News Report on the Petsmart Psittacosis outbreak!!

[birdsnreps]

MyFox Atlanta | Ga Dept. of Agriculture Quarantines Hundreds of Exotic Birds

[catschair]

What a nightmare! Thanks for the update.

[6species]

This is from the Petsmart Website.

PetSmart | Press Room | The Facts

[Beck]

The Petsmart stores around us have posted fliers saying the birds are being treated for something and will not be sold until sometime in April. However, they are still being housed in the same area where customers can go up to the enclosures.

Is this safe or should I be worried about coming in contact with the disease and accidentally bringing it home to my budgie? We buy our seed & pellets there. And what's going to happen to the store's current birds....especially if they lose their tameness? I feel so bad because they have a sweet little Green Cheek that would have made a wonderful companion for someone (if the price wasn't triple what you'd pay at another store).

Becky

[my-africangrey-echo]

Yes at first they said end of January and now it's end of April. The "kid" working there said that only 2 birds had tested positive and they were in Texas. So supposedly they are just being cautious. He was however surprised when I knew they had come from a breeder in Florida.

[birdlady49]

I was in a Petsmart in Colorado yesterday and signs were on ALL of the display cases, finches and canaries included. Yet, they had just received a young cockatiel that was in one of the display cases. So she is going to sit there until April all by herself. The cashier said that the staff is feeding/cleaning all the birds while wearing masks.....

[Beck]

Yipes...we live in north Texas.
I hope they're just doing preventative care and none of them have psittacosis.

Becky