What should I ask the pet store owner before getting a bird?
56 asked:
i want a lovebird and i am getting it from a pet store, what do i need to ask about the bird before buying?
i want a lovebird and i am getting it from a pet store, what do i need to ask about the bird before buying?
Most pet stores really don’t know enough about the birds. You should get a book and read all of it before purchasing the bird.
okay first off stop buying from pet stores they are as bad as puppy mills !! buy from a breeder if you must or rehome one that you know needs a home . ask the breeder how old the bird is ? , when was it hatched and so forth . Is the aviary clean ? look around ? do the birds look happy ? are they pluckers ? these are all the things you should consider when purchasing a bird . I hope that you will take all these things into consideration . good luck .
-What kind of food does it eat?
-How many times a day do I need to give it water and food?
-What kind of weather can it withstand?
Good luck! And hope this helps. :- )
much like kate m said, a pet store is not the ideal place to buy a “healthy” bird. Pet stores can be packed with possible diseases and unhealthy living conditions. You also should do a considerable amount of research before you go off and purchase a bird. Know what type you want and which would best suit your environmnet/personality.
You ideally want to get a bird from a private breeder. Unless it’s one of the rare, small, privately owned pet stores that actually socializes with ALL the birds, not just the larger parrots.
Especially with something like a lovebird. Lovebirds can be wonderful, very funny, interactive little parrots to own, but most from pet stores are not tame at all, and can become more of a chore than a pleasure to have. Finding a tame, well socialized bird can make a huge difference in how you bond and interact with your bird.
When getting any bird though you want to find out at least the following things- plus anything else you can think of that you want to know. A good breeder will answer any and all questions, even if they might seem silly.
You also want to be able to see where the birds are kept, if it looks clean, they have clean food and water, the feather condition of the birds, or other birds around it, and that the bird seems alert, and healthy.
1) Was the bird hand fed, hand raised, or parent fed? (there is a difference between hand fed and hand raised, but usually either way, the chick turns out tame and friendly. A parent raised bird will be untame.)
2) How old is the bird?
3) What has it been eating? (will it willingly eat fresh veggies and fruits, other healthy foods or has it been spoiled onto a junk food diet=seed only diet)
4) Has it been DNA sexed or do they know the gender? (depending on the species, for a lovebird it would have to be DNA sexed or a breeder might be able to tell the sex if they were breeding for specific sex-linked color mutations) Not that it matters for just one pet lovebird, but if in the future you wanted another it can help in making the decision.
5) Does the bird have any toy preferences? (in a store they won’t know, but a breeder might be able to tell you a certain bird likes shreddable toys, another likes ones that make noise, etc…)
6) Are the birds in the house (or store) regularly checked by an avian vet? If so, which one, when were they last checked, etc.
7) Any personality quirks of the bird