I am very sorry this happened to your daughter. I am also sorry that the cockatiel baby died three weeks after you brought it home. Life is fragile and accidents happen. I have a policy in place to help protect buyer and seller. It is an attempt to be fair to both parties. I guarantee the health of my birds when they leave the store. If anything happens to a baby a necropsy to determine what caused the death is required. This is for two reasons. The first reason is if the bird was sick, I need to know for the sake of any other birds that may have had contact with the ill bird. Birds hide illnesses well and this may be my only opportunity to save any that may have come into contact with the ill bird. The second reason is that it would not be fair for me to have to refund money to a customer who killed his own bird. I can only control what happens in my store. I have no control when the bird leaves to it's new home. I can only trust that whoever bought the bird did their homework as any responsible adult would do. This policy is posted in on the wall in two different locations in the store. The policy also mentions that if the bird was deemed ill, by an avian vet, that I would reimburse the customer for the price of the necropsy and the purchase price of the bird or a replacement bird if the customer prefers. You would not be out any money and we would know what happened. When ever a baby bird leaves the store, a four page list of common toxins and household dangers goes with. Along with a care sheet on diet and an additional care instruction sheet. It went home with your bird. I was there. These lists are also posted on the wall in the store. These care sheets are a courtesy, not a requirement. I hand them out because I do not want anything to happen to one of my babies. I carried them around with me for months everywhere I went, I fed them from a syringe every four hours. I get attached to them. I don't wish any harm to them and I never want to lose a customer. I do not have enough hours in the day to educate every customer about every possible toxin that can harm a pet. That is the pet owners responsibility. I do not sell any live animals to anyone under 18 years old for that very reason. I am sorry that your bird died of Teflon poisoning. That did not happen in my store. You refused a necropsy ($24) stating you didn't want to spend the time on it. Instead you screamed at me to disregard my policy since I was the owner and I had the authority to do that. That would not be reasonable or fair. Threatening me to give bad reviews if I didn't give you another bird was also not helpful. It only strengthened my resolve. Regardless of any reviews I receive, I will continue to do what is in the best interests of my birds and my responsible adult customers. I was more than willing to work with you. I do have a health warranty. You voided it by refusing to go to the vet. read more

We are stationed here at NAS in Pensacola, FL and for the 3 years we've been here, I drive an hour out to Milton just to visit Rhonda's. Our first visit there I fell in love with this sweet little green cheek conure baby--he was recently weaned but had been picked on by his siblings who were pulling his tail feathers out, so Rhonda wanted to keep him a little longer while his feathers grew out a little more and she felt confident that he would be okay. She cared more for his well-being than the money. That's rare. He came home soon after and has since been an amazing addition to our family. He is so sweet and healthy and we are grateful for the care she put into him. More recently we bought a baby sugar glider. She welcomed us to come visit as often as we liked to bond with him and get him used to us so he wouldn't be so freaked out when we brought him home. He is by far the sweetest sugar glider you could ever meet. We get a lot of compliments on his sweet disposition, even with new people. We had never had sugar gliders before and although we did weeks of research on them, Rhonda and Iris have been beyond helpful answering any and all questions we have and some really great tips. They really take the time to talk to their customers. We have learned so much even about the other animals they have. Our 4 year old daughter adores them as well. She has learned so much about different birds, hermit crabs, fish, lizards and how to care for them. On a final note, I feel I must discredit the man with the awful review. I have never left there without the care sheet for the animal--she makes sure to give you one. She's even offered a second one to be sure. I believe it can be agreed that any responsible adult researches an animal before bringing it home, even if they are buying it for a child. The big box pet stores see the animals they sell as no more than a product. There is no hand-feeding or personal affection put into the process, so it is no great loss to them to refund the money when the animal dies. Even then, they have a 2 week guarantee so even if this man had bought his bird from one of those stores, he still would not have been granted a simple refund or exchange. He was offered to have a necropsy done and it would have been no cost to him had the bird been sick before he brought it home. He did not take any time to read up on the bird, nor take it to the vet to find out the cause of death and yet he wanted her to just give him a couple more birds? It's not just about policy over at Rhonda's Aviary, its about love for animals. read more

