So I went to visit the parrots.

[hoshinokachi264]

Sometimes when I go to the pet stores to visit the birds I feel like if I hadn't gone there then the only attention they would have gotten would be when they were being fed and given water.

There's a pet store not far from my home called Today's pet and they have an African Grey in the same size cage as their conures. It seemed like the conures had higher self esteem levels then the Grey or Amazons, and the bigger birds were also nippy. Sometimes they would do the thing u described where they appear to almost lure people in and then there are just bitten people every where.

I really wish pet stores would give as much attention to their birds as they do to their dogs and cats but maybe they're not as popular so they don't warrant the staffs attention.

[kaylayuh]

Most pet stores have only one goal -- to make money. Most people stay away from parrots because they are much louder, dirtier, and harder to work with than something like a cat or dog. Unfortunately, most people who do buy parrots are incredibly inexperienced and unknowledgable about them. As a result, I don't think most retail chains put as much effort into the birds. Since most people don't know what measurements the cages should have, they can't say anything.

That said, my own birds were in woefully small cages when I got them. The budgies were in a glass tank with about forty other birds, no toys, three perches and a cuttlebone. My conure was in a budgie sized cage as that's all the rescue had available for him at the moment. Now, the budgies and the conure have the same sized cage; it's about 3 feet long by 3 feet high and almost 2 feet wide.

I'd say if you think the birds are in unsafe conditions or being neglected, you shouldn't hesistate to say something to the manager. I was in PetCo a few months back when an employee was cleaning a Sun Conure cage and knocked him off his perch and proceeded to tell me that they routinely remove food from the birds enclosures if they misbehave and don't return the food for two or three days. I didn't hesitate to speak to the manager and follow that up with a phone call to their corporate headquarters letting them know exactly what I thought of this practice and the employees behavior and letting them know that they lost a customer because of it.

[Chris&Akilah]

I might have asked this before, but what happens to pet-store parrots who just don't sell? How long on average will a pet store keep a bird that isn't selling and has problems?

[kaylayuh]

I might have asked this before, but what happens to pet-store parrots who just don't sell? How long on average will a pet store keep a bird that isn't selling and has problems?

I have no idea, but hopefully someone will. I've seen some smaller pet stores keep their birds for years until someone buys them. A local small pet store around here had a bird that they had for 10 years before he finally sold. I'm sure that's an exception and not a rule, though.

[mrstweet]

Yes, exactly.

I've had really scared, tame parrots that people have said "Oh, it must have been abused or neglected by the last owner." I usually don't have that as my first thought. My first thought is the poor bird was actually loved too much by the first owner and now can't cope with losing that owner.

A neglected bird seems more neurotic than fearful. Kinda like Mrstweet's Cupcake.

It's like having a really intense love affair and then losing it. You're more traumatized by the loss. Whereas if you have a not so intense relationship, you deal better if it ends.

I would agree with Roz - I happened to be lurking around today and saw this.

Cupcake is not fearful in the typical sense. Instead she is what I describe as "nervous" or "sensitive." She doesn't like change, hates being in her cage all day, etc. However, she is not traumatized or depressed over the loss of her last owner, in my opinion. She "runs" to me when she is upset or scared, and I feel like she's taken that transition well.

On the other hand, Monty was neglected by his last owner who became disabled, but was CLEARLY loved by that person. He has adjusted very well. It honestly depends on the bird and situation. Pet stores are difficult places to be, especially considering how most of them can have the birds returned in the space of 3-14 days. I know that our local pet store has had the same green cheek returned THREE different times, and they believe upon the last bite the bird was actually thrown and suffered damage and is now incredibly fearful of humans.

[Natacha]

I might have asked this before, but what happens to pet-store parrots who just don't sell? How long on average will a pet store keep a bird that isn't selling and has problems?

My female Red-bellied was in a pet store for quite a large chunk of her life - she was September 26 2004 and only got purchased in the winter of 2008. I had seen her there but refused to purchase an adult bird for the price they were selling her. I did regret that slightly when she was purchased but in the end, she made it to my home anyways

From what I've heard, she wasn't the nicest bird, which probably was the reason she stayed there so long. That and female RBs aren't particularly flashy in colours.

[GlassOnion]

Natacha, how is your female RB in comparison to your other birds in terms of stability? Are there any noticeable negative traits from spending most of her life at a store?

[Natacha]

Natacha, how is your female RB in comparison to your other birds in terms of stability? Are there any noticeable negative traits from spending most of her life at a store?

I got her in June 2010 so between the moment she was bought in 2008 and that date, she lived somewhere else. Previous owner did say she needed some work initially. He also had all his birds living in his living room which was converted in a birdroom. She didn't have a cage per say so just lived freely with many different other kinds of birds. And while it was obvious that her previous owner loved his birds, she was sold as well as others because he had to downsize and I'm not sure how much one on one attention she received over there. Obviously some because she was tame.

When I first got her and provided her with a cage, she would cling to the side, which reminded me of what I saw when I visited her before buying her (there was a "doo" made with a grate of some sort). Eventually she got comfortable with the idea of a cage and I think she truly likes her cage and the "safety" it provides at time.

Between how she was back in June and how she is now - I've seen a difference. She was much more nervous and jumpy then. Now...she's putty in my hands I can do whatever I want with her. Which is more than I can say with other rehomes. In fact, the other only two birds where I can do whatever I want are Piper and Shade, the two birds I got as babies.

So I don't think the pet store was entirely detrimental to her, specially since I think there was someone who worked there that would handle her. But as much as she is totally comfortable with me - it's basically only with me. She bonded strongly to me. She's getting better with my boyfriend, she's fabulous in a crowd as long as I'm around. But when I had my parents watch over her when I went to BC for a week and apparently she was very nervous over there. I'm curious how she'll be next time.

[greymatter]

PJ's was a spin off of Super Pet - they were under the same high management, but allowed them to be located in smaller areas, such as malls. When they were both around, babies were generally dropped off at a more experienced main store, to which the clutches would be separated after a few weeks to be transferred to either Super Pet or PJ's locations. The staff at that time was generally very knowledgeable and caring, or at least had 2-3 people on staff who were immersed into their chosen niche (i.e. avians, small animals).

The one thing people forget about pet stores with birds in cages with free access to anyone is: People Poke.

It is the most annoying thing for a bird when someone comes up to their cage and yells in their face, pokes incessantly, or shakes their cages - there is only so much the staff can do. The unfortunately leads to some handling & behavioural issues - especially if the store is overwhelmed with too many avians to care for & not enough time to handle them one-on-one on a daily basis.

It sounds like the greedy owners of PJ's (and formerly Super Pet) are overloading the stores with fids due to the fact that they're no longer profiting from Super Pet's sales.

I am pretty sure the old bird & small animal purchaser (who fought tooth and nail for the feathered & furry animals' care) would be saddened to know what all her hard work led to.

So it's part blame on the high level management for overloading the stores and part blame on people without common sense who terrorize these fids on a regular basis.

[Vikki]

Loved your post. And you are dead on about the Jardine's bite. I've had several in my lifetime and when someone asks about it I say its like someone grabbing you with a pair of pliers and twisting. That's what they do, but they are still so very lovable. Jardine's are naturally nervous but if handled and loved properly become very cuddly and love to clown around and use you as a jungle gym. I love my Jardine's to death and am glad he was my first bird.