OK, Birds Unlimited has been around
for about 21 years now, three years at this new location in Webster, we get all
sorts of people in the store and we get many questions. Someone once said there
is no such thing as a stupid question. Hmmm, I'm not sure about that, for
instance... If I bring in my cockatiel's eggs, can you fertilize them? No I
can't and neither can any of my birds. More than one person has actually asked me "where do African Greys come from". Some questions we get all the time, here
are some of the good ones...
last updated
07/12//11
And the number one question of all
time...
Q. What are your
hours?
A. My hours are 70-75 a week, every
week, but we're open, Monday thru Friday 11 AM to 8 PM, Saturday 10 AM to 5 PM,
Closed on Sundays and major holidays. This hasn't changed in 21 years, I list this in all my
advertising, on several pages on this web site, it's in both the white and
yellow pages of the phone book, (women seem to like the white pages while the
guys love to go for the yellow, me too, maybe it's all the nice pictures), the
hours are on my business cards, my answering machine, my front door, my side
window, they don't change!! If we get a snow storm and there's a storm warning
then I try to let the staff go home early. Now don't get me wrong I do very much
appreciate you folks who get here ten minutes early to an hour or more before we
open, but we've got stuff to do. Every cage gets scrubbed down, floors get swept
and vacuumed, bowls get scrubbed and birds get fed, babies get hand fed,
deliveries show up... it takes three people two hours to get most of this done,
unfortunately regularly there's only two people doing this. Here's my favorite,
someone pulls into the parking lot about 30 minutes before we open, they wait a
few minutes, come to the door, y'know the door with the hours right about face
high, they'll pull on the handle, "darn it's locked". They'll proceed to look
into the store much like a guppy looking out of a fishbowl, if they happen to
see someone they'll knock and they'll mouth these words much like someone
talking to a deaf person, ARE YOU OPEN? Some people have even called on their
cell phones hoping that we'd answer, (we don't pick up the phone until 11). What
I want to say is, " yes we do our best business with the door locked and the
lights out and the sign that says CLOSED", but I resist. Don't anyone take this
personally as you're not alone, it's been going on for years. Please be patient,
we always try to open on time and we sometimes unlock a few minutes late...
we've got stuff to do.
Q. Are there any veterinarians in the area
the treat birds?
A. Yes there are several and then
there are some that want nothing to do with birds. Here are a few, more will be
added as I think of them. They're in alphabetical order by doctors name.
In the case of an emergency, do not email me, call
a veterinarian as soon as possible. If you think there's something wrong with
your pet, there probably is, get help, don't wait.
All Creatures Animal Hospital, Dr.
Alexandra Adamcak, East Amherst 716.636.3600 (avian certified)
East Ridge Animal Hospital, Dr. Gerald
Balonek, East Irondequoit 585.467.2120 (this is where we go when we need a
vet)
Clark Animal Care Center, Dr. Denise
Charpentier, Penfield 585.377.1160
South Towne Veterinary Hospital, Dr.
Edward Gschrey, Henrietta 585.334.1550
Fairport Animal Hospital, Dr. Brian Hall,
Fairport 585.388.1070
Town & Country Hospital, Pets, Dr.
Lisa Jensen, Syracuse 315 469.5777
Suburban Animal Hospital, Dr. Heidi
Licata, Henrietta 585.334.4230
East River Animal Hospital, Dr. Christina
Seidel, Henrietta 585. 334.3110
Animal Ark Animal Hospital, Dr. Edward
Spindel, Syracuse 315.635.2525
Broadway Veterinary Clinic, Dr. Laura
Wade, Lancaster, 716.651.0144 (avian certified)
Cornell University Hospital
For Animals, 24 hour, Ithaca, 607.253.3060 (avian
certified)
While this is not actually a question it is a
situation that arises all too frequently. The loss of a beloved pet. It's never
fun to lose a family member, over the years I've lost many, dogs, cats, and of
course birds, and it doesn't get any easier. We all have our own ways of dealing
with death. Regularly I get phone calls from people who have just lost a pet and
many times when the phone call ends I feel I don't always have the right thing
to say to comfort them. Maybe I did but in times like that you don't want to say
the wrong thing, (I've done that at other times plenty), now here are a couple
of places to contact who can help if you're having a hard time dealing with the
loss of a loved one.
Pets at Peace Memorial & Cremation Center,
585.544.2041
Q. Is there sales tax on a
bird?
A. Yes, 8% in Monroe County.
Q. How often should I give my
bird a bath?
