Quaker Parrots
My husband and I decided a few months ago that we
wanted to purchase a Quaker Parrot. So our search
began.
Being uneducated about pet stores, that is the
first place that we looked. We made several trips
over the course of a few weeks to the Petland in South
Point, Ohio to look at their birds. They had baby
quakers, too young to be purchased yet according to
employees who stated that they were being hand fed,
housed in the middle of the store in a glass case
along with a variety of other types of birds, much
older than the quakers. This set off an alarm to me.
If these quakers were too young to be sold, why were
they on display in such a manner?
The employee we
spoke to asked us to pay a deposit on the bird and
when it was legal to sell it, they would call. Not
being one to impulse buy, I refused and stated that we
were going to do a little shopping around. But these
birds stayed on my mind. We ultimately made a few
more visits to the store, the birds were still housed
in the same matter, usually hiding under a wooden box
from the other, older birds and always seeming to be
hungry. We were planning a vacation and knew that we
would have to wait until we returned so we could care
for the bird. Again, I didn't pay the deposit that
the employee asked for.
On our vacation, we stopped
at a Petland in Lewis Center, Ohio. They had baby
Quakers and they were cheaper and ready to go. My
husband and I decided to think about it. We went on
with our trip and on our way home, stopped in Lewis
Center and purchased the quaker parrot. The employee
who sold us the bird stated that the "guy who takes care of them is off today", so we were unable to get a
date of birth for the bird or an approximate age. We
were told that the birds were still being hand fed,
but that the manager was planning on stopping the hand
feeding that week. We were given a small, plastic bag
of formula and a few syringes, and told to stop hand
feeding when all the formula was gone. The birds at
the Petland in Lewis Center were housed in the same
manner as the ones in the South Point Store, only the
case was cleaner.
The day after purchasing the
quaker, I went to a bookstore and purchased a book on
quaker parrots. I immediately knew then something was
wrong. My quaker had alot of the symptoms of a sick
bird. The next day I called the Vet and scheduled
an appointment for the next morning. After spending
nearly $200.00 on tests, the vet informed me that the
bird would be OK, that she was improperly cared for,
not fed properly, and had a yeast infection. I was
given medicine and purchased the right food from the
vet. Within 48 hours, I saw a whole new bird.
It was
amazing to see the difference in her. The first 4
days we had her, she sat in her cage with her feathers
fluffed and ate very little and had loose, runny,
discolored droppings. Now, she is playful, eats well,
and is constantly wanting out of her cage to play.
So, I again visited the Petland in South Point, just
to buy toys for my quaker. That is when I saw the 5
baby quakers being housed in the same glass case, but
this time seperate from the other birds. There was no
food in the case. The water was full of bird
droppings and the bowl had a green, slimy film on it.
Anyone who knows quakers will tell you that when a
baby is hunger, they will bob their head and flap
their wings. My quaker still does this because, upon
advice from the vet, I am still handfeeding and
probably always will. But never have I seen quakers
bob their heads and flap their wings in such a
desperate manner. One quaker in particular had begun
to pluck her feathers, which indicates a serious
problem. I tried to play with these quakers, but they
began to bob their heads even harder. I got some food
from the other birds, but the quakers couldn't eat it.
They were still too young. One quaker could barely
stand.
I put the items that I had in my hand to
purchase back on the shelf, and left the store in
tears to avoid making a scene. I came home, got on
the internet and began sending emails to Petland
Headquarter, with no response. I also emailed the
Lawrence County (OH) Humane Society, who suggested I
get in touch with PETA, so I emailed them as well. I
am waiting anxiously on word that these quakers were
rescued.
Please, I urge anyone who reads this letter,
to visit your local pet stores. Not to purchase
anything, but to observe the conditions and report
anything out of the way. Anyone can take a few
minutes from their grocery shopping or from running
errands to stop and walk in. When the employees ask
me if they can help me, I just say "No thank you, I'm just looking right now". Just a few minutes to help
stop the abuse and neglect of animals.
As I am typing
this letter, my quaker is sitting on my shoulder,
pulling at my hair and trying to talk. She has become
the focus of my family's life and we can't imagine not
having her. I never dreamed I could feel so much love
for such a small bird. I wouldn't trade her for
anything. I just pray that the 5 little quakers at the South Point
Petland will one day know that kind of love.
Sincerely,
Kim Marcum
River Cities Pets Home Page
Page updated: December 7th 2015
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