Rescue a Parrot, don't buy new ;)

Folks,

I realize there was recently a post on rescuing parrots. I wanted to post a specific thread related to a local Ohio rescue called "Wings Over the Rainbow".

If any of you are in the Dayton area, you should definitely stop by this place: Wings Over the Rainbow. The place is clean despite housing over 100 birds (the website only lists a fraction of the birds they have for adoption). It doesn't have the retail polish of a for-profit pet store, but keep in mind that they rescue the birds and aren't out to make money. The lady who runs the place is zealous about rescuing the birds and I don't think they turn too many away. Many of these birds have suffered severe neglect and abuse (horrible stories in some cases: birds kept in shoe boxes under the bed for making noise; a B&G kept in a closet for nearly 2 years!, and so on). Some are not big fans of people, but, surprisingly, some are very social. I think most of them would be fine in the hands of a patient and experienced parront .

I would estimate that cockatoos make up 60% of the population at this rescue, followed by macaws.

Of note, there was an Amazon named Grouchy, but contrary to his name he is THE nicest amazon I have ever met. He stepped up and let me pet and hold him...a little beak wrestling but gentle.

Bottomline: If you are anywhere near Ohio and are interested in rescuing a bird, check this place out. There are some really nice birds who would like a home.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie8yskFqLXs[/ame]

Think about it...

I agree that there are so many birds that need homes and it is such a tragedy how many of these birds were mistreated. Unfortunately, to take in a bird with a bad past is a huge commitment and responsibility that many people are not ready for. However, there are many people who are ready and willing and it is wonderful when a bird can be matched with the right person. I adopted a Goffin's Cockatoo and she is absolutely the love of my life now! She has adapted very well to my family and is now one of us!

I agree! There are so many wonderful birds in rescues, and rescues all over the country! It may be more work, but the love you get back when you bring a bird back from the dark place they've accepted is unbelievable. Also if you factor in the hormonal change age when you purchase a baby there's tons of work involved there too, there is no such thing as an easy parrot! There are so many sad ads up all over, even craigslist where people can no longer care for their birds, and some of them are in the worst conditions you can imagine!
If you MUST for some reason breed please make sure the people who buy your babies really know what they're getting into, otherwise there will eventually be an overpopulation situation as bad for birds as there is for kittens.

I could not agree with your more. I do not want to be rude to breeders but there are thousands of birds needing homes.

I just wish any of the even close to rescue type places would bother to respond to my emails/calls. Most seem not to want to deal with someone who has never had a parrot before, but if I had one I still would if I was in the least bit responsible. Most of these birds will outlive their owners.

I agree with you, rather adopt a bird. Just look how loving and giving they can be, when given the love and attention they so willingly deserve.
I wish I had the space to adopt a bird.

Kh The best was to adopt is to volunteer at the org. from which you wish to adopt. That way they will know you. you will have bird experience and you will get first choice of a bird.

Spiritbird said:

Kh The best was to adopt is to volunteer at the org. from which you wish to adopt. That way they will know you. you will have bird experience and you will get first choice of a bird.

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Good advice here. I'm sure rescues are wary of adopting out to first-time parronts is because that's the situation that lots of the birds came from. Good luck.

Sad commentary that 85% of all exotic birds are either sold or given away in the first two years, I have nothing against breeders, they have and do serve a useful purpose, if it wasn't for domestic breeding programs who knows how many more species in the wild would be extinct or on the verge of extinction from over harvesting for the pet trade, but there also comes a time to be more responsible, with the market being saturated with unsold young birds, and people trying to re-home birds they are finding was more than they could handle and the rescues full to the rafters with birds that are in desperate need of adoption, its time to put on the brakes and slow down or even stop alltogether for awhile, I want to thank Andrew for this thread, and SB for making many more of us advocates in the cause for parrot adoption and rescue

I wish there was an avian rescue near me (Evansville, IN). I think I might actually enjoy volunteering at one right now, just to be around them. I'm sure I would learn some things too, from more experienced people.

