We are experienced bird owners, 16 years of fostering for a rescue in CA. We shopped around to find a young Indian Ringneck to add to our family forever. Meg and Whidbey Birds came up and were very close to us. Meg spoke to us via messenger to set up what we wanted and where to meet. I was hoping to come to the aviary to make sure I saw a healthy flock of breeding birds. Unfortunately she wants to keep her home private, which I can understand too. So we met in a parking lot and had a very quick transaction. I would have preferred to be able to ask more questions due to us bringing home a baby still on formula. But Meg said she would email us all the information we needed to know. When we arrived home and read through all her instructions, we followed them to a T. We also followed her advice of holding our little guy softly in a towel for 24hrs so he bonded to us when he wasn't in his heated tub. He was so scared and this bonding time of 24hrs made all the difference. From then on, he has been attached like Velcro. Meg also shared in her instructions on how he would go through a month of nipping and being sassy.....I'm so thankful that she walked us through that time...had we not known and just given up on holding him, I doubt we would have the incredible boy we have now, almost four years later. Our boy has almost half a million subscribers on TikTok and I always refer them to Meg. But it's really important you follow her directions exactly and see an avian veterinarian frequently to make sure no health issues arrive. read more

Whidbey Birds - Pet Stores Near Me

On may 7th , i purchased a new bird after recently losing our conure of 35 years. We found a bird seller website that linked us to Whidbey Birds, and since we are located near the island we thought it seemed like a good option. Meg requested to meet at a park for the exchange, which i thought was a little unusual but assumed it may have been because Meg also breeds dogs and possibly had pregnant animals at home that she did not want people around. When Meg arrived she handed over the sun cheek conure in an ant infested cat carrier. I commented on the ants and Meg responded by saying "It's okay, the bird will eat the bugs." (NASTY) i immediately went to the feed store and asked a worker for a clean box because it was so disgusting. After doing some research it is illegal to keep birds and insects together like this and any professional breeder would know this. At first the bird seemed fine. However by Friday we noticed he was sitting at the bottom of the cage and acting sleepy. By Saturday afternoon, he had passed away. I contacted Meg right away to let her know what had happened. She claimed the bird probably got too cold, but that simply does not make sense. We have another bird living in the same room, our living room and the house was warm the entire time. Meg then offered us another bird free of charge in a few weeks. We explained that if Meg had recommended additional care measures, such as a heating pad and an aquarium setup, we would have done so immediately. Meg had specifically stated this bird was four months old and fully weaned but now im being told it looked closer to 6 weeks old. This week, I decided to look further into this breeder and found numerous concerning Yelp reviews and posts from others describing very similar experiences involving sick birds or birds that were not fully weaned and died shortly after purchase. We are honestly disgusted and heartbroken that my we had to go through this experience. A few days after he passed, I texted Meg and stated that i would prefer a refund of the $600 rather than receiving another bird. I never received a response. I genuinely do not understand how someone with such a concerning reputation is still allowed to continue selling animals. I have spoken to multiple bird breeders in the washington state area and they have all said they have heard the same horror stories from this place. One told me at least once a month they have someone come in with story of sick birds dieing after purchase. Be extremely cautious dealing with this place because the odds of bring a sick or unweened bird home is extremely high. read more

Wonderful experience with wonderful Meg, ending with a wonderful baby bird! Meg was so helpful and patient throughout, even with my changing pickup plans. No matter what changed, she agreed and was accommodating. My new family member is so healthy and beautiful! I'm very happy and going to make plans for another bird from her. read more

I've done business with Meg for 6 years now. She is really knowledgeable about her birds, she helps with anything you need help figuring out when you buy one of her little bundles of joy. She helped me when I got my very first bird. I was so nervous but she said to call anytime and she even picked up late at night. She helped me pick out the correct formula and even gave me some to start me out. She's given me chop instructions, ingredient dos and don't s, given me birdie bread recipes, recommended great toys and cages and is always so kind. She's helped me through first bird vet appointments and general nerves when it was my first bird. I've told many people about how great she is. If you're looking for a reputable breeder for birds look no further. Thank you Meg for bringing a lot of joy into my household! read more

Whidbey Birds - The said conures! - Pet Stores Near Me

Meg continues to slander my name to future and current customers. Using one photo to manipulate with false information and blatant lies. She does a better job of making people who bought sick birds from her look like animal abusers than she does at selling healthy animals. If you proceed with buying a bird from her despite all the reviews stating their birds have died within 72 hours of taking them home - save all communication so she can't manipulate it later on. As you can look through my photos I have posted for proof, whereas she has one photo of my fully feathered bird (which was older than she stated and since she had no paperwork she has no way of knowing how old it was!) Who yes....is wet. And sitting next to a vicious cat who is CLEARLY clawing him, biting him, laying on him, eating him.... And then the other photo I sent her that she won't post where the bird is safely tucked into my chest and drying :) By the by the replacement she gave me (due to refusing to give my money back) - is thriving :) So all her accusations that I killed the first bird seem pretty off. read more