Great store, pro employees who are helpful and courteous. Rhonda's is a cool store. The other review is whack. Who even goes to buy a pet with no knowledge of how to take care of it? What if your doctor gave you a Rx, and for whatever reason you forgot the instructions, or the instructions weren't on the bottle when you picked it up? Would you just take the entire bottle of pills, or none of them, or just PICK UP the phone and ask the doctor? Even if Rhonda hadn't given you the list of do's and donts, it's still on you to care for the animal. Accept some responsibility. The animal was in your care when it died. You refused to have HER pay for an autopsy. Her policy is actually one of the best I've seen regarding bird dealings. A big box store would have gone to their breeder and farmed out another animal that didn't get nearly the same amount of care or attention your tiel did at Rhonda's, it would then live in a 1 foot cube until someone came and decided to take it home and kill it by neglecting it. Since any rational person would have just agreed to the reasonable policy. When I got my bird from the big box store (I know I shouldn't have, should have gotten a rescue) I immediately took him to Rhonda's and we got him DNA tested and his greatly-neglected-by-big-box-store toenails trimmed. He looooooves Australian small mix. Just bought 10 pounds to take back home since we moved not too long ago, but STILL come visit Rhonda's when we come back to town. As for the store, great selection of perches, toys, cages and any/everything birds. Jasper and Roscoe will talk your ears off if you're willing to listen. You can fing cheaper cages on amazon, but they won't hold up. My bird has a rhondas cage, going on 1 year absolutely no issues. Paid 200 for cage. Paid 100 bucks for a prevue cage (moved, nothing but big boxes where I live now) of similar size as my birds cage off Amazon and am highly disappointed in the amazon cages. It's easily worth it to spend twice as much for something much higher quality that will last at least 4 times longer, if not more than that. The only problem with Rhonda's is its 300 miles away from our new home! read more

I dont understand how a place is terrible if YOU didnt do research on an animal before bought it. Do you know what food to feed or not feed your guinea pigs and dogs? What is harmful to them? I would assume one would do plenty of reading up especially if your little girl was buying it. Also Rhonda does not sell to anyone under 18, the signs are in her store and clear. So as the adult you are suppose to help her take care of her pet, not Rhonda. Some of her birds are over a thousand dollars, why would she only be in it for 220.00 bucks as the bottom line... The policy is beyond clear on these "bird autopsies" I went with a friend when she bought hers and she got tons of information on nutrition and much more... and that was on a 30 dollar parakeet! The impression we got was NOT one of carelessness but of compassion. She hand raised my friends tiny little parakeet and also told her to bring the baby back if she was crying too much, even showed her what the parakeet feels like now and how too skinny would feel. Rhonda has been in business for years and I have heard many people say great things. While I personally have not been ready for a bird, I enjoy watching them care for the birds and even have seen them let kids give peanuts to store birds like Jasper and Roscoe. Personally I feel she would not be in business if she apparently is like this Michael M. Says she is. Why would you refuse the necropsy? Its a sure fire way to prove what was wrong with the bird. Why should she refund you your money because you did not do all you could to learn all you can about your new baby...? Withholding a do or dont paperwork does not make or break a sale, nice jab at her though. Seems you are bullying her with these "kudos if she does the right thing" I dont know her well or what may have happened to this guys bird but sounds like she did the right thing already. Too many people have great things to say for this one guys supposed account of his encounter at Rhonda's Aviary to hold any ground. If this guy told me this, I wouldnt be able to stop laughing... Just unable to take responsibility for what happened. read more

