cage to small???????

[joecomello1]

I was in petsmart today
standing up front talking to a employee I heard a bird I asked what kind it was and he told me it was a blue and gold
I turned to look at it and from across the store thought it must be a baby
as it looked so small after getting the things I need I went to look at the baby macaw
I was shocked to see although he was young he is almost full sized the reason he looked so small was of the tiny cage they have him in he cant even stand up in it ....
it really bugged me so when checking out I asked the check out person
why he was in such a small cage and was told it was the largest cage they have

heres whats been eating at me all night long and please feel free to tell me if im wrong

I don't believe someone who has experience with macaws or has atleast done there homework on them is just going to run down to petsmart and drop $1700.00 on a blue and gold (price don't include cage toys food or tax )

so my fear it not only is this macaw going to have to live all cramped up in this tiny cage at the store but the person buying it may think that its ok to have such a small cage for such a large bird
.
I don't know maybe im just over thinking it but its eating me up
I have half a mind to chew the manager a new one for treating a bird like that

 

[Peepers]

I have massive cages for my birds. Being cramped in a tiny cage can cause problems like plucking, I would talk to the manager but in a nice way, we want change and if your mad they tend to ignore you even if its hard to be nice try. They will think you know a lot.

 

[joecomello1]

your right good advice

 

[EAI]

I heard that some people put larger birds in smaller cages when they are babies to keep them from falling and hurting. But if this is almost an adult something should be done. I agree with Peepers, you should try call or talk to the manager and suggest things in order for the macaw to keep from plucking (you could probably relate this to having them make a profit for a nice bird that has been taken care of). Maybe they would be more willing to take your suggestion since you have a macaw of your own and you know how to properly care for them

 

[joecomello1]

I was planning on taking max with me so they know I have atleast some idea of what im talking about

 

[EAI]

Be careful with pet shop diseases! It sounds like a good plan, teach them some visual tips

 

[Kiwibird]

Wow, I'm really surprised to hear this. I haven't seen a LARGE parrot in a petco or petsmart in years and years. Heck, I haven't seen much bigger than a conure (and even those are far and few between). I thought it was a company-wide thing, but maybe it's just my area?

Are you *sure* it was a baby and not simply a bird with thin or missing patches of feathers? I kind of wonder what the situation with this bird is, or more, where did they obtain it? I would be curious to know if the bird was "abandoned" on their doorstep so to speak, or if the local animal shelter there is running the same scam the one where I used to live was (whenever they'd get a "valuable" large parrot, they'd SELL it for a profit to one of the local pet stores who would turn around and mark it full price and sell it as a "juvenile", with no regard on anyones part of it finding a good home). If I were you, I would try a friendly conversation with the manager. If that doesn't go anywhere, then I'd call corporate and raise hell about the conditions the bird is living in. And if THAT even doesn't do anything, then sneak some pics and name and shame the store online OR forward the photos over to an animal rights group and let them shame the store Hopefully though, you can just talk with the manager and help get the bird into a more suitable enclosure.

 

[joecomello1]

I am sorry but I did give the wrong store name its pet supper market still a big chain store though I will post pics he looks healthy and is tagged cage was clean as best as I can tell its almost the size of max hard to tell as he was hunched over on perch

 

[Dustbunny]

Wow, I'm really surprised to hear this. I haven't seen a LARGE parrot in a petco or petsmart in years and years. Heck, I haven't seen much bigger than a conure (and even those are far and few between). I thought it was a company-wide thing, but maybe it's just my area?

My area too. Our local Petsmart only carries small birds like finches and parakeets - that I've seen. The Petco carries slightly larger birds. They recently had a Noble macaw and an Indian Ringneck, but that's as large as I've seen and usually they just have conures and parakeets.

 

[Dustbunny]

Having to hunch over sounds so horrible! I'd have to say something to management at the very least. I would also politely inform them that I would be willing to report them to the proper authorities if the situation was not corrected. I'd have to or I wouldn't sleep.

 

[Jayyj]

A good angle to go in with might be to point out to the manager that if they buy in an appropriate sized cage for the macaw it will be a pretty safe purchase for them as they stand a good chance of selling it on to the person who buys the bird - odds are good that the prospective owner won't already have one suitable and the store can make some extra profit on a larger, more expensive cage than they could otherwise sell them. If it's a chain they might even be able pull one from another store.

Plus, of course, a healthy, happy looking bird will sell a lot quicker than a miserable, hunched over one.