Poor birds in shop

I went to a horse event today, and on the way there i stopped in at this pet shop/produce...

Boy did i regret it


At the front there is a Galah, in a small cage, 2 perches, which had droppings on them.... With literally NO toys... I checked its water dish, pretty dirty.. checked its food.. just sunflower seeds...

It was sitting there, all fluffed up, not moving, not chirping, it honestly looked sick

Its feathers were horrible, not plucking, but just sooo dirty and maybe just chewing at them? I am guessing she has never had a bath, the feathers look like they are sticky and stuck together..

There was no sign saying her/his age.. But she had red eyes?


I just sighed and went to check if they had any pellets or good food so i could buy some for Fargo.. Nope.. Just seed :31:


Then.. I went to the other birds... Biggest mistake ever...


There were 3 cages stacked on top of each other...

Budgies in one small cage, a fair few of them, no toys...

Underneath that cage were finches, fair few of them...


and then underneath that, ON THE FLOOR.... Were 2 sweet alexandrines...

No toys.. seed and water... Just sitting there looking at me as i crouched down to see them...

It honestly broke my heart...

Who in the world puts a cage on the floor?!?!?!




So after i pulled myself away from them, i went back to the galah at the front... Who was in the exact same position, fluffed up.. Just looking at me... :31:



It is ridiculous how some people treat birds...

They SOLD toys.. how hard is it to put one or 2 in the birds cages?!?!?

Oh boy, I know exactly how you feel!! I've had the exact same ewxperience a week or so ago. It is utterly heartbreaking. I wish I could just buy them all and give them the love and care they need I reported the shop, did a report on an online consumer site here in SA and called the local newspaper about it. But apart from that, I can't do anything else except 'stay on the case'. I've been forbidden entrance to the shop now because I went in to take photos

Oh wow really!

I honestly thought that if you owned a pet shop, then there would have to be certain standards that the animals have to be kept in? Like you shouldn't be allowed to have birds on the ground, with terrible cages, bad water and now toys..

But it seems they can just do what they want? :S


I can't even remember what the place was called it was about 3 hours away, had never been there before otherwise i would search it in google and see if i can find any info about them

I am actually worried about that galah, don't even know if she was for sale..

But she really didn't look very healthy and active.. At least the other birds moved around a bit, but the galah just sat there fluffed up and didn't move :S

Uh it is terrible right Ant..


You know, i went into a pet shop one day.. There was a blue indian ringneck in a cage for sale...


I was looking at him and at the same time there was a couple looking at the bird, they asked what type of bird he was.... and the pet shop worker said 'He is a quaker parrot' -_-

I said he is not a quaker... He is a ringneck...

I then showed them a picture of what a quaker does look like, and they thanked me haha


So pet shops dont even know what they are selling

tab_xo said:

So pet shops dont even know what they are selling

Click to expand...

That is, sadly, so true! They know cockatiels and budgies, everything else is "a parrot".

I would have bought the birds. Especially the Alexes. And the Galah. And the budgies. Fancy putting Alexes on the floor! That's the *last* place they need to be! I don't think my Beaks have ever stepped foot on the ground in their lives - they're birds of the treetops, not the floor. I wonder whether we should compose a form letter that we send to places like this as a group?

For example:

Dear *******

We are an international group of people who keep parrots, ranging in type from Budgerigahs to Hyacinth Macaws. It has come to our notice through one of our members that you are keeping birds for sale in less-than-optimum circumstances. We hope you will accept the following advice for the good of your birds and, as a direct result, for the good of your reputation and sales.

Cages need to be.....

Food needs to be....

Toys need to be....

Health needs to be.....

Etcetera.

We could send it to pet shops that have gross and disgusting conditions for their birds. If they don't comply, then there's always facebook... Maybe we should have a facebook page so the public can know about these things?

I firmly believe these little tin-pot shops don't change because not enough people complain about what they're doing. If we complained loudly enough, maybe we could make a difference?

Whaddya think???

Betrisher, I have a COMPLETELY off topic question.
So you were talking - somewhere- about how Galahs are ground birds, therefore enjoy bathing, whereas alexadrines prefer misting since they're in the tree tops and get rained on.
How do IRNs stand? Are they like Alex's and tend to prefer misting? Just curious, because Kiwi can't stand the water bottle (put on mist, of course), but has so far taken 2 voluntary baths in her water bowl. One she got her face wet so she had a chunk of feathers creating a horn for her, and the other she completely soaked her front. And in the shower, the water *interests* her but she tolerates being under the water, though clearly doesn't like it.
Just curious, because I thought this was a bit odd. Of course, each bird has its own quirks, but just wondering if perhaps IRNs spend more time on the ground.
Oh, and since IRNs probably get rained on daily, or every couple days, should I give her daily showers / every 3-4 days? So far I've been doing it about once - twice a week, as not to freak her out (she's still new to the whole shower thing).
And if she bathes often enough, should I limit showering?

Ok, sorry to hijack Tab.




