The tales of a pet store cockatiel

[Synth]

Saturday May 4th. The day after Zelda came home. My kiddo was with family overnight, so my husband and I went to Petsmart at opening to look for more things for Zelda’s cage that we had ordered. Of course I chose to look at every animal they had and also of course I spent the most time looking at the birds. I promised myself Navi was my last pet store bird. I don’t support their breeding factories. I only give them my money for the few supplies that I need. In comes “Marshmallow” as her tank says. I’m watching the associate try to get to her bowls but she’s hissing, lunging, overall just angry from the perch she’s on. Food and water gets changed, millet dispenser gets refreshed. Out comes the associate through the little door for the bird area. She walks around to the glass side where I’m standing. “That one’s a jerk. He’s been here a long time. The conure is pretty nice though,” they say to me. I just nod and smile thinking I’d hiss at you too with that attitude. Marshmallow is going to town on the spray millet. She notices me. Eventually after she eats she comes to the end of her perch which is about halfway up her enclosure towards the glass. I start talking to her. She doesn’t run away so I just continue. My husband asked me to come here. He points to the papers taped above the individual tanks in the associate room that we can see through the ventilation of the budgie cage. Above Marshmallows cage received: 08-26-2023. 8 months. 8 months of being called a jerk, shizz food, poor sleep, people tapping on your glass wall all the time. I go back over to Marshmallow and say something crazy. “Do you want to come home with me? We will have to work on your diet and my house isn’t quiet per se, but it’s not here.” Before my husband can protest I swear and he saw it too that she bobs her head up and then back down only one time as if to nod yes. I promised her if she was still there when I got off work Friday night I’d come back. Friday comes around and I rush to Petsmart after work. She is still there. So I get an associate who after I tell him I want her he says a lot of us call her “Hissy” but I’m glad she’s finally getting out of here. We go home and although not ideal it’s immediately birdy bed time in my home so we didn’t spend any time together day 1. The next 2 days are filled with lots of flock calling back and forth between us 2 while I sat nearby, hissing, and bribery to take millet from me. I almost immediately notice she’s on a spray millet diet only. She wouldn’t even touch millet in her pet store seed mix. Day 3. I go into her quarantine room and uncover her. She comes right up to the door for our new little millet routine. No hissing as I sat down on the bed. Big step in the right direction. She even allowed me to get her bowls and only moved away from my hand without lunging or hissing at me for the first time. I decided to try something on the night of day 3. I ran Roudybush pellets through a food processor. Sprayed millet sprigs with a mister and rolled it in pellet dust. She did great! I resprayed and rolled multiple times. I felt like a genius lol! Day 4 or today I was finally able to capture some pictures of the sweet girl. She had zero hesitation about coming to visit me for dinner. She even climbed up on my lap. She sat and waited patiently on her book platform while I resprayed and coated the millet in the pellet dust. We’ve downgraded from hissing to the angry tiel squeal if she doesn’t like what I do. Just 4 short days and she’s come so far.

I really have been beating myself up over the guilt of buying another pet store bird, but I don’t regret it. Hissy, marshmallow, jerk and whatever other names she got at PetSmart deserves to not spend her entire life in terrible conditions. So this is Faro (pronounced like Pharaoh), named after a fire dragon (Farosh) in the Legend of Zelda. My little firecracker has been such a joy already. I’m excited to begin introducing all the girls together. And If the only thing you’ve taken from this whole introduction is that I’m crazy, you’d be correct. Having 2 birds in quarantine and 1 who’s not makes for a crazy upcoming month of schedules.

 

[KParker24]

While yes you are supporting pet store breeders…… you also are supporting that new sweet girl. Even without you purchasing her, someone would have eventually or worse would have happened and the pet store breeder cycle would continue. So I for one am glad you brought her home! I love her name and she is adorable

 

[Synth]

While yes you are supporting pet store breeders…… you also are supporting that new sweet girl. Even without you purchasing her, someone would have eventually or worse would have happened and the pet store breeder cycle would continue. So I for one am glad you brought her home! I love her name and she is adorable

Thank you I just know deep down I’ve condemned another bird to her same fate and that sucks. But she’s here and I love her all the same

 

[LiveLolBrd]

Aww, she is so cute! I am glad you got her even tho it is sad to support breeding mills!

