breeding pair and the male showed no interest in her, so the owner decided to put the bird in the shop for sale. $700. Ridiculous. Not only was she desperately upset but she was also upsetting the other birds. The guy said the bird has screamed almost nonstop since she was brought in, about a week ago. He said he told the owner of the shop but she is adamant that the bird stay there for sale.

I was beside myself. This bird was miserable and there's no way anybody is going to buy her. Not only that, but her constant screaming may make customers unfamiliar with the variety wary of Senegals in general, and they're such sweet, (relatively) quiet birds. Is this something I should report to the humane society, or a rescue? It's so cruel that they're keeping this bird on display. I'm concerned that she's going to literally scream herself to death. She probably isn't eating well if she's so distressed. The guy was sympathetic, but said the owner won't listen to reason. I was half-tempted to buy her myself, but I just spent a fortune on my new baby Sennie and all of his stuff, and my neighbor would kill me if she turned out to be a screamer even after she was brought home. What can I do????

[Eurycerus]

Aww poor baby. Personally I think people should be wary of parrots in general so that's not a concern of mine. You should ask if they'd be okay with having someone foster the parrot or something to try and work on her behavioral issues so that she's more sellable. Or you could provide some tips for them on how to make her more comfortable. I doubt that any agency has the authority to remove an animal that is well fed and kept in a clean environment unfortunately. This is just another tragedy of the breeding business. Also they're out of their minds if they think anyone will buy a used Senegal with obvious behavioral problems for $700. Babies are about $300 so why would someone pay that much? These people sound like scumbags and I wouldn't buy anything from them again otherwise you're supporting them. This includes NOT purchasing the Senegal. All you do is continue to support people who think they're doing nothing wrong. You could also write some reviews warning people away from buying animals from that store as they don't have compassion and are only in it for the money.

[marie83]

Whilst I agree with most of the above I would report the pet shop to an animal welfare body/rescue etc as the bird is blatently distressed. They may not do anything but at least you will know you have tried. I don't know what the laws are where you are but in this country animals are supposed to be kept in a way that minimises stress and this is clearly not happening for this poor creature.
Unfortunately she will probably only be replaced with another poor bird but hopefully the welfare inspectors can recommend improvements that can be made, usually they will try to word things in such a way that even if the store only cares about money they will make the changes to improve sales. The sad thing is even then some stores still wont care cuz they prey on the kind people who go in and feel sorry for the animals and want to "rescue" them.
Still worth a go IMO though.

[Strawfrawg]

I reported the shop to the humane society and they said they would talk to the owner about the bird's mental health. They agree she shouldn't be out in public in that state. I did go back to the shop and told the manager I wouldn't be spending a dime there anymore because of the situation. It started as a visit to suggest taking her home and selling her via an ad on a breeder or rescue website rather than having her in the shop, but the manager was so rude that I just told him off. I get that they don't appreciate customers telling them what to do with their "merchandise" but this guy got nasty from the start. They probably think they can get $700 because Sennies are rare in pet shops and there are very few breeders in South Carolina. Good luck with that. Jerks.

[janetafloat]

Well done you for trying! Hopefully the humane society having a word will get through though I doubt it. People like that pet store owner see animals as commodities, nothing more. It's sickening, you must have been really upset by the whole thing, I know I would be too, ugh

[Strawfrawg]

I was furious. When I came back to talk to the manager, that poor bird was still screaming. I swear she is going to kill herself doing that. It must take so much of her energy. The birds around her looked miserable. It's like hearing a murder all day. The Quaker next to her was weaving back and forth in distress. When I talked to the humane society I mentioned the impact she was having on the other birds. I hope they will follow up and at least talk to the owner.

I like shopping at small pet shops to support local small business, but it seems all of them here are as insensitive to their living charges as the big chains like Petsmart and Petco.

I don't know if any of you guys heard about this, but there was a huge flood in my hometown of Binghamton, NY a couple of years ago, and a local Petco failed to evacuate their caged animals even though they had plenty of warning. More than thirty birds drowned in their cages, not to mention the rodents and reptiles. That's such a terrible and bizarre thought. It made national news here in the U.S. The locals were so upset that the store never reopened. After this last little nightmare, I think I'll stick to shopping from online retailers with no storefronts that sell live animals.

[Eurycerus]

I don't know if any of you guys heard about this, but there was a huge flood in my hometown of Binghamton, NY a couple of years ago, and a local Petco failed to evacuate their caged animals even though they had plenty of warning. More than thirty birds drowned in their cages, not to mention the rodents and reptiles. That's such a terrible and bizarre thought. It made national news here in the U.S. The locals were so upset that the store never reopened. After this last little nightmare, I think I'll stick to shopping from online retailers with no storefronts that sell live animals.

I totally missed that. How horrible! I'm not that shocked though considering PetCo's general apathy towards their animals. :/ I do have to say though, I've met some caring employees, so it must be the managers.

The reason I think no organization will be able to do anything is because Mickaboo has gotten quite a few tips on parrots in serious distress (filthy living conditions, limited food or no food, dirty water, etc) and in most cases I don't think other than speaking with the owner did Mickaboo have any case to have the bird forcibly removed. If there was Mickaboo would do it, also some of the kind hearted people get a little too excited and piss off the owners and then that ceases all communication or chance for the parrot to have a better quality of life. It's a delicate thing when you come across an animal that is not being cared for properly. Being rude generally does absolutely nothing, or results in worse care.

[GlassOnion]

I do 99.9% of all my shopping online, with http://www.mysafebirdstore.com being the ultimate go-to vendor. I really do think you get better quality products for cheaper online, and you're also supporting ethical business.

[GreenWing]

This makes me so sad.

I reported the shop to the humane society and they said they would talk to the owner about the bird's mental health. They agree she shouldn't be out in public in that state. I did go back to the shop and told the manager I wouldn't be spending a dime there anymore because of the situation. It started as a visit to suggest taking her home and selling her via an ad on a breeder or rescue website rather than having her in the shop, but the manager was so rude that I just told him off. I get that they don't appreciate customers telling them what to do with their "merchandise" but this guy got nasty from the start. They probably think they can get $700 because Sennies are rare in pet shops and there are very few breeders in South Carolina. Good luck with that. Jerks.

Good for you. I hope something happens. Hopefully the Humane Society will do something.