An Adoption Appeal

As many of you know, my birds are adoptions and fosters. I also know many of you have adopted birds, and I applaud you. For those of you looking to add a bird, or another bird, to your life, I want to speak to you.

Babies are adorable, everyone knows that. Who doesn't love babies? However, there are thousands of birds in rescues and sanctuaries around the world, because babies grow up. While a bird will always be beautiful, they don't always stay cuddly and loveable. As birds get older, their temperaments can change. Please, be aware of this fact, and accepting of this fact before you get a bird. A lot of birds I've seen in the rescue I work with are only a couple years old. I've seen a lot of people give up on their birds when they start hitting puberty. I plead with you to please be prepared for this if you want to get a baby. Don't get a baby when it is young, cute, and cuddly, just to give up on it when things get hard.

On the other hand, many of the adult birds in rescues and sanctuaries can be amazing pets. My sun conure was said to be untamed and extremely aggressive. He's not. A little work on getting him to come out of his cage, and he is a bird even a young child can hold and interact with. He is an absolute sweetheart that just needed someone to give him a chance and be willing to work with him. My female Ekkie is a bird that will allow me to do anything with her. I can hold her on her back in my hand, open her wings, I can even swaddle her in a towel like a baby. She is a bird that you couldn't take out of a cage without toweling her.

There are many other success stories from others about rescues. I don't want to paint an unrealistic picture of rescue birds either, however, not all birds are going to be what you want. Some birds need years of work to get them to "pet" status, and some will never get there. I just want anyone looking at adding a bird to at least consider visiting a local rescue.

No matter what route you choose to go, just remember, birds are incredibly intelligent, emotional, and wild creatures. No bird is going to be perfect all of the time, and it is no fault of the bird. If you are not prepared to deal with some issues at some point or another, please do not get a bird at all. It breaks my heart every time I go into the rescue I work with and see the birds that others have given up on. I understand that there are some times when a bird has to be rehomed due to unforeseen and uncontrollable circumstances. That is not what I'm talking about here.

Please, just really think about the lifelong commitment before getting a bird.

Same for dogs and cats, too!!!!

All my babies are rescues/rehomes. Who wants a baby anyway? Sure they're cute, but then ya gotta deal with birdie adolescence, which is, I think, the only thing worse than human adolescence.

On a more serious note, thank you for posting this. My heart is obviously with the rescues, and always has been no matter the species. I've never had a dog or a cat for long because I always go into shelters and choose from among the animals that are scheduled to put down that day (or the next, if it's too late for that day's animals), and they are almost always older. So I'd give an elderly dog or cat a home for a year or two, which sucked, but it was better than being put down in a shelter.

Well stated!!!

Only change I would make is that the numbers Worldwide are beyond tens of thousands!

We take in only Amazons and then only those unwanted to a point that they had been left for a Vet to quietly make them 'go-a-way,' like yesterdays trash.

I could say much more, but the OP has stated it so very well, I have nothing to add other than: Please Consider Adoption of an Older Parrot!

Bro Im with you. In 30 plus years I have only bought 1 bird. All the others were rescues. Ive ended up with unwanted throw away birds. Managed to rehome many but I still have 2 I will not part with. I have a special place in my heart for critters. Recently rehomed a CAG and wish I had the room to keep him. We are of one blood ye and I bro... keep up the great work

Great post, Outlaw! Almost all of my birds are rehomes or rescues, it just sort of happened that way. So many do need homes out there, and I also applaud people who bring them into their lives.
I also want to give a shout out to the people who do choose a baby bird and then they keep that baby bird out of the vicious rehome cycle and give it a wonderful home.

I think it is amazing when we can change even one bird's life.

Thank you Outlawed Spirit for your post. All well said, and very important.

Also, if someone has brought home a baby and is having difficulty with terrible two's, or puberty attitude changes, I appeal to them to worth through it. Live through it the way you would with kids. It will get better. Ask for help. Join a local bird club, watch videos, and ask for help here. search the forums for all kinds of helpful posts, ask a sanctuary for guidance. Just don't give up. It too will pass. Become an expert in the art of distraction for your toddler.

Very well said "Outlaw"

That's why I have so many sugar gliders....people get babies,,they get sick or overwhelmed and all of a sudden I am being called to pick up another unwanted creature. Believe me....I would never say no, no matter how expensive it gets. I will go without before an unwanted pet goes without a home.