Wow, I can't believe that makes me happier to have our pet stores. They're not great, but the birds get toys, and have pellets in their feed (though not an all pellet diet, sadly). However for the past month these 2 cockatiels have been there, and they look sad. I don't think they have any toys (unlike the budgies, IRN, conures, this one parrot I can think of the name but fairly unique, and finch!), one of them only has 2 tail feathers... Do cockatiels tail fall out easily? When I had one, it came out SUPER easily, and I felt awful since it didnt have a full tail... Ever. It just dropped them,

Hmmmm, all my tiels have always had tails. Now one of my tiels can't grow proper head/crest feathers to save his life! Lol

I know how you fell Tab,

you know my pet store I usually speak of?...well I won't go back into "THAT" pet store ever again for that very reason.

People either just don't care, or they are clueless.

I just recently went to a new store selling birds....gotta be one of the worst I've seen ever....and I've seen plenty

every birds water dish was DARK GREEN(no kidding), this wasn't even a store, it was a tiny house with a bunch of cages.

they had 40 finches in one cage, now it was a fairly good size cage, but too many together is asking for trouble.

the young lady who worked there, was speaking to me oh so very nicely....trying to sell me a bird....little did she know, ha ha...

I gave her proper what for about the water, she peered inside ONE of the dishes, had a bit of a disgusted look on her face(gee.. do ya think!) and then her reply was "well, we've just opened and haven't had time to clean them"
I looked at my watch and replied "you've been open half an hour already, and haven't cleaned one of these cages or dishes"

then I said...(I was really boiling by this point) "the next time you go to the washroom, take a drink after you leave your deposit, that's what your asking your birds to do!!"

this was about 1.5 weeks after Safari died, so I was still very sensitive about things, I wasn't ready to start buying birds again, I was merely curious about this new place.

I just couldn't let that go.

I know exactly how you all feel. I go to a pet shop for dog food and a poor YN sits in a toyless cage at the back of the store. He has been there for over a year. He probably has not been out of the cage or had a bath. He just sits on a single, small concrete perch and looks pathetic. I have made comments here and there to no avail. How does a pet store expect to sell a bird for $900 which looks like it's in poor health? Seed diet too.

I know how you feel.. That's almost as bad as I found rain at a local Petco....you read that right.. Poor baby.... Actually it SICKENS me how people treat birds

I'd like to throw those people in cages and treat them the same way...or the idiots that say...oh...it's just a bird..take it outside and kill it and get another..

I make no bones about being aggressive towards people like that....and i say.. Sure...did you say you had a dog??? How about....(I'll spare you the rest) ....I'm not really wanting to hurt the dog of course... Just make the moron see that his dog is no more important than the bird...

94lt1 said:

I make no bones about being aggressive towards people like that....and i say.. Sure...did you say you had a dog??? How about....(I'll spare you the rest) ....I'm not really wanting to hurt the dog of course... Just make the moron see that his dog is no more important than the bird...

Click to expand...

I'm currently working on this with my family... My family still sees the parrot like a farm animal; eats a mill food, and only needs let out when I feel like taking him out (like bringing the chickens inside)... Not a bird that needs fresh foods, and needs to be taken out of the cage daily,,. I don't know how they can stand sitting on the couch as he screams wanting out of his cage (when I'm asleep on weekends - I like sleeping in on weekends, lol). Then they ask me what's wrong with him... Uuuugh, sometimes I want to smack them!!
They need to learn its like having a dog,, at the very least... Can't be cooped up 24/7!!

I went into a bird/pet shop 2 weeks ago to check it out because they offered boarding. I left horrified. A beautiful B&G locked in a cage way to small. Conures and cockatiels stuffed in cage meant for birds a lot smaller. I felt so bad for a those birds, felt like they were running a bird farm.

crimson said:

I know how you fell Tab,

you know my pet store I usually speak of?...well I won't go back into "THAT" pet store ever again for that very reason.

People either just don't care, or they are clueless.

I just recently went to a new store selling birds....gotta be one of the worst I've seen ever....and I've seen plenty

every birds water dish was DARK GREEN(no kidding), this wasn't even a store, it was a tiny house with a bunch of cages.

they had 40 finches in one cage, now it was a fairly good size cage, but too many together is asking for trouble.

the young lady who worked there, was speaking to me oh so very nicely....trying to sell me a bird....little did she know, ha ha...

I gave her proper what for about the water, she peered inside ONE of the dishes, had a bit of a disgusted look on her face(gee.. do ya think!) and then her reply was "well, we've just opened and haven't had time to clean them"
I looked at my watch and replied "you've been open half an hour already, and haven't cleaned one of these cages or dishes"

then I said...(I was really boiling by this point) "the next time you go to the washroom, take a drink after you leave your deposit, that's what your asking your birds to do!!"

this was about 1.5 weeks after Safari died, so I was still very sensitive about things, I wasn't ready to start buying birds again, I was merely curious about this new place.

I just couldn't let that go.

Click to expand...

