don’t take advice from petco on birdkeeping.

I feel like it’s necessary to make this post as someone who had no idea what they were doing when they got their first bird. This isn’t intended to shame Petco employees, who are just doing their jobs, or people who have taken advice from Petco in the past. This is just observations from someone who hates to see birds kept in subpar conditions.

First off, let’s look at the way Petco treats their pet birds – and implies through doing so that it’s an acceptable standard of care for bird owners. These were all taken today at my local Petco.

Cages this small are not acceptable for any bird. It’s more important for a cage to be wide than tall; birds need to fly and this provides them the space to do so. This is suitable as maybe a quarantine cage at best. There definitely needs to be more toys as well, especially considering these birds stay in the cage all day and do not come out for interaction.

This is the budgie cage. This many birds should absolutely not be kept in a cage this small. Some of the birds were visibly stressed out, and got scared and upset when people walked by. There’s very few toys in here as well (though at least they have each other’s company). Millet is a treat; offering this much millet at a time is pretty unhealthy and shouldn’t be done. If you look closely, you can see the perches do not vary in texture or size and are all smooth. This is pretty awful for a bird’s feet. Birds need perches of varying texture, preferably 3-4 different kinds, or they can have conditions such as bumblefoot or problems gripping.

The birds are only fed pellets and seed (mainly seed). Even considering that budgies are grainivores, this is a pretty awful diet. They need plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit in their diet, and this is the kind of diet that leads to health problems over time.

There’s a buildup of droppings and debris in the cages – even on easily wipeable surfaces.

Now let’s take a look at the bird care brochures available near the bird section and at the register. Maybe they will advocate better birdkeeping practices?

Conures don’t give a high pitched screech when startled. Conures scream whenever they want. It’s kind of cruel, honestly, to market them as a first-time, easy bird for someone who may be bringing them home to an apartment or noise-sensitive household. Conures are loud, and loud very, very frequently. Even green cheeked conures, which were sold in this Petco, aren’t great first time birds. They are loud, are known for being ‘beaky’, and are overall a handful. Are they awesome birds? Yeah! But you need to know what you’re getting into before purchasing them.

Let’s look at the “general bird checklist”. Pretty decent at first glance, even if they haven’t fulfilled many of the requirements for their own birds. But there are a few issues you should be aware of.

Vitamins and supplements are not necessary if your bird is eating a healthy diet. This doesn’t mean your bird will get sick if you DO give them, but it’s overall kind of a scam. Of course, Petco wants to max out the money they make off of your new buddy, but if you are feeding your bird well, this is absolutely not necessary.

Millet spray/Millet holder. “All birds need these items” being applied to this is absolutely bizarre. Many bigger bird species will not even touch millet due to how small it is. It’s a great treat, but is in no way crucial to your bird’s care, even if they do like it. It has very little nutritional content and should only be a treat, not a diet staple.

Styptic powder is something you should ABSOLUTELY have on hand!! If you nick the quick of a bird’s toenail while clipping nails, or they have issues with breaking feathers or blood feathers, you will need styptic powder. Your bird’s blood will not clot and they can lose a significant amount of blood from minor injuries.

There’s nothing much wrong with the ‘individualized’ care guides – other than the big, glaring issue of cage sizes. All of these ‘minimum’ cage sizes are way, way too small. For reference, here is an 18 x 18 x 24 cage:

This doesn’t apply to just Petco. Please be wary of information from any chain pet store. Many of them are trying to make birds seem as easy as possible so you’ll buy one and make them more money. Birds are complicated and delicate creatures – PLEASE do your research from reputable sources before getting any new pet.