Dark side of Parrot Rescues Centers

Re-selling abandoned birds, hoarding, etc...has anyone experienced the problems described here? Thanks. The Dark Side of Parrot Rescuers and Rescue Groups | That Bird Blog

As shocking as it is, Im not really surprised. The rescues here look fantastic on paper and online, however when Dave and I were thinking about adding a parrot to our family we found one rescue very rude. I think sometimes these sorts of places attract extremists who mean well but go way over the top! I contacted a local rescue to get advice about care and try to meet with experienced and passionate people. We were thinking of adopting, and I was told very bluntly "we will never allow you to adopt one of our birds, you do not have enough experience" and then they hung up on us! I had indicated that we just wanted to meet some birds and maybe foster for a little while before we decided on a bird, we hadnt even expressed an interest in any particular bird. I had several thousand dollars saved to get established and pay for vet bills etc. I was offering to pay vet bills and supplies for any foster birds that came into our care. We were planning to attend information sessions held by that very rescue. We dont smoke or breed any animals. All my pets are rescues (except my fish) and although I was new to parrots I had indicated that I was looking for support and I was trying to learn, which was my reason for contacting them in the first place. I couldnt believe how unfriendly and arrogant these people were! I know one of their foster homes has over 14 birds, and I dont imagine many actually get adopted with the stringent requirements and snotty attitude. I can understand wanted to have experienced foster parents or adoptive parents, but we would have contributed a lot to a rescue and they turned us down flat just because we were new. We ended up finding Mango accidentally on KIJIJI while I was pricing cages and investigating bird species. I would still happily foster and possibly adopt, but I will never again contact the rescue that snubbed me.

Some people who establish rescues love animals but theygoover board and will only let insanely experienced people take they animals

Hi Megamango & birdlover,

Thanks for the feedback; I've run into very much the same, esp while working for the Bx Zoo and being called in to evaluate problem centers etc...some folks do go to far, and they wind up over-burdened and also spoil the rep of others. I've seen this with people specializing in other animals as well - turtles, cats, skunks, iguana, general animal welfare people; sad, as you say, since most probably do mean well, but don't know how to go about it effectively, Best, Frank

I think every rescue (no matter the species) should make education a priority. This means teaching everyone they can, regardless of their experience level. Sometimes a rescue animal is not ideal for a new owner, but that doesnt mean you turn them away. Rescues should take advantage of these opportunity to explain why and help people find the right pet for them.

I agree Parrot Rescue Centers are run by people that are way too extreme. I contacted a local resecue center by 30 miles from my home. The guy who runs the place says that I have to first volunteer for 6 months and then I can take the bird home. Now you tell me, is this fair and practical? I have to spend atleast 6-8 hours week there. I'm sorry but who has all that free time? I rather pay my hard earnered money and pay a reputable breeder and support them instead! I am very loyal to my local breeder as well I only buy birds from that place only. Some Rescue Centers want to invade your privacey and make home visits. My breeder does not do that. I hate the fact that I would love to take in a abused bird into my home to be part of my flock but these Rescue Centers are run by extremists! I have to save so much just to buy just one bird with all the costs that go with the cage, toys and food. I could save so much and at the same time do a worthy cause but because a person wants to control the situation at a extreme level makes this very hard. Sorry for all the rant, Peace to all.

grey782163 said:

As with any other endeavor, there are zealots of course. There are also very good rescues with a large dedicated pool of volunteers, fosters, and benefactors. I don't see a home inspection as an invasion of privacy...it is more to make sure that the home is suitable for the bird. It is also an opportunity for the volunteer to share information regarding potential safety hazards (ie toxic plants in the home) prior to the completion of the adoption. These are safeguards to protect the birds: the process is deliberately set up so that there is no instant gratification. That said, there is no excuse to be rude or dismissive to a potential volunteer, foster, adopter, or benefactor

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I fully expect a rescue to come check out my house int he event I want to adopt or foster. If they werent interested in seeing where the birds would be living I would be pretty concerned. Not only would I expect them to double check everything is safe, but if they dont see your home you could steal birds, breed birds or hoard birds and they wouldnt have any way of knowing. Birds coming into rescues are already stressed and possibly coming from a bad situation. Its important their next step is a good safe one.
That said, I have a home inspection coming up and they will not be permitted in my bedroom, nor will I allow them to govern how I deal with Mango. I fostered guinea pigs for a small animal rescue a few years ago. They both got a runny nose so I took them immediately to the vet and left a message on their phone to let them know. When I asked for them to pay half the bill the refused because I didnt get their permission and they believed (with their magical medical knowledge) that the pigs would have been fine without antibiotics. I was told I have "no business seeing the vet without their permission." I told them they could consider the vet bills as an adoption fee and I wouldnt be taking any more pets. The real shocker was when a friend got a baby rabbit through them that didnt even have hair or open eyes yet. It needed several thousand dollars in surgery and the vet made it very clear that the animal would not survive. They paid it anyways with donation money, and then wrote up a big story about the abused animal they couldnt save. The whole thing was a publicity stunt to get more donations orchestrated by crazy people with corrupt ambitions.