What an apropos way of putting it! What a filthy woman! I bet her house was a pigsty also, some people are just like that but they shouldn't be in the animal business! Drink her toilet water! How perfect! Haha
The best decision you made was not giving them any more money.

@SpotsandSally: Well! That has me stumped! I'd put IRNs in the same category as Alexes and other parakeets (birds with light bodies and long, long central tail feathers): birds of the treetops. However, if your guys like to bathe in a tub (and I know of other Alexes more recently who do to), then my theory can't be right.

There is nothing I can do to get Barney and Madge near a puddle of water! You'd think I was dropping them into the Slough of Despair, the way they carry on! But as soon as they hear water running, they're all over me with their wings out and feathers fluffed up wanting a shower from the squishy bottle. Today, I had them both hanging upside-down of my plait while they showered. It was - challenging...

I don't bathe mine regularly -they ask me when they want a bath. They'll peck at the squishy bottle and hang around the kitchen sink, all fluffed up. If they don't want a shower, they'll just fly away if I try to spray them. It's pretty easy.

It's maddening, isn't it? I always feel as though I should do something about it, but what? I have to say, I'm completely underwhelmed by our local branch of the RSPCA, so I wouldn't bother contacting them about bird abuse in petshops. Our local shop is a good example of wrong things happening, but the birds are clearly fed and watered each day, so no-one's going to do anything. They have serious overcrowding and inappropriate feed (laying mix instead of proper pellets, veggies and bird seeds).

You think petshops are bad for birds? Next time you're in one, just have a look at how they keep their rodents! It's horrific! Another favourite of mine is the gorgeous Betta fish (Siamese Fighters) kept in a scant 100mls of water. There are moves afoot in Australia to ban petshops from selling livestock and that can't happen quickly enough for me. In the meantime, as many have said, it's probably better to stay away.

antoinette said:

I have stopped going into pet shops for that exact reason

Click to expand...

I have some excellent pet stores near me. Even the PetSmarts near me give their birds clean food, water, and toys from the store, and clean bedding. I was at one "mom and pop" small pet store yesterday which specializes in parrots. They take excellent care of their birds, and it shows. I just wish they would stop breeding cockatoos and selling to whomever wants a bird.

On the other hand, there is one pet store near me that is awful. The puppies are from puppy mills and the animals sit on metal grates, and the birds are all crowded together. I wrote up a scathing review on Yelp. I noticed that others did so as well. I wouldn't buy anything from there, and I cannot bare to walk in.

Betrisher said:

I would have bought the birds. Especially the Alexes. And the Galah. And the budgies. Fancy putting Alexes on the floor! That's the *last* place they need to be! I don't think my Beaks have ever stepped foot on the ground in their lives - they're birds of the treetops, not the floor. I wonder whether we should compose a form letter that we send to places like this as a group?

For example:

Dear *******

We are an international group of people who keep parrots, ranging in type from Budgerigahs to Hyacinth Macaws. It has come to our notice through one of our members that you are keeping birds for sale in less-than-optimum circumstances. We hope you will accept the following advice for the good of your birds and, as a direct result, for the good of your reputation and sales.

Cages need to be.....

Food needs to be....

Toys need to be....

Health needs to be.....

Etcetera.

We could send it to pet shops that have gross and disgusting conditions for their birds. If they don't comply, then there's always facebook... Maybe we should have a facebook page so the public can know about these things?

I firmly believe these little tin-pot shops don't change because not enough people complain about what they're doing. If we complained loudly enough, maybe we could make a difference?

Whaddya think???

Click to expand...

Exactly!!!!!!!!!! At least the poor Galah was getting light through the window at the front, but the alex's were down low, at the back, so it was soooo dark in their cage :31:





That is brilliant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You are very good with words I need to figure out what this shop was called! :20:

SpotsandSally said:

I'm currently working on this with my family... My family still sees the parrot like a farm animal; eats a mill food, and only needs let out when I feel like taking him out (like bringing the chickens inside)... Not a bird that needs fresh foods, and needs to be taken out of the cage daily,,. I don't know how they can stand sitting on the couch as he screams wanting out of his cage (when I'm asleep on weekends - I like sleeping in on weekends, lol). Then they ask me what's wrong with him... Uuuugh, sometimes I want to smack them!!
They need to learn its like having a dog,, at the very least... Can't be cooped up 24/7!!

Click to expand...

Ohhhhhhh i know exactly how you feel... It is ridiculous.. So annoying.

My dad always says ' He is a bird, give him seed and he will be fine'

or..
'He is a bird, he can sit in a cage all day long'

Then my dad is home on weekends, and in the evenings he BLASTS music...

During the week day, Fargo doesn't make a single scream... On the weekends.. when dad is home.. blasting music.. Fargo is so upset and will scream if i dont distract him from it... Then dad asks me why he is screaming, apparently he isn't trained As soon as the music goes off.. Fargo is quiet as a mouse again


He hates it when he sees me chopping up all these fruit and veges..

At least mum understands the special diet he requires


Grrrr non birdy people suck hahaha