Your Basic Bird

Mirais Holden 3 months ago

I stopped into Your Basic Bird in Berkeley a couple of months ago to grab some pet supplies, and I was so incredibly saddened to see several parrots in reallllllly bad shape. Pulling all of their own feathers out because of the stress of captivity in tiny changes all alone. These are wild animals who are incredibly smart and social. They do not pull their own feathers out like this in wild. It’s a sign of serious captivity related stress. In 2026, how is this still a thing? I talked to the owner a little bit, and I can tell she is a decent person who cares in her own way about these birds she’s holding captive, but I don’t think she understands that they are suffering horribly. Folks at Your Basic Bird, please, please stop selling live animals. There is no need for this unethical practice in 2026, and I believe that you are good people. Please do the right thing and give your birds to sanctuaries where they can be rehabilitated and have enough space and social relationships to perform their natural behaviors. This kind of captivity is just plain cruel, and I know you don’t want to be cruel to these birds. And folks out there, please don’t buy animals in retail stores. Adopt them fr

Patti Starnes 4 months ago

I own 3 cockatiels from here. Claudia is beyond great! Always helpful. Raises some ez2care4 birds. I was 1st timer getting Elvis, then MJ. Now Craka has joined the fam recently as albino female! Craka is totally attached to me

Rebecca Gooley 4 months ago

I love birds. Growing up in Australia, I was lucky enough to see many of the species sold as “pets” living freely in the wild, where they belong. Seeing birds like corellas confined to small cages in pet stores is heartbreaking. These are highly intelligent, deeply social animals that naturally live in large flocks, spending their days flying, playing, and interacting with one another. The exotic pet trade removes animals from the wild or breeds them for sale, often in poor and inhumane conditions. Many birds end up isolated, neglected, or abandoned once people realize how complex their needs actually are. The corella pictured here from this store was desperately reaching for affection through the cage bars. No sentient being should be treated as a product to buy and sell. Please stop selling animals. Instead, work with rescues to help the many birds already in need of homes, and support efforts to ultimatelyend the exotic pet trade.

Allie Johnson 7 months ago

Visiting was just a depressing experience. These birds seemed bored and in cages that were too small. Birds shouldn't be kept like this - it's clearly inhumane. The most difficult to see were the very large beautiful birds in a small cage. Rescues are a better alternative.

Julien Amado 8 months ago

Walking into this place is heartbreaking: you’re immediately met with stressed out birds in tiny cages, crying and screaming and clawing and biting the bars, begging for their freedom. It’s so sad to see, hear and smell. Many of the birds have bald spots, a sad sign that they’ve been plucking themselves from stress and lack of mental and physical stimulation. Any bird needs space far greater than these tiny cages, but especially the HUGE macaws they have! These big birds typically fly through many miles of sky and forest in their native habitats DAILY, there’s no way it could ever be ethical or humane to keep them locked up in what amounts to the size of a small bathroom for their entire lives. The bird smuggling,trafficking and breeding industry is cruel and destroys habitats, social bonds and quality of life for these birds that can live decades. Please do not buy animals, and urge this shop to quit selling them. There are so many rescues overwhelmed with birds who need to be rehomed or fostered, and they still need pet supplies (which this shop could just sell instead). This was such an awful experience and I hope they change…