 

[Synth]

She hasn’t rushed back to her cage after eating. She came over sat right in front of my legs and is now looking quite tired.

 

[LiveLolBrd]

View attachment 446584 View attachment 446585 She hasn’t rushed back to her cage after eating. She came over sat right in front of my legs and is now looking quite tired.

AW! She is just the cutest little teil! Good job with your progress!

 

[Shezbug]

Thank you I just know deep down I’ve condemned another bird to her same fate and that sucks. But she’s here and I love her all the same

No you have not condemned another bird to her fate... that other bird was coming in to be sold by the store regardless of whether or not you brought this one home- if they do not get sold after a certain time frame they do not just become a store mascot, they simply get shoved aside into a smaller area, discounted so much that anyone would be happy to buy, moved to another store or worse.
Those people that make out that the single bird purchased by you has caused another to suffer the same fate of being in a pet store have not taken into account that the next bird was coming no matter what- that is how pet stores work, they get "stock" they sell stock, if the stock doesn't sell then they find a way to move it on and bring in something else that will sell.

All those pet store birds need homes too and you are not the sole cause of bird mills or another birds misery, you are the saviour for that one sad bird who ended up in the store through no fault of its own.

 

[LiveLolBrd]

No you have not condemned another bird to her fate... that other bird was coming in to be sold by the store regardless of whether or not you brought this one home- if they do not get sold after a certain time frame they do not just become a store mascot, they simply get shoved aside into a smaller area, discounted so much that anyone would be happy to buy, moved to another store or worse.
Those people that make out that the single bird purchased by you has caused another to suffer the same fate of being in a pet store have not taken into account that the next bird was coming no matter what- that is how pet stores work, they get "stock" they sell stock, if the stock doesn't sell then they find a way to move it on and bring in something else that will sell.

All those pet store birds need homes too and you are not the sole cause of bird mills or another birds misery, you are the saviour for that one sad bird who ended up in the store through no fault of its own.

Wow! That is a really good explanation!

 

[Synth]

No you have not condemned another bird to her fate... that other bird was coming in to be sold by the store regardless of whether or not you brought this one home- if they do not get sold after a certain time frame they do not just become a store mascot, they simply get shoved aside into a smaller area, discounted so much that anyone would be happy to buy, moved to another store or worse.
Those people that make out that the single bird purchased by you has caused another to suffer the same fate of being in a pet store have not taken into account that the next bird was coming no matter what- that is how pet stores work, they get "stock" they sell stock, if the stock doesn't sell then they find a way to move it on and bring in something else that will sell.

All those pet store birds need homes too and you are not the sole cause of bird mills or another birds misery, you are the saviour for that one sad bird who ended up in the store through no fault of its own.

Thank you. I really needed this as I’ve been so harsh on myself since bringing her home. Hopefully one day I’ll live to see the banning of pet sales from breeding mills in places like Petsmart, petco etc…

 

[Shezbug]

Thank you. I really needed this as I’ve been so harsh on myself since bringing her home. Hopefully one day I’ll live to see the banning of pet sales from breeding mills in places like Petsmart, petco etc…

They stopped the sale of certain animals from breeding mills here and have shut down a tonne of obvious breeding mills, now the same people who owned the mills have multiple family members pumping out puppies and kittens in all their backyards and they sell them on the sides of the road, meet in carparks etc- they have not stopped the animal cruelty by stopping the mills they have simply changed how obvious it is. So sad but I constantly see the same families from a particular religious group who were openly mill breeding on farms before it was made illegal now posting flyers on all the local towns buy swap and sell boards, in local classifieds, with signs out the front of their homes, posting on FB all the time.

I bought two budgies from a pet store a few years back and felt bad about doing so, I actually have a friend who is friends with the pets store owner so I asked him what the owner does when they have new pets coming in but they have not sold all the previous ones, he told me many end up sold in a flock for a very cheap price to people who want to fill aviaries etc. Depending on the pet it may be discounted, given away, sent back to the breeder, or euthanised. Speaking to a breeder who supplied that store they also confirmed that unsold stock would often come back to her and she would give them away to people who wanted them or use them to breed with later on.