A. What? Give my bird a bath? Yea
right..your kidding right? Honestly you should saturate your bird at least once
a week, twice is better. Now I'm not talking about a light spritz that puts a
little dew on it, I'm talking soaked to the skin. This stimulates normal
preening, removes dander, and makes the feathers look like they're supposed to.
Birds that chew or pluck their feathers should also get baths and this may help
correct the feather mutilation problem as well. If the house temperature is
comfortable for you, yes even in the winter, it should be fine to wet your
bird. You can blow dry it but do so from a distance so you won't burn or
overheat the bird. Most birds dry amazingly fast on their own.
For food or makeup stains you can use a product
called Cockatoo Shampoo or a mild soap like Ivory or Johnson's Baby Shampoo. Wet
the bird, work the soap in, and rinse thoroughly, most stains should come out.
For oil or grease on a bird use only Dawn detergent and rinse thoroughly. This
is what oil spill birds get treated with.
Some people will comment that " my bird doesn't
like a bath"... what I tell them is if you had a child and it didn't want to
take a bath you'd still get the kid in the tub once in a while to get the crud
off them, they'll smell better too. Give your bird a bath, it'll thank you for
it.
Q. My child has a nut allergy, is this a problem?
A. Nearly every diet in here has peanuts or other nut meats in them, or are manufactured in a place that produces them. If the kid is hypersensitive, keep them out. I don't need any kid konkin' out in here.
Q. Do you breed all of these
birds?
A. Nope, don't raise them all, but we
do breed a few of them, not as many as I used to, but a few. Most of the smaller
birds are raised locally in New York State, but most of the larger parrots come
out of Florida. Here's a list, cause I was kinda curious myself, of what I have
bred in the past 30+ years, at least what I can think of at the
moment...
Several species of finches, canaries, English
budgies, cockatiels, ducks, yellow collared macaws, scarlet macaws, sun conures,
black capped conures, golden conures, maroon belly conures, blue fronted
amazons, goffins cockatoo, Eastern Rosellas, Congo African Greys, red billed
hornbills, red crested turacos, ringneck and diamond doves, black headed
caiques.
Q. I'm thinking about getting a pet bird,
what can you tell me?
A. Well let's see...they're loud,
they're messy, they'll chew your stuff up, they're loud, they'll poop on just
about anything that's under them (regularly you), they need daily care and
attention, they're loud and will get louder, they can bite at times. Man, who
wouldn't want a bird? The noise is the main reason I see people getting rid of
their pet bird. Big birds with big personalities need big cages and playpens. If
you've spoiled your bird from the start then they'll need and want plenty of
your attention. Monthly upkeep can be anywhere from $25.00 to hundreds of
dollars. If you live in an apartment, be cautious. If you have small children,
be cautious. If you have other pets, be cautious. If you have allergies, be
cautious. If you like your quiet times or regularly wake up with a hangover, be
very cautious.
However, a bird can add lots of enjoyment to a
household. A simple canary adds life to the environment, a joy to listen to. The
larger birds are very entertaining and can be the best part of your day when you
come home at night. It's a long term commitment, do your homework, don't rush
into it, have patience. Once you decide on a certain species one great way to
research it would be to go to www.youtube.com and simply type in the bird
you're interested in. It gives a pretty good idea what that bird is like. If you
do decide to add a bird to your life it will soon be considered a family member
for many years to come.
Q. Would you be interested in trading a web
site for a baby bird?
A. No thanks, about every other week
someone has this great idea that they'd like to not pay for a bird but instead
make a new web site for me. This web site works fine and not a day goes by that
someone doesn't compliment me on it. I like not having sponsors to bother you
folks, no pop up things, no links to adult sites... One person wanted everyone
to go through her web site to get to mine, hmm sounds like a great idea for her.
Not too long ago a professor at Penn State said my site was hard to navigate but
she could make me a better web site in trade for a bird. Hard to navigate for
someone w/ a big brain like that? I appreciate your concern but no thanks. I
just had a person on 6/3/11 tell me it needed to be updated because the info on
it was wrong, also hard to navigate... and she hadn't even been to the site yet.
Q. How do I teach my bird to eat a wider
variety of food items?
A. Feeding is a flock behavior, birds
like to eat when others are eating. Ever notice that your bird will start to
pick through the food bowl when you're eating dinner? If you want your bird to
try something new, try removing the normal food a couple of hours before you sit
down to eat. Put whatever it is that you want the bird to try in its bowl when
you sit down to eat. It may try something new because it feels the need to eat.
