Abigail C.
Yelp
I'm normally a strong supporter for small businesses. I will state that my husband and I used to be a frequent customers at Just4Birds. We considered ourselves loyal customers. Being a specialty store, they had everything a bird owner needed from toys, food grooming and boarding.However, our last experience left much to be desired. We normally board Momo (Sun Conure )with Just4Birds when we go off on vacation because we considered them professionals. This last time, we boarded Momo for nine days. When we picked him up he was a bit shy but we didn't think much of it. The employee, told us that he was a good bird during his stay. As per usual, we got him a toy, some treats, and checked out.When we got home, he was unable to fly and became worried since his wings are not clipped and is trained to fly on command. After further inspection, we noticed he had an injury on his right wing (missing primary feathers). We attempted to contact the store but there was no answer. As a precaution, we took him to the vet.The Vet, stated in their report that Momos feathers were missing at the root like there was a traumatic "pull" injury - being stuck in something, or grabbed by something, etc. Needless to say the injury was painful.Further, she stated that the amount of feathers missing would have been noticeable when cleaning the cage. He was prescribed Meloxicam for the pain and inflammation. Plucking was considered far less likely. As a result of his injury, Momo will be unable to fly for nearly a year.The following day, I was able to get in contact with the owner, George. He stated that there were no incidents or reports during his stay. And that the only explanation is that he might've gotten scared at night and injured himself. However, no one reported anything abnormal. According to him, boarding services only include changing food / water and cleaning the cage. Birds are never handled. But the question remains, why didn't anyone notice the excessive amount of feathers when cleaning?We are not asking for much, we just want a simple explanation. Someone should've noticed the amount of feathers when cleaning the cage. We understand accidents happen, we do. But we were never contacted.My biggest dissolution with the business was the lack of empathy. The business has done nothing to rectify the situation or taken any corrective action.When we dropped of Momo, he could fly. Now, he'll have to wait for nearly a year before he can attempt to do so. We're heartbroken.