This place is really great. I can't say enough good things about the store and its staff. I bought a baby Rosey Bourke's parakeet last fall, and while I know I definitely got the stubborn one of the bunch, he is a joy in our home. We love him dearly. He's beautiful, healthy and coos, whistles and chirps non-stop. You get care instructions, paperwork and all the information you need when you purchase an animal from her store. They also have a new rewards program set up, which is great. When it is time to take your new pet home, you get 20% off almost everything and can go on a little shopping spree for your new friend. ( I know this applies with birds, however I'm not sure if it applies to EVERY animal ) I have also just put down a deposit on a baby cockatiel, he comes home next month. I picked him out myself when he was just a little nekkid bird with barely any feathers - I visit him often, and now he's huge and filling out - he's so beautiful! He's calm, has a great personality so far, and is very vocal. I'm impatiently waiting to bring him home! Rhonda is great - she has helped me and answered so many of my questions, and I ask a lot - If she's busy, she tells me that, and lets me know she will get back to me. She always does. You can tell that her animals are very well cared for, and that Rhonda is extremely experienced. The staff here are very knowledgeable, super friendly and really take the time to address your concerns and answer your questions. If you put a deposit down on an animal, they encourage you to come visit as often as you like until it can go home with you. There are TONS of toys, treats, and accessories for birds, small animals and reptiles. While the store is small, it is packed with everything you need. Rhonda also gives a discount to people who drive from far away - I live in Gulf Breeze and if I purchase anything in store, most of my items are discounted. That to me is so awesome, I think it's a really generous gesture and shows that she values her customers. read more

I have found Rhonda's Aviary to be a wonderful source for birds and supplies and Rhonda always makes time to chat with customers about any concerns we have about our birds. Last summer I accidentally killed my daughter's canary by spraying ant spray in the doorway about ten feet from his cage during a sudden infestation. Later that day we went to Rhonda's to see what she had and I was totally honest about Timmy's death. My daughter picked out a few possibilities and she picked out an English budgie. We brought him home about two weeks later when he was done being hand fed. Two weeks later he died and we had the necropsy done at Rhonda's direction. It showed that his digestive tract was completely empty, even though we gave him the same food he had been eating at Rhonda's. The vet said sometimes birds don't take to a new environment and won't eat. (We had seen this before with our Sun conure but he didn't die, he just finally got hungry enough.) The vet gave us a printout to take to Rhonda and she refunded our money and gave us a hand fed parakeet in exchange for the necropsy cost. Stinkerbell, my daughter's parakeet has been with for us for over a year now and we have bought two other birds from Rhonda's as well. We buy all of our supplies from her and she's always willing to talk to us about any problems we may have. Her prices are more reasonable than the local pet stores and she and her staff are always wonderful to us. read more

We drive an hour the best pet store for birds I ever been in. They are so sweet and helpful. I have bought several birds they are so tame and healthy, I would recommend this store highly, you can spend hours in there. About the angry man, some people buy pets don't care to learn how to take care of them properly, poor baby bird!!!! If he was sure it was Rhonda's fault, and he had already spent 0ver two hundred dollars what's a fewMore bucks shelled out to prove a point!!! He must of new the out come, results of that test. Sorry for the little girl really a lesson learned to bad she's too young to no what really happened , to bad for that baby bird, all that special care given by Rhonda then that, really sad. All this being said, a few months later I'm at the pensacola bird show with my husband and friends, guess who's there, Ronda buy birds lots of them, I have learned since my post, never go back there!!! They told me never buy birds at the bird shows cause those people lie and the birds are probably sick. We watched her buy at least 20 birds they are very cheap at bird shows, she jacks the price up over 200%, she really doesn't care where her birds come from like she preaches , I watched her go around the store one day feeding all the baby birds with the same feeder that can't be healthy for the birds. Really disappointed after seeing all that, we want go back to that store. read more

I have been going to Rhonda for everything for my birds since she ran a small store at the fleamarket and i was breeding eclectus at the time. Her store is fantastic she has products you cant get any place else and her birds are loved and hand raised. In reading the bad review she received, i question why would someone purchase a bird without learning as much as they can about caring for that bird? ya buy a car, the salesman isnt responsible for teaching you to drive, is he (or she)? Rhonda cares far more about the future of her birds than the money she gets from the sale and if she had known this person had no knowledge of caring for the bird and keeping it safe, i doubt that she would have sold it to them. (she reserves that right and i respect her for that policy) I have been to her and her staff many times to ask questions and they are always ready to provide their knowledge and help. yes, before buying a bird, fish, dog, cat or elephant, take it upon yourself to find out everything you need to know before making that decision.....if you cant use the internet, visit the library... If you are fortunate enough to get one of Rhondas birds, know that you have purchased a healthy, loved and cared for bird that will be part of your family for many years if you take care of it... read more

