I wandered through a petshop today as it was next to a shop I was in. In a cage full of budgies there was some with scaly face. One in particular had scalyface so bad it was all across its face and into both eyes. The beak was becoming malformed, there was crusty scalyface projections from beak across face and around both eyes. There were a couple who also had scaly face but not quite as bad.

I drew the attention of staff members to the birds and they came over and looked and said they would treat with scalyface lotion.I told them it was past that point and needed spot on ivermectin from the vet.

She caught the two worst birds and said she would "put them out the back in a cage" and the vet would look when he came next week.

 

My question and point is this......

Do you really think those birds will see a vet ?

I don't. I really dont think for the dollar value they buy their birds in at, that they will spend money on a vet.

I think thats a story line we get fed when a sick or injured bird is pointed out.

I must point out that this particular pet shop is NOT one of the better ones. Its huge, and from a well known chain...but many many times has had sick or maimed or defect birds in there for sale.

I think it depends on the pet shop, a good one wouldn't have bought those birds in the first place. I have worked at a few pet shops and I must say the ones I have worked at have been generally good and in those ones the 'back room' isn't a bad thing. At the first shop I worked at not even a goldfish was put down for something treatable, the owner had a tank in his office which was for sick fish and any sick or injured animals were always looked at by the vet. In the second one the pet shop was actually owned by a vet who even operated on one of the shop rats once for a tumour :sadsorry:

Edited November 19, 200816 yr by Neat

So, maybe there is hope :sadsorry: The severity of that birds scalyface makes you wonder how well they check their incoming stock and who they buy from.

I really hope they do. I went popped into a pet store (chain) on the weekend and three of the budgies had scaly face, one so bad it had clumps of it on its feet and in his eyes. I pointed this out to the women working and she told me she would take them home and treat them. I asked her what she would use to treat them as it was obviously past the point of just using a parafin solution, and she told me that the vet had gave her a supply of the ivermectin to use. She claimed to have "not noticed", how, I don't know.

 

I really really hope that these aren't just lies we are being told, but many people do see budgies as a cheap almost disposable pet.

Personally if I was a pet shop owner I'd be putting ivermec spot on every bird that came in, given I can get over 100 treatments out of the little bottle I buy for $3 it wouldn't be expensive

Personally if I was a pet shop owner I'd be putting ivermec spot on every bird that came in, given I can get over 100 treatments out of the little bottle I buy for $3 it wouldn't be expensive

Me too...its common sense

I was working at the markets on the weekend ... There were 2 stores selling budgies ...

I was impressed with one .. Nice clean birds - and I even stayed a " looked at items" while she was

telling the buyer the sex of the birds ... And She wasn't 100% sure on one and told the buyer that ....

( was after a breeding pair) so they chose another one ... It was a good feeling to see birds well looked after ...

 

However the other one was filthy No Food ... No water ..... Full of poo and wost yet it had MOLDY APPLES jammed in the cage wires .... I rang the animal inspection officer people after the "Non English" speaking stall holder wouldn't listen to me ... Need less to say he understood the Ranger and the FINE THEY GOT :D

Look, some back rooms are okay, some arent. In the case of the birds you saw I recon they would have been put to sleep. Many owners (store owners) don't care enough to spend the time on treating them.

 

I'm just thankful that I can!

Look, some back rooms are okay, some arent. In the case of the birds you saw I recon they would have been put to sleep. Many owners (store owners) don't care enough to spend the time on treating them.

 

I'm just thankful that I can!

Thats what I think will happen in this case.

Maybe visit again in a little while and if there are still dodgy birds in there say nothing and just report them to the ranger.

Yeah, i feel the same in this case - they only pay $2-$5 for budgies, there is no financial incentive to take sick birds to the vet - and being a chain store they are even less likely than a private one

 

Do pet shops have a vet that visits each week to check the animals????

 

My Local pet shop is awesome. She lets me in her back room to look at her budgies out the back. Once there was a canary in a cage alone with bad scaly face. it was in there for months while it recovered

 

Some pet shops care , others don't

Most pet shops do have a vet tat visits or which they take animals to as they need to have pups and kittens vaccinated and chipped prior to sale

Do pet shops have a vet that visits each week to check the animals????

 

None of the shops I have worked at (nore have I seen or heard of any), have a vet come in just to cheak up on the animals in store. The only time we have had vets in store is to vaccinate many puppys and kittens at the same time. Other times the pups or kittens are taken to the vets to get vaccinated/cheaked. And any sick puppys or kittens get vet care.

Most - if not all- other animals are treated in store.

