Last Updated on by Mitch Rezman
Like any good retailer, we constantly check our competition online. Sometimes we see prices on some of the same bird food pellets or bird seed that is priced just too low to make sense and like anything else in life, you-get-what-you-pay-for.
Upon investigation, we often find that the bird food or pellets they are selling have been rebagged in zip locks, canisters and boxes. We’ve even seen the term “heat sealed.” (Remember Seal-A-Meals?)
Aside from offering
- Free shipping on orders over $49
- All bird food shipped from our facility is clearly marked “perishable”
- Rewards points for free bird food shipped free
- Bird food inventory is replenished 2 – 4 times a week
- All bird food bags are factory-sealed for freshness
The value of clean, fresh, and warranted bird food is invaluable. Bird food that has been re-bagged can suffer from the following:
- No expiration date on the bird food bag. (You don’t know the age of the bird food or parrot pellets)
- Bird food manufacturer warranties are voided. (No bird food company will honor a claim of lack of freshness or insects if the food is not in its original packaging with the UPC)
- Bird food manufacturers draw out oxygen and inject CO2 (this is for a reduction of insect egg hatching – insect eggs are in all bird seed – all bird seed is grown outside. This practice lowers the inevitability of nature that cannot be prevented with re-bagged food)
- Insects can be found in bird food pellets
- Once the seller opens the factory bag to re-bag the bird food, the bird food is now exposed to oxygen and insect development will begin.
- Insects can enter bird food that is sold in bins or tubs and infest it.
Stores that sell bird food in bulk bins rarely will remove, clean out and thoroughly dry the bins before dumping more bird food into them, thus mixing old bird food with new bird food. If the bird food bin is damp, mold can grow at the bottom and infect the bird food as well. If birds are kept, bred or sold in the same vicinity as bins, tubs or bird food e-bagging areas, the bird food can be contaminated as well with droppings, dander and feathers.
Many online sellers store their bird foods in garages, musty basements or leaky barns thus exposing it to heat, cold, humidity and rodents. They place huge orders to get maximum discounts, but in the end the bird food that sits for much longer than it should in conditions that are not ideal. They may sell at bird shows. Stacking, transporting and restacking causes bird food to physically break down. Pellets will crumble.
Be assured, that all bird food sold at Windy City Parrot has not been in our temperature & humidity controlled store for more than a few weeks before it is sold in factory sealed bags or containers with clear expiration dates. We sell no livestock. We don’t sell at bird shows.
We insist that all manufacturers we purchase bird food from have expiration dates, best if used by dates and/or will fully guarantee the quality of the product. We will not sell bird food from manufacturers who don’t meet these criteria.
We have no insects in our store, no rodents, no moths. We do not sell, carry, or keep birds or animals in the facility. We are constantly told by pet supply company representatives that we have “the cleanest store they have ever seen”.
Be assured that we will not ship out-of-date or re-bagged bird food. We took the birds out of the skies and made them live in bird cages and houses for our entertainment. The birds deserve the best quality bird food and avian products possible while they are in our care.
Catherine Tobsing
President
Windy City Parrot, Inc
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