Cockatiel at a local pet store looks increasingly worse and has no toys. Advice?

[LadySiobhan]

Part of me wants to buy it to remove it from this situation but the other part of me knows they will get another and treat it similarly. What would you do? It has had no toys for months now and looks a bit worse each time I go in. I'm betting it receives little to no socialization.

 

[veimar]

Are you in the US? you can report the store to the local animal control. they must have take care of the birds they are selling.

 

[MikeyTN]

There's little animal control can do when it comes to toys. But food, water, sanitary and abuse they can.

 

[EdwardH]

If you buy the bird, you get an addition to your family but the store will probably just replace it. The question is do you want to save the bird? Ignore the store as your decision to buy or not to buy will not impact them enough to change their ways.

 

[Minimaker]

I bought my green cheek for exactly these reasons. I complained to the store owner about conditions and got nowhere. With there being only two small pet stores in the entire area that anyone with pets shops at, I know the powers that be know about it. The store owner doesn't care.

That being said I have never once regretted getting him. He's added so much to my life that I feel better for having him in it. I'd do it again in a second.

I just bought a sickly thin budgie a few days ago because in my heart I knew she would die if I left her there in the other store. They removed her from the cage with the other budgies because they were picking on her and wouldn't let her eat, she was terrified and not eating in that cage either. Her eyes were always slightly shut and she wouldn't hardly move. She was so sickeningly thin. She's here and doing well and will certainly pull through. I can see her gaining strength daily. She's not so afraid now and will go to the food and water.

All I can say is that these things will most likely always happen. For every one of us who love animals and care about what happens to them, there are 20 other people who think "Oh it's just an animal. Who cares." Honestly the only way I will ever be able to stop myself from doing this is to stay completely out of the bird area in any store. My heart can't handle walking away from any animal in trouble so that will be my only option if I run out of room here. It stinks to see these little critters being treated like crap, just another thing on the shelf for sale doesn't it? As long as people view them as objects it will never end

 

[Taw5106]

There is little animal control can do, you may have luck with a group like the ASPCA or PETA. As long as the bird has access to food and water, that is the minimal necessary for animal care. I learned this after battling a neighbor about the treatment of their dog. I contacted my HOA, Animal Control, and the police. The dog had a 5 gallon bucket that housed water, and because the owners threw a 50 lb bag of food on the ground, it he access to food, regardless of the condition of the food meaning sometimes it would rain and ruin the food, they were compliant.

If the pet store is a chain, you could bring up to their corporate office and if conditions are bad enough, the news but those aren't guarantees.

 

[veimar]

I actually bought my first bird, a gcc Parry, from Petsmart because it just broke my hubby's ad my heart to see how miserable he was there. But in that case it wasn't the store fault - he just wasn't weaned and socialized properly, and they were about to send him back to the breeder. That store is lucky to have a very nice manager and stuff who takes good care of all their animals and birds. We got him on his 3rd day on the floor. Just an example - the manager spent 15 min (!!!) trying to make little Parry to step up on her hand (he wasn't trained to do that) instead of just grabbing him and tossing into the box-carrier. Not all the chain stores are bad - it all depends on the people working there.
I dunno, so maybe you could get that bird just to save it... It's a difficult decision.