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We bought a blue Quaker from Meg and she is just such a sweetheart. Meg was super nice and actually met nearby my house which was really nice. My sweet baby girl loves her new home and is so loving. I highly recommend Whidbey birds. read more

Whidbey Birds - Pet Stores Near Me

Just like I said, victim blaming. Look at her other posts from dissatisfied purchasers. You ASSUMED since I have a reptile that I had experience. Nothing in my messages shows that. I had not asked for an unweaned baby, You said "it's better to get a sun still handfeedings so they bond more with you". I have all your messages I will upload. You said nothing about if I have concerns to message you again, prove it. My husband was nice but once I told him your operations he's views changed. You stood there telling me all the stories of people that posted negative about you trying to defend yourself. You did ask for the birds body and I told you no because I was going to send it for testing. You continuously lie and take ZERO ACCOUNTABILITY for your mill you are operating. I have SEVERAL FB messages from all sorts of people that you have RIPPED OFF by selling SICK BIRDS more and more evidence each day. You cannot disregard SEVERAL people with proof. Why are you referencing K. Caven on my review? Trying to defend yourself? Guilty conscience? You were taken to small claims court a few different times and you did NOT win. STOP LYING. The conditions you leave those babies in is inhumane. Now you have puppies that you are breeding, wow. YOU NEED TO BE SHUT DOWN. read more

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I had the most wonderful relationship with Meg... I had Been talking to her about a year ago or so about getting a Caique ... My health was not in a good place and she was very patient and kind and very willing to wait until I transitioned into my new home and my health improved. I was ready to get my baby and decided that I would go with a PIonus Parrot. She advised me that this would be better for me I guess as we have been talking for a year she got to know me a little better and she thought this would be the best kind of bird for me. I picked him up yesterday at the airport and he is the most beautiful healthy vibrant baby I have ever seen. Thank you so much Meg I love him and I named him Yoshi read more

Whidbey Birds - Pet Stores Near Me

I'm writing this review on behalf of my fiancée who is still heartbroken after having his beloved baby grey die of PBFD after just three months of having him. The vet that treated the bird to the tune of $10,000 dollars said that this disease 100 percent came from this breeder. We also consulted a breeder on Mercier Island who had bought some birds from this breeder and then almost lost the whole breeding program to PBFD. This disease not only kills but lives in the environment for years so we can not safely get another parrot until we move. If you wanna know the breeders response to all this lose and pain it was to offer him a discount on a new bird. read more

My cockatiel wasn't tame at all when I picked her up (Meg told me she didn't have time to tame) she was boney,greasy and tail feather was chewed off, it seems she has been abused.She still hates hands but now she gained weight and looks pretty. Unfortunately she has respiratory infection as I could imagine from other people's review. Don't buy from this breeder. Go to Wings of the World. They do Top notch business. read more

Whidbey Birds - Coco back then - Pet Stores Near Me

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Meg is amazing ! She is a retired Vet tech and knows everything about birds . Our Indian ringneck Picasso is tamed and have a great outgoing personality thanks to her knowledge. We had followed all instructions that was given to us cause we didn't had much experience with birds . She is available 24/7 to answer any questions . Picasso is beautiful read more

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Meg is dishonest about simple things like gender. If she lies about something so simple, I can't imagine the other stuff she lies about. Would not recommend or use again. The reviews here are horrifying. I'm thankful our bird is healthy, but he is NOT what we agreed to. I only discovered bad reviews after buying from her. I would not have purchased otherwise. Buyer beware. read more

Meg is nothing but a scam artist. She doctors her paperwork which has been confirmed by the company she gets her DNA tests through. She sends pictures of healthy birds then gives sick birds to her customers. This breeder NEEDS to be shut down! I feel sorry for her birds and customers. read more

Meg Hilkey sold us a baby IRN with PBFD. Highly contagious disease with NO cure. We had our bird for 9 days. It had to be euthanized on the 10 day because it was so sick. This story is only half of what we have gone thu with this person. It has become a legal issue. She is in total denial. Nothing but blame on everything and everyone else who has lost a bird from her. I have plenty of documentation. She has been reported to the Washington Attorney Generals office and the BBB. We sent her a registered letter. No response. Watch how fast she shoots this down. She is a very dangerous bird breeder! Please do your research!!! She is spreading disease all over the U.S. This business got an F rating with the BBB. read more

I got all my babies from whidbey Birds. Amazing birds with big personalities. My last bird that my husband and I got from meg was my umbrella cockatoo. He is great, amazing little guy that is healthy as can be. I couldn't be happier. read more

