Parrot & Bird Emporium Inc — Local services in Agawam

At first I had a positive impression of the place, but after visiting numerous times the experience has been soured. The grounds staff are friendly, but there is not someone always watching the birds, which at first I was fine with until I learned some of the birds in the viewing room are boarders, and I could not imagine leaving my bird around a dozen of other birds (and random visitors) unattended, as they are very mercurial creatures and can bite on a whim. There are so many birds with missing toes and broken beaks due to people thinking it's fine to leave birds of different sizes and breeds around one another, just because they hadn't bit before. It only takes one fright, one bite and your precious friend is maimed for life, it's pretty irresponsible (especially from a business standpoint). My birds interact with supervision. They can be incredibly witty and behave while you're present, and the second you leave they lunge. I know it's cute when different species play, but birds being maimed by others is sadly not at all uncommon, despite being somewhat preventable.

My biggest issue with this place, however, is how I was treated when the bird I adopted from them fell ill. The baby bird I had been bonding with for weeks apparently had come down with a sickness, and I received a call about them needing to euthanize it. I asked them why, what was wrong, and if I could see the bird, and they flat out told me no, and gave me little to no information on why they'd be putting my bird to sleep. That is completely unacceptable. That bird was my bird, even if not in my possession yet, I had paid for it, bonded with it, and I deserved to be able to see for myself what was wrong, if only to know that a sound decision was being made. That should be my RIGHT, as the owner. I learned later that the whole clutch of those babies had been affected by wet pox, presumably from the place they were shipped from, and all were put down.

What further upset me is that they said they were happy to offer me another baby, and that myself and the others that had lost their birds would have the first choice on choosing new ones, which was already hard to do after losing the one you had been bonding with. Yet despite that emotional choice, this was a blatant and cruel lie. I had received a call about a new batch of babies, and went in exactly at opening time on the first day to have a better chance to pick one I felt compatible with, yet when I arrived there were already people viewing the babies before the place was even opened. When I asked if they had lost a baby too, they had NO idea what I was talking about, and said no, they were just looking for a companion for their child. I was livid.

I approached the head manager woman of the place, and even despite my feelings at the time, I politely asked her if they had ever figured out what was wrong with the birds that were put down. She was incredibly curt and dismissive, and just said "NO" and brushed me off completely, walking away as if in disgust. This was also a lie. My father who had come with me had pulled her aside in another room, and she told him then that it was wet pox disease, and she didn't want the other visitors to hear about sick birds in their establishment. The VERY LEAST she could have done was simply just ask me to come into her office or a side room to discuss it if she didn't want others to panic about a contagious sickness, but instead she lied to me and shut me down. It was incredibly rude and disgusting behavior to treat a customer who'd lost a precious friend that way, while in their care. And going behind our backs to be pushy about selling a new batch of babies to visitors who hadn't even lost one was vile. I will never come here again, and shame on the head manager for her treatment towards those grieving. She needs to learn some real customer service practices and not be such a heartless business woman. Those baby birds were living, breathing, emotionally sensitive creatures, and we the owners had real feelings for their loss. I am angry, and I am...

A magical wonderland for birds and bird lovers! My boyfriend and I drove 3 hours roundtrip to the Emporium from Boston three different times when we were looking to buy a baby parakeet. We could not have been more pleased with our entire experience. It's unfair to call this place a pet store, as it's so much more than that. Birds are also boarded here, training classes are offered, and bird owners come with their pets to socialize. There are relaxed, healthy, happy birds everywhere, out on open stations, sitting on people, interacting with other birds and customers of all sorts. Bird are such intelligent, social creatures and the Emporium really puts their needs first.

The babies are all procured from good breeders, hand-fed and handled on a daily basis. This is SO key if you're looking to get a bird. Never have I been around so many calm, friendly, behaved birds and it's all because they are extremely used to people. Plus, all the birds came with training already! They know how to 'step-up,' stay put on stations, and sit on shoulders without a problem. Anyone can handle the birds in their awesome lounge, where customers and birds just hang out for as long as they want. When we went the first time, we got to handle all the baby parakeets for HOURS, with the little birds just calmly sitting on our fingers the entire time. No one made us feel rushed or pressured us into buying anything. And speaking of the employees....

