10:25 p.m. - 2006-02-13
Big Box Pet Stores aren't for the birds

Poor litte fellows

I hate the pet shop. Why? I feel sorry for the poor sick birds. Anyone who owns hookbilled birds from parakeets on up to McCaws, can attest that these creatures are highly intelligent. The larger the bird, the more intelligent it is. I have heard that the large parrots actually have the intelligence of a 4 year old child. Whatever sized hookbill, they need to be loved, touched and talked to.

The birds in the big box pet stores are bred in breeding mills with no consideration of their geniology and are given minimal care. They are boxed up together and when the reach the pet stores, they are put behind glass with a rediculously high price tag on them assuring that they will be adults by the time they are purchased.

I once saw a cockatoo in a large cage behind glass so that you couldn't possibly pet his litte head and he couldn't hear you talk. As I walked around the cage looking at the sweet creature, he kept following me wherever I moved and would put his head down against the glass showing me he wanted a scratch, it was heartbreaking not to be able to give him one. On one hand I could barely tear myself away and on the other I just wanted to run out of their crying.

Yesterday, there were 3 little cockatiels just like my Alex. They were standing motionless on the bottom of the cage just staring out at bird seed displays. Looking completely lifeless and bored. They were not interacting with each other and were puffed up and ruffled as if they were cold and sick. One had it's tail feathers completely chewed off. When I went up to the glass, they turned their back on me. They were no longer babies and had grown into adulthood behind glass with no human interaction. If someone ever does decide to part with the 139.00 to purchase them, they will have a hard time socializing them and making them part of the family.

I had to pass the parakeet cage on my way to the checkout counter. There must have been 60 or 75 parakeets stuffed inside a cage, again, not interacting with each other, just puffed up and sleeping.

I bought Alex from a breeder. There was never a time that Alex wasn't part of a family. These mega box stores shouldn't be allowed to sell animals.

P. I. Yarnsmith

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