JR>-> much there. She has over 100 birds, mostly tiels, and I don't think
JR>-> she paid over $10 for the most expensive one of the lot. Her babies
JR>I know of several people like this...
JR>It was their way of being a do gooder and at the same time acquiring
JR>birds at little to no cost.  They soon learned that this is not
JR>necessarily a cheap hobby and it was at this time their motivation began
JR>to change.  They saw an opportunity to breed and sell, not knowing or
JR>really caring about what was involved.  For the most part, they do
JR>community breeding and if I had to guess, would imagine that the great
JR>majority of people who fall into this category have their birds house in
JR>deplorable conditions.
With the exception of the "do gooder" part, you've described the woman I
was referring to. I have not personally seen her cages, but co-workers
have been to visit her and said it was filthy, too many birds per cage,
not enough perches/dishes/food, etc. Based on what SHE has told me
(she used to call me regularly for advice way back when she only had 3
birds!), she feeds ONLY substandard seed mix to "keep costs down". I
feel awful for her birds!
JR>If we as a society continue to provide these
JR>types with a means of creating a demand, they will continue to exist as
JR>does all the other negative situations in our respective communities.
JR>As a society, we create the demand, they just fill it...
Between the uncaring pet stores who only want to buy CHEAP birds so they
can make a higher profit, and people who don't understand the difference
between quality birds and 'puppy-mill' birds, it's going to be a tough
battle to fight.
It's not so much supply/demand as it is education of the public. People
need to learn to ask questions-- like WHERE did the pet-store bird
they're considering come from, was it hand-fed, is it vaccinated, etc.
If the potential buyers were more well-informed about the product
(birds), then the low-quality breeders wouldn't be able to sell junk
birds to the stores or directly to the buyers.
--Kathy
 * SLMR 2.1a * Behavioral psychology--pulling habits out of rats.
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