This was written by PETsMART customer service, who apparently believes that the "responsible breeders" are the ones that sell their birds to corporations who mass produce birds in the equivelant of a puppy mill, in a less than sanitary environment.Two audits a year mean that their birds are kept in sanitary conditions for maybe a week out of every six months....that isn't quite enough......
Keep each group of birds in seperate habitats,clean all habitats regularly, and thoroughly disinfect them between groups"
Although that requirement has yet to be seen in action in their pet stores around the world......
"Feed all birds a medicated diet for AT LEAST two weeks. That diet includes vitamins and minerals, as well as antibiotics including Doxycycline- a tetracycline medication that, when given for a two week course, is proven by veterinarians to prevent bacterial infections(If a bird is sick, a longer 45 day course is needed). Once birds reach PETsMART, they are quarentined for an additional three days."
If the birds were properly taken care of in the first place they would not be at risk for bacterial infections in the first place, although they are good to take preventative care, I'll give them that one... but I don't see the word "avian" before the word "veterinarian"....hmmm....
"Ensure all handfed Parrots receive two Polynoma vaccines before they leave the center. The fist vaccination is given when the chicks are one month old, the second is given two weeks later.
"Have a veterinarian on staff to monitor the birds' health and immedietly quarentine and treat any birds with potential health issues."
They fail to mention the fact that birds tend to hide their illnesses... so when one shows signs of illness, it is very possible that every bird has been exposed to it and they are all carriers if they do not get sick individually. Again, the vet is not specifically a board certified avian veterinarian..... that can pose some disastrous problems.
"Feed all hand-fed birds around the clock on schedules appropriate for their age, breed, and weight.
"Keep the birds at the facility until they are consistantly eating a pelleted diet on their own, supplemented by still two handfeedings a day, and have healthy and stable body weights. Once chicks arrive at PETsMART stores, associates are trained to continue twice daily hand feedings until the chicks are weaned or purchased by a customer. Stores train inexperienced customers on care, including how to hand feed chicks. In addition, customers receive detailed information on bird health and precautions, and must sign documents that commit them to proper care. PETsMART believes that this helps ensure that it sells birds only to commited, responsible owners, and helps to create a stronger bond between the owner and the pet."
Another thing that Customer Service fails to mention is that the vast majority of associates are teenagers, with a high turnover rate. When this occurs, the associates are in a perpetual state of training, and therefore do not provide a safe environment. Selling unweaned chicks can be devistating to both the chick and new "owner", who can give food that is too hot and burn the crop of the chick, or can actually deliver the food down the wrong tube and suffocate the chick. Staff that is greatly uneducated should not be educating customers on bird care- period.
"Hand deliver birds to PETsMART in climate controlled vehicles driven by employees trained in bird care. As an alternate to air delivery, develop a hand-delivery route for un-weaned chicks that can be hand fed as many times as needed during the trip by trained drivers."
So the driver has running water and sterile equipment to feed these babies whenever it is "needed", like when he is bored in a traffic jam- just pull over and feed a hundred chicks! I don't buy this one. Florida is pretty seperate from the rest of the country.... these chick are stuck in the back of a van for hours upon hours without any fresh air or sunlight.... tell me how that's humane!
"These programs have been in place and operating well in Kaytee facilities since 1997, as confirmed by PETsMART audits.
"Kaytee is currently planning to develop a third center in Las Vegas, Nevada to shorten travel time for birds being delivered to stores in the West. The facility will handle flight-raised and hand fed birds purchased from responsible suppliers. It will use the same standards for safe care and travel already in place at other Kaytee facilities."
Another bird mill in the making.... How long of a drive is it from Las Vegas to Minnisota?
"The Kaytee/PETsMART program has virtually eliminated psittacosis, improved overall bird health, minimized stress on the pets, and helped ensure successful relationships between pets and their owners. At PETsMART stores, associates must complete detailed training on how to continue that strong standard of care and help customers become responsible bird owners."
When asked to be more specific, PETsMART refused to devuldge the specifics of the "detailed" training their associates receive. That means to me that it consists of a video and a one page written test-maybe.
By shopping at PETsMART you are FUNDING and therefore condoning this!
Send PETsMART a letter and get this very same canned response! Join the boycott and make a difference!!
