Where does petsmart get their parrots supplied from?

Question

a breeder? do they handfeed? is it a safe invironment?

Answer 1

Petsmart and most other large chain petstores get their birds form bird mills.  They are weaned and may be handfed but not in the proper way you are thinking of.  A properly handfed bird is handfed to aid in socialization.  Bird mill birds are generally pulled from the nest quickly tube fed and not handled otherwise simply so they can say the bird is handfed but it has none of the socialization a handfed bird from a hobby breeder will have.  As far as safety given the outbreak of psittacosis earlier this year (along with a smaller one in early 2006) I would say no they are not safe.

If you are interested in a bird I would recommend getting one from a hobby breeder that only deals with a few species of birds, and operates off a closed aviary concept (no bird comes in without proper quarantine including birds that have previouly been in and were out for showing etc)

Answer 2

Most chain pet stores get their birds from "bird mills" - people who'll breed just to sell in large quantities to pet stores. They're weaned, but beyond that, they get very little socialization. They're also overpriced beyond belief.

DON'T buy a bird from ANY pet store unless it's a pet store that sells nothing else. Go to a private breeder. You'll pay a fairer price and get a better bird.