Animal Kingdom

This is perfect! I love going in here! There are a lot of things to buy and a lot of things to learn about pet care, so it is a great place to go.

Christine and her husband (DJ, I think) took ownership of Animal Kingdom on September 1. I wanted to get a parrot, but I wasn’t sure what type would be best for me. So, I asked Christine to help me find a suitable pet. The only specifications I gave her were that the bird should be small- to medium-sized and have been hand fed when young. Christine sounded very helpful, even offering to board the parrot at the shop for the first week so we could get acquainted.



Weeks went by with barely a word from her. On 9/14 she said she might have a bird, but once I found out it would grow to 11,” I told her that was too big. Then, on 9/16, she said she could get a Parrotlet that was three months old. I asked if I could take delivery in a couple of days because I wasn’t really ready. She said “No, I don’t want to bring that bird here. He is too young and you can’t move him here and then move him again.” Fair enough. I agreed to take delivery that evening at 6. As for the cage, I had given her general specifications (size, play area on top, and a skirt to catch seeds).



That night, at 9:00 (not 6), she and her husband delivered the cage and the bird. As it turns out, the bird was not hand fed – meaning I will have to spend many, many more hours trying to tame and socialize him. She told me he would grow to almost twice the size. He is actually fully grown. He had not had his wings clipped – so I had to pay someone to come out to do it. Then, I find out that the bars in the cage are spaced too widely to be safe for a bird his size. I was told he can get his head caught in between the bars and injure or even kill himself.



On 9/27, I spoke with DJ and asked that they pick the cage up and give me my money back. He refused. Their response was, “The cage was specially ordered for me and was not returnable.” I had discovered a very reputable pet shop in the area, Pets of Wilshire, so I immediately ordered a replacement cage from them, so I could move him to a safe home as soon as possible. Two days later, after I told Christine I would file a complaint with the fraud department of my credit card company and with the Better Business Bureau, they said they would exchange the cage if I brought it back to the shop, which I did on 10/4/2010. I drive a Miata, so that I had to impose on a girlfriend to help me bring it back after work. BTW, I live within five or six blocks of their shop, so it would have been no problem at all for them to stop by to pick it up.



Needless to say, I am not give Christine and DJ any of my business going forward. The folks at Pets of Wilshire give excellent advice, they tell me they do not know something if they don’t, and they gladly refunded my money when they once suggested a product that did not work for me.