This kind-of bothered me.

[95talongirl]

Stumbled across this on facebook today and it kinda-of bothered me. As we all know that parrots can change drastically when they mature. Not to mention, the personality can be shaped by the owner. I just feel really bad for those babies that get returned for another bird... then what happens if that bird turns super hormonal when it is older? Almost like false advertisement.

 

[SilverSage]

My guess is they only sell babies young enough to still be super cuddly. Most baby parrots that are hand raised are going to be sweet, it is adolescent and adult birds that can be difficult, especially if they were not handled correctly at a young age. 90 days is long enough a to seem legit, but short enough that large parrots will not be hitting puberty yet. Making sweet babies is not hard, laying the foundation for sweet adults takes some work. This is a gimmick that allows the breeder to claim any issue is the owner's fault. At the same time, I would take a bird back that had a personality problem. I would not want it being sold off to someone else, I would want the opportunity as the breeder to evaluate what the problem was and what caused it. Many breeders disagree with the policy of taking the birds back, but is run blood tests and practice quarantine, and believe it is my responsibility as the person who provided the nest box, trained the baby, and chose the home.

 

[weco]

It's nothing more than a good old American marketing technique, but unlike a manufacturer offering a "try it first" warranty, their birds must be pretty well socialized or they'd be out of business pretty quickly or their warranty would quickly go away/get re-written.....

 

[SilverSage]

Like I said, gimmick. Some of these birds likely get returned, but often they probably say things to make the owner rethink bringing the bird back. On the other hand, the fact that they have 90 days gives them long enough to "try it out" that most people will get attached. Guaranteeing like that just makes people more likely to buy from them rather than someone else. Plus, nothing keeps them from turning around and selling that bird again immediately.

 

[Phlox]

Or maybe they want to make sure that people don't dump off a baby bird in the first few months, so they are essentially offering a money back guarantee so they don't end up shuffled around early?

My MBC is only 10 months old. I'm his THIRD home and he's nice (snuggly nippy naughty conure nice, but still nice). Sometimes birds are difficult. Isn't this sort of a good thing? It encourages people to return to the breeder if they have a problem, instead of just throwing the bird to the wolves, so to speak.

 

[Kiwibird]

If they want their breeding operation to stick out, why not offer a free parrot care course for buyers or discounted proper habitat with bird purchase or something positive that would contribute to the bird staying in the same home it's whole life. Prepare people for the challenges of parrot ownership and inform them of the special care needs parrots have. This disgusting tactic is just wrong on so many levels. Offer a 90 day guarantee on a vacuum or mattress or something, not a living, breathing, intelligent animal!

 

[SilverSage]

I feel that agreeing to take the bird back if things don't work out is a lot different than advertising that it is hassle free to get rid of it if it isn't perfect and easy.

 

[95talongirl]

I agree with all that has been said. IDK if this is meant to he helpful, or just a tactic to sell more.

I like Kiwibird's suggestion in that education should be priority. Every new owner needs to know the sometimes harsh truth when it comes to being a parrot parent!