Near disaster at the bird store.

Please don't mind my rambling... I need to rant because I'm so upset right now.

It started off as an innocent trip to the bird store near my house to have Carlisle and Kayak's nails and wings clipped. Today it was in the low 50s and felt like spring so I called up my local bird store and asked if they were able to clip my two conures if I brought them in. As soon as I walked in the owner recognized me. (my best friend bought her caique from the store) The owner knows my Dusky is a total pain in the butt for wing clipping. This is the first time I brought Carlisle to the store to have his nails and wings done.

There was a vacuum repairman in the store fixing their 2 vacuums and looking disgruntled. The owner and her daughter took Carlisle back first and I hear him laughing and flying all over the place. He landed on the vacuum repairman's head and started laughing much to the horror of the man. This was the only fun that was to be had at the bird store today. They finally clipped him and brought him back out in his carrier and they took Kayak back and shut the door to the back room.

This is a very small store and from the back room where they clip them to the front door is maybe 50 feet. They know Kayak likes to escape so they shut the door. I'm talking to a lady who is currently in the process of hand feeding a blue and gold there and had her baby out and I was petting him (what a total sweet heart!!!!) In the time they took her back for me to turn and pet the baby macaw the stupid repairman opened the door to ask the owner a question and my Kayak flew out the back room up to the front door and landed on the mat in front of the door. All I saw was a streak of green go flying past my head before I heard the owner yell "BIRD LOOSE!" I quick ran to the front and picked up my poor Kayak who was acting like "Oh hey mom. How's it going?" I took her to the back room and handed her to the owner to finish getting her nails and wings done.

What a scary few seconds. If somebody happened to be coming in the store at the time Kayak decided to escape my baby would have flown right out the door and been gone. It was almost totally dark outside and if she landed I would have struggled to find her if I could even get to her in time. The bird store is located on a very busy road and it was rush hour traffic. Stupid vacuum repairman. The door is closed for a reason. Don't be rude and knock first.

Ugh. I could cry right now.

That is a very frightening thing to happen. I'm so glad it turned out ok. We do have to remember non bird people just don't get it sometimes. I have an aunt that has not only managed to let my dogs out several times, but she also managed to let a goat into my house! Let's just say when she is here, my birds stay in their cages.

You should suggest the owner to post a sign on the door to knock first and do not open when closed.

MikeyTN said:

You should suggest the owner to post a sign on the door to knock first and do not open when closed.

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That's a great suggestion! Maybe even add something like "Live parrots. They can fly."

That is a very frightening reality. I can see why you are shook up. Take a deep breath and be thankful it was just a horrible scare.

Maybe they can get a locking back room door if they are clipping and snipping regularly. It sounds like a tragedy waiting to happen.

This is the first time I've had a problem like this. I've never seen anybody just open the door like that. They should put a sign on it. Everybody who is ever in there is a bird person except for today with the repairman. Non-Bird people just don't understand it/think like we bird people do.

I feel like I got a lot accomplished today (it's such a pain to pack both of them up without any help and drive to the store) other than the heart attack I had at the store. I spent a lot of time with my birdies when we got home.

OMG! I am so sorry that happened to you but so glad your fids are safe!

Wow, what a horrible feeling that would have been! I know what everyone is saying about non bird people not getting it. I had an injured quail (it was scalped either by hitting it's head on it's roof or from the others pecking it) and I was rehabilitating it in the spare room. I had the door closed because we have cats. My brother in all his genius left the door open one day even after I told hin about the bird. Cat got the bird (puncture marks to the wing) but I managed to set it back on the road to recovery. I put a sign on the door (Injured bird inside please keep door shut). My brother left the door open again! Cat got bird again (more punctures in wings and some in body). I set it back on the road to recovery, staving off both shock and infection. Made sign bigger, bright red and verbally ripped into my brother. Bird was almost recovered fully and was actually starting to get a bit tame. Brother leaves door open again!! Cat gets bird and finished the job for reals. They just don't get it!

At least it all ended well in the end for you. Lol, maybe next time stand guard at the door and don't let anyone open till your baby is secured and ready to go home.

I'm not sure if this is common behavior, but it may make you feel better.

One time I had Bob at my parents and set her down to go down the dark hallway. Shortly after I set her down, about 10 seconds, she started flying back to me, but as soon as I was out of the light she turned around and went back to where I put her.

Firstly, glad all is okay. I realize the danger of the busy road, and such, but, on the idea of loose, and lost, birds...This is a perfect example of why all our birds should be microchipped. It only takes a second, and they're gone. Your vet can do it. The smaller ones are not candidates, but, conures and bigger could be and should be. In my work with the SPCA, I found many lost birds. Only a few were chipped, and it made it so much easier to return them home.

