ZephyrTK
New member
I work in a pet shop in southern California. The other day a woman came in thing me she found a parrot in her backyard and was planning on keeping it. I was instantly worried because she said it was injured and made no mention of trying to find its owner. She showed me a picture and I found myself more worried: it was a Nanday from the wild Nanday flock that lives in our area.
I suggested that she take the bird to a local rescue who could assess its health and get it back with its flock, take it to the vet or surrender the bird to me so I could help it. She was incredibly ignorant and asked if she could keep it as a pet. I gave her a million reasons why she shouldn't and how the bird would likely die from loneliness. She then proceeded to get a small finch cage to house it in.
Knowing I was losing the battle I asked two women I work with to go over and tag team her to try to scare her from keeping the bird. She finally gave in and bought a reasonably sized cage to transport him to the vet we recommended and went on her way.
She came in yesterday to return the cage. Sensing a happy ending I asked her how it all went. She said she didn't take him to the vet and that she attempted to keep it. It had passed away 2 days later. She said the flock stayed in her backyard and screamed and screamed and the caged bird was screaming back. She said that if he had energy to scream that she suspected he was fine. I let her know that the frustration of hearing it's flock and not being able to get to them probably stressed the bird out to the point of death. Then there was the likelihood that the bird was sick.
She asked then if she could meet a few of our conures. You will be happy to know that I refused to sell her a bird until she could display a thorough understanding of their needs and care. I doubt she'll ever come back.
One of my employees asked if I was too hard on her, that if the bird was sick in the wild it would have died anyway. My response: the bird wasn't in the wild, it was in the care of a human who had resources to assist the bird or ease its suffering.
One of the more annoying things I've dealt with. I figured you would all feel my pain and frustration over this poor souls suffering.
I suggested that she take the bird to a local rescue who could assess its health and get it back with its flock, take it to the vet or surrender the bird to me so I could help it. She was incredibly ignorant and asked if she could keep it as a pet. I gave her a million reasons why she shouldn't and how the bird would likely die from loneliness. She then proceeded to get a small finch cage to house it in.
Knowing I was losing the battle I asked two women I work with to go over and tag team her to try to scare her from keeping the bird. She finally gave in and bought a reasonably sized cage to transport him to the vet we recommended and went on her way.
She came in yesterday to return the cage. Sensing a happy ending I asked her how it all went. She said she didn't take him to the vet and that she attempted to keep it. It had passed away 2 days later. She said the flock stayed in her backyard and screamed and screamed and the caged bird was screaming back. She said that if he had energy to scream that she suspected he was fine. I let her know that the frustration of hearing it's flock and not being able to get to them probably stressed the bird out to the point of death. Then there was the likelihood that the bird was sick.
She asked then if she could meet a few of our conures. You will be happy to know that I refused to sell her a bird until she could display a thorough understanding of their needs and care. I doubt she'll ever come back.
One of my employees asked if I was too hard on her, that if the bird was sick in the wild it would have died anyway. My response: the bird wasn't in the wild, it was in the care of a human who had resources to assist the bird or ease its suffering.
One of the more annoying things I've dealt with. I figured you would all feel my pain and frustration over this poor souls suffering.
