"Pet Shop" is not a dirty word!

BirdCast

Although many people are quick to condemn the pet shop trade - pet shops offer a valuable contribution to aviculture overall.
Firstly they provide a great visual presence to the general public, in that they show a variety of birds and also place these birds within the realm of more widely accepted domestic pets such as cats and dogs - how often have we all heard people say "set them free" - when in reality these birds are domesticated; just like a cat or a dog - and if they are set free they will simply perish either from starvation (because they are domesticated) or from predation (hawks, cats etc). Placing them alongside other widely accepted pets helps reinforce to the general public within the store that these birds are in fact not wild birds, rather birds that have grown up in a captive setting.
Secondly, birds in pet stores, particularly in the dedicated bird stores or the independent bird (and generally fish included) stores offer a showcase to customers of what birds are available in the local area, and give bird owners, or want to be owners, some idea of the variety of birds. It is essentially a type of window shopping. Many a time the Birdman Dad team take a drive to go and see one of the independent bird speciality stores in Perth, just to see what's there - sadly in Perth there are not really any bird parks or wildlife parks that have a great selection of birds on display. The exception to this would be Caversham Wildlife Park (listen in to our 2 episode visit to Caversham in Season 2).
Thirdly, the local bird store offers an outlet for those whose birds breed - whether intentional or not - a place where they can sell the offspring. Some bird stores will buy the young outright and sell them, others will offer a commission type arrangement. For a smaller city such as Perth, where the bird trade is so much smaller than in the eastern states or overseas; this aspect to the local pet shop is a great option. Not everyone wants to deal with "customers" face to face; add in the security concerns of having unknown people to your home and this "pet shop" option is often far more attractive.
Finally, and by no means exhausted in a list of reasons, the pet store offers a multitude of avian related products for every bird type kept - from aviaries, to seed, to avian supplements, to enrichment activities to a huge variety of associated products.
Added to this list; in the smaller, independent bird stores - the humans working in the stores have a great love for birds and in general an extensive knowledge concerning most things avian. If you are unsure of what bird would be best for you and your situation, and you are not wanting to attend a bird club, or ask anyone on social media; just have a quiet chat to the humans behind the pet shop desk. If you choose your time well; that is when the shop is quiet and the customers are not knee deep at the counter; you will find most bird pet shop humans are happy to talk to you about birds, their needs and what bird might be the best match to your lifestyle.
In Perth we do not have the huge selection, or volume of bird and pet stores compared to other cities. Despite being small there are still some independent bird speciality pet stores and it was one of these stores the Birdman Dad Team visited in today's episode.
The anti stress product mentioned by Birdman Dad in today's episode:
Quick Gel - a product created and distributed by Dr Rob Marshall of Carlingford Animal Hospital NSW, Australia.
https://www.birdhealth.com.au/quik-gel
Another similar product would be Vetafarm's Spark product:
https://vetafarm.com.au/product/spark-liquid/
or
D-3 Vita
https://www.pigeonandbirdproducts.com.au/online-shop/cage-aviary/d-3-vita-detail
or
Vita Stress
https://www.afrimash.com/shop/veterinary-products-and-services/vet-medicine/vita-stress-multivitamins/