 

[Synth]

They stopped the sale of certain animals from breeding mills here and have shut down a tonne of obvious breeding mills, now the same people who owned the mills have multiple family members pumping out puppies and kittens in all their backyards and they sell them on the sides of the road, meet in carparks etc- they have not stopped the animal cruelty by stopping the mills they have simply changed how obvious it is. So sad but I constantly see the same families from a particular religious group who were openly mill breeding on farms before it was made illegal now posting flyers on all the local towns buy swap and sell boards, in local classifieds, with signs out the front of their homes, posting on FB all the time.

I bought two budgies from a pet store a few years back and felt bad about doing so, I actually have a friend who is friends with the pets store owner so I asked him what the owner does when they have new pets coming in but they have not sold all the previous ones, he told me many end up sold in a flock for a very cheap price to people who want to fill aviaries etc. Depending on the pet it may be discounted, given away, sent back to the breeder, or euthanised. Speaking to a breeder who supplied that store they also confirmed that unsold stock would often come back to her and she would give them away to people who wanted them or use them to breed with later on.

What a terrible industry the whole thing is. I never thought about it you ban pet store breeding mills, backyard breeders ramp up. It truly feels like a lose lose situation regardless of what is done.

I also have never heard what happens to the animals that don’t sell even when discounted in stores. Those poor babies. Stuck in a pet store for who knows how long to potentially be put down or used to supply more stock.

 

[Emma&pico]

On your new little lady she’s gorgeous and landed in a lovely home

I think I would have struggled to walk away that’s why I don’t go into pet shops because I am a sucker
Don’t look at it like you’ve doomed another look at it like you saved her you are her angel and you are going to have a lovely little cockatiel flock
@Shezbug explained it best

 

[Synth]

On your new little lady she’s gorgeous and landed in a lovely home

I think I would have struggled to walk away that’s why I don’t go into pet shops because I am a sucker
Don’t look at it like you’ve doomed another look at it like you saved her you are her angel and you are going to have a lovely little cockatiel flock
@Shezbug explained it best

I can usually go into pet stores and admire the babies for the most part. But something about Faro is different. She’s already so trusting (of me. She hissed at Jerry this morning since I’m at work). It’s amazing how quickly some of these babies can come around.

 

[sunnysmom]

She's very cute.

 

[Emma&pico]

I can usually go into pet stores and admire the babies for the most part. But something about Faro is different. She’s already so trusting (of me. She hissed at Jerry this morning since I’m at work). It’s amazing how quickly some of these babies can come around.

I think she just knew you were to be trusted and saw your soft heart I don’t think they are daft at all birds

there’s conures in my local pet shop were £350 reduced to £175 and a Quaker I’ve named him Percy I heard one of staff say to a man he’s horrible bites screams hissing I can’t go back because I would have to take Percy home and I no longer trust that pet shop for a few reasons

 

[Synth]

I think she just knew you were to be trusted and saw your soft heart I don’t think they are daft at all birds

there’s conures in my local pet shop were £350 reduced to £175 and a Quaker I’ve named him Percy I heard one of staff say to a man he’s horrible bites screams hissing I can’t go back because I would have to take Percy home and I no longer trust that pet shop for a few reasons

It’s when the store employees talk poorly of the animals that gets me. That’s how I ended up with Navi and now Faro. They are in highly stressful environments, of course they act accordingly. It’s hard to see people have so little empathy for a living creature.

 

[Synth]

We chose nutriberries over spray millet tonight!!! I have been leaving them in her cage and she’s paid them no mind but she demolished the 4 in her cage and went to town on the ones I laid out.

 

[Synth]

Of course we did our millet with pellet dust routine as well. She really doesn’t mind my hand giving the millet

 

[Synth]

Tonight Faro wasn’t interested in hanging out with me, which is totally okay. The schedule was different today as it was my first day back to work since she came home. She was very excited to see me when I came in. She hopped right on out of her cage, ate her dinner of nutriberries/spray millet and put herself to bed. It is late for bed on my work nights so I’m not surprised she was ready for bed immediately after eating.

 

[Emma&pico]

Sounds like she’s setting in so well