WannaBeaParrot... love that quote. I also love Emily's "Hope is the thing with feathers
that perches in the soul".

Thanks for the thread, OSpirit!

Boy, do I agree with you guys about adopting rescues. And not just rescues, but mature birds. I don't know why anyone would want to have a parrot in their life who hasn't finished going through puberty. I mean, if you have a parrot in your life who's going through puberty, DON'T GIVE UP on them.

Five of my current budgies are rescues, and my parrotlet is a "secondhand" bird. The baby of our family, Alice, was rescued from an animal hoarder when she was just a baby (I mean, she had her adult feathers in, but she was definitely young). The woman was just going to "release her into the wild" during the middle of the winter! She would've only fledged a month or two before she was rescued from that horrible woman!

Alice had terrible PTSD, and would scream for hours on end, barely moving at all. She still suffers from behavioural and psychological issues, but she's been an amazing addition to my flock, and she's been flourishing. The same goes for Lara, who I adopted last summer along with Rumi and Pollo. It was a four hour round trip driving to Toronto to pick those three up from the shelter. Lara's been diagnosed with what is most likely cancer (she's only 4), but I still love her, and I don't regret adopting her.

And when we got Noah back in June, we fell in love with each other right away. My fingers were a mangled mess for over a month while I was training him (he was two and hadn't been handled in two years). Blood dripping down my arms, I was told more than once by my parents that I should think about giving up on trying to tame him, but I didn't. He's such a gentle boy now, giving me lots of kisses and snuggles. There's no such thing as a "bad", "broken", or "untrainable" bird; just birds who were never given a chance.

Teddscau said:

Boy, do I agree with you guys about adopting rescues. And not just rescues, but mature birds. I don't know why anyone would want to have a parrot in their life who hasn't finished going through puberty. I mean, if you have a parrot in your life who's going through puberty, DON'T GIVE UP on them.

Five of my current budgies are rescues, and my parrotlet is a "secondhand" bird. The baby of our family, Alice, was rescued from an animal hoarder when she was just a baby (I mean, she had her adult feathers in, but she was definitely young). The woman was just going to "release her into the wild" during the middle of the winter! She would've only fledged a month or two before she was rescued from that horrible woman!

Alice had terrible PTSD, and would scream for hours on end, barely moving at all. She still suffers from behavioural and psychological issues, but she's been an amazing addition to my flock, and she's been flourishing. The same goes for Lara, who I adopted last summer along with Rumi and Pollo. It was a four hour round trip driving to Toronto to pick those three up from the shelter. Lara's been diagnosed with what is most likely cancer (she's only 4), but I still love her, and I don't regret adopting her.

And when we got Noah back in June, we fell in love with each other right away. My fingers were a mangled mess for over a month while I was training him (he was two and hadn't been handled in two years). Blood dripping down my arms, I was told more than once by my parents that I should think about giving up on trying to tame him, but I didn't. He's such a gentle boy now, giving me lots of kisses and snuggles. There's no such thing as a "bad", "broken", or "untrainable" bird; just birds who were never given a chance.

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Thank-You, just does not seem like enough! But, I know that the Love that you are receiving from your Parrots more than makes up for it.

My favorite Words: NEVER, EVER, GIVE-UP!

Beautiful post! Birds are amazing creatures in endless ways, yet sadly many folks cannot or will not provide good homes, hence the need for sanctuaries. What a gift of love to acquire these companions!

What a wonderful post. All of mine have been rescues. Even my CAG Nigel who is only 8 months old. Imagine a baby needing rescue! They all turned around for the better, and Nigel has been wonderful. Birds are forgiving and trusting, once you break the barrier, they're friends for life. Thanks for this thread!

LeaKP said:

What a wonderful post. All of mine have been rescues. Even my CAG Nigel who is only 8 months old. Imagine a baby needing rescue! They all turned around for the better, and Nigel has been wonderful. Birds are forgiving and trusting, once you break the barrier, they're friends for life. Thanks for this thread!

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The pretty chicken was an 8 month old too when I rescued her. She had become a wonderful companion and I wouldn't trade her for anything.

