Pet Stores aren't taking proper care of their birds!!!!

Today I went to a pet store (which will remain unnamed) and they have quite a few birds but they aren't taking care of them!!! And this isn't just one pet store, almost every pet store that I visit the birds aren't being taken care of properly. And I'm afraid that I can't report it to anybody because the birds have food and water but they don't have big enough cages, they don't have any toys, they look unhealthy and they are neurotic. They had about 15 budgies in a cage that should hold 6 or 7 and they had a huge amazon in a cage the same size as the one with 15 budgies in it!!! The birds tail feathers are messed up and it they just sit around and do nothing because they have nothing to do!!!! I am really worried about these birds and I don't know what to do!!!! Does anybody have any ideas???????? :cry:

 

Pet stores not taking care of birds..

I've seen the same thing sooooo many times..more than not, actually and I have to tell you...it REALLY makes me mad. What I have done when it's really bad....dirty cages, overcrowded cages...yucky water dishes...etc...is TELL someone at the store...preferably the owner or manager...and spread the word to your friends to NOT shop there...be sure and let whoever you talk to at the store KNOW that you are going to spread the word as well. If it's REALLY bad....inhumane conditions -- which I consider all of the things we have mentioned? Report them to your local humane society. They will at the very least be investigated and maybe it will force them to clean up their act. The birds can't talk for themselves so if they have just one person that is willing to do this...then Hey! Something has been accomplished! I have one pet store in my town that I will NOT give my business to because of this same thing....the birds are ill looking, crowded...dirty food and water dishes and like you said...scraggly tail feathers which I believe is from the overcrowded conditions and the birds fighting amongst themselves...probably just for a space on the perch! I let the owner have a good tongue lashing...told him I would NOT shop his store and that I would tell my friends not to shop there and further I was going to report him. If you don't feel like you can say that to him in person...then write a letter...but follow through on the reporting.

This kind of thing makes me sooooo mad...as I've said the little birds can't speak for themselves so somebody has to. It also makes me mad at breeders that they would subject their birds to these kinds of conditions. I have a female lovie right now sitting on 5 eggs and none of the babies will be going to a store...instead I will GIVE them away to make sure they are getting good homes with people who know how to care for them.

Wow...you got me going, didn't ya???? LOL :lol:

 

thank you much! my mother and I were both very disturbed at the sight of the birds. i'm just afraid that i won't have an impact on the store given my age (14) so i'll do my best and if i don't have an impact i'll get my mom to talk with them and if that doesn't work i will talk to the humane society. thank you so much! it just makes me so sick to see the poor birds being treated like that. again, thanks!

 

terrible..

Yes we have a few pets stores where I live, but ALL of them have poor birds living in horrible conditions! One cage looked as if it hadn't been cleaned in a year! One of the budgies there had no tail! I can't belive its legal, its so terrible, the other pet stores have budgies living in a small cage with no toys and dirty water.. I doubt also just like kem, (i'm 12) that I could have much impact but my mom agreed that we will write a letter to them!
I wish all the birdies would have a humaine place to live! :cry:

 

Really? Pretty much all the pet store I have been to have birds in suitable sized cages with fresh food and water, with very clean cages with clean flooring. Also, some of the cages that houses the budgies even has a huge junglegym exercise area thing and all cages have more than 4 toys. I am quiet surprised.

 

Hi the problem with petstores is that even though they sell animals most of the staff dont know the first thing about the care of each different animal.

I think that petstore staff should be trained in the welfare and at;east some knowledge of the animals so they can recognise signs of illness or distress.

I am lucky where i live as the petstore i goto take very good care of there animals since the owner is a retired vet.
This is why we try to tell people buying animals from a petstore is a bad idea unless the owner knows everything of there background, any health problems they may have or get as they get older, even then i wont buy from a petstore.

If proper care was taken in looking after the animals in petstores there would be a few less annoyed new owners when things happen to there new pet when they get it home.

Mike

 

Every single pet store I visit is like this!!! I really care about animals and I can't stand seeing the animals like this. I'm going to talk with the pet store and if nothing is done then I'm going to call the Humane Society. I am really scared for these animals!!

 

You are right on, Mike.....That IS the biggest problem with pet stores...their clerks are not trained as to the proper care of the specific animals....I have also thought that they should have to have a course to work in one....at LEAST the basics as to what is the proper diet and also the things NOT to give them and the hazards that a normal household has to birds living there....there are even simple, common sense things that happen so often because people just don't think...such as half glasses or cups of water (or anything else) left sitting that they can try to drink from and drown in....I belong to another online group and believe it or not that happens alot! Also, toilet seats left up....lace curtains they can tangle their feet in (there have actually been cases of this happening and the bird tried to chew it's foot off and it's mate was HELPING it to try to get loose from the fine thread)...then there are specific dangers such as air fresheners, scented candles and plug ins, aerosols, teflon cookware, foods that are toxic to birds, such as cabbage, avocado, caffeine, chocolate....and there are a whole list of common houseplants that are toxic, too....I wasn't told any of these things when buying my first bird....I was also given a bag of grit to put in the cage...Lovebirds are a hookbill ...cockatiels, too...and any bird that shells it's food shouldn't have grit because it can cause impaction of the crop and kill them....parakeets, finches....those kinds of birds are the ones that need the grit to digest their food.