Summer 2016- DO NOT BUY! Responds really late and rudely. Dodges all important questions on vet care, testing, warranties, licensing etc. Birds are mishandled and possibly raised illegally (no licenses?). Acquaintances seen birds stacked in small plastic containers in a messy kitchen on top of other containers with other birds. Several acquaintances lost their birds due to unknown causes just WEEKS after purchase (one case including a contagious virus). They are all for profit- do not care or know about the well-being of birds and hides/make excuses on those who had issues. **UPDATE 7/5/2016-Recently, the store disabled the rating section on their Facebook page to hide reviews.** **UPDATE 7/5/2016 II- owner now deletes all negative feedbacks and comments on her Facebook page.** DO NOT BUY FROM THIS BREEDER!! read more

Terrible experience with Whidbey birds. Owner is fine until there is a problem, then refuses to communicate. NO guarantee and NO contract. RUN, don't walk away from her! Daughter saved for months to buy a Green Cheek Conure, we found Meg online and put a deposit down via PayPal (make sure you if you pay via PayPal that you do it for "goods and services" not "friends and family" like she will ask you to. You don't have a leg to stand on if there is a transaction problem!) We had to meet in a McDonald's parking lot and the bird was shoved out the window at me by her Daughter. No discussion, just "hi and bye". We noticed baby was breathing oddly on the way home and Meg was advised of this. She told me "oh, those are normal baby sounds". Vet visit several days later confirmed otherwise, he had a respiratory infection and despite treatment, DIED a few days later at Vet's officr Meg did replace the first bird, my Husband had to meet her this time, again in a parking lot. He was breathing heavily, was very stressed. Again Meg was told about abnormal behavior, again, I am told these are "normal baby sounds" this bird didn't last 24 HOURS! Husband found him passed away the next day. All of this became our fault in Meg's eyes. I was told there "must be toxins" in my home, that the babies were "just fine" until she gave them to us. She demanded Vet records and when I didn't immediately produce them for her, began calling every Avian Vet in town, asking if we had been there and trying to get them behind my back. You would think a Vet Tech of 20 years (as she loves to tell you) would know that was incredibly inappropriate! When I sent her what records I had, she made mention of "Epinephrine used for allergic reaction" I had to inform her that no, it was used to try and revive the bird after he had gone into Cardiac Arrest! So I was refused a refund and refused another bird for my Daughter. She demanded necropsy reports but unfortunately baby #2's body was too far gone by the time the Vet was back in the office. So we are out the money and have no baby. This was a horrible experience. I wish I had paid the extra money and gone with another breeder in Washington, most of them do offer a limited guarantee and a contract. The more I talk to other bird owners, the more horror stories I hear about Meg and Whidbey Birds. BTW, we were offered a lovely rescued Green Cheek the day after the 2nd baby passed away. He is happy and healthy months later. No "toxins" :-) Please do your homework and don't base your choice on price or availablity. Meg is running a parrot puppy mill and it's all about the money for her. read more

Meg is very sweet and helpful, not to mention that my new baby is absolutely beautiful! He is so brave, outgoing, and already well socialized. It has been just a few days yet he is already getting the hang of things in his new home. Meg is so helpful and is always willing to talk and help out with any questions that might arise, even though the bird is no longer in her care. Definitely recommend! read more

I got my bird almost a week ago and I couldn't be anymore in love thank u Meg!

I had to take Meg Hilkey to small claims to get back $233.00 of a $250.00 deposit. Overall, this ordeal end up costing me over $500, 2.5 hr travel time, time off from work. She is a pig to deal with. read more

I'm posting this to make people aware. Do your research before buying. We recently got a cockatiel from here. We were told they were about 10-11 weeks old but still be handfed. When we got the baby we realized it was probably closer to 6 or 7 weeks old. It was dirty and wobbly and uncoordinated. It was considerably under weight. After just a few days with us, and eating a decent amount, it perked up and is more balanced. I believe it may have been under-fed in an attempt to wean it quicker, but regardless it was clearly malnourished. After some research, I realized this wasnt the first time this breeder has sold a younger, unweaned baby. There are multiple cases of people buying birds from here and them being ill and dying quickly. It's also important to note that this "breeder" is not breeding a lot of these birds, they are bought from somewhere else. If you do buy a bird from here, make sure you get a receipt and some sort of health guarantee. It wouldn't hurt to get the baby health tested as well. read more

