Thoughts on Species Survival Llc

[finchly]

The other thing, and I am going to try to tread lightly here.... in Florida there are a couple different schools of thought on raising birds. There are those who have filthy crowded cages, say that they hand feed but maybe your gut says they don't, and do not ever treat or give preventives for disease. Those birds may also have seed-only diets and live outdoors. They do their own "medicating" (using that word quite broadly) and maybe their parents/ grandparents raised birds too. I was told to stay away from certain areas when buying because of this.

Then there are the ones who have clean, nice cages and many of them, each one with a pair or a small number of juvies. They hand feed in their kitchen and their birds are quite people-oriented. Their vet is on speed dial. Etc etc.

When you buy from the first kind of person, you save money, maybe it costs $600 instead of $800. But $200 is what you'll easily pay on a first vet bill because there could be parasites or illness.... and if it wipes out your whole flock you've lost a lot more than the $200 you were trying to save. Not really you specifically, @Jiffy -- just people in general. This is one area where you really do get what you pay for.

 

[Jiffy]

@finchly I'm not sure what you could do to knock some sense into him, but be safe.

 

[Jiffy]

The other thing, and I am going to try to tread lightly here.... in Florida there are a couple different schools of thought on raising birds. There are those who have filthy crowded cages, say that they hand feed but maybe your gut says they don't, and do not ever treat or give preventives for disease. Those birds may also have seed-only diets and live outdoors. They do their own "medicating" (using that word quite broadly) and maybe their parents/ grandparents raised birds too. I was told to stay away from certain areas when buying because of this.

Then there are the ones who have clean, nice cages and many of them, each one with a pair or a small number of juvies. They hand feed in their kitchen and their birds are quite people-oriented. Their vet is on speed dial. Etc etc.

When you buy from the first kind of person, you save money, maybe it costs $600 instead of $800. But $200 is what you'll easily pay on a first vet bill because there could be parasites or illness.... and if it wipes out your whole flock you've lost a lot more than the $200 you were trying to save. Not really you specifically, @Jiffy -- just people in general. This is one area where you really do get what you pay for.

Nope, That's totally understandable. I'm on two reputable breeders waiting list right now. And I intend on saving enough money to 1- buy a new cage, 2-vet bills, 3-lots of toys, 4 - food, and the total cost + shipping of the overall birdie. Avalon Aviary is $899 plus shipping, BUT she does harness and vet training. African Queen Aviaries is $800 + $25 for sexing and she includes $100 in the total price of the bird. So if the shipping is 225, I'd only have to pay $925 instead of $1,025. Both of them are very well known and good breeders, so I think I'd be honored if I got to buy from either or.

 

[aooratrix]

Do NOT BUY from Robert Gardner, AKA Species Survival Aviary. I bought a White Belly Caique from him, received it, and discovered that it was actually an unweaned baby that had been gavage fed. It had no feeding response at all. Zero. It literally did not know how to eat. I had to stay up with it overnight dripping hand feeding formula in its mouth to keep it alive until I could ship it back to him the next morning for a full refund minus shipping.

I was outraged at his callous disregard for this baby bird’s life and when I confronted Robert by text he called me and verbally assaulted me, called me names, including stupid b*tch, and then hung up on me. This was because I had the nerve to tell him that if the baby died as a result of his gavage feeding that I expected him to replace it with a fully weaned baby at no cost to me.

After some back and forth in text messages, which I still have, he agreed to let me ship the bird back for the refund minus shipping. I learned my lesson here. He seemed to be a good breeder when I spoke to him on the phone and he claimed to hand feed. He didn’t tell me about the gavage feeding until AFTER I had the baby when I couldn’t get it to eat anything.

I contacted Luna and Faust’s breeder for advice after that and she said he’s been doing this for years. And then I found out she had WBC babies that were weaned, so it worked out.

This all happened last week. I kept going back and forth about posting about it here, but I guess here is my answer. And I know I need to leave a review on the bird breeder website. I just know it will stir up more conflict with him and I just love being called names. *sarcasm*

Moral of the story: don’t buy from Species Survival.

Good to know. Sorry you experienced that.