I was just in a pet store today and I gotta tell ya....the conditons weren't GREAT, but they weren't as bad as some I've seen....they did have fresh water, all except the parakeet cage and there were tons of keets in there so even though they do soil their water fast, they need to just change it more often...I just nicely told the owner today that I had noticed that the parakeets had some pretty nasty water and would he change it....that I just felt so bad for the poor little guys. I DID feel badly for all of the birds because they didn't have ANY toys in the cages....and for lovies that is really a bad thing. There was one little dutch blue that my heart just broke for...he was in a cage alone....no toys to play with....all the cages were behind a glass...but I talked to him anyway, and he jumped right down off his little perch and ran to the front of the cage....If I didn't already have 2 lovies and a tiel and a batch of 5 lovie eggs I probably would've caved and brought him home...I ALMOST did, but hubby is having enough problem worrying about how many babies I'm going to keep. LOL Anyway, this little bird looked just like my Pippy so I had such a hard time walking away...I was just now wondering if I shouldn't have just bought a bird toy and 'donated' it to the poor little thing....you know what...I might just go back this evening and do that. That's what I was doing in the store to begin with....buying MORE toys. LOL Mine have a toy BOX.....LOL Also, along the lines of toys...I wanted to tell you guys of a great idea one of the gals on the other message board had. She took one of the bigger Tinker Toy Sets and made her 4 lovies a jungle gym out of it...that was the coolest thing I've seen and when I have a chance to look for Tinker Toys I'm going to do the same thing. Today one of the things I bought was a hamster wheel...I bought a plastic one that is on a base so you set it on a table...in addition to it going around like a wheel....the whole wheel moves around the base...so when they run in it it actually takes them in a full circle. It is plastic, though, so will have to be inspected daily to make sure they aren't chewing it as it can be harmful if ingested....Mine aren't big chewers, anyway....except for paper and wood so I doubt it will be a problem...
This has gotten really long...but my favorite topic is my little birds and I love to share!

~Rita

 

I was buying toys for my bird and the cashier said that we must spoil the bird. There were only 5 toys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We don't spoil Boots, we just know how to take care of him!!!! The water doesn't look good and neither does the food and the tiels feathers are are frayed and nothing looks happy!!!!!!!! If I wasn't already occupied with a destructive lovebird I would take all of them home!!!!!! I come home and look at my bird and I feel really happy that I can take care of him properly and that he is a happy bird. Pet stores don't know much about the birds that they carry! Even just 2 toys in a cage is better than no toys. And they can clean the cages at least once a day!!! And they have a buuuuuunch of empty cages behind the glass but they insist on putting 15 budgies in a cage that should hold 5 or 6! It just kills me to see this! They should have inspectors that check up on the care of the animals. Like they do to restaurants!!! That would be the best. Ya know? Just to make sure that they have clean water and food and that they aren't overcrowded. Nothing extra special, just the basics so that a bird (or any animal) can stay healthy. I can't even think of what goes through the birds heads!!!! It just makes me want to cry!!!! I'm not going to let this happen anymore!!! I'm going to make a difference!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Kem...How Sweet! ONLY FIVE NEW TOYS????? LOL! Your birdy is definitely loved and well taken care of! You definitely know that lovebirds are very active and they need lots of stimulation....a ton of toys sure handles that!That's a good thought you had about inspecters for the pet stores...if one isn't up to snuff the humane society can check them out, though, and make them clean up their stuff. It is very sad to see all the little guys cramped in cages like that. I really don't even like to LOOK at the animals, but I always end up doing it even though it makes me sad.
You sure have some grown up thoughts for 14. Your Mom must be very proud of you. What are you going to be when you grow up? A veterinarian?? You sound so much like me when I was a little girl...I was such a soft heart and always bringing home strays...I STILL do that and I'm 47! LOL The reason I asked about the veterinarian thing is because that's what I always wanted to be...instead I grew up to be a Mom of 4! LOL ...I'm so happy that you take such good care of your little Boots...He's one lucky little guy. I also know what you mean about the destructive little lovie....they are definitely busy! I have a mama bird right now that tears up everything she can get ahold of that is paper..tucks it in her tail and takes it to her nest! Last month it was the cable bill! Yesterday it was a wall calendar and a phone book that my husband left on the coffee table! When I feel like picking up a big mess I give her a couple of pieces of plain white typing paper and she and the Daddy bird both go to town on it! He doesn't know how to tuck the papers though..he just helps her tear them up! LOL The problem is that only about 1/2 of what she flys to her nest with actually makes it in the nest...THATS the part I have to pick up!

