Newest Button Addition :( Bit Of A Rant..

[xxSonja]

I was looking at my local pet store today for a new cat carrier for when i move in a few weeks,But then i came across this poor lil guy... He has no feathers on top of his head or down his neck, wasnt moving very much and was a bit puffed up. (pics below)
He was in a display cage (normal size, not very big really, but with wire barred floor) with 9 adult canaries (i made a point of counting becoz it just looked so crowded!) anyway i was looking at him for a few minutes and noticed he wouldnt move out of the corner and kept turning his head kinda of looking over his shoulder all the time, not grooming, just the head movement.
Anyway a few moments later he started to walk towards the water dish (which was hung off the side of the cage, just like the seed bowl, more a set up for flying birds) but as soon as he took a few steps a canary flew down and attacked him until he retreated back to the corner!
As soon as that happened i went and talked to one of the assistants, asked how long he had been in there & i found out he'd been there a week, & he use to have two other males in the same cage with him, but they died! I asked what happened and he just said 'they just died, sometimes birds do that'.. i told him that the lil guy was getting attacked,and he just nodded and said 'yeah thats been happening alot, they just dont like him'... i tried to find out how old he was, they didnt know, i mention he should be put in a seperate cage with a solid floor, they said 'no hes fine where he is for now', i mentioned they could maybe put food and water at floor level for him, they said 'ill let the boss work something out'... By now i was pretty frustrated that they didnt know anything about the animals they were selling, and pretty annoyed they didnt care bout the info i was trying to give them, or the welfare of that poor bird!

So in the end i just felt So sorry for the lil guy i just said ill take him, they wanted $12 for him, i said no way, he looks hurt and miserable, is probably just gonna die like the others ill give you $5, he said no you can have him for $9.. I was not gonna leave him there and i was so angry by then i just said fine give me the bird!

Well now he is in his own roomie cage, plenty of food and water in reach, he's got a little hut to hide in, and his very own sandpit to play in!

Ive got him seperated from the others for now becoz i want to make sure he's healthy and 100% before he meets them...
After watching him for a few minutes(

that really should be Hours lol ) He's not puffed up now and ive seen him eat, and he drank alot of water when he first found it. but ive noticed he cant really see out of one of his eyes and it appears that the head turning over shoulder thing is how he sees things on the side of his bad eye...

His missing feathers

See His Left Eye!!

And in his much more compfortable set up.. he seems to be molting also as there is alot of feathers being dropped

Sorry for the long rant but i was just So Angry

i just needed to vent!

 

[Chic-n-farmer]

He's very pretty. I love to listen to button quail crowing. I'm glad you rescued him.

 

[blue fire]

I could rant all day about the mistreatment of animals in pet stores. Dogs DO NOT belong in spaces with wire floors or having to drink out of water bottles. I try not to go to tractor supply when they have chicks cause I know that when some kid says "Mommy I want a chick!" Then I have the utterly horrible feeling that the poor thing is not going to make it or in the end when it grows up, abandoned and I cannot do anything about it

. It is so sad how animals are treated like toys because people love the idea of a cute fluffy animal, but are too ignorant to understand they have to take care of the animal. It sickens me.

 

[duckyfromoz]

They poor little guy, lucky you saw him when you did, he might not have lasted much longer himself under those conditions. Its unfortunate that the people who work in some pet shops dont have a better knowledge of the animals they are selling.

I found a similar thing when trying to find a guinea pig for my daughter. I saw a number of different sized guinea pigs in the cage and asked the attendant about the smallest one. She said it wasnt for sale yet as it was so tiny. Anyway it looked sick and somehow I talked the lady into selling me the tiny little guy, however she said if he died they would replace him. . I bought food and treats, a water bottle and a little igloo- and took him home. I surprised my daughter with the little one and we set him up in a box straight away. As soon as he was shown the water -he was drinking and just wouldnt stop. I rang the pet shop the next day- the lady thought I was ringing to say it had died during the night - but No I rang to tell her he was running around full of life, and i couldnt believe he was the same little guy. I asked about the water in the cage at the store- and told her to lower the bottle to ensure the other little ones would be able to drink too. No wonder the poor little guy looked sick. He probably hadnt had anything to drink in the two days he was at the pet shop.

Surely its not too hard to ensure that all animals are eating and drinking, and not being picked on. I think fish have it the worst in a pet shop environment. I dont think I have ever looked at fish at a pet shop without seeeing one floating in a tank somewhere.

 

[SunAngel]

When I bought my 3 button quail at the auction, 2 of the 3 had injuries like that.

After putting them in the cage here, I soon understood how they probably got injured. They are freaks! I have mine in a rabbit cage, wire top/plastic bottom. If I stick my hand in the cage, all 3 will bang themselves into the top of the cage. Sometimes they jump with such force, they get their head stuck between the wires on the top of the cage. I have to push the bars apart to free them. I have never had button quail before, but they are much flightier than my Bobwhites. I am still trying to find a piece of foam to stick in the top of their cage though.

I can only imagine if that poor lil guy was in a pet store, he probably freaked out everytime someone came near the cage.

Both of mine healed up and the one with the hurt eye can see fine now. Hopefully your new little guy will be the same way. I am sure he is glad you saved him!

 

[xxSonja]

I think pet stores should be run alot like shelters like the RSPCA, before i could even clean cages i had to prove i knew all the basics of animal care (domestic & native).
There should be compulsory training before emplyment, basic knowledge of each animal in the store, and info sheets on hand for staff and customers!

 

[citalk2much]

he is a cute wild guy and looks to be young as he has not lost all his female feathers on his back. I would call the pet store and talk to the manger.

 

[Quail27]

That is so unacceptable! How people can be so uncaring to the suffering of others and animals I will never know. The poor baby looks like he's scared that any second a bird is going to fly down and attack him, so he's afraid to relax.
I hope that the store's bad luck with the quail will squelch any desire of theirs to order more.

 

[xxSonja]

I hope that the store's bad luck with the quail will squelch any desire of theirs to order more.

The sad thing is they get them for free, than sell them for profit!

Ive left my number with the store so that next time the breeder goes to drop any more quails off they can just call me and ill take the birds from them directly and let them know what has been happening to the poor lil guys in the store!​

 

[Quail27]

Do you think they'll actually call? I hope so!