 

[jennluna]

In discussing this with hubby, I have more thoughts. We have purchased babies to hand feed that were gavage fed, in fact one guy fed it when we picked it up.... many breeders gavage feed. At least two of our cockatiels, Tully and Tucker (both RIP) were gavage fed and we successfully fed them out -- we got them at about 8 weeks I think. It was awhile back.

But I can't imagine shipping a hand fed baby, how does that work?? I would be too scared that the plane would get delayed or something.

Anyway. I wonder if something else wasn't wrong with your baby. I just don't want people to think gavage feeding means they can't eat - in my experience it doesn't.

And I am not discounting your story at all, Jenn --- his verbal abuse was completely unacceptable. Not to mention unprofessional. It is good that you took quick action. I would have tried to save it, paid a lot for vet bills, and it would've died.

@Jiffy that won't put him out of business; he'll just take his birds to the many Florida shows and sell them to unsuspecting buyers. I wish I knew what he looks like! I'll bet our paths have crossed before.

I’ve never had any experience with a gavage fed baby before this. As soon as I saw that it wouldn’t eat, I didn’t understand. Every jandfed baby I’ve ever had has had an immediate and vigorous feeding response. Head bobbing and letting you know “I’m hungry!!!!” This baby did nothing. Had no idea what the food even was. So I called Robert immediately and that’s when he ‘fessed up that the baby didn’t know how to eat and had no feeding response because of the tube feeding. He said “I have too many birds to hand feeding.” Which was a complete 180 from what he told me when I talked to him before he had my money. The baby was lethargic acting when I got it home and I believe it wouldn’t have lived if I hadn’t been able to get at least a little food in it. I warmed it up and got as much food in it as I could and spent the evening arguing with Robert about getting the bird back to him and getting my money back. I see now after reading the ripoff report on him that I was lucky that a. the bird lived, and b. that I got my money back. So I’m not disparaging all breeders who gavage feed because I don’t know that much about it. But I am calling this particular breeder a POS.

 

[finchly]

I’ve never had any experience with a gavage fed baby before this. As soon as I saw that it wouldn’t eat, I didn’t understand. Every jandfed baby I’ve ever had has had an immediate and vigorous feeding response. Head bobbing and letting you know “I’m hungry!!!!” This baby did nothing. Had no idea what the food even was. So I called Robert immediately and that’s when he ‘fessed up that the baby didn’t know how to eat and had no feeding response because of the tube feeding. He said “I have too many birds to hand feeding.” Which was a complete 180 from what he told me when I talked to him before he had my money. The baby was lethargic acting when I got it home and I believe it wouldn’t have lived if I hadn’t been able to get at least a little food in it. I warmed it up and got as much food in it as I could and spent the evening arguing with Robert about getting the bird back to him and getting my money back. I see now after reading the ripoff report on him that I was lucky that a. the bird lived, and b. that I got my money back. So I’m not disparaging all breeders who gavage feed because I don’t know that much about it. But I am calling this particular breeder a POS.

Yes. I get it. I agree with you. I have never gavage fed so I don't know that much about it really. But your points a and b, yes and yes! Also your point C about the POS breeder.

 

[Jiffy]

Although some breeders gavage feed, I'd personally still want the baby to be fed by their mother, and then weaned before I get it. There's obviously nothing wrong with gavage feeding if you're experienced. I'd just want the baby to be fed by the mother.

 

[painesgrey]

I’ve never had any experience with a gavage fed baby before this. As soon as I saw that it wouldn’t eat, I didn’t understand. Every jandfed baby I’ve ever had has had an immediate and vigorous feeding response. Head bobbing and letting you know “I’m hungry!!!!” This baby did nothing. Had no idea what the food even was. So I called Robert immediately and that’s when he ‘fessed up that the baby didn’t know how to eat and had no feeding response because of the tube feeding. He said “I have too many birds to hand feeding.” Which was a complete 180 from what he told me when I talked to him before he had my money. The baby was lethargic acting when I got it home and I believe it wouldn’t have lived if I hadn’t been able to get at least a little food in it. I warmed it up and got as much food in it as I could and spent the evening arguing with Robert about getting the bird back to him and getting my money back. I see now after reading the ripoff report on him that I was lucky that a. the bird lived, and b. that I got my money back. So I’m not disparaging all breeders who gavage feed because I don’t know that much about it. But I am calling this particular breeder a POS.