Terrible experience with Whidbey birds. Owner is fine until there is a problem, then refuses to communicate. NO guarantee and NO contract. RUN, don't walk away from her! Daughter saved for months to buy a Green Cheek Conure, we found Meg online and put a deposit down via PayPal (make sure you if you pay via PayPal that you do it for "goods and services" not "friends and family" like she will ask you to. You don't have a leg to stand on if there is a transaction problem!) We had to meet in a McDonald's parking lot and the bird was shoved out the window at me by her Daughter. No discussion, just "hi and bye". We noticed baby was breathing oddly on the way home and Meg was advised of this. She told me "oh, those are normal baby sounds". Vet visit several days later confirmed otherwise, he had a respiratory infection and despite treatment, DIED a few days later at Vet's office Meg did replace the first bird, my Husband had to meet her this time, again in a parking lot. He was breathing heavily, was very stressed. Again Meg was told about abnormal behavior, again, I am told these are "normal baby sounds" this bird didn't last 24 HOURS! Husband found him passed away the next day. All of this became our fault in Meg's eyes. I was told there "must be toxins" in my home, that the babies were "just fine" until she gave them to us. She demanded Vet records and when I didn't immediately produce them for her, began calling every Avian Vet in town, asking if we had been there and trying to get them behind my back. You would think a Vet Tech of 20 years (as she loves to tell you) would know that was incredibly inappropriate! When I sent her what records I had, she made mention of "Epinephrine used for allergic reaction" I had to inform her that no, it was used to try and revive the bird after he had gone into Cardiac Arrest! So I was refused a refund and refused another bird for my Daughter. She demanded necropsy reports but unfortunately baby #2's body was too far gone by the time the Vet was back in the office. So we are out the money and have no baby. This was a horrible experience. I wish I had paid the extra money and gone with another breeder in Washington, most of them do offer a limited guarantee and a contract. The more I talk to other bird owners, the more horror stories I hear about Meg and Whidbey Birds. BTW, we were offered a lovely rescued Green Cheek the day after the 2nd baby passed away. He is happy and a YEAR later. No "toxins" :-) Please do your homework and don't base your choice on price or availablity. Meg is running a parrot puppy mill and it's all about the money for her. MAKE SURE YOU SCROLL DOWN AND READ THE "NOT RECOMMENDED" REVIEWS. read more

If I could I would give this breeder 0 stars. She sold us two Indian Ringnecks with PBFD. The first bird died within two weeks and the second a week later. I sent the following email and several after but no response even though I had proof of PBFD in our veterinary report. I'm out $1400 for the birds and now $1300 for vet bills. read more

I told Meg repeatedly via text, phone calls, and emails that I wanted birds with unclipped wings. She assured me that she never clips the wings unless asked by the buyer. She delivered the birds to me with clipped wings...she didn't even tell me in advance...I drove 2000 miles to pick them up. I am extremely disappointed - she sold me something different than what she said she would and different than what I specifically requested. These birds are meant to be outdoor free-flyers and are now missing a critical period of their developmental process which exposes them to increased risk. When I asked her about it, she was dismissive of the problem and made excuses. She made zero effort to ameliorate the situation. She consistently left many of my questions unanswered and has poor communication abilities. Originally, I asked Meg for two birds in the pin feather stage. For a long time she said she was still waiting to get babies...then suddenly she said she had one for me that was several months old and already weaned. The reason she gave for not telling me about this baby was that she only got one baby this year and I wanted two. So then I was scrambling to figure out what to do. I would have taken just one bird in the pin feather stage if that's all she could give me, but she didn't communicate so I didn't even have that option. She kept making lots of poor assumptions and was consistently vague in her communications. I wondered for several months if she was a con-artist. My ultimate conclusion is that she is simply a poor communicator and unprofessional as a business person. I appreciate her efforts to deliver a good service and to do a good job raising the birds, but after my experience with her, I would look for other breeders before going to Meg again. read more

Absolutely horrific place. My friend purchased a green cheek from Meg last month and he died within two weeks. My friend did not expose her bird to anything potentially harmful or deadly and took care of him just as well as any expert would have. As someone who has taken care of birds for about 11 years, I was able to warn my friend of hazards to keep in mind of (teflon, avocados, etc). Unfortunately, her case is not the only one. There have been several cases posted on the Whidbey Birds review section of birds dying or getting sick shortly after purchases. My friend has talked with a customer who had bought a macaw from Meg and said he had died within 40 days of purchase AND had an avian virus (according to lab results) which was caught prior to the purchase. These reviews cannot be seen at the moment however, since Meg seems to have decided to hide/disable the reviews. For every negative review that was written, she would play the victim and make several excuses (that were highly unprofessional and illiterate) and will even accuse you of lying or posting false information instead of taking the reviews as feedback. Also, basically every positive review was written by her personal friends....of course, right? Meg does not give you any receipts or health check reports and will most likely not tell you about her warranty until it is too late. She said she guarantees quality, healthy birds, but yet when my friend's conure died, she stated that it may have been a congenital issue. It just all doesn't add up. I highly don't recommend this place to anyone. The birds are raised in very cluttered conditions and she will most likely take a few days to respond to you anyway. Save yourself from frustration and heartbreak and let's hope this place gets shut down. read more