Complaint Review: OMAR'S EXOTIC BIRDS - Brea, Santa Monica,Lake Forest, Clairemont California

I was going to let the ludacris and self righteous response to my warning of owning a parrot and Omar's Exotic Birds go. (RIPOFF REPORT.COM) But then I read it a second time.  I read that this person works where they sell parrots.  I read the judgment and pure gall of someone who doesn't know me or apparently the horrific statistics of the cruelly imprisoned avian friend. I read how this person trully wants to BELIEVE that putting a bird in cage, taking away it's flock, it's ability to forage and mate and have sex is somehow okay.  It's somehow okay.  They said I wasn't a bird person. They said I shouldn't have needed to spend thousands of dollars if I was doing it correctly.  If I was the PERFECT bird owner. If I was a BIRD person, whatever that means. But with that said, I do so appreciate the need to wear rose colored glasses and live in denial if you sell birds.  I feel for you.  I really do.  You have to believe the lies to feed your family.  I get it.

I didn't want to sound repetitive but when people refuse to look at the truth you need to repeat yourself.  Over and over and over.

Owning a bird/parrot is cruel.  Period.

I put out this warning to save prospective pet owners a ton of heartache.  Both for you as the owner and the poor bird.

Feel free to pick apart every thing we did and come to your own conclusion about owning a bird.  And keep in mind that our Avian Vet said that we were in the top 1% of parrot owners.  ONE PERCENT of people that choose to own a bird will step up on the level that we did to make him happy and recreate his flock, environment and diet.  I will say it again.  ONE PERCENT do the right thing.  And it will cost you. 

We did our research.  Or so we thought.. We purchased from a reputable breeder. Found the best Avian vet available.  Spared no expense. WE BUILT A GIANT AVIARY WITH TOYS, BRANCHES, FORAGING STATIONS, ETC...IT WAS BIG ENOUGH FOR OUR BIRD TO FLY IN IT.

He ate organic. I work from home so his "FLOCK" was home all day. Toys, teaching him the English language, studying up on the breed of ECLETUS.  ECLECTUS MALE.

Well, the breeder was not forthcoming.  WHY WOULD THEY BE?  If a seller tells you all of the negative aspects of owning a bird...you would NEVER purchase one.  Why?  Why would you own an animal that is going to live longer then you and then get incredibly depressed when you die?  I had him in our Will.  Did I mention we did everything right?  I will never forget an Employee at Omar's when discussing her birds and where they would go when she died.  Do you know what she said? "We'll be dead.  They're on their own."  This was an employee at Omar's.  A manger.  A woman who sells birds.  My heart just dropped.

So in conclusion to your rebuttal.

I know in my heart that we went above and beyond for our beautiful feathered kid.  Above and beyond.  He still started screaming, picking out his feathers, and showing all the signs of a creature that just simply wanted to be free and fly.

You go fly love.  You fly as high and FREE as you can.  Mommy will get the laws changed.  Mommy will be your voice.  Mommy will make them aware...

 I am sorry that this business apparently took advantage of you. I would like you post more specifics on what they did, though. I work with parrots. I work with hand raised babies and adults that have been abused or treated trivially by their owners. That being said, I work for a shop that sells birds. We honestly do not force sales. We find it more important to tell people the facts of having such long-lived, emotionally complex, and extremely intelligent companion animals. That's right, not pet, but companions. I truly respect your opinion. My intention is not to get you to buy birds again, as you do not seem to match the needs a parrot has. I am not trying to hurt your feelings, I am just evaluating your ability based on what you have said. Parrots live for a very, very long time. They are as intelligent 3-to-4-year-old human children. If this was not made clear to you before you bought a bird, and you did not research completely both the good and the bad about a parrot companion, the fault, unfortunately, lies with you. We will never push a bird on someone. We sound more like we are trying to convince people NOT to buy a bird when we explain the costs, needs, and behaviors parrots have. We watch every potential customer as they walk around our small shop and interact with our birds that are sitting out on stands. Anyone who appears to want a parrot as a status symbol, or would otherwise be unfit for ownership, are outright refused, as kindly as possible. Parrots are not cheap, not easy to entertain, not domesticated, and need emotional support. Parrots can become OCD, depressed, and begin mutilating themselves if they are treated unfairly. Parrots have an unwavering sense of fairness. They are sensitive to tone of voice, gestures, and movements that other humans may consider not threatening. If you needed to spend $10,000 on vet bills, something was wrong with either the environment you provided for the parrot, or the environment it came from. If you did not ask for references to their avian vet, seek out reviews, or thoroughly examine the birds and their home before buying, the fault is on you. Many people who sell birds sell improperly fed, sickly, or "untameable" birds. If you were not allowed a chance to interact with you potential parrot companion before purchase or serious consideration, you should have turned around and walked out. Birds need quite literally, the largest cage you can possibly afford.