Christ. If you have to result to gavage feeding because you have too many birds then you're doing something seriously wrong. Breeding and raising birds isn't a mass-market assembly line, and it's a shame that animals have to suffer because of his mentality.

This BS makes my blood boil.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Do NOT BUY from Robert Gardner, AKA Species Survival Aviary. I bought a White Belly Caique from him, received it, and discovered that it was actually an unweaned baby that had been gavage fed. It had no feeding response at all. Zero. It literally did not know how to eat. I had to stay up with it overnight dripping hand feeding formula in its mouth to keep it alive until I could ship it back to him the next morning for a full refund minus shipping.

I was outraged at his callous disregard for this baby bird’s life and when I confronted Robert by text he called me and verbally assaulted me, called me names, including stupid b*tch, and then hung up on me. This was because I had the nerve to tell him that if the baby died as a result of his gavage feeding that I expected him to replace it with a fully weaned baby at no cost to me.

After some back and forth in text messages, which I still have, he agreed to let me ship the bird back for the refund minus shipping. I learned my lesson here. He seemed to be a good breeder when I spoke to him on the phone and he claimed to hand feed. He didn’t tell me about the gavage feeding until AFTER I had the baby when I couldn’t get it to eat anything.

I contacted Luna and Faust’s breeder for advice after that and she said he’s been doing this for years. And then I found out she had WBC babies that were weaned, so it worked out.

This all happened last week. I kept going back and forth about posting about it here, but I guess here is my answer. And I know I need to leave a review on the bird breeder website. I just know it will stir up more conflict with him and I just love being called names. *sarcasm*

Moral of the story: don’t buy from Species Survival.

So sorry. That's very sad. Thanks for posting this because now members who are considering this place are forewarned. I found that he had red-bellied parrots which is what the OP was searching for but I didn't think he was reputable based on some reviews and the way he responded to negative ones (rude and unprofessional). @finchly posted the links to the reviews and a ripoff report. It's good to post info about experience with breeders here because then members know which ones are good and which ones to stay away from. The ones @Jiffy is now considering have excellent reputations and are trustworthy. I would have no qualms purchasing from either of them.

Gavage feeding healthy babies = assembly line breeding, IMHO.

 

[finchly]

@finchly I'm not sure what you could do to knock some sense into him, but be safe.

Ohhhh you'd be surprised!

 

[Jiffy]

Ohhhh you'd be surprised!

Stay safe! If he can openly criticize people online, who knows what he could do in real life!

 

[jennluna]

And he has my home address. Ugh.

 

[finchly]

 

[jennluna]

I’m not actually worried. We believe in big dogs and big guns (legal of course) in this house. Not to mentions the big husband and the big birds?

 

[Jiffy]

I’m not actually worried. We believe in big dogs and big guns (legal of course) in this house. Not to mentions the big husband and the big birds?

Lol! Understood

 

[AkasyaEllric]

I just wanted to add that I agree about Jean from African Queen Aviaries. She's the breeder of my brown headed parrot that I adopted back in February. When I figured out his band and called her we ended up talking for a half an hour and I wasn't even buying a bird from her. She sadly doesn't breed brown heads anymore though.

 

[jennluna]

I emailed Jean about getting in her waiting list for a TAG a while back but never heard back from her. Maybe l need to actually call. I just hate the phone. It gives me weird anxiety calling people I don’t know. Does anyone know what her prices are like for Greys?

 

[Jiffy]

I emailed Jean about getting in her waiting list for a TAG a while back but never heard back from her. Maybe l need to actually call. I just hate the phone. It gives me weird anxiety calling people I don’t know. Does anyone know what her prices are like for Greys?

I get anxiety with phone calls too haha, I stutter and all of that unnecessary crap

I’m actually in a Facebook messaging with her, so I could ask for you. You’d have to wait a few hours when I get home, but I’d be more than happy to ask. She checks her Facebook often, so if you message her on there she will answer back. She’s quite quick on answering me back for sure.

 

[jennluna]

Yes, please. If you don’t mind.

 

[aooratrix]

I emailed Jean about getting in her waiting list for a TAG a while back but never heard back from her. Maybe l need to actually call. I just hate the phone. It gives me weird anxiety calling people I don’t know. Does anyone know what her prices are like for Greys?

It's posted on her site, too.