Aw, I am glad your bird didn't escape.

What bird store? Bird Paradise by chance?

Safira said:

Aw, I am glad your bird didn't escape.

What bird store? Bird Paradise by chance?

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haha! No Bird Paradise is sooooooooooooo much bigger than this store. Bird Paradise is kind of a trip for me and I only make it once in awhile. This was a small store called "For the Birds". It's a very nice store and only 10-15 minutes away from my house on the other side of my town. I go to this store in between my BP trips and it's the only place I will take my guys to get clipped. I've had nothing but bad experiences anywhere else.

I'm finally getting my Sun to realize that having your wings and nails done isn't too bad. The first time we had him done at a vet's office (they were SUPPOSED to be a highly recommended small animal/avian vet) but anyway they clipped his nails waaaaaaay too short and left him sitting on the table bleeding and walked away like it was perfectly normal for him to bleed like that. If my boyfriend hadn't screamed and thrown a fit we may have lost Carlisle. They stopped the bleeding and acted like my boyfriend was the one over reacting. Since that happened Carlisle gets very mellow and depressed when he had his nails done. We had a mobile bird groomer come out and do his nails (cost $25!!!) and he was still upset even having them done in the house. I took him to For the Birds and he still comes out kind of mellow and depressed but now he perks back up afterward.

Haha, Ok. I love bird paradise. I may make a trip up there (2 hour drive.) It's so much fun to hand pick out toys instead of ordering online, and of course playing with alllll the baby's they have.

My bird has been very good about keeping her nails trimmed, though I have no idea how. All I ever see her do is sit on the wood perches and not the cement ones she has.

Thank God you got her in time! It would have been horrible to lose her You might consider learning to trim and clip the birds yourself unless you aren't comfortable doing it. I still can't clip Con's nails but I can do all the ones at work no problem lol

I really am starting to not like non-bird people being around Con. They're always trying to pick her up from my shoulder then get mad and say she's a mean bird when she squeals and pushes their hand away with her beak. She's not a mean bird, stupid people! She just doesn't like being taken from her mom without permission!

Last night my other uncle came over (I was at my grandma's for dinner with Con) and he tossed my Grandma's cat in my lap and laughed while asking what I'd do if she got the bird. I knew if I said anything, he'd keep doing it so I let it slide but really just wanted to bash his face into the wall. I don't even like my grandma feeding her bits of food from her plate! I've grown just a tad possessive about Con I think...

Safira said:

Haha, Ok. I love bird paradise. I may make a trip up there (2 hour drive.) It's so much fun to hand pick out toys instead of ordering online, and of course playing with alllll the baby's they have.

My bird has been very good about keeping her nails trimmed, though I have no idea how. All I ever see her do is sit on the wood perches and not the cement ones she has.

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I love BP. It's worth the trip. 2 hours is a long ride. I live about 40 minutes away and hate the drive. Their birds are so friendly and adorable. I especially love when they have the baby babies! They're so cute.

Helitorian said:

Thank God you got her in time! It would have been horrible to lose her You might consider learning to trim and clip the birds yourself unless you aren't comfortable doing it. I still can't clip Con's nails but I can do all the ones at work no problem lol

I really am starting to not like non-bird people being around Con. They're always trying to pick her up from my shoulder then get mad and say she's a mean bird when she squeals and pushes their hand away with her beak. She's not a mean bird, stupid people! She just doesn't like being taken from her mom without permission!

Last night my other uncle came over (I was at my grandma's for dinner with Con) and he tossed my Grandma's cat in my lap and laughed while asking what I'd do if she got the bird. I knew if I said anything, he'd keep doing it so I let it slide but really just wanted to bash his face into the wall. I don't even like my grandma feeding her bits of food from her plate! I've grown just a tad possessive about Con I think...

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For whatever reason they don't like it when I clip their nails. It makes me nervous and I'd rather just take them to the store and spend the $6 and know that they're in good hands (unless that stupid vacuum repairman is there) I'm very possessive of my babies. Nobody touches them unless I say so. So many people I know are petrified of birds, my father included. I asked him to cover the bird one night when I was going to come home late and he was so nervous about covering them because they "scare" him.

That is horribly scary! So glad everything turned out OK.

I have never had to clip any of my birds nails. I just use natural perches, sand substrate and stuff like that. I'm thinking I may have to learn though for Dara who's foot is curled up the wrong way. Is it hard? What is the best way to go about learning?