Magnolia Bird Farm — Local services in Riverside

Updated review with vet information: DO NOT TAKE YOUR BIRD HERE FOR A GROOMING!!!! I took my bird (Green Cheek Conure) to Magnolia Bird Farm on Saturday May 8th 2021 for a grooming which is something I’ve done a few times before without too much incident. This time when my bird was handed back to me he was kind of loopy and not really standing up right. The man that groomed him told me he would be fine, just pouty for awhile. I brought my bird to the car and noticed he wasn’t staying upright in his carrier. I sat with him in the parking lot for about 15 minutes to see if he would regain his bearings. He finally did but I noticed he was holding his eye shut.

From the parking lot I called around to several bird vets but nobody had the room for him on such short notice. Reluctantly I took him home to watch him. After a few hours, his eye was super swollen and black and blue. I also noticed that he couldn’t see out of it. There was no reaction to any movements I made on that side of him. Monday morning, May 10th I called my regular bird vet and luckily he had a cancellation so was able to see my bird that day. Due to the swelling he couldn’t really see what was going on with his eye, but gave me some anti-inflammatory drops. My bird’s pupil wasn’t responding to light so he let me know he was in fact blinded…just unsure if permanent. He told me to bring him back next week so he could assess his eye. My vet said the groomer most likely accidently put a finger on his eye and applied too much pressure while restraining the bird. (Mind you this is a small bird…). At this point I notified Magnolia Bird Farm of the situation and they apologized and said to keep them posted.

On Monday (May 17th) I brought my bird for a follow-up visit. His eye is still a little bruised and swollen at this point. The vet was able to see that my bird’s retina had been detached. This means my bird will be blind in that eye forever. He has to stay on the anti-inflammatory drops for weeks to months in order to try and save the eye so it doesn’t have to be surgically removed. He has to be seen every so often now in order to keep track of his healing progress. As you have guessed…this has cost me hundreds of dollars so far. I’m out a lot of money and my bird is half blind due to the negligence of a groomer. Magnolia Bird Farm apologized when I sent the update that they have blinded my bird. They let me know that the particular groomer responsible is no longer allowed to groom birds until he goes through more training. I was told the staff was made aware of the issue and about how if they aren’t careful, they can blind a bird. The apology was nice…but it does not help my bird and I’m still stuck paying hundreds of dollars for their mistake. They have not offered to take any financial responsibility even though they’ve been made aware at how much this has and will cost me in the future.

Please…do not get your bird groomed here. Pay the money and have a professional do it. As my bird vet told me…you get what you pay for. It will save you money in the long run. Please don’t make the same mistake I did. I’m not the first person to have a bird injured here nor will I be the last. They will not help you if they injure your bird. They take no...

This store is HUGE!! This place has everything you can think of for your bird!! If you don’t have a bird and want one, they have a lot to choose from as well.

This was my first time here and I was clueless about birds. We recently rescued a parakeet and then purchased a friend for him. We came here to get a bracelet removed from the purchased bird and we met Christine. Wow!!

Christine was soooooo helpful. She answered all of our questions and gave us so much information about our birds and how to care for them. I didn’t realize there was so much to it. She gave us a tour of the store and recommended items to keep our birds healthy and happy. At first, I thought to myself, “Ok, this is where they are going to recommend stuff that was going to break the bank”, but their prices are extremely reasonable. We spent about $20 for all the stuff we needed which could’ve easily been about $50 at our local chain pet store. Some of the items we purchased, I haven’t even seen at the pet store but were essential for the health of our birds.

You can tell that not only Christine but all the staff we encountered really care for birds. I don’t plan to go anywhere else for my bird supplies. I really felt like I can trust their recommendations.

If you’ve never been here before, go check them out. They have everything you could possibly need for your bird. They even have used birdcages if a new one isn’t in your budget. I can’t say enough good things about them!!

Thank you Christine, you now have more loyal customers to add to...

This place is heaven if you like birds. They have everything that you need and more. They are experts in their profession and are very knowledgeable about almost any topic of birds. I bought my cockatiel there and the person who helped me was very nice. She let me hold each bird and let me get a feel as to which one I would bond with. I told her I knew very little about caring for a bird but that I was willing to learn and invest in whatever it needed. She helped me pick a cage and got me everything that the bird would need (except veggies). Me and my bird get along like PB&J now.

That being said, I get what people mean when they say that the customer service needs work. My first time there I felt very neglected but in their defense it was very busy. I guess I didn't look like a bird person at first but once I talked to one of the reps, I felt relieved. One does feel like they don't belong but I feel that it is a good thing. Like any kind of club or social group you need to earn trust. Bird owners are their own little community and those who don't take it seriously should not own a bird. I support that. People who can't handle the responsibility should not own any kind of pet. I feel that they are very careful who they let purchase an animal and who they let into their community.

I didn't give it 5 stars because I felt intimidated my first visit but that doesn't mean it isn't a fantastic place. If you have never owned a bird and are planning your first visit, do some research before talking to one...