~Rita

 

The place i got my bird was the same my bird was just sitting but it look cute and was young so i bought it .............but i agree i dont like how they take care of it

 

Wow, I didn't know that pets stores were like that. All the ones I happen to go to the pets are well taken care of and look very happy. Anyways, in addition to what was said about training pet store staff I thought that a background knowledge of pets was required and that they gave their workers a handbook or something that they are supposed to memorize, wow I am quiet surprised at the amount of unknowlegdeable pet store staff everyone on this forum has encountered (not that I haven't met any myself).

 

Yes, I do know how to take care of my bird. I think that it is very important that my bird and all of my animals (rabbit, dog, 4 turtles) are all healthy and taken care of. We, as humans, are blessed to have animals on this earth and we abuse this gift that we were given. Its like people think of them as lesser beings but really, they are very smart! Animals fascinate me but I don't want to be a vet. I am interested in law. And even more interested in the death penalty. But anyway. My mom said that we would go back to the store and if they have no new food or no new toys that we would talk with the manager. And if nothing is improved after we talk with the manager then we will talk with the humane society. The thoughs of the birds bored in their cages just kills me! This is a serious problem in Albuquerque and something needs to be done. One store at a time!

 

Update us on what happened!

 

okey dokey! I emailed them last night and this is what I got back:
"Dear Kayla,
Thank you for contacting (store will remain unnamed), where animals come first. I am very sorry about the troubling state of the birds in this particular store. I want to assure you that (again, store will not be named) is dedicated to ensuring that all animals receive more than just the basics to survive. We truly care about the quality of life animals have while in our care and their lives once they've joined their new families. Our standards of care ensure that all animals are checked-on every hour. During this check, we observe the health and behavior of the animals, refill food & water and tidy up as needed. This check is in addition to the regular full service feeding and cleaning that all animals receive daily. I am going to forward your concerns to the store's General Manager, in hopes that the situation will be resolved quickly. If you have any other questions or comments please feel free to contact me."
So there ya go! It was nice. I told them that I was going to tell my friends not to shop there and if the conditions don't clear up I will NOT give any more complaints, I will call the Humane Society. I feel way better now. I think that I might have made a difference in some bird's life. It makes me feel very warm inside. Now I can go to sleep and not see them in the back of my head all trying to get onto their only perch to sleep on. :cry: So I am very happy right now!

 

I had a pet store near me that had its birds in horrible conditions. Well I dont visit there often and had to stop in looking for something and I was very plesantly suprised to find she had all new cages, much larger, they were clean and the birds looked 100% better. I am really impressed and happy to see this. I may even buy my next paraket there.

 

I'm hoping that my complaint did something to ensure good conditions for the birds. I am going to check up on the store this weekend and if the conditions don't clear up then I'm going to have to take some action!! Feel Kayla's WRATH!!!! LOL!!!

 

My local pet store isn't bad. They have a cage about 4 feet in width and 2 feet in length. While the cage is a little crowded, they have a tiny jungle gym that they play on all the time. They also have a Blue & Gold Macaw that gets to fly around the store freely. They also have a 3 month old baby sulphur-crested cockatoo which gets to fly around too. They hand-raised the cockatiels there and also had 2 sun conures. They also had lovebird babies there (cute little birdies). I don't think the place is bad, I just think it could be a little better.

 

i have alot of pet stores where i live and i have to say that i have seen some pretty bad ones and some great ones... i work at a local petco and i have a feeling from what was said "Where the animals comes first" and i have to say that someone from animal services comes in once a week every week to check on the welfare of the animals and havnt had and complaints. and they do give us handbooks (7 of them i might add) that we all must fill out by 90 days cashiers the ppl on the floor animals care takers etc.. everyone!! i personally have worked in many vets offices so i can say that i know a lil more then the basics of things... and i clean the cages of all the animals feed them water them etc.. when i am in and i treat the animals as i would treat my own. and i know that alot of pet stores do not think much about birds . i hate to say it but its true. i have been in 2 pet stores over the past few months and was wanting to buy a lovebird and when i seen what they were living in and how poorly they looked i was turned away i did have words w/ a few ppl there and i can say that a few of their workers (not the mangers) said that birds r very low maintnance animals and do not require alot of care that the small animal and fish etc.. require more.. i dont understand that its a living thing it hould be treated equal to all other things in my opinion... but some ppl just dont like birds and there was 1 girl in one of those stores that refused to take the bird out 4 me b/c she was terrified of birds..so needless to say the ppl that do not care for birds do not care how they r treated or how they live...i personally love my birds i only have 2 lovebirds and 1 teil at the time but am always taking in unwanted birds and adding on.. and not only birds but all other animals i just added 2 guinea pigs to the family last friday as a matter a fact..lol.. anyways i think that yes all pet stores should employ ppl that have knowledge of animals if not them dont hire them at all... i know if i owned my own store then heck no if u didnt know basic animal care for all the animals not just hamsters etc.. then i wouldnt hire until they were trained and tested...