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I actually found a Hahns Macaw that I would love to adopt, sadly they won't allow me to due to distance. A couple people before me had tried and been rejected all the same, some with shorter distances.

The only rescue center I'm "in range" of has exactly 10 birds. 4 are 'teils. 4 are amazons. 1 electus and then 1 black cap conure that is pending adoption. Teils I risk having issues with allergies, and I'm just not a fan of amazons and their 'go for the eyes' attitude. The Ekkie is one of their weird, "not really in the shelter but kinda sorta is" situations. I'd attempt for the conure if he wasn't pending adoption.

I commend people who can adopt. I wish I was in the position that I could. I've adopted a lot of dogs and cats in my life and I've love to continue that love into a bird. Maybe when I get better situated and my dog has passed on, I can talk down a rescue center.

Teknogeddon said:

I actually found a Hahns Macaw that I would love to adopt, sadly they won't allow me to due to distance. A couple people before me had tried and been rejected all the same, some with shorter distances.

The only rescue center I'm "in range" of has exactly 10 birds. 4 are 'teils. 4 are amazons. 1 electus and then 1 black cap conure that is pending adoption. Teils I risk having issues with allergies, and I'm just not a fan of amazons and their 'go for the eyes' attitude. The Ekkie is one of their weird, "not really in the shelter but kinda sorta is" situations. I'd attempt for the conure if he wasn't pending adoption.

I commend people who can adopt. I wish I was in the position that I could. I've adopted a lot of dogs and cats in my life and I've love to continue that love into a bird. Maybe when I get better situated and my dog has passed on, I can talk down a rescue center.

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Adoption Centers can be really weird sometimes. I had been contacted by one in Northern Indiana. They had contacted our Avian Vet regarding clients that would be open to Adopting an Amazon. Since, we had been between Amazons, our Vet provided our name. After a phone interview and my switching my travel schedule around an appointment was made.

I arrived at the appointed time, filled-out the paperwork and was visiting the YNA. She was in very bad shape. Her Step-up was slow and unsteady and she quickly buried herself into the coat I was wearing. Anyone that knows Amazons understands that this is a rare introduction to a Amazon.

Now the weird part; they rejected me because I was too far away. Yes, they contacted my Avian Vet and then me knowing where our Avian Vet's Offices are and where I lived. So, I understand what you are facing.

Saddest part, the YNA passed at their facility three weeks later.

Make sure your Avian Vet knows you are looking and keep digging.

SailBoat said:

Teknogeddon said:

I actually found a Hahns Macaw that I would love to adopt, sadly they won't allow me to due to distance. A couple people before me had tried and been rejected all the same, some with shorter distances.

The only rescue center I'm "in range" of has exactly 10 birds. 4 are 'teils. 4 are amazons. 1 electus and then 1 black cap conure that is pending adoption. Teils I risk having issues with allergies, and I'm just not a fan of amazons and their 'go for the eyes' attitude. The Ekkie is one of their weird, "not really in the shelter but kinda sorta is" situations. I'd attempt for the conure if he wasn't pending adoption.

I commend people who can adopt. I wish I was in the position that I could. I've adopted a lot of dogs and cats in my life and I've love to continue that love into a bird. Maybe when I get better situated and my dog has passed on, I can talk down a rescue center.

Click to expand...

Adoption Centers can be really weird sometimes. I had been contacted by one in Northern Indiana. They had contacted our Avian Vet regarding clients that would be open to Adopting an Amazon. Since, we had been between Amazons, our Vet provided our name. After a phone interview and my switching my travel schedule around an appointment was made.

I arrived at the appointed time, filled-out the paperwork and was visiting the YNA. She was in very bad shape. Her Step-up was slow and unsteady and she quickly buried herself into the coat I was wearing. Anyone that knows Amazons understands that this is a rare introduction to a Amazon.

Now the weird part; they rejected me because I was too far away. Yes, they contacted my Avian Vet and then me knowing where our Avian Vet's Offices are and where I lived. So, I understand what you are facing.

Saddest part, the YNA passed at their facility three weeks later.

Make sure your Avian Vet knows you are looking and keep digging.

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I'm also in the unfortunate circumstance that this is my first bird in years, so an avian vet has nothing for me. //shrugs
Pickle seems to be okay, that's a very reputable rescue. I just hope they can find a good home for him.