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 I visited a Petland in WV because someone called to inform me that they had gotten about 45 parrot chicks in for sale.  I went in and shot some photos.  While this situation is bad enough,  the phone call I later made to the store told the whole story.....

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Lets all keep one thing in mind:  Petland isnt doing anything illegal.   As such there's
nothing much you can do except maybe e-mail or call the home office in Ohio and
voice your opinion about selling 3-4-5 week old baby birds to anyone with the cash.
I'm not blaming the guy on the phone either,  as he was doing his job as instructed I'm sure.
The breeder in Florida and the store owner are the ones that should know better by now.

http://www.petland.com/contact_petland/contact_petland.htm

I don't blame you all for the reactions you have to what Jerry found. I agree 100%
I just wish  those who are considering buying these babies, could see them as I do.

I see them when the new owner has failed miserably to raise them to healthy young, independent birds. I see
them when they are malnourished, missmanaged, stunted, suffering from every malady you can imagine that is caused by inexperience and lack of brains and practiced skill. I find it maddening that these people are
convinced that they are "easy" to feed. While any dummy can learn to shove food at them, it takes years of exxperience to raise them properly, wean then successfully, and manage them without turning them into
miserable disasters. I repair at least 8 - 10 crop burns/month in the 3 or 4 months after the peak season for
babies (twice yearly - after Christmas and late summer). I see so many crop stasis cases that I can't begin to
count them. I had one owner that burnt his baby U2's crop 3 times in 8 weeks. I considered trying to have the
bird taken from him, but by the time I arrived at that level of intolerence to his stupidity, I got a call letting me know his bird had died on a Sunday night. He explained, with genuine tears in his voice that the bird had become very sick that afternoon. We were closed and when he called the emergency service we refer to when closed
(who actually do a good job with birds - I train the vets (interns) who are there at night in exotic emergency protocols) he informed me that he "didn't trust them with his baby like he trusted me", so he watched his baby deteriorate all afternoon, thinking he would bring him to me the following morning.
 

Well, late that night, he couldn't take it anymore. He concluded that the baby was not going to make it the night
and he couldn't bear to see it suffer. He decided to put an end to the bird's suffering. It ended up in the freezer.
Yes, the freezer.....
His method of humane euthanasia. This was not an intellegent man - indeed, he was rowing with but one oar,
but he did this with overwhelming love for the bird. In fact, he didn't have the brain God issued a rock. The
really sad part of this is that he sincerely, honestly thought he made the only choices he could possibly make
that afternoon. Before you judge his deserved fate, I will tell you that he has promised me that he will never
own an animal again. He admits he is not capable of dealing with the emotional trauma. I believe him. Besides,
he can't afford to go that direction again.

With the price of the bird and 2 cages, vet bills for the surgeries, hospitalization, testing, etc., he lost (wasted) around $7,500 of his wife's small inheritance from her father. His wife left him and has told his 2 kids (human)
that he is a monster and won't let him see them. This man is a complete wreck. As much as I despise what he
did, I still feel sorry for him and am just that much more outraged that the store that sold him the bird in the
first place took advantage of him by convincing him that this baby would be the best thing that ever happened
to him and his family.

The point is, the birds are not the only victims here. Very often, their unsuspecting, inexperienced new "mom"
and "dad" suffer severe emotional and financial loss, as well. Fortunately, I also know of several popular bird stores that do screen their new owners and don't sell unweaned babies. One owner has even been sued for
refusing to sell birds to people she didn't think were going to take the responsibility and do things right. (she
hasn't lost a suit, either!) They resist the temptation to sell "remedies", dispense medical advice, and actually encourage new owners to come see me to learn how to care for their new bird. Before there is a problem.
The tendency to be the "expert" and the "hero" is being replaced by the feeling of responsibility to the bird
and to the new owner. If we could only convince the corporate stores to begin to take this attitude, maybe we
would see less of this atrocity that Jerry found so easily.

Dr. Michael Doolen

For those who cant hear the conversation,  here is the text.