qpmomma said:
You're kidding, right?? I don't know a respectable breeder who DOESN'T handfeed! And as far as Petsmart goes, yes, we do sell unweaned, but that's rare and the person has to come in for lessons. Most of the time they are already weaned when we get them, or are in the weaning process.
Don't get me started on breeders, those who actually force such atrocities on animals in the name of love. There's no such thing as a respectable one; reputable, maybe, but I don't trust the opinions of those who buy babies, either. There are actually many breeders who don't handfeed. But for those who do, how many also tell you that the breeding pairs aren't tame and can't be tamed? How many refuse breeding birds any source of entertainment so that the birds are forced to either breed or stare at nothing? How many are breeding birds younger than age 15? These people are not ones to trust.
It doesn't matter how often those who buy the unweaned come in to watch you do it. Even experienced breeders lose babies, and PetSmart employees are hardly qualified to be considered experienced, let alone teachers. Handfeeding is an absolute horror of a mess for all involved.
Handfed birds are for one, being given terrible building blocks physically. Many will be pluckers because they're physically uncomfortable. No formula can even remotely match what you find in the mother or father's crop, and the only formulas that come close to being nutritionally sound are Harrison's and Roudybush. Unless PetSmart has made a BIG change in the past couple of months, they don't even
consider these brands. Your store probably tells people absurdly short lifespans if like any other on the chain because this awful start does indeed make for an early end.
Handfed birds are also frustrated, mentally disturbed creatures. In nature, birds are fed by members of the flock until they'er five and even ten years old, whereas handfed birds are forced to fend for themselves often before they even reach five
months. They become anxious and often have a boatload of nervous habits. Not to mention, they "bond" quickly because they look at the handfeeder as the parent. This is NOT good! Birds, just like children, eventually want -
need - to leave home and mate. They become nasty to their "parent" as they try to seperate themselves (this is when most birds lose their home or even their life because the owners don't understand the reason the bird is nasty after one or two decades of being fine).
Handfed birds have a hard time figuring out with who to mate, how to interact, and their IQs are stunted without the vital flock exposure and interaction. Many birds, like Macaws, will get to the point in their life when they won't tolerate humans, but can't be introduced to birds because they don't know how to interact. These birds rarely keep their lives when even the most patient and loving of activist can't relieve the their mental torture.
Does your store tell adopters
any of this about handfed babies?
I commend any animal lover who wants to work there, but don't fall into the store's lies.
PetSmart gets (unless disease had them change services again) Kaytee birds (and it used to be LabPets for the mammals). They live in horrid factory conditions stacked one on top of the other where being handfed involves half of a second with a human as a syringe full of cheap formula is shoved directly into their crops (they don't spoonfeed as often PetSmart associates are taught). Most are the products of incest and mothers bread until their ability to live literally wears out (it's interesting to note that PetSmart boasts their approval of their providers). They come from across the country on trucks with just a piece of fruit. Most are loaded with disease, and many even have psittacosis. Once at PetSmarts, birds are given tap, frequently formula is microwaved which allows for hot spots and oscillating temperature and consistency, they're given terrible diets, sold to people without background checks or follow-ups. Not to mention, the store is reknown for telling people that parrots only need around four hours of attention a day.
Sadly, PetSmart's policy for taking care of dogs and cats doesn't apply to their small animals and birds. You have an honorable chance to make a difference.
Blessings,
awashinlove
EDIT to add these fliers for anyone who wants to lend a hand:
http://www.avianwelfare.org/action/flyers/massmarketing.pdf
http://www.avianwelfare.org/action/flyers/adoptafricangrey.pdf
Plus they can be taught to talk,but I absolutely love reading stories about the African Gray's Abilities,but my second favorite would be the Blackheaded Caique Pionite: Pionites
There are several subspecies of the Black-headed and White-bellied Caique:http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=15&cat=1840&articleid=2343 
