The Bird fair came to town!

[kalypso123]

I really enjoy the bird fairs. They have such great deals. I love seeing diffrent birds as there is no rescue or store near me. Its actually really small but they had lots of finches, canaries, budgies, and lovebirds. There were also many tiels and conures. I also played with a grey through the bars, they are so cute. There were some amazons and macaws. I fell in love with a hybrid macaw, I think it was either a harlequin or a catalina. I also met a hahns macaw for the first time. I love their size and their personality. How large are the bird fairs that come to any of yalls states/cities?

 

[RavensGryf]

I don't go anymore because of this http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/44916-bird-mart-dangers.html I posted this a while ago and if you've seen it before you might think I'm a bit obnoxious about it lol. Sorry, but it's how I feel. Read the link in the first post of the thread. It's quite alarming. I also had a bird die of PDD, as have many of us here. Once you have that sort of experience, you get paranoid.

But I will say I remember them well, and it's very tempting. Out here in Southern CA, we have probably more of a variety of species including rare birds than most anywhere else in the country. I've even seen some illegal Quakers here in Cali lol. It's so interesting to see.. even unusual non-parrot species! Great deals on so many products. Logan, they're huge out here. A huge building (on the fairgrounds) that looks about like an airplane hangar (well, I'm not sure how big but it is very large) probably one of the larger fairs in the country? If you feel it's worth the risk, come out to the Los Angeles/Orange County CA area in March and I think November?

 

[Solo]

I like to go get ideas..in fact heading home from one now. I would never buy a bird from one though. They are quite small here, and I actually decided after this one that they are a waste of my time. Will throw clothes in the wash and shower/sanitize before handling Phoebe when I get home.

 

[kalypso123]

I changed clothes as soon as I got home and washed my hands for five minutes. My bird fair is mostly cages, food, toys, etc. Its very small. Im pretty sure, Ive read that thread but will look at it again. Its not obnoxious of you posting it again as you are warning people of the potenitial dangers.

 

[StephenAndKyleigh]

I don't go anymore because of this http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/44916-bird-mart-dangers.html I posted this a while ago and if you've seen it before you might think I'm a bit obnoxious about it lol. Sorry, but it's how I feel. Read the link in the first post of the thread. It's quite alarming. I also had a bird die of PDD, as have many of us here. Once you have that sort of experience, you get paranoid.

But I will say I remember them well, and it's very tempting. Out here in Southern CA, we have probably more of a variety of species including rare birds than most anywhere else in the country. I've even seen some illegal Quakers here in Cali lol. It's so interesting to see.. even unusual non-parrot species! Great deals on so many products. Logan, they're huge out here. A huge building (on the fairgrounds) that looks about like an airplane hangar (well, I'm not sure how big but it is very large) probably one of the larger fairs in the country? If you feel it's worth the risk, come out to the Los Angeles/Orange County CA area in March and I think November?

Thanks for the heads up! There is one coming to town soon and I planned on going. Not now!

 

[OOwl]

I'm terrified of bird marts. My bird club even puts one on now, and I'm supposed to work even. I just can't bring myself to do it. I cry at half the birds that show up, crammed in a cage with dozens of other birds (especially canaries, cockatiels, budgies, lovebirds, and parrotlets). (What a terrible way to choose a lifetime avian companion!) Then at the table next door, there will be people with baby macaws, cockatoos, and greys, hand feeding them for the public. I can't imagine a responsible breeder that would bring a baby to a bird mart. Any "good deals" are quickly negated by the potential for contamination (those toys are often hauled all over the country, like the wares of a bad county fair) and the entrance fee that's usually charged for this circus of disease and horrors.

I do see the appeal, multiple birds and bird people in one location, supplies at online prices, the chance to see a bird in person you've here-to-now only seen in pictures, but the risk is just not worth it. . . for me. I just can't go anymore. Call me a germ-a-phob.

 

[Solo]

I completely understand. The only reason I had been going was to look closely at toy designs and then make my own, but all the stuff I've been thinking of is MUCH safer, cheaper and looks like more fun.

 

[RavensGryf]

I don't go anymore because of this http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/44916-bird-mart-dangers.html I posted this a while ago and if you've seen it before you might think I'm a bit obnoxious about it lol. Sorry, but it's how I feel. Read the link in the first post of the thread. It's quite alarming. I also had a bird die of PDD, as have many of us here. Once you have that sort of experience, you get paranoid.

But I will say I remember them well, and it's very tempting. Out here in Southern CA, we have probably more of a variety of species including rare birds than most anywhere else in the country. I've even seen some illegal Quakers here in Cali lol. It's so interesting to see.. even unusual non-parrot species! Great deals on so many products. Logan, they're huge out here. A huge building (on the fairgrounds) that looks about like an airplane hangar (well, I'm not sure how big but it is very large) probably one of the larger fairs in the country? If you feel it's worth the risk, come out to the Los Angeles/Orange County CA area in March and I think November?

Thanks for the heads up! There is one coming to town soon and I planned on going. Not now!

Well, you can still go with minimal risk if you want to go through the pain in the rear of washing your clothes immediately before setting them on the bed or furniture, shower and wash hair, sanitize shoes top and bottom (flip flops are easy) with something like F10 before walking into the house. Or, just take a risk like thousands of other bird people across the country do, after all, there's a good chance you won't pick up anything despite it all .

I think that a huge reason the big viral diseases were found at all the fairs in that experiment where surfaces were swabbed, was because so many of the vendors who attend bird marts are people who are just not informed about disease transmission (and many sadly don't care, they're only out for the money). Like Oowl mentioned, you do see lots of birds looking shaggy and crammed into tiny cages, evidence right there that the owner/breeders don't care when it comes to responsible bird care. If they don't care about the basic well being of the birds, how much less would they care about diseases that they can't even see?