Temperature and texture play an important role in how birds accept a new food
item.
What I've told people for years is that my
neighbors apples tasted better than the ones that grew in my own back yard
because I could steal 'em. I always wondered if my neighbors new I was creeping
through their yard to swipe a few green ones. I did get caught swimming where I
wasn't supposed to a couple of times, yet I had a pool in my back yard too. Ok
enough about my misguided childhood, back to feeding birds. If you're not weird
about your bird walking around on your dinner table after you eat many birds
will sample food items that they would have nothing to do with if you were to
put them in their food bowl. Let them try the mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs,
mac & cheese... the wider variety the better, (remember no chocolate,
avocado, or alcohol). Once they get used to something they'll many times
continue to eat it wherever you feed it. Not always, some will only eat things
off your plate.
Another method to get a bird to eat better is a
food kabob or skewer. It's a stainless rod that you harpoon various food items
with and hang it in the area where your bird perches. Out of curiosity the bird
should start to explore the new thing in the cage. Hopefully after a while
you'll be able to offer various new foods in the food bowl and the bird will
recognize it as what it as eating on the skewer.
Q. What kind of birds are good for
kids?
A. My top three choices are
Cockatiels, Bourkes, and English Budgies, all of them train easily, are fairly
quiet, not overly expensive, and the cage isn't huge like that needed for a
larger parrot. I'll be the first one to tell you that the large parrots and
little kids don't make a good combination. A small bite on a little finger is
gonna hurt. Then you have to listen to that little screaming, crying voice,
maybe make a trip to the doctors to patch them up and then figure out what
you're going to do to keep the kid away from the bird until it gets older. Start
small. Other birds that have worked out quite well are, Lineolated Parakeets,
and some of the smaller Pyrhurra Conures like the Black Capped and the Green
Cheeked.
If you're just looking for some entertainment and
the child doesn't want to handle the bird, try a couple of normal parakeets in a
larger cage. They'll offer plenty of activity and a little bit of noise. They'll
also teach some responsibility to the child and what is involved in keeping a
bird if someday they may like to step up into a larger species of
bird.
Q. Is it alright if we come in and just look
around?
A. Absolutely, we've lots of people,
especially from the neighborhood, that stop in regularly and don't even have a
bird. Some people just want to see the birds and don't want the mess at home,
others are just getting the idea of keeping a bird as a pet, while others may
have had a bird when they were younger and want to relive some memories. No fair
just dropping your kids off here though, we don't babysit. If they were to get
bit however we do have a parts department in the back and we'll try and match up
size, shape, and color with any fingers, nose, or ears that may have been bit. I
also take no responsibility on how their glasses will fit later in life.
Q. If for some reason I'm unable
to keep my bird, what do I do with it?
A. There are several things we can
help you with, the first would be if you wanted to sell the bird and recoup some
money we'll take all your information about the bird and what may come along
with it, if anything, we'll get your contact info and pass this along to anyone
who might be interested in that type of bird. If it's a bird that you got from
us we'd love to have it back. Having put in a lot of time with the babies here
we feel some obligation to continue to do the best for them and find them a good
home. We won't buy it back from you but we will promise you that it will
not be euthanized and we'll eventually find it a good home. Ideally we'd
prefer not to take the bird in but have you keep it until we can line up a
possible new home. We do however take in approximately 30-40 birds a year and
find them homes. We also have found homes for hundreds or others that needed
them. Another option is that you could also advertise the bird in the newspaper.
I would however use caution if you wanted to drop them off at an animal shelter
or "bird rescue", great intentions, sometimes very poor execution, sometimes
just collectors and not rescuers. The only bird rescue that I continually hear
only good about is "The Gabriel Foundation", in Colorado, any others
please check out before committing your bird to them.
Q. What should I do if I lose my bird
outside?
A. OK, let's get past the part where
you thought your bird loves you soooo much it won't fly away if you take it
outside, or its' wings are clipped and since it doesn't fly inside that it
wouldn't fly outside. Already this year we've had four situations where birds
have flown off, much to the surprise of the owners, a senegal that the owner
thought wouldn't fly away, ooops, there it goes over the neighbors house, a
parrotlet that the wings weren't even clipped and she took it outside thinking
it wouldn't ever fly from her, see ya, don't forget to write, hope nothing has
you for lunch, an African Grey that was pretty much clipped but since it goes
out regularly it wouldn't fly, see ya later, and a Blue & Gold Macaw that
was on a perch in the garage and something spooked it and off it went, it was
clipped but got away and started climbing, it got up about 30 feet in a tree.