I'm WAY past due for getting my little feathered friend in for a wing clipping and grooming. She is a Congo African Grey we purchased from Rhonda's, but it was also a rehoming. The previous owner was unable to keep her, and the bird was 11 years old. Rhonda, and all employees, were always helpful with advice. I have owned, or dealt with, the same or larger birds in the past, but never had to deal with changing habits from a previously owned bird. I lost a little blood, here and there, but now have my little buddy who trusts me entirely, and I trust her!! LOL, and she still yells now and then "RHONDA!!". The store can get busy. You may have to wait. Some may complain about that, but it means they give everyone their full attention. If you want a bird, and love birds, and want to do it right with some guidance it's the place to go!! It has been over two years and Rhonda STILL replies to a Facebook question here and there as we work on socializing our little Sophie. LOL, the bird who wouldn't "Step up", but now won't "Step Down". The bird trusts me 100%, and much of it was due to guidance from the one, and only, Rhonda!!! A CAG was MUCH different than the wild caught Amazon I had many moons ago!! Very stubborn, and very smart! read more

Got my little baby cockatiel from Mrs. Rhonda a few weeks ago. I was visiting her in the store while she was still being hand fed. Mrs. Rhonda and the staff were very helpful, friendly, and guided me in the right direction on what type of little bird that would do good in my household. No rush or pressure! They were and still are willing to answer my questions and took time to communicate with me about everything. She even showed my kids her birds, Roscoe and Jasper, who would sing and dance! Her store has all sorts of bird needs, from hand made toys, to food, cages, bird essentials, and even book resources. When I left the store with my little bird, I received a paper stating the different do's and don'ts that would aid in keeping her healthy and safe. My little ButterBean has quite some character, shy then sassy, and she has already begun to try and mimic sounds and loves to carry on conversations with me! Thank you so much for the wonderful experience, couldn't think of a better place to shop for birds and their needs! read more

I absolutely love this store! I drive all the way from Pensacola to purchase all of my bird supplies here. She carries everything from the litter, cages, food and has every kind of toy imaginable. I have been coming to this store for a little over a year now and have NEVER been disappointed. I also purchased my lutino peach-faced lovebird from her and he is an absolute doll baby! She answered every question, allowed me to visit and hold my baby before he was completely weaned and she even offered to DNA test him for a minimal fee. He was hand-reared and hand-fed by Rhonda herself and you could not ask for a sweeter baby! Not to mention he is absolutely beautiful! Rhonda even showed me his Mom and Dad which I thought was awesome! All of her employees are extremely nice and knowledgeable. Her prices are reasonable and she offers layaway on her cages as well as her birds. What a WONDERFUL experience! Thank you Rhonda and staff! read more

Rhonda's Aviary is awesome! Rhonda is knowledgeable about ALL birds and makes sure that before taking a bird home you know what you are getting into. Not only does she supply you with a list of no no's, she also supplies you with recipes that you can cook for your birds. I read Michael's review and my question is this - did you have a necropsy done? It sounds to me like Michael and his family were first time bird owners who didn't heed the advice that Rhonda had given them. As a bird owner, I wouldn't want your family taking in one of my birds only to kill it with your ignorance! I have been a loyal customer of Rhonda's for years and have nothing but good things to say about her and her shop! If you have ever met Rhonda, unsympathetic and uncaring are certainly not in her character. She is one of the nicest people I have ever met, and she loves what she does, and the babies that she takes care of. read more