Being in Animal Welfare & Rescue, and bird rescue for 45 years, I have seen so many sides to this issue. I am one of the rescuers that have strict guidelines to get any of my birds. Not impossible, or ridiculous, and, I have re-homed dozens of birds. You must understand that many of these birds have been through terrible situations, and the idea of sending this poor angel into another bad spot is unthinkable. I never took money for my re-homes, no matter how much I spent on vet bills, etc., or time I took to rehabilitate them. I just wanted to be sure they'd be loved, and this would be their last move into a forever home. I know that there are a lot of people masquerading as rescuers, when all they really want is to have many birds. Like anything else, you have to do your homework, and find a reputable place. Many rescuers take things too far, and pass up good homes because of their well meaning, but misguided, perceptions of the general public. As we often say here, the right bird for you is out there. It's just a matter of finding each other. Those situations where things didn't work out, go that way for a reason. You were meant to get a different bird from somewhere else. Keep looking, there are many of us out here who do want to match up the right pet with the right guardian.

So many people that get birds from us have expressed to me that they have attempted going through rescue first only to have been insulted or expected to turn their whole lives upside down just to adopt a bird. I understand that they want what is best for their birds but some of what they expect is a bit impractical. I really spend a lot of time educating people before I will let them have one of our babies and if I don't feel like they are ready or maybe want a bird for the wrong reasons I will refuse to sell them a bird but that is not what a lot of these rescues do. They make you jump through hoops for months, sign a million contracts and in most cases still charge an arm and a leg for their rescue birds, many of which need a lot of work and or vet care. I personally don't suggest first time bird owners to adopt rescues but I do tell them to go to rescues and see which birds they are most comfortable around. We have enough bird experience here that when looking for a pet bird I prefer to take in ones that do need work that others may not be prepared to handle. Honestly, I have been missing my cockatoo so much in the past year I have been seriously thinking of getting another one, I have seen quite a few in local rescues that I would love to give a forever home to but I know they won't adopt to me because I am a breeder. Mind you, I do not, nor would I ever breed 'toos and I would never take a rehomed bird and use it as a breeder anyway. We are very careful about where our breeders come from and its just not possible to know the things I need to know about a bird that comes from a rescue to use them as breeders. My whole life revolves around our birds and giving them the best care possible but that doesn't seem to matter to them, I guess in their eyes the fact that I do breed certain species(and very responsibly so I might add) makes me an enemy in their eyes. Sorry for the rant there but it is something that has been bothering me, I know I can go and get a baby 'too out of nest for $400 but I would so much rather take in one that needs a home since we do have the know how to work with birds that have some "issues" but they are definitely not making that easy

I think BillsBirds is on the right track, its important to find the right rescue. The first one I contacted was really rude (no longer in operation so Im wondering where all those birds they were unwilling to let go went), but I have been working with another in the area and its been great. Im not adopting, I plan to foster so they may be more lenient since they will still own any birds coming my way and get to make any important decisions. Due to previous experience I was expecting a lot of nasty drama, but this rescue has been (so far) great to work with even with my lack of expertise and multitude of questions. Ive made it clear I will need a lot of support and they are perfectly good with the whole situation.

I adopted my Elmo (Hahn's Macaw) from Feathered Friends of Michigan. Elmo was my first bird and Marie who ran the rescue was just great. She gave me food, had me take a basic care test and offered her continued support.

I also adopted or was given a small bugie (Zoe) at a garage sale. I contacted Marie who offered to help tame and in the future if I wanted a companion she would provide one for me.

I stay in contact with Marie giving her updates on the flock!!!

I now have

1- Hahns Macaw(Elmo)
2- Budgies (Zoe) & (Abbey)
1- Tiel (Big Bird)
2- cats (Bert & Ernie):64:

My experience and only experience with rescues have been fantastic!!

Hi all,

Thanks for all the very interesting feedback on my article; sorry for the delay in checking in - storm related problems here in NY. Great points being made; I'll forward to my other readers as needed and will take into consideration when writing more on the topic, Best, Frank

I too, contacted a parrot rescue to get more information about rehoming a parrot. I asked if they had any long term plan in place should the owners of the rescue were no longer able to care for their birds. (i.e. in the event of death, financial reasons, etc.) because I wanted to ensure birds in their care would not be euthanized.

I was responded to with a very curt e-mail. The person said they were "very busy" but would get back to me. (it was the "tone" of it that gave me a red flag alert). Meanwhile this same person was posting Facebook updates on their rescue site continuously so the part about being busy was obviously b.s.

I e-mailed again giving them the benefit of the doubt, figuring they forgot, etc. and no response.

I would not leave a parrot in their care. While they might be taking very good care of their parrots or so it seems, the mere fact that this person could not be honest and straightforward bothers me. I would have liked an honest answer rather than be blown off. If someone asked the question I did I would think the person is truly concerned about the future of their parrot.

So any rescue that doesn't answer your questions outright or gets curt or irritated by your questions - I'd stay away from.