Everyone who works here is really fantastic. Most of the employees were young, but rather than ever seeming bored at work, they were constantly interacting with customers, giving advice, playing with birds, and keeping the place clean. Everyone who works there has their own bird too, so they are all very knowledgable and even bring their pets into work to play.

Heading up this group of really great people is Janet, the owner. Frankly, if she told me to jump off a cliff because it would be good for my bird, I would do it. This lady KNOWS her stuff and exudes confidence and expertise. While we were there, just looking at the babies, she took us aside into the training room and showed us all about clicker training, using a couple of her own birds as examples. Every trick and behavior we thought might be a distant possibility IF we ended up with an exceptional smart bird, Janet showed us that they were all easily within the realm of basic training. On the day we came to pick our little bird up, she sat down with us and went through his diet (they have specialized warm veggie meals that they send you home with to start out), what to expect the first few weeks, how to handle him, and all these other details. She even fit him into a flight harness, which the internet said would be too small for parakeets, but worked perfectly. She's amazing! All this attention and care for a small, $35 bird. Of course, we went and bought as much food, toys, etc for the bird as we could...it's just one of those places you really want to have your money. Janet also outfitted a special carrier for our bird and set it up with a bunch of free accessories! It's just obvious she wants her birds to be off to a good start when they go to their forever homes.

We've had our bird for a week and though Janet warned us that he might not eat because he could be scared, we've had no such problems. The little guy is super curious and friendly, all our friends can easily hold him, and we take him outside all the time, thanks to the carrier and the harness. If you're ANYWHERE near the Parrot and Bird Emporium (or if you're not), this is where you need to...

A PARADISE FOR PARROTS This little slice of Heaven was found by mistake almost 4 years ago! Our bird adventure started out in 2021 when my now husband and I, on a whim, decided to check this place out. Let me just tell you we were blown away. We wound up purchasing our first bird just a couple months later and we were hooked for life! We were literally up there every day that we possibly could be to spend time with our new feathered friend! Not only were we bonding with the bird but we made amazing friendships with all of the staff. The owner constantly checked in on us, taught these 2 bird novices ALOT, and was always willing to help in any way she could to make the transition for not only us but the bird a seamless and easy one. Fast forward to now and our flock has grown quite a bit as we have introduced quite a few more to our original baby. All with the help and support of all the employees at The Parrot and Bird Emporium! The Parrot and Bird Emporium literally has everything you could need for your birds. They have toys, cages, carriers, perches, sleeping huts, food, treats, supplements, and much more! They even offer wing, nail, and beak trimming by appointment. They have a nice sitting area where you can bond with your newly adopted birds and interact with other birds. On top of all that they will even board your birds if you were to travel. We have utilized many of the services they have to offer and have even boarded our birds while we were out of the country. There is not another person on this planet that I would trust my birds with. Everyone at The Parrot and Bird Emporium works tirelessly to make sure that all these babies, and lets not forget the boarders, are well taken care of. Like any animal, they are going to make a mess. In the mornings, right when they open the store is immaculate, birds cages are all cleaned. By the end of the day, yes the store is messy, THEY ARE ANIMALS they will make a mess!

This place is beyond expectations both in cleanliness and the exceptional care these people provide for these animals. The owner is an amazing individual with a heart of gold, and the staff that take care of the place are all extremely friendly, and dedicated to their work.

What to expect: Friendly, energetic atmosphere with amazing people and animals.

This is not a petting zoo, I REPEAT, this is not a petting zoo. Please keep in mind that while there are instances where you will be able to handle some of the birds that is not always the case. It's not because the staff don't want to let you handle them, it's purely out of safety. Animals are animals, we don't know how they are feeling that day or even what's going through their minds and just like us they can have bad/off days. Listen to the staff, respect the animals and the store, and your time there will be amazing.

TO OUR LOVING FAMILY AT THE PARROT AND BIRD EMPORIUM! WE SEE YOUR EFFORT, YOUR HARD WORK, YOUR DEDICATION! THANK YOU FOR BRINGING US TOGETHER WITH OUR...