Pet shops that keep nests in cages - hard on hens?

bonnies_gouldians · Post by **bonnies_gouldians** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 6:42 pm

I agree very much with you Kittani and I am pretty sure we work at the same chain (if I remember correctly?) I personally have a uromastyx and she has not had water in three years, never had a problem with it, she gets all the water she needs from her veggies. True enough with trying to find a happy medium. I still hold the opinion after having worked there for a few months that most of the people (at least at my store in the pet care department) only know whats in the "initial training" and very little else about most of the animals. I have seen them say that a nest is standard purchase for birds, baby beardeds only have to be fed veggies and can be fed just once a day (I breed them myself and fed them crickets a minimum of two times a day and have veggies in with them all day, even that is not enough sometimes and they still get their tails nipped on occassion), and some other random weird stuff. I just wish they would hire some people who actually are interested in and are knowledgable about the animals in our department. They dont have to be experts, just a little bit more knowledgable would make me happy.

As a personal note, I love it when the societies cram themselves into the nests, when we had two in their cage, at least 10 of them would squeeze into a single nest! The other two would try to fit as well but I think someone put a little too much bedding in the bottom!

franny · Post by **franny** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 6:55 pm

The woman who came and trimmed my GBs nails used to work at a chain pet store (it's only in western Canada). She told me that she was very pleasantly surprised herself, when she went to work there. They sent her to the head office in the mid-west, for training, and it was pretty extensive. Way more so than she would have thought before going there. But it was the day to day handling of the birds, and just observing them, that taught her the most.

Eventually she decided go into business for herself with the mobile bird trimming. And I was pretty impressed with her knowledge. She was quoting me all of these things that she noticed I'd been doing for my finches (like noticing the lower perches of the cage were large, and that they got progressively smaller as they got higher). No one else ever noticed that. And a lot of the stuff I've found out from people here about how to feed them, she knew. (Maybe she lurks here.

) Anyway, if all the pet stores had staff like this one she worked at does, they'd be much better places!

bonnies_gouldians · Post by **bonnies_gouldians** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 6:59 pm

Interesting Franny, whats the deal with progressively smaller perches? Never heard that they needed that.

franny · Post by **franny** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 7:06 pm

It's not that they really need them that way...I just decided to organize them that way because on a shrub or tree you usually have larger (older) branches near the bottom, and they get smaller as you go up, where the new shoots appear.

But they really DO need a variety of sizes, and even better if the length of each perch has bumps and curves along it, so they are continually exercising their feet. Also prevents the birdly equivalent to bed sores, bumblefoot!

bonnies_gouldians · Post by **bonnies_gouldians** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 7:10 pm

logical explanation for it. My birds have perchs in their cage that are different in size along the length of the perch, I dont want to risk their little toes cramping or getting sores, I couldnt imagine having to stand nearly 24/7/365 that would not be fun at all! I feel for large hoofed animals too for the same reason...

BillD · Post by **BillD** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 9:26 pm

Well.. yall have confirmed my opinion of Petsmart and Petco regarding finches. Know it is not your fault but the corporation is sending down edicts. I see all those birds cramming into one nest box and wonder how healthy that is for them.

Hope that Strick sees this before he decides to buy.

I know yall do what you need to for your job. I do alot that I don't agree with in my job. Guess we just need to enlighten each other when we see it.

B CAMP · Post by **B CAMP** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 9:47 pm

Well societies will sleep ten or more in a nest even when they have a empty nest right next to it that the way they sleep,not long ago I had A large cage with ten societies with baby they would all pile in the same nest,Don't think its the chain store.

kittani79 · Post by **kittani79** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 11:05 pm

Yeah... you can give a group of 10 societies 3 or 4 big nests... they will all pile into one lol.

It's just how they are, and it's pretty cute to see all those little faces looking out.

Most of the other finches don't use the nests at all.