Is it a bad idea to buy a budgie from pet smart?

[john94]

i have decided i want t add a budgie to my 'flock' of pet birds. i have 2 sun conures, 1 GCC and 1 blue headed pionus all healthy. i live in charlotte and i don't now any breeders so my only option is a pet store. i am fully aware that when introducing a new bird to the 'flock' a quarantine is NECESSARY at a minimum of 30 days. but i am also aware that birds may have diseases that can not be cured. that would be tragic if my birds caught an illness from 1 unhealthy bird. is it really risky buying a budgie from pet smart and is there something i can do to make sure the bird i buy isn't already ill?

[liz]

I would not buy from a pet shop. Personal choice.

There are avian rescues in NC. Go online and see what is available.

[john94]

there is parrotU in pineville south of here and they're really awesome with all of their birds and have many birds up for adoption. before adopting any birds from them id have to take classes first to prove i can handle adopting a bird which is an excellent idea. but, too lazy :p lol

[liz]

There is a Red Dog Farm in Greensboro.

The beauty of a shelter bird is that they can tell you it's personality and you can interact with it before you take it home.

[GlassOnion]

You can most definitely buy a handfed, socialized baby from a breeder out of state and have it shipped to your nearest airport. Handfed budgies are VERY different from pet store budgies right off the bat.

This is one breeder that has great reputation on a budgie forum:
http://cutelittlebirdiesaviary.weebly.com/

This is another one:
http://puppiesareprozac.com/budgie-para ... o-breeder/

[pfinarffle]

You live in NC? Phoenix Landing. They'll be glad to give you however many budgies you want for *free*. And you'll know you're supporting a good cause and getting a bird that's been well taken care of by their folks.

http://www.phoenixlanding.org/adoption.html

[Cage Cleaner]

Gl

[Zooey]

I don't think PetSmart is a good place to buy budgies, even though that's where we got Perry. It was an absolute last resort to get Perry from there. They treat them like objects. Once, I saw a budgie suffering from something. Standing on the ground, puffed, tail bobbing, heavy breathing, the whole works. I alerted an employee right away, and he looked for about seven seconds and said that the budgie was just tired. It took everything not to start screaming at him. From that day forth I vowed never to buy live pets from PetSmart ever again. And they're not tame in any way. My mom told me not to look when his wings got clipped because he was so loud and squirmy.
But, thankfully, Perry is okay now.