Disgraceful !

[lovezebs]

Hello Fellow Finch Lovers,

Just came across this on kijiji.

Just look at hoe these poor birdies are kept... I think it's utterly disgraceful.
Filthy cage, filthy dishes, one perch....

AND, HE'S WANTING TO SELL FOR $150.00.
I would offer him a swift kick in the pants .

[GouldianGuy]

such a boring bland dirty cage for SO MANY birds!

[lovezebs]

GouldianGuy

It's gross, isn't it.
And he has the nerve to take a picture of that and post it, yuck!

Poor birdies.

Hopefully whomever buys them, will give them a better life.

[Celeris]

I see things like this on Craigslist all the time and it absolutely breaks my heart. I wish I could rescue all of the poor birds contained in such small cages and provide them each with a big ole flight, or even better, an aviary!

Big box pet stores (won't name any names) are what encourage such tight living spaces for finches, for sure. When I got my pair of socies from a friend, complete with their tiny cage (16"x14"x18", if I recall right), said friend assured me that the lady at the pet store told her that cage could easily accommodate two to four more finches! This was my first pair of birds, but even I didn't buy into that. It's like people that keep bettas in jars or tiny bowls--I wonder how people would feel if they were contained to a small bedroom their entire lives! Bugs me to no end.

Okay, I'll get off my soap box, now.

[lovezebs]

Celeris

I got into a huge argument on another Forum, about folks who keep their dogs in kennels for sometimes up to 12-15+ hours a day, and think that it's ok.... so don't get me started on keeping animals in very small enclosures.

I e-mailed the guy, and offered him $50.00 for the 7 birdies (don't need his stinky cage). That way, he can get rid of the birds, maybe clean the cage for once and actually sell it . So far haven't heard anything back.

I know about the small cages that are sold for 'small birds', and I honestly don't get why they even make them.

You would think that common sense would dictate, that these are creatures that fly, and that that being the case, they actually need some space to be able to do so....

Check these out.....
Supposed to be good for Canary, Budgie, Finches, or other small birds

[Celeris]

lovezebs

It seems you and I are of a similar mindset when it comes to that particular topic, then. I think many people want pets, but don't want any inconvenience, which includes things like large enclosures and messes. (To which I say don't get a pet, if that's your thinking.)

I agree that those small cages have virtually no use, but they seem to be a tradition. My husband and I are avid antiquers and I see so many antique bird cages (not just decorative) that are maybe 12"x12", usually hanging from some kind of stand. To think that someone could consider a living creature nothing more than decoration upsets me, but that is clearly the mindset that goes into such cages.

I see a lot of small cages advertised on craigslist as being "perfect for finches." I'm sure the sellers have been told that by some pet store employee at some point. (I only track craigslist in case of a finch listed for free or super cheap, to rescue it from becoming snake food. I really don't have space for a long-term arrangement, but won't see a bird thrown away because of carelessness.)

I hope you can give those finches a good home!

[Babs _Owner]

lovezebs

Two perches for 7 active zebras? sigh...

[lovezebs]

Celeris

Just got a response from this fella.

Now look at the original ad below, then read the resonse. Does that make any sense to you?

[lovezebs]

Babs

One perch my dear, only one perch.
Check out buddy's response in the up above post.

[Babs _Owner]

lovezebs

ONE perch? Poor hyper zebras need a gerbil wheel, or something in there...

Reasonable would be " I'll wash your little cage and we will call it even"

[Sojourner]

Around here I can get all the male zebras I want for under $6 apiece. I have no idea why male are considered less desirable (and therefore cheaper) than females.

$20 is probably about what he paid for them if he got them at a big box store. They seem to run $18 to $25 apiece when I see them there.

[Icearstorm]

Sojourner
Perhaps it is because males mature more quickly and have high reproductive potential, to the point where a large-scale breeder may only need a handful of stud males to fertilize multiple females.

Pet store prices for the common finches seem quite high; I have seen poorly marked chocolate pied society finches for around $20 in Pet Supermarket, when I got two nice female chocolate selfs from a bird fair vendor for $10, and a good quality chocolate self male for $7.

[lovezebs]

Babs

Just a stupid bugger.

In his add, he says he wants to sell, in his email response, he syas he doesn't want to sell.

Don't know what his problem is, and who knows how old these birds are, or if they're healthy or not (living like that). Probably don't even know how to fly, poor things.

Just felt sorry for the birds, that's why I made the offer. I don't really need anymore Zebbies, but could always pull another flight out from the garage, just to offer them something of a better life, instead of that "chicken coop".

If however he want's to play wheel and deal, he can do it with someone else. I'm not in the haggling mood.

[Sojourner]

lovezebs

I think English is not his native tongue. I think what he meant was he wouldn't sell them separately but only all together with the cage. He's probably trying to get back what he paid for them. I suspect he will not be successful in that endeavor.

[Sheather]

I'd say that the cage is actually pretty big, looks near to 30 inches long and definitely more than 18 high, and those cages are ok for six non-breeding birds if they all like one another, in my opinion. If he set it up better (several perches at different levels, swings, greenery/toys to pick at) it would be adequate for those birds, if still fairly crowded.

Neglecting to clean it and especially the dishes though is not excusable at all, that's just gross.