Pets enrich their owner’s lives. Whether the pet is a wiggling bundle of fur known as a puppy, a cuddly kitten, a talking parrot, a singing canary, colorful finch, or a beautifully decorated aquarium, or an intriguing lizard they somehow enhance and enrich the human experience. In fact it is a fairly well accepted fact that people who are institutionalized gain great psychological benefits from the presence of an animal in the facility. Nursing homes, group homes and correctional institutions and schools are all utilizing the interaction between humans and companion animals to improve the experience of being in the facility. Many dentists and doctors have aquariums in the waiting rooms of their offices to relieve the anxiety of waiting patients.

Caring for another living creature just makes people feel good. Pets are companions, confidants, and friends. They can provide a lonely child with a special friend. Elderly folks living in the strange and sometimes confusing and frightening environment of a nursing home many times relate to the home’s companion animal as an anchor to reality. Companion animals have been instrumental in rehabilitating violent criminals. In fact one of the earliest and still valid books on bird disease and diagnosis was written by Robert Stroud, “the Bird Man of Alcatraz” who served a life sentence in the infamous island prison in San Francisco Bay.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that unfortunately when we are dealing with livestock, we occasionally have to deal with “deadstock”. Having a pet die is an emotionally painful experience, whether the pet is your 12 year old Golden Retriever, your child’s two year old hamster, or the parakeet that your grandchildren gave you as a birthday gift. Having a newly acquired pet die is also frustrating and angers the new owner. “That “so-and-so” sold me a sick bird” is a comment that I have heard many times over my 35 years in the pet industry. In fact, when I owned a pet store back in the early 80’s I weathered and won a lawsuit over a cockatiel that I had sold when it died a couple of months after the sale. At the time all of my friends and associates told me that I should just replace the bird because pet store owners always lose lawsuits in favor of the consumer. Conventional wisdom indicated that I should have just folded and given in to the plaintiff, but I was angry that had the purchaser had not followed the directions and advice given when they bought the bird, and the poor creature suffered the consequences of that negligence. I went to court to defend myself not because of the financial ramifications, but because of my conviction that the bird should not have died had the owner fulfilled their responsibility as care-giver.

I firmly believe that as a pet owner (or using the more politically correct term “care-giver”) a person has a moral responsibility to the animal to do everything necessary to provide proper care for the animal. In addition to that, I believe that there is a moral obligation for the seller of the animal to provide the new owner with all the information and knowledge necessary to accomplish this. Given that, I have a few simple suggestions to the seller,to assure that the new pet owner has a happy, pleasant, and positive experience.

Suggestions for the seller;

As an experienced bird keeper/breeder you obviously know what is required to produce and maintain healthy livestock.

Rule # One; Pass it on. Tell your customer what they need to know to keep the bird healthy and happy.

Rule # Two; Put it in writing. When anyone is excited about a purchase, they don’t even hear what the sales person is saying. Even if they do hear it, they don’t retain it. When you bought that new high tech digital stereo system, did you retain anything that the salesperson told you? NO! You were so hyped up about having that “sound” in your living room that you didn’t even hear the explanation of how to program the remote! (I still can’t program my VCR to record “CSI” if I’m not going to be home when it airs.) Put together a simple care sheet for the birds that you sell. The care sheet should include housing, feeding, nutrition and diet, general care, health care information, handling, and environmental concerns. It should also list your name and phone number. If your veterinarian gives permission include the vet’s name and phone number too. If you don’t know where to start, click on the Orchid Tree Exotics logo at the botom of this page to link to our care sheets page. Click on the photo at the top of the page to retrieve a copy of a Hatch Certificate.(You are welcome to plagiarize if you need to.)

Rule # Three; Start ‘em off right. Drastic dietary changes have disastrous effects on any animal’s health. Your customer will have a greater chance of success if they continue to feed the bird the same diet that you do. You know what you are feeding the birds that you raise. Don’t just tell the customer what to feed. Write down a recipe for the feeding routine on a separate piece of paper or an index card that the customer can keep in the pantry with the food. On this recipe include the name and phone number of the place you buy your food and supplies (If Orchid Tree Exotics comes to mind, so much the better.) Don’t expect them to run right out and buy the same food that you are using. Give them enough food to last them the first week.

Rule # Four; Follow Up! Keep customer records on file. The customer’s name, address, phone number, and what bird they purchased should be kept on file. Ask them to call you in a week to check the bird’s progress. If you don’t hear from them, a brief phone call to ask how the bird is getting along assures you that the customer has followed your instructions. It also reassures the customer that they have made a wise purchase from a caring reputable breeder. They will tell their friends and you will get referrals. (Don’t forget they will also tell their friends and anyone else who will listen if they have a bad experience.)

Please read the article on buying birds as well. Especially pay attention to the "Poop Test."