-=> Quoting Fran Warwick to Jerry Rudoff <=-
 FW> Jerry,
 -> 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.
 FW> I don't agree with what you are saying. First off, a potential buyer
 FW> does not
 FW> need to know what breeder the bird came from...they wouldn't know the
 FW> difference anyway. And why would a store give a buyer a list of
 FW> breeders  names. It would be stupid on their part. A reputable store
 FW> can buy from  reputable stores at a reasonable price and is done more
 FW> often than not.  A store will learn quickly which breeder have good,
 FW> clean stock and will  elimate the breeder that don't. Reputation is
 FW> built...both by the breeder and
 FW> the store.
Yes, but there are pet stores that don't care where their birds
come from, and breeders who don't care about good solid breeding
stock, and there are potential buyers who are completely clueless
about the whole thing.

 FW> Breeders with closed avairies do not want the public at their
 FW> facility.  There is also more security if you deal only with pet shops.
I certainly wouldn't buy a bird from a breeder who wouldn't let me
inspect his/her breeding operation. An ethical breeder should welcome
the chance to show off a good, clean aviary with strong breeding stock.
If I owned a pet store, I'd want to know about my suppliers.
 PH> I don't think that a pet shop is necessarily a bad place to buy a
 bird.
 FW> You're right about this. It isn't, if you know the people you are
 FW> dealing  with. There are plenty of breeders selling there sick birds at
 FW> bird fairs for a reasonable price.
Yeah, we have a pet store here locally that's been in business for
over 30 years. They have a good reputation and I know one of the
owners. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a bird from them as they do allow
you to have the bird checked by an avian vet before the sale is
final. If a pet store will do that, then I think it can be trusted
some. From what I have heard about bird shows, I don't think I would
be foolish enough to buy a bird there.
 FW> So, my opinion is that what you pay for a birds does not = quality.
That's true of everything :)
... If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.  
___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12
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