Petsmart

does anyone in the US live near a Petsmart?

Philomel and I would like to get the following "Perky Pet Upside Down Wild Finch Feeder" which costs $8 and isnt available in the UK
http://www.petsmart.com/wild_bird/shopping/products/product_23559.shtml

Can you help out? Can you find out how many are in a box? it may be worthwhile us getting a whole box.

here's hoping.

Mark

just found the makers web address http://www.perky-pet.com/ and here is their address
Perky-Pet Products Co.
2201 S. Wabash Street
Denver, CO 80231
Phone: (303)751-9000

maybe one of the Colorado members can find.

This message was edited Tuesday, Dec 10th 7:10 PM

We have a Pet-co and Perky Pet is a company that is widly known around here...I have several of their hummingbird feeders bought at several places. I'll check around tomorrow and see what is available.

There's one in Newnan Ga. where tiG lives. I'll check and see Thursday I have to take Bobbie to buy chocolate to make candy. I'll check it out and see if they have any and how many comes to a box.

we have one here mark! I'll write this down and go check tomorrow night

thanks people

I know we have a pet smart here.....If you need me to go get someting, let me know

well, after I posted I thought I had better check, and sure enough not more than 3 miles away...
I'm just talking to them, she is checking to see if they have the perky pet smart upside down finch feeder.
I sure have seen a lot of those types around...

:( - :( apparently they dont have the perky pet upside down finch feeder...:(

This message was edited Wednesday, Dec 11th 9:51 PM

the manufacturer will mail tubes to us. I phoned them just now.

good deal Mark!

oh good mark, cause ours didn't have them either.

they take lots of seed at 23 inches high.

what is Thistle seed that I see mentioned on US bird food sites?

these are the birds I want to feed http://digiscopingukbirds.homestead.com/files/goldsujny5post.JPG using the upside down feeder so Sparrows dont waste the seed.

I just read that Thistle seeds = Nyjer = Nyger = Niger as we know it over here. Anyone know what the plant looks like?

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/duke_energy/Guizotia_abyssinica.htmlThis is the plant detail Will look for pic now

Hmmmm didn't come up with very much :(
Can't get onto the site where those dark photos are - was hoping there might be better ones
http://images.google.com/images?sourceid=navclient&q=Guizotia+abyssinica

youre first link is wrong http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/duke_energy/Guizotia_abyssinica.html

Mark, the birds you want to feed upside down are beautiful! I wonder if they will be able to learn to use the feeders? It will be interesting to find out.

The thistle seed sold here in USA is heat treated to kill the sprouting ability of the seeds. I don't know if it is because they think it could become a noxious weed or if it is just to keep those of us who like to garden from growing our own.

our Goldfinches are very agile and can hang upside down like yours do. I have already seen my birds hanging upside down taking seeds from the joins in the feedersThey are cousins in the same family of Carduelis finches.

They can be trained to pull up a thimble of water hanging on a thread so they can drink.

The link you put in is the one I copied the address from so I don't know how that happened - apart from being in a dash as usual LOL

Do you have access to the thistle bags that are good for feeding the thistle in? My goldfinches like them better than my Perky Pet feeder as do I. The Perky Pet feeder allows just enough moisture into the bottom of the feeder that the food will mold. The bags dry out. I have heard of a feeder that is similar to the Perky Pet one but with a mesh like the bags and I will keep in touch with the owners of that and see how they like it after a few weeks of feeding.

very interested

more interested http://www.marshcountryfeeders.com/images/bigtriopic.jpg

check out these! http://www.marshcountryfeeders.com/photos.cfm

I grew my own thistle that our goldfinches ate from all summer :) It was so cool to watch all the goldfinches and purple finches all over it, hanging and eating and eating and hanging... Many thistle seeds sold are NOT heat-treated to prevent germination, that is why I have so many million seedlings every year: some neighbors feed birds with them.

The bags alone sound good. How long have you used them?
Wouldn't be so costly to post either.
Do you know how long the mesh lasts Pond, and how easy it is to replace?
Does it get damaged by other birds/animals?
My birds share feeders with mice (and squirrels:()

is that what thistle seed for birds grows into?

The mesh bags probably would get gnawed by squirrels and mice -- that's what's made me hold off on getting one. I'm amxious to hear if that's the case or not!

By the way, Mark - There's a thread for you in the Parking Lot. Wasn't sure where to post it so you'd see: http://davesgarden.com/t/368968/

Mark, yes, that is the thistle seed sold here: Scotch thistle usually. Mine grew to a height of about 1.5m and a diameter of more than 2.5 m with about 40 branches. Some "weed"

something doesnt add up.

Perky Pet want to sell me the feeder for $12 each while Petsmart sell them for $8 each.

it's called a loss leader. a special to get you into the store and then buy other things. that could explain why most Petsmarts are out of them.

I see. like a Boxing Day sale when the first person through the dorr gets a million $ TV for $10

I am going to go to Petsmart tomorrow. I will check their prices then. The upside down feeder at one store here is about $10. The mesh would not hold up with squirrels and mice. Some of my mesh bags are three years old and have a couple of holes in them but that just makes it easier for the goldfinches to eat the seed. I have one bossy male that had his hole staked out and won't let any others eat from it. LOL

mark, have you ever heard of our day after Thanksgiving sales??? Every store runs huge sales between 6am and 11am. All kinds of eletronics for ridiculous prices. People that shop that day spend hours with the newspaper ads, making sure they have a plan, because there is no way a person could hit very many, some families split up and divide the shopping. It's crazy, I stay home that day.