In my area we have one awesome rescue called the mickaboo parrot rescue, there is also mickacoo that rescues doves and pigeons. They are a non profit all volunteer organization who offers education classes and are fantastic.

On the downside, there are a lot of "rescues" advertizing on Craigslist that are not at all that. Rescues are not hoarders, flippers, or someone with a fancy to get a parrot. There is one "rescue" that advertises on CG, it is a older couple who said they will take in birds but will never adopt them out. This can be ok in some situations but it makes me nervous to not see a web site, or anything else other than a add.

I may be mistaken, but I think Mickaboo was one of the groups behind an effort a few years ago to OUTLAW entirely the selling of pets in San Francisco. I've had a rather dubious impression of that organization since then.

legal_eagle said:

I may be mistaken, but I think Mickaboo was one of the groups behind an effort a few years ago to OUTLAW entirely the selling of pets in San Francisco. I've had a rather dubious impression of that organization since then.

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They did support the idea of banning pet purchases in SF. They are a rescue organization and they get to see the worst part of pets who are no longer wanted. I feel no different towards them, they are still a group of committed parrot lovers who want the birds in their care to get a new life full of joy.

You can read their statement here http://mickaboo.org/release.pdf

Copperarabian said:

legal_eagle said:

I may be mistaken, but I think Mickaboo was one of the groups behind an effort a few years ago to OUTLAW entirely the selling of pets in San Francisco. I've had a rather dubious impression of that organization since then.

Click to expand...

They did support the idea of banning pet purchases in SF. They are a rescue organization and they get to see the worst part of pets who are no longer wanted. I feel no different towards them, they are still a group of committed parrot lovers who want the birds in their care to get a new life full of joy.

You can read their statement here http://mickaboo.org/release.pdf

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Thanks. I was and still am troubled by the sweeping idea that you need to legally bar everyone from buying a pet from sellers who do a great job here. Also, from reading forums like this it seems that buying a hand-fed baby bird is quite a different experience from adopting a rescue.

I am a huge part in a local rescue in my area and I'd like to point out. Parrot people can be crazy. The drama you talk about is always stupid. And about something that won't even help the birds. In our rescue we eliminate that and make sure it doesn't happen. So a lot of times you are working with volunteers and you cannot tell them how to be as they are there on there own time. You may set guidelines but it is not set in stone sadly. That is when you ask people to leave. My expirence has been great but there have been hard times. A truly dedicated rescuer is ther for the birds not the people and will thought through hard times.

Jtbirds said:

I am a huge part in a local rescue in my area and I'd like to point out. Parrot people can be crazy. The drama you talk about is always stupid. And about something that won't even help the birds.

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Yes parrot people can be crazy but HELLO, people in general are just plain crazy Like with anything, there are GOOD rescues and BAD rescues. I became a bird parent for the first time in July of 2011. I knew NOTHING about parrots except for a small amount of research prior to getting my bird (which ones were cute) and what the guy at the pet store told me. YES I am now reformed and will never buy another pet store bird!!!!

I learned about a local rescue in my area a few months after I brought my new baby home. I decided to volunteer in hopes that I would become a better bird parent. I figured I'd go down and help out for a few hours and that would be that.

A year and a half later I am still doing what I can to help out. I only wish I had more time. The owner of our Rescue is one of the most knowledgeable, dedicated and compassionate ladies I have ever met. She cares deeply for the birds she takes in as well as after they are adopted out. Not only are home visits part of the adoption process, but regular "play dates" at the rescue are required. All adopters must promise to return the bird if things do not work out, rather than giving to bird away or selling it. I guess other rescues work that way as well so the difference may be in enforcement.

Much to my regret, I do not get to work hands on with the birds too often. Due to my background skills and my involvement in the community, the owner told me I could be of more use to her by helping to spread awareness and raising money than cleaning cages.

We have several Parrot rescues in the state of Florida, most are good....as far as I know... and one not so good. Apparently the owner of this rescue tries to undermine the other rescues. When I started hearing about some of her antics, I was appalled. These are NON-PROFIT groups, created for the good of the birds, you would think they would all want to help each other out. So the previous poster was dead on when they said that the drama has nothing to do with the birds. So YES people are CRAZY. I'm not going to mention the "bad rescue" here but if you are concerned and want to know, please message me.

Anyway, if you are in Florida, please come and visit us at M.A.R.S - The Melbourne Avian Rescue Sanctuary. We have mostly the larger birds: Macaws, Cockatoos, Amazons. We do get some smaller birds as well but they are adopted out faster. Please check us out on Facebook or our website: Florida Parrot Rescue, Parrot Care & Sanctuary - M.A.R.S. or www.facebook/marsparrots:rainbow1:

Adoption fees are more of a way to sustain the rescue for the other bird, charging adoption fees is not a way to make money, but to supply for the other birds you need to understand that to even begin to down one rescue. The one you stated does not sound so great but the fact if charging adoptions or rehoming fees when yo are dealing with rescues you must charge adoption fees so the others can thrive, unless you have thousands of dollars to dispense all of the time for free then I guess not. Me and my dad charge adoption fees, but they are not outrageous and just to supply for the other rescues!