Words really can't express how wonderful this place is. They care for their animals and it truly shows. Birds, reptiles, fish, and some super adorable little sugar gliders are all available to interact with, learn more about, and adopt/purchase. The entire staff is patient and caring towards humans that want educate themselves before buying, also. No animal should be an impulse buy. They took the time to answer all my questions and let me handle/get acquainted with the geckos multiple times. When I made up my mind on which little baby I wanted, Rhonda even gave me some free crickets so my new family member would be less stressed in a new environment. PS, Rhonda... if you are reading this... you guys really do rock! She ate all but 1 cricket by the time I got home (I only live like 10 minutes away). I named her Freckles and I love her!!! Thanks again! read more

I am a sugar glider lover and owner and have been purchasing food and other items on line until one day someone told me about Rhonda's. So I drove from PENSACOLA to Pace to see what she had and I have been soo pleased to have found someone local. I can get my Gliders their food, toys, and so much more. I couldn't be any happier with the information and care they have taught me. Since finding her, I have purchased another glider and cage from her. I am just waiting the appropriate time period so I can pick him up. So..anyone out there searching for a pet of that type, they have you covered. Also....a special thank you to Iris, she takes all the time I need to explain and teach me things that help my day to day living with these ever so sweet babies. Thanks girl for keeping me covered on all their needs. kelly read more

Ronda and her staff are wonderful! We recently brought two of our birds home from there. They are passionate and caring about every baby they have. When I came the first time, Sonja was so knowledgeable, asked many questions, gave me information on the different breeds. I decided my Leopold (Senegal) was the best choice.During the weeks I was going to see Leopold, Everyone was nothing more then polite and helpful. Now that he is home, you can tell He was raised with care and love. Mango (My son's parakeet) is super sweet. I have seen many parakeets that you get from other places that do not allow you to handle them. Mango has been home for one day now and he already allows my son to carry him on his shoulder everywhere. I would recommend anyone to them. read more

I would like to do a review of Rhonda's aviary I think it's a wonderful place have been here 5 or 6 times I've discovered it recently and I've been looking for a store like this and they're so helpful they know everything and then they don't mind waiting they don't mind being interrupted that they just are so this knowledgeable and so careful with the animals I just I'm very happy to see a place to take some birds that are no longer wanted on because they say they're very careful they don't just let anybody have them I'm having a hard time I think I'm going to have to get my firstborn said I love you. This work but on that's what I want if I was going to have to adopt my baby out I want them to do it my name is Leona and I live in cantonment read more

Wonderful store and excellent sales persons who are well informed about the various animals. Rhonda is gracious and knowledgeable, and her birds are extremely well cared for. I was so impressed that she remembered me loving one of her birds that ended up being purchased by another customer who had to end up returning the bird. She contacted my friend, who lives near her, about the fact that the bird was returned in order to let me know (I live in Mississippi) and to check to see if I wanted her, which I did. I really felt as if it was karma. Great store with great variety of bird supplies I cannot find here in Jackson, ms. Thank you, Rhonda, for a wonderful experience and my sweet companion!! read more

I really do love this store. It is a bit crowded, but it's because it is overflowing with great merchandise and healthy animals. This store offers are discount card after a certain amount of purchases which I find incredibly helpful (great for the wallet). Always had a great experience with the staff they are always running ever which way trying to help and stock, but always make time for the customer. It is a welcoming atmosphere. I will admit it was a bit intimating at first, but it is worth a shot. Also, feeders (meal worms, supers, etc.) are a great bargain here. I shop for feeders and mostly reptile hides and so fourth. Although, I have been tempted to get a bird recently... read more

As a canary breeder, I expect the best and that is what I find at Rhonda's Aviary. For over a decade I have seen the quality of Rhonda's birds and supplies. She always has healthy birds at a fair price. She has maintained a good selection of colour, song, and type canaries as part of her flock. I have observed how Rhonda interracts with birds and with customers. She is very knowledgable and her passion for birds is clearly evident. She teaches prospective buyers about the birds they are considering. She can answer any question a bird owner asks. She is always both very honest and very professional. Rhonda's Aviary is the only pet store in northwest FL that I will recommend. read more