Your wish is my command Here is a parrot rescue in your town.

Casey's Safety Nest

Same here, I would love that opportunity. As far as I know, the closest avian rescue we have here is far on the other side of the state. And they haven't even updated their website since 2007! Makes me wonder if they exist anymore.

Are there even any parrot rescues in Australia? On the RSPCA website adoptapet.com.au there is an occasional cockatoo but that's all. I think there is probably more demand and less supply here than over there.

Quantumcat said:

Are there even any parrot rescues in Australia? On the RSPCA website adoptapet.com.au there is an occasional cockatoo but that's all. I think there is probably more demand and less supply here than over there.

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This point has come to the surface a few times on here. Yes, there is one rescue specifically for parrots on the east coast Parrot Rescue Centre | Caring for Parrots in Australia. It appears they mostly acquire the larger cockatoo species. Apart from this one, I know of no other big rescue centers for birds. Occasionally adoptapet.com do get some birds, but VERY few. Breeders supply most of the pet birds around here and most end up in good homes. I occasionally see a few ads in the paper and some on the internet, but they get re-homed pretty quick. In our case, I am grateful for breeders as they prevent wild entrapment of parrots and they have done very well to not 'over-breed'. We always have to be careful though, we don't want to end up with hundreds of homeless birds one day.

You are right about there being a great supply of exotic birds here. The US doesn't regulate breeding, so anyone can buy a pair of birds and start a business.

I was at an exotic bird auction yesterday and there were many beautiful, nice birds sold for under $300 (Amazons, macaws). A pair of greenwinged macaws (breeders) went for $350 for the pair. Couple of baby greenwings were offered fof $700, but no takers.

The point I'm trying to make is that without regulation or other barriers to entry, you will have a lot of people trying to make a quick buck. If the market for these birds was controlled, there would be far fewer sad situations and the goode breeders would actually make a higher profit.

AndrewH said:

I was at an exotic bird auction yesterday and there were many beautiful, nice birds sold for under $300 (Amazons, macaws). A pair of greenwinged macaws (breeders) went for $350 for the pair. Couple of baby greenwings were offered fof $700, but no takers.

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Whoa thats madness. Here in oz I would have to sell my car, both my kidneys and my right pinky toe before i could even afford one of the larger macaw species. Here you would pay somewhere between $7000-$10000 (AUD)

In a lot of ways, that's a good thing. You probably don't have rescues busting at the seams with these birds. The low prices here in the US allow for these birds to be purchased by almost anybody.

Yea well i think that is part of the reason why we don't have a problem....yet

I'd always wondered about people continually going on about rescuing parrots instead of buying them from a breeder, when the birds cost so much and there are so few I can't see anyone giving one away to a shelter. Now I understand why. Ben is right, parrots cost a small fortune here. Here are some typical prices:

Indian Ringneck: $200
Alexandrine: $400
Sun conure: $500
Eclectus: $1,000 ($1,200+ for vosmeri)
Hahn's macaw: $2,000
Amazons: $6,000
African grey: $8,000
Blue and gold macaw: $5,000 - $10,000 (found an ad that was $25,000 a bonded pair)

except ... I think cockatoos are expensive in the US, here if you want one for free you can probably get one if you try hard enough. Same with galahs (rose-breasted cockatoos).

You can see that if someone wants an exotic parrot, they are probably very, very serious about it, and are unlikely to be a bad home for it. So no parrots end up at shelters (except cockateils, budgies, cockatoos and galahs which are the only "cheap" birds)

Wow! That is a BIG price difference. I do agree that that probably helps reduce the rescue situation. Here's a link to a New Mexico shelter blog that I found. I am relocating to New Mexico soon and I have had contact with this group. Apparently they rescued several parrots recently.

This account is shocking!

48 Parrots Rescued, Monument, CO