I'm impressed by how many people are interested in my new kids! They're definitely eating better (i.e., they're actually eating the Goldenfeast seed blends as opposed to peanuts, cracked corn, and roasted soy beans), and are settling really well. They were really freaked out by the dogs the first couple of days, but now they're watching them with a cautious curiosity. It took Ziggy almost a year to get over his hate of dogs.
I bought some raw nuts at the Bulk Barn today (pistachios, cashews, macadamia, pecans, and pine nuts), and I broke some up and put some on a plate for them. I know I have to be careful since they're fattening, but I really don't care since at this point I'm just trying to get them to try different foods. I'm sure they've never had a balanced diet before, so it won't kill them to indulge in new, human-grade foods. Once they actually start eating more of what I offer, then we'll worry about balanced nutrition and counting calories. Apparently the majority of their diet should be veggies and fruits, but we've got a ways to go yet.
Anyways, they're eating, drinking, and preening in front of me already, which is awesome! They barely sleep, from what I've seen. I don't know if they even have naps. They're definitely pretty weak. Ria was winded after flying around for 30 seconds at the vet. They sometimes fall when they scratch themselves, too. I don't think this is due to illness, rather the fact that they've been kept in a puny cage with garbage food for the past few months. At night, they like to climb upside down doing laps on the top..underside...something about a cage. Sorry, I'm kind of tired. Anyways, I can hear them banging around for at least half an hour after I turn the lights off for them to go to sleep.
I know I've said this before, but they seem like really sweet little birds. They've been chewing on the mahogany pod and the shred toy from Things for Wings I put in for them. Kākāriki aren't known for shredding or playing, but it makes me happy to see them chewing. Oh, know what's cute? Tiki has a couple of green feathers hidden away on his back. I also make kākāriki vocalizations back and forth with them since I think they find it comforting. Ooh, I'll have to try playing music for them. I think we'll have to start with "Stuttering" by Fefe Dobson.
I'm going to bathe them again tomorrow. Apparently kākāriki adore bathing, but sadly we can't fit a dish to bathe in in the cage, so I'll have to just mist them again. Oh, I think they're also going through a moult. From what I've been reading on this one kākāriki forum, kākāriki go through extremely light moults, and most people don't realize it when their kākāriki have moulted because the just drop a few feathers, compared to other parrots. They've lost maybe a dozen since bringing them home on Thursday (their feathers are huge compared to my other birds!).
Anyways, I'm not at all surprised by your friend's experience with Petco. Almost every animal in pet shops are from mills. Bettas are shipped in tiny bags filled with sedatives with barely enough water to cover them. Many arrive dead. Hermit crabs are captured en masse from the wild and are stored in buildings filled with thousands of their kin before having their shells crushed by workers to force them to pick "pretty" shells before being sold to retailers. I'm sure everyone is familiar with the ongoing criminal investigations into Pet Smart and their suppliers? Animals kept in bins at warehouses without food or water; rotting animals; animals left without any veterinary care, etc. I don't support any businesses that profit from the sale of animals. Almost all of my animals are pre-loved (well, a few were treated like trash), and I've had far too many bad experiences over the years to ever support a pet store again (I support suppliers of pet products if they don't sell animals).
