does anyone else here have a conure from a pet store?

[Sarvesh]

i know breeders are the better way to go but i spent months trying to contact breeders from many hours away and for example, not a single person on hoobly replied, even though i messaged them within few hours of them placing their ad...and they didnt leave any phone # on their ad and never replied to my messages...its very fishy!! and the couple that did reply, they were already sold.

so in the end i thought i may as well drive 20 mins and get my conure from petco, also the fact that they have a guarantee where if anything happens within 30 days they will refund or pay for the vet bills. also by the time i factor in fuel costs from driving 6 hours away i figured it was worth it.

so far i haven't really been disappointed because my conure seems just as friendly and playful and active as other conures i seen on youtube, so is it ok? they said the conures they get are from breeders and have been hand fed/hand raised so i guess thats a good thing.

 

[tijya]

Mine is from a pet store. She had been there for a long time. It would have been cheaper to go with a breeder. And I wish she was a rescue. But really, she was at the store for a year so I am glad she's now in a loving home.

 

[Pinkbirdy]

Yes I have one from PETCO . Surprisingly well socialized

 

[WilliamKenyon]

I don't have a conure but my cockatiel was bought from a pet store. I believe that it depends on the specific pet store you go to. often pet stores are overpriced but (in the good pet stores at least) the animals often are well looked after (with a vet on hand most of the time) as well as being bought from breeders by the pet store. Also it depends on the induvidual bird sometimes you will get an aggressive bird and sometimes you will get a sweat heart. Any way it looks like you got a cuddlebug.

 

[Taw5106]

I don't have a conure but I do go to Petco a lot and I visit the birds. I'll lay a finger against the glass to see how the parrot reacts. If they aren't bothered by my finger and actually come towards me, I take that as a good sign. Last year they had a red bellied parrot that would run to the glass, then he'd begin rolling, he'd hang upside down, try to rub against my finger. A clerk got him out and he came right to me, very social! Then Husband came in and said NO, LOL! The parrot did find a home and I've asked about him. The new owner comes into that store and gives great updates. If a bird runs from seeing my finger, that bird won't be so easy. I see that in tiels and parakeets at Petco though.

 

[Flboy]

Pet store. Wonderful buddy!

 

[Mimsy01]

Foo is from petco, but she didn't come with any guarantees, her age and she was not banded. She was taken in by them from an owner who dropped her off for biting. They were just working with her to see if they could get her adoptable. So we ended up not being charged their normal price, plus they sold a cage at under half off and gave a discount on all the stuff we bought for her and our dogs and rats while we were there. We spend about 400.00 all together for Foo, her huge cage, food, toys, perches and then other critter stuff.

She was a bit of a nipper, but she was very social. I think she may of been going hormonal. She can still be a little bi-polar, but nothing over top. I think most of her problem was that she can be very beaky and she didn't understand how much pressure was too much. Now we just deal with the cranky bird sometimes, but she knows her bite pressure, so no more accidental bites...now they are only on purpose.

On the worry side, if I would of had other birds at home at the time it would of been not great. They took her without any knowledge of her health and they put her in with a baby sun conure they were also selling. So perhaps not the best of practices there.

 

[Flboy]

Pet store. Wonderful buddy!

Correction, companion!

 

[ruffledfeathers]

Actually they do get them from breeders (often very experienced breeders too). I'm not crazy about the condition some of them are living in when in a store but hopefully they go to a home quickly. Even some of the bird stores with good and knowledgeable employees will get from other breeders (they don't breed all of the ones they sell).

 

[Sunshyn7529]

From what I was told, one of my rescues -- Skittles -- was originally from a pet store. He is a very sweet bird now...he wasn't when we got him, but after a lot of one on one, he has changed and built trust.

He has a red, metal leg band that says: JC1282. I tried looking it up, with no luck.

 

[Britbryan87]

I got Caesar from Petco also. They not only gave me the wrong birth certificate but when I called them about it said they didn't have it! Apparently Caesar was bought by someone and returned the next day because "they couldn't care for him". This upsets me so much and he's a great bird so I feel like I rescued him from ever having to go through that again. I didn't receive any guarantees either but took him straight to our bet to get him checked out and he checked out great. I also considered getting a bird from a breeder but after meeting him at Petco my heart was sold on him even though the price was more.

 

[itsjoyceduh]

I got my amazon from a pet store. I agree that it depends on which pet store you go in to and also not all breeders are "good" I hear that there are some breeders that neglect their baby birds in this forum. Like selling them when they are not fully weaned and allowing first time owners to hand feed the baby. I am glad I got mine at the petstore because they actually care for their birds and make sure that they are fully weaned before they go home AND they actually take them out to play so they are more socialized. You know I met a breeder at the bird show that said "oh yeah they are babies. We hand fed them but because they weren't handle as often they can be quite mean.. BUT since they are babies they can easily be tamed again" . NO THANK YOU! yes my amazon may be pricier than the amazons at the show but at least I know she is healthy and FRIENDLY ^_^

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

I got Skittles from PetLife in the mall.

He was by himself in a giant aviary near the front of the store. He had been acquired by the store from a local breeder that they do a lot of business with. A reputable one. However, Skittles had been shipped to 3 different pet stores but nobody bought him. They were asking $600 for him which apparently nobody wanted to pay for a sun over a year old. But he is the sweetest bird I have ever owned.

He was VERY friendly when I got him. But the clerks at the store would take him out a lot and he would follow them around the store and what not. They would also talk to him.

That's why he is potty trained (he won't poop on me) and why he makes 'kissy noises', he learned those from the clerks.

A reputable store is usually a good bet. I am sure that the reason he was so tame and friendly when I got him is because he was so well taken care of by the store clerks.

I won't buy from the local PetCo. They don't spend any time with their birds (or any animals for that matter) and they always look sickly.

PS - nothing against those who have had luck with PetCo. I am speaking only from my experience with the local branch.

 

[dhraiden]

Mochi came from a local Pet Supplies Plus store less than five minutes away from where I am in Queens, NY. Easier and quicker than going to Morrone's out in LI! She was well socialized by the store staff (got taken out often and played with). Has become a touch more fussy/demanding since we got her back in June, but in temperament and nature she's sweet, contented, and affectionate.

 

[JellyBean]

I got JellyBean from PetMania (European petstore chain) and he was extremely friendly, well socialised and in good condition. My only problem was that he was on a seed diet - it was reasonably high-quality - but it took some time to change to veggies and Harrisons pellets! Everytime I go back to the store for stuff, they always ask how he is getting on!

 

[Quinn_Duncan]

I just got mine from Petco. All of the employees were so sad to see him go- he was well loved there. I have been surprised at how easy he is to handle. He definitely received a lot of love there!

 

[RavensGryf]

I just read through this thread, and am pleasantly surprised how many good pet store experiences are here . I think it just depends on the store, and has some to do with the bird's individual personality too. How is your conure doing now?

I don't have a conure, and the only bird I bought from a pet store (Petsmart) was Twigs (and his late friend Pix). Budgies were an unexpected impulse buy around the holidays 3 years ago. Pix got fairly tame even with minimal handling, but Twigs never learned to be a tame pet.