Went to Bird Store

[MissLady9902]

My bird store in St. Louis (2 hrs away) is the same way. You can play with all of the birds even the featherless babies in the baby room!
I usually ask to go into the baby room just so they know i'm there. I've cuddled baby B&G's, baby caiques, baby greys and others!
They're a nice store and their prices are great! It's where I got Marvin!!

[Michael]

Yeah, this makes me want to weigh the pros and cons of good birds stores vs. private breeders. While I do think private breeders may provide better attention, care, and diet to their birds, the advantage of the bird store birds is that they are much more hardy. They are used to rougher treatment, they are more socialized, have seen much more different people, are used to more and other kinds of birds, and they probably come with a stronger immune system (as long as they aren't sick). I think in some ways private breeder birds are more sheltered. This can be good or bad depending on the kind of environment they will be brought into. I think coming from that bird store, Kili is much less of a scaredy cat and is a more hardy bird for it.

[Natacha]

It depends on the bird store and I'm afraid that there are fewer "good" bird pet store than bad ones.

I still would personally rather get my bird from a good breeder who has their birds tested for diseases.

[Michael]

Well luckily Kili came with a full money back health guarantee for 15 days

I took her to a vet to get checked out shortly after getting her just to get an outside opinion and be sure.

[Natacha]

I'm not doubting that you got Kili from somewhere respectable.
And let's face it, when it comes to first owning a bird, a lot of times it's a pet store bird who is purchased. I got my mom's first Lovebird in a pet store.

However, with the knowledge I know have, I would much rather go through a breeder than a pet store, specially since I don't trust many of the pet stores here that do carry parrots.

[Sallynoobasaur]

I don't have an oppinion which are better.
Around me, they're both no good I say. I think I picked the genius of the batch really with Spike from a pet store. I've been to a breeder and all the birds had lice and BOTH birds I bought died within a month. On the other hand, what pet shop sells Conures and Ringnecks for aviaries? What is the point? They weren't even handled in the year or more they've been alive.
I admit in the future, I would consider buying these broken and tail-less cuties for breeding purposes, but I don't think you would get far in the taming department.

Why can't people take better care of animals?
Why were those birds in these horrible cages for over a year?
Why did they look like a cat got to them?