Do not buy a cage from chain pet stores like petco, as they are often far too small and extremely overpriced. Look online, at cage sellers such as Drs Foster and Smith, for better prices, stronger cages, and more space. Your parrot companion should have more than enough room to flap its unclipped wings vigorously. No bird should be forced to spend its life in a cage however large. They need about one to two total hours outside the cage, usually broken into smaller play sessions. Enforcing rules and training behaviors is better rewarded by happiness and laughter than treats, especially if your parrot is well fed (not over-fed). You must enforce the rules at all times and continue to reward trained behaviors. Never yell in anger, or strike your parrot. Unwanted behaviors should be responded to with a sad, hurt demeanor, and soft words in a low voice with a slight scowl, and then the parrot should not be rewarded with your attention. A happy parrot is a wonderful companion, which considers its "owners" its flock. Because these birds were taken from their wild habitats and we have invited them into our homes, you must not punish instinctual behaviors like calling out at morning and evening. Put your bird on a stand with food and water near you while you eat, and share some safe foods. This is something they value incredibly. You must learn to read your parrot, watching how it moves and vocalizes for clues on how it feels. Your bird will bite you at some point, hard, and will probably draw blood at least once. They do not know we are not protected by feathers, so until bite pressure is trained, many bites are attempts to play or get attention, or say they don't like things. If you only want a parrot because of its possible (never guaranteed) ability to talk, do all parrots a favor and never buy one. If you only want to appreciate the colors, buy an aviary and rescue some "untame" parrots that need a stable home from the same rescue that ate already familiar with each other, but don't buy a young one that needs socialization. We do not sell macaws. Do not buy a macaw unless you are sure you can provide care for the extremely long time it lives, you will be tolerant of the occasional scream, you can provide an huge cage, you can afford a lot of food, and you, most importantly, are extremely experienced in reading parrot behavior and have at least helped care for a macaw and seen its good and bad sides. Vets are expensive, and you MUST take it to an avian certified vet. It will need physical examination, fecal tests and blood work to ensure the health of your parrot companion. Parrots are weighed in grams, and you should have an acceptable scale and a T-stand in order to monitor its weight. Some parrots are prone to fatty liver disease when fed too much. Unless your parrot will not eat seed or fresh foods, never feed an all pellet diet. It needs a variety of seed, pellets, and fresh foods to keep it healthy.

All in all, parrots are not to be pets, you are correct in that. They are meant to be a part of a flock, which can be its human friends. They are an equal in their mind and if not treated as such you will be sorry. Do not throw heavily biased media at people. I am aware of how hard it is to care for a bird, and that they are not domesticated, ill-suited to be treated as one treats a dog. If you think only animals you can order around are worth having, that's fine. Don't scowl at people who have the heart and love to share a life with a parrot. Parrots that are raised as pets cannot be put back in the wild. We can breed parrots in captivity and raise the parent-raised babies to be released to live the happy, free life in the trees its ancestors played in. Please, look up Costa Rica's plan to reintroduce the scarlet macaw to its forests. Support that. Don't keep shaming and blaming because you were not well suited to parrots. Heartache comes with any attachment you have. Not just parrots.

 I have been purchasing food toys, cages, grooming services and boarding services from Omars for nearly 25 years and have received only the highest quality of products and services. The employees are very knowledgeable and I have an incredibly healthy and happy African Grey Parrot because of my efforts and the efforts of Omars Exotic Birds.