Michigan mom goes to PetSmart for a cat food run. Then her boy meets his parrot soulmate — now she just need $800 before it’s gone

Sometimes, it feels like wholesome internet stories are relics of a bygone era. Gone are the heyday of cute animal memes, of viral “feel good videos,” and of online spheres free from cynicism. But every now and then, something wonderful goes viral that re-injects us with some good-old-fashioned hopecore.

It all started with a trip to PetSmart, and it's ended up being a story of communal joy and support.

‘My boy found his bird soulmate'

Michigan mother Amber Gardner (@sephymuffins) posted footage of her son at PetSmart forming a bond with one of the parrots for sale. The video has since accumulated more than 1.5 million views.

Gardner's video began with her son excitedly talking to camera about the responsiveness of the parrot he was eyeing. The parrot in question, a conure parrot, was in its display cage, behind glass, apparently responding to the boy's gestures and words.

“My boy found his bird soulmate in your store today,” Gardner wrote over the footage, tagging PetSmart.

Then, Gardner's son verbally instructed the parrot to “roll over” while twirling his finger near the cage glass and tilting his head in a “rolling” motion. The bird immediately complied, rolling over onto its back and looking up at the boy.

“Wow, what is going on?” one of Gardner's children said. “How is this happening?”

Then, her son backed away from the cage. But the parrot stepped up and pressed its beak to the glass, looking at him and chirping. The boy whispered, “wow.”

“That is your best friend, buddy,” Gardner told her son. In the video overlay, she added, “At this point we're like, ‘Ain't no way,' but we came back again.”

That's when they found out the parrot would cost $800.

The beacons are lit

Gardner's comment section flooded with support, with multiple viewers asking if they could financially support Gardner's family buying the parrot.

“Mom set up the gofundme and we will buy him his best friend,” read one comment with more than 27,000 likes. Another viewer replied, “But seriously I will donate she need to set that up immediately.”

“At this point I feel like petsmart should just gift this bird to him,” another commenter wrote.

In a follow-up video, Gardner thanked her viewers for the “outpouring in general,” calling the support “truly, truly touching.” She said she'd heeded her viewers' advice and launched a GoFundMe titled “Make My Son's Bird Bond Dream Come True.”

“A few days ago my 9-year-old son, with our family, went into PetSmart for catfood… and something completely magical happened,” Gardner wrote in the GoFundMe description. “While we were there, my son instantly bonded with a green-cheeked conure … We've wanted another animal companion intentionally, and this feels so much like fate.”

Gardner said the family just needed financial support with the initial cost of purchasing the parrot; with buying “a proper cage, perches, toys, lighting and initial supplies”; and with paying for initial medical evaluations.

As of this writing, the public has donated over $3,100 to Gardner's fundraiser. The GoFundMe's goal is $3,500. Many of the donations hover in the $10 to $25 range.

A couple days after Gardner posted her initial video, PetSmart commented under it.

“We'd like to help!” the official PetSmart TikTok account wrote. “Check your DMs.”

@sephymuffins Not at all what I expected during a quick cat food run to Petsmart 🫪 They were bonded on sight #fyp #petsmart #viral #trending #tiktok ♬ original sound – Amber Gardner

The real cost of a parrot

Eight hundred dollars is no joke, and that's before supply runs and visits to the vet. So what's the actual deal with parrots, and what are prospective parrot owners getting themselves into?

Well, as Gardner herself notes in her GoFundMe description, “birds are an easy 20+ year commitment,” with Lafeber's veterinary contributors reporting “a properly cared for conure can live between 20 to 30 years.”

Pet retailer Chewy reports that costs can soar well into the thousands when medical treatments, high-quality bird feed, and toy variety are taken into account. Pet sitting is another possible expense.

According to A-Z Animals, “rarity and demand are key factors in determining a parrot species' price,” with “exotic or endangered species in high demand [having] higher price tags.”

“Parrots that are difficult to breed in captivity and not commonly found in the market can be sold for higher prices because of their rarity and the effort it takes to breed them,” A-Z Animals writes. “The cost of a parrot can depend on its age and maturity. Usually, younger birds are more expensive than older ones. Parrots with uncommon colors or special features may be worth more because people prefer them and breed them selectively.”

A-Z Animals advises prospective parrot owners on a budget to seek out shelters or rescue centers to “save money and help a parrot in need.”

Buzz News has reached out to PetSmart via email and Gardner via TikTok comment.