Neither bird store that we got our 2 birds from are still around. Birds are rare and for local entrepreneurs having a business that caters specifically to a species that doesn’t require a lot of expense to care for doesn’t usually last very long. Granted, you have the internet but the internet for your so called birdy need will never have the information that a breeder or bird expert will. So if you have the opportunity to patronize your local bird shop, please do. Not Petco or Petsmart or Pet Supplies Plus, I’m talking about your mom & pop pet store on Main Street in old downtown, especially if it’s a bird store. Even if they don’t carry what you need in stock and you have to special order from them ahead of time, plan ahead and do it. You’ll generally only have to buy 2 or 3 times a year for most things so it’s not like you’ll be shelling out your vacation funds to buy local. An extra $10 every 3 months isn’t going to make a difference to you but it might mean the difference between that shop staying open or closing their doors. Sure you may be paying a bit more in markup and shipping plus you don’t get the delivery straight to your door but you’ll be helping a local business and when you really need that expert advice… Amazon and Ebay ain’t gon’ have it. Advice is free but good advice comes at a price. So please try to use your local mom and pop shops for everything you can, not only bird supplies but certainly for bird supplies if it’s at all possible.
But when it comes to information and care, not to mention finding a bird that isn’t from a breeder or someone getting rid of one, birds are so rare comparatively to dogs and cats that when we walked into the bird store, all I knew was that there was this cute little green one sitting in the cage and he might be a good one to have. After all… “birds just sit there in a cage all day, every day of their life like decorations, right?”
(Herbie’s 1st pic. Look at that CUTENESS! He’s so wittow. He’s got no Cheeto face yet and he’s still got his lil black baby beaky. LULZ! Can you see why we got him?)
But yet… I didn’t know his breed name or any breed names for that matter. I didn’t know about diets, care, specific conditions like Night Frights for Cockatiels or how Amazons fan their tail feathers, types of bird diseases, things to look for in injury or illness, I just knew he was cute. I’m sure there are some ladies reading this thinking “yeah… I remember what THAT got me the last time I made a decision based on that judgment.” As it turns out, birds are highly intelligent and highly social creatures that require lots of care and attention, even the small ones. If you’re thinking about getting a bird for décor because it would look nice in a cage next to the new drapes that you’ll change in 7 years… don’t. If you’re getting your 9 year old kid a pet bird… don’t. Parakeets perhaps may be the exception because their life span is only about 4-6 years but unless your child is super antisocial then that child is GOING to grow up, and growing up means more homework, extra-curricular activities, going over by friends whose houses are farther than a 10 minute walking distance away. Then comes a driver’s license, not to mention significant others and possibly college. Anything other than a parakeet and possibly even including parakeets will outlive that child’s attention span and that bird will live its last years sad and alone and die sad and alone. That bird, especially if you buy it by itself without another feathered buddy in the cage to play with, that cute special bird that once had that child’s full attention it’s entire life up to that point, suddenly has to sit in a cage by itself and stare at a wall because your child’s human friends now take precedent. So DON’T get a brand new bird for junior. If you get one for yourself and junior plays with it, great… but DO NOT buy a bird for a child. Budgie parakeets due to their short life spans are the “possible” exception.
So not only is this highly social animal alone in a cage when junior is at school, he’s now alone and sad the remainder of its existence simply because as humans, especially young humans, our priorities change. It WILL happen. So if you’re thinking about getting junior a bird… DON’T. If you don’t believe me, just go on social media and Facebook bird groups right now and within a couple of days you’ll see “I got birdie for junior when he was 8 and now he doesn’t have the time to spend with her anymore. Asking $ (95% of what they paid for all of it) for bird, cage and toys.” And take a guess how many people want to pay close to full price for an adult bird that’s obviously been neglected and you don’t know what it’s been through, how it behaves, etc. versus paying a little more for a baby bird that’s still got it’s baby cutes about him and which can be more easily molded to the owners liking? Then, when no one steps forward to buy the bird, after frustration sets in for the owner, instead of dropping the price to at least find it a good home, the bird usually gets sold to the highest bidder that too any times winds up being someone abusive or the bird is used as breeding stock in horrendous conditions simply to make the breeder money.
If you want some examples of what people do to these birds, watch the video of Betty, the Harlequin Macaw that was kept in a parakeet cage inside of a closet for 17 years. She was purchased for breeding and basically abandoned. The guy who rescued her had to cut the top of the cage off an pull her out. Since she had no room to walk even 2 steps, her foot was basically glued to the perch. He had to cut the ends of the perch and slide it out like tent poles. So imagine the amount of time passing from the time you start learning to talk until the time you’re old enough to vote and that is how long she lived in a closet. This, just like most atrocities of human nature, it happens a lot more than you think. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YtfpWBqp6s
Unfortunately, the previous owners are never even aware that this happens. Out of sight, out of mind. It’s not difficult to forget a creature you weren’t paying attention to anyways while that new season of Walking Dead and Desperate Silicone Matrons or whatever title that show has now are now ready to be binge watched. It’s the avian version of human trafficking and puppy mills. Bigger birds can live for 50-80 years. There are so many that need homes right now as you’re reading this and they almost all have the same story.