 

In defence, after working in the animal industry for so long - you tend to know as much as the vets on the basic stuff and how to treat it. (for example - How KAZ can treat many an ill bird as well as any vet- but also knows when she needs help ) The problem arises when you dont have those well experience staff (or the ones that think they know everything)

The problem arises when you dont have those well experience staff (or the ones that think they know everything)

 

EXACTLY

 

I worked at one pet shop where I was specifically brought in as the 'aquarium expert' for my knowledge of fish and fish treatments as while the shop was owned by a vet he knew very little about treating fish. The only problem I had was that one of the other members of staff wouldn't let me treat tanks with sick fish in them if the treatment changed the colour of the tank because 'it made the fish look sick'! Aw der, the sick fish made the fish look sick It got so bad that she started hiding the treatments and I had to go to the manager and she got 'spoken to'.

 

Idiot staff members cause the vast majority of the problems

Maybe visit again in a little while and if there are still dodgy birds in there say nothing and just report them to the ranger.

I reported this same store once before to the rsp*a over a pair of barraband parrots..one has scissorbeak so bad it could not eat. Nothing was done...the same birds were still there weeks later and the bird just got thinner and thinner. His partner was plucking herself to the point of mutilation.

Edited November 19, 200816 yr by KAZ

Don't know about there Kaz but here petshops aren't the RSPCA's concern they are under the jurisdiction of the local councils rangers

And yet I know of a pet store of a large chain that is no longer allowed to keep birds as they were told that "there was not enough air circulation where the birds were". Personally I say this is not the real reason, but it does make me glad that they no longer sell birds if there was a problme, though I do nto know what the problem was as it looked alright to me, and I even have a bird from there.

However the other one was filthy No Food ... No water ..... Full of poo and wost yet it had MOLDY APPLES jammed in the cage wires .... I rang the animal inspection officer people after the "Non English" speaking stall holder wouldn't listen to me ... Need less to say he understood the Ranger and the FINE THEY GOT

 

YEAH!!! Good stuff mate!!!

 

We have varying one around here. Some I would never buy ANYTHING from, one is brilliant, from which I buy some birds. All staff are very experienced. They used to clip my birds wings before I learnt how to do it myself, and they have also treated my Bearded Dragon...

 

On a side note. A CHAIN Pet shop here used to sell Reptiles, but they had their license taken away as the cages they were housing them in were unsuitable. Makes you wonder if someone complained or what?!?!

I recently bought a bird from a large pet shop here out east, and they explicitly offer a money back guarantee on health. It certainly seems to indicate that they have a certain degree of confidence that they won't be seeing you again. Although then again if they pick them up for just $5 or so, perhaps it doesn't mean anything - I would liek to think it means something, though.

Actually legally all pet shops have to offer a minimum health guarantee including giving your money back if they are found to have had the illness on sale of the animal

Edited November 19, 200816 yr by melbournebudgies

well i have worked in pet shops too ... and back rooms are a good thing... in all cases they are for quarrantining and are in the best interest of the bird and customer... and of course as all bird breeders should know... birds often do not show they are sick until too late................ although ... rediculous counts of scaly face and or lice is un-scrupulus and unforgivable.... RSPCA officers need to re think their protocol and do the regular checks they promise....

Actually legally all pet shops have to offer a minimum health guarantee including giving your money back if they are found to have had the illness on sale of the animal

 

yes but if you read the fine print you will see that you have to take the bird to vet and pay the cost of getting it checked out

they only replace the bird if it dies and if the bird is sick and vet treated then they pay like 20 percent of the bill

woopy do

if it dies at home you still have to take to vet for autopsy to give them sold proof it died of illmness

well i have worked in pet shops too ... and back rooms are a good thing... in all cases they are for quarrantining and are in the best interest of the bird and customer... and of course as all bird breeders should know... birds often do not show they are sick until too late................ although ... rediculous counts of scaly face and or lice is un-scrupulus and unforgivable.... RSPCA officers need to re think their protocol and do the regular checks they promise....

 

 

I disagree with the phrase IN ALL CASES..............I emphatically do not believe anyone can say with all conscience ........in all cases and speak for the practices of ALL PETSHOPS.

well i have worked in pet shops too ... and back rooms are a good thing... in all cases they are for quarrantining and are in the best interest of the bird and customer... and of course as all bird breeders should know... birds often do not show they are sick until too late................ although ... rediculous counts of scaly face and or lice is un-scrupulus and unforgivable.... RSPCA officers need to re think their protocol and do the regular checks they promise....

 

 

I disagree with the phrase IN ALL CASES..............I emphatically do not believe anyone can say with all conscience ........in all cases and speak for the practices of ALL PETSHOPS.

 

 

i know that to be true i been in few pet shop back rooms with dead birds that had been their for days by look

and know they do not quarrentene

however the worm and ivomectom

kind of makes no sence really

best thing to do is not buy from them shops ever as if they cant sell they dont get in new birds

I saw "eagle" at a pet shop, he is an absolute cracker and I am stoked to have him. Perhaps take as you find. My local has just been taken over by a bird breeder, changed stock every week! I have read of some very happy purchases on this site from pet shops but do agree better to buy amongst ourselves. However, by walking into pet shops we see, we fall in love, we buy...