Upsetting conditions for parrots at PetSupermarket

[WannaBeAParrot]

Yesterday was my first time in a PetSupermarket store. It is in S.E. Florida, Palm Beach County. They had 2 parrots in connected cages. One Sun Conure had been there about 4 months, and a Green Cheeked Conure about 3 months.

Besides food/water, here what was in each cage:
1 short 3"-4" long perch (looked like cement type).
1 low-end hanging toy that looked like it was never touched.

I couldn't believe it when I was told this is how they have lived since arriving.
The Sun looked like a nervous wreck. The GCC's tail was almost completely frayed and he looked like a sweet little lost baby with a blank stare, but he was moving around. The cages were on the small side and in the middle of an aisle. I gently spoke to the manager and asked her if she would be willing to add at least another perch and a few more toys to each cage, at a minimum. I explained that it would even help her sell the birds because they would be happier, interacting with their toys and look cuter, blah blah. She said, sure I could put another perch in there. I recommended a full length rope perch to give them a break from the mini cement one. She said that the corporation limits her to what she is allowed to put in the cage. She made it sound like no rope or wood perches are allowed.

WHY WHY WHY !!!???? PetSupermarket has a wall filled with toys and perches and they can't properly set up a cage? Even from a marketing standpoint, the more stuff that is in the cage, the more a buyer will likely want to buy for their new parrot. I am going to write next to the corporation and find out about this "policy" of giving the parrots next to nothing for months on end.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

That's so sad When I worked at petsmart we were also limited to what we could do with the cages, but luckily we had free range to choose which toys to add as long as the store carried it and the manager was alright with writing it off.

Poor conures, probably came from a bird mill too.

 

[WannaBeAParrot]

I was all ready to ask the manager if she would put more in the cages if paid for them and picked the items from her store. But then I figured it would be better for me to first find out if there is an actual policy and see about changing the mind of the regional manager, or at least get approval from that person to let me donate items purchased in that store to the cages if PetSupermarket still didn't want to do a better job.

Their parrot prices were significantly lower than PetSmart, but they aren't finding buyers fast enough.

 

[Terry57]

That is so sad. Our local Petsmart here has a GCC who has been there for several months, but at least he has plenty of toys. I would love to bring him home, but they are quite expensive here.

 

[Blueridge]

That's not good.. I do like Petsmart though, their bird's cages usually always have a bunch of toys in them.

 

[WannaBeAParrot]

Just to clarify... The store I am taking about is called PetSupermarket, a chain store.

 

[chippy]

That's so sad... We have a small petstore in my town, and the birds are SO well cared for... they have toys and perches and are taken out and handled lots, and rotated to the front counter of the store where they get even more attention.. It's a HAPPY place for a bird to be while it waits for its "forever home"...and it breaks my heart to know that every pet store isn't the same.