All of these birds were recovered, amazingly, there were many more that have not
been found yet this year, quakers, tiels, and parakeets, very sad when you
realize how easy it is to avoid. Now I jump down from my soap box and give you
some ideas on how to retrieve your lost pet.
If you have a special whistle, call or toy that
your bird might usually respond to, walk the area where the bird was last seen
making that noise hoping to get a response. Let as many people know about the
lost pet, put up flyers, call pet stores, and put a reward on the bird. More
than a few birds have been found and a friend has blown in his "buddy" to get
the reward. Watch other groups of birds as they may lead you to your bird, they
may "mob" your bird, meaning pick on. Early morning when there isn't as much
going on and it's a bit quieter is a good time to look as well. Watch the
newspaper, the local one here will let people place free found ads for a few
days, but it wouldn't hurt to put in a lost ad as well. Hopefully you've
recorded any information that was on the birds leg band if it had one on. A
picture may also help identify your bird if someone questions whether it's your
bird or not. Don't give up the search, a cockatiel lost off a high rise in
downtown Rochester ended up about 15 miles away 30 days later. Good luck and
check and clip the wings regularly.
Q. How do I keep my bird from
biting?
A. There are many reasons why a bird
will bite. You need to figure out what may be getting the bird uncomfortable
enough to feel the need to bite. There are many instances that a bird tries to
train the owner, and I'll say that most people do get trained by their birds. I
can't begin to tell you how many times that someone will come in and tell me
that their bird loves to play with their fingers, or their lips, or eyelashes
and says the bird is very gentle. there also isn't a day that goes by that
someone will ask "does this bird bite" and then proceed to let the bird chew on
their fingers. What are you doing? Would you walk up to a strange dog and let it
chew on your hand? How about going up to a large snake or iguana and just
letting it gnaw on you for a while? Don't let your bird casually chew on you, it
will, in time, progress to a bite. You've already told it that it was ok to chew
on you, how is the bird supposed to know when it hurts you. About the time you
pull back a bloody stump of a finger, or when you get an involuntary ear
piercing from your bird, that's when.
You always need to keep in mind that a bird will
protect its territory, even the friendliest, tamest of birds may bite if you get
into their "space". I've had several customers put their bird in the cage for
the night and then lean in to give the bird a kiss. All went to emergency to get
their lips stitched up, no kidding! Put yourself in the birds position and think
what the bird may be perceiving. Keeping a bird is not just training the bird,
it's training yourself to think like a bird.
There are plenty of birds that are set off by a
certain color or person. Unfortunately if you happen to be holding your bird you
may get the bite as the bird may feel the need to get out its anger or fear.
This is sometimes called misplaced aggression. I call it being in the right
place at the wrong time. "Honey, get the bandaids".
I will say after 30 + years of playing with birds
that I have no good reason why birds like to chase after feet and bite them when
they're playing on the floor. They even go after the feet of the people they're
usually friendly with. Now I'm not bragging here, in fact I'm not too crazy
about it myself, but I've got some stinky feet man. Dr. Schoals or not, they can
stop a clock from across the room, my dogs roll on my sneakers like something
died in 'em, when I throw out my old shoes my refuse collectors complain about
the stink. This goes to show parrots must have a poor sense of smell. Several
times a year though people come in and tell me their birds go after their feet
as well.
There are many more reasons why a bird may
bite,(see the question about no birds on a shoulder), eventually I'll cover more
of them.
Q. I'm doing some painting in the house,
will it bother my birds?
A. It sure could, any kind of strong
smell or odor can pose problems especially with smaller birds. Oil base paint
has a much stronger smell and the smell lasts longer than latex paint does. I'd
suggest getting the birds out of the house, if you can't do that, move them to
the furthest point from the painting project. You might even shut the door and
wedge a towel under it to keep any paint smell from getting in. You'll probably
find an 800 phone number on the paint can and it also wouldn't hurt to contact
the paint manufacturer. When the smell dissipates it should be safe to bring
your birds back in.
Q. Can I catch a disease from my
bird?
A. Sure you can, they're called
zoonotic diseases and they can be transmitted from human to bird or bird to
human. The most common one and it still is quite rare is calld psittacosis or
chlamydia, or formerly known as ornithosis or parrot fever. Tuberculosis is
another that is possible but highly unlikely to catch. The one now that you've
probably seen in the news is the avian flu, no cases have even been reported in
pet birds,again extremely rare. See above question on avian flu. Catching bugs
from your pet is possible but should not be a major concern.
Relax.
