FINCHforum

Hello Fellow Finchers
Had a visit to a Petland I haven't been in for a long time, since March anyway.
Well I don't know if any of you recall a Post from March 8 2014 about trying to identify a 'strange looking finch.....' ? Which turned out to be a female Cut Throat Finch.

Well guess what? I walked into the store, and there she still is, huddled in the corner of a flight with one lone Owl, who has been there forever and a half as well, with Zebras, Canaries, and Societys buzzing around them. I stood there for a long time looking at this sad little couple, then went to find the Manager.

He didn't know what a Cut Throat Finch was (a what throat finch?) let alone being able to identify her in the flight. I asked him what he wanted for her, since she'd been there for at least eight months and probably longer? He was going to go check, see if we could 'figure' something out etc. and scurried off somewhere. I waited for fifteen min, then went hunting for him. Well, found him loading stuff on shelves in the back. Oh so so sorry, he got side tracked and thought I'd left... Yea, right!

Anyway, he was willing to make me the deal of a lifetime. Really? Rubbing his hands together, a big used car salesman smile on his face. He would let me have her for a paltry $40.00.
I said: Come on, this is an older bird, who's been sitting here forever, eating your food, costing you money, instead of making you money. Can't you do better than that? Nope, nope, nope.... no can do.

I said: Maybe throw in the ancient Owl, and make it fifty for both?
No way, no how, he'd be losing money, yada-yada-yada...

I walked away, feeling bad for these two. Maybe go back in a few months, maybe never...

As I stood there waiting, I watched a bunch if kids man- handling the animals. One rabbit got dropped on his head into the open topped inclosure. .. The parents were standing right there with stupid smiles on their faces saying nothing. The employees were standing right there, saying nothing. I felt like knocking heads together. I grabbed what I'd come for and left.

I really don't like Petland.

~Elana~

My local Petland is a true abomination. Their long-term inmate is a female green singer, who I have seen at this store, living in a 12 x 12 pink cage with one perch hung in the middle of the room below human eye level, surrounded on all sides by barking dogs and snotty children and everything else - since early 2012. She is almost bald as she is always caged with zebra finches, who come and go, not before plucking her bald. They've also had a macaw and two lovebirds in sparse cages too small for either species to spread their wings for at least as long and I've seen puppies there, for sale in those 4 x 3 foot wide glass tanks, which had been there so long they'd grown into adult dogs. When I pointed out these various animals issues I was asked to leave the store. Petland is horrible in every way and I do not support them.

Yeesh, that's rough.

Those guys at the pet stores just don't understand. They work in a pet shop, ATLEAST TRAIN them with a basic understanding on the animals that live in their shop. He thought he was giving you a good deal? Lol! Nice try "salesmen" . ;)

Elana, all members of the forum should open up a rescue shop franchise founded here, saving birds and ogher animals from the pet stores, rehabbing them and selling them being all happy and healthy.

The last time I went to petland, we were going to get millet, and I noticed that it looked like there was a societu finch in the zebra flight. Not really a huge deal, but when we went to the register, I told the person. And she didn't answer nor reply to my comment.

Instead....she said....

"I had a finch once. But then it flew away" I made the story a little shorter, but I was like "oh" lol. Maybe pet shops will change over the years. Hopefully!! lovezebs

I literally become depressed when I go into pet stores and see how the birds are kept. It kills me...I had many pet store rescues in my previous flock, but none this time around. So...I steer clear of pet stores unless its to look @ the dogs available for rescue.

I hate stores like that. There is one here called Steve's Wonderful World of Pets. It's more like a hell

Ginene & delray & Sheather

Oh my God, Dylan, since 2012? That is just heart breaking. That poor little bird. And those Love Birds and the Macau... Can you maybe buy the Green Singer? Just to give her a bit of a life..... Or are they wanting an arm and a leg for her?

Yea Brian, I wish they would really get their act together. They are dealing with living, feeling creatures.

I know my Pet Shop, not a Petland, will let you buy older birds for really low prices. The funny thing is, that sometimes these 'older' birds are not at all old. Like my first two zebra brothers, that I got for next to nothing. I was told that their feathers and colours were not good because they were old. In reality, they were two pre-molt babies. Same with my two Green Singers. Got them for $20 or $25 because they were 'old'. They are not old at all.

I know it's depressing to go into these kind of stores Ginene, but there are some out there that are better than others and those are the ones I like to frequent.

By the way, does anyone know what these birds are? First they tried to tell me they were Green Singers, and I said: Ugh no, I have Green Singers and they are not them. Then they tried to tell me they were Orange Cheeks, and I just laughed. Then they said, Yellow Eared Waxbills..... and I said: I don't think so. And then they shrugged their shoulders and said they would have to look it up. I took a couple of pictures, because I don't have a clue either

~Elana~.

Elana those are either female out juvenile orange weaver finches

DanteD716
Thanks. So much for Waxbills, eh? Orange, yellow or otherwise. Just goes to show, that the people working there really don't know what they are talking about. Someone is going to go in there and think they are getting wax bills. Oye!

Is my memory serving me right, when I recall that Weavers are not the most sociable of birds? In fact one of the girls working there, told me that one of them bit her, and that it really hurt.

~Elana~

lovezebs they never do! It tacky upsets me. And they aren't too aggressive except when breeding they shouldn't be kept with species that have similar colors. They'll most likely just be the dominant birds in a mixed flight (best perches, nests, etc) i might be getting orange and red weavers later this week

I have no idea on the ID, but they're very pretty. I struggle when I go into my local Petsmart. I hate going there, but I don't have many options in my small town. The finches almost always look sick or scruffy, the parakeets are usually fighting and there's usually a poor conure plucking itself out of sheer boredom.
I am currently trying to talk myself out of going and grabbing the lonely little fawn female zebra I saw when I was there a few days ago. She looked so sad watching the societies fuss about in the box next to her. I keep telling myself she's probably sick and I really don't want to risk upsetting the balance with my 3 female societies who are playing house right now. It's very hard to say no even when it's probably best.

DanteD716
Well, if you want two extra weavers, hop over to Canada, come over to this Petland, and ask for the Green Singers, aka Orange Cheek waxbills, aka Yellow Eared Waxbills... and maybe you'll get the Weavers.
As in regards to biting, if I were in that store, I'd be biting too.

you're too funny. I'll probably be paying way less than what petland is asking!

DanteD716
Didn't even ask what they were wanting for them, seeing as they didn't even know what they were. The poor things will probably languish in that store until the second coming.
Goodluck with your new babies, and don't forget some pictures.

~Elana~

sundancekid
Hey there.
Found out that they are Orange Weavers (courtesy of our friend Dante) .
I know it's hard to say no when it comes to birds, that's why I don't even bother trying most of the time.LOL!!! That's why my house looks and sounds like a zoo. People on the phone will occasionally ask me if I'm in a zoological park or some such place because of the burd sounds in the back ground.

lovezebs poor things! And i still need to post pictures of my new canaries. . I'll get around to it eventuality