Allee
Well-known member
It is heart wrenching to lose any pet, but pets do get lost and when it happens, it happens fast. An immediate response doesn't guarantee a safe return, but it can increase the chances.
When your bird takes off, according to the circumstances and the location, the bird may not fly too far away. Walk the entire area while calling to your bird. Check trees carefully, lost birds are frightened and a tree or a group of trees may look like a safe place.
If you lose sight of your bird, search a wide area in the last place you saw the bird. Use your cell phone to enlist friends and family members to help. If possible, have someone start printing fliers with your contact information, a photo of your bird, and the word "Reward", to encourage more people to actively search, you don't need to advertise the amount. Don't be afraid to print too many fliers. Make it personal, let everyone who sees the flier know how much you want your bird back. It's ideal if the bird's favorite human is free to search for the bird while others take care of the fliers and social media.
Have someone make phone calls to
•Shelters
•HSPCA
•Police Stations
•Newspaper Offices
•Pet Shops
•Veterinary Clinics (microchips are very successful, a lot of people will take a found pet to the closest clinic to have it scanned)
•Local Busineses including coffee shops and restaurants. You never know who will see your bird's photo and remember seeing a strange species of bird in a local park or near their home.
Leave your contact information everywhere and make sure someone is available to take every phone call and do the follow up. You don't want to miss a single call. When a parrot is lost, hungry and afraid, it may allow someone to pick it up and take it home. Remember, not everyone will be able to tell you what species of parrot they have found. When describing your bird to someone who hasn't seen a photo, use general descriptions, size and color. It isn't a common occurrence to come across a lost parrot, even the most well meaning person may not know how to locate the owner. Make it as easy as possible for them. If your bird is wearing a band and you have the number recorded, withhold the information and use it to identify your bird. If you make the band number public while your bird is lost, and your bird is taken in by the wrong people, they may remove the band. If your bird has a microchip, remember to alert the organization and the veterinary office that supplied the chip.
Have someone check any and all classifieds for the duration of the search, not only the lost bird ads, but also new birds for sale. Keep extending your search area. Take a good photo of your flier and post one on all your social media sites. Post to FB- your county citizens page, 911 parrot alert, local bird rescue pages, your personal page. Facebook has reunited hundreds of pets with their families. Get the word out, the more people you can involve, the better your chances of recovering your parrot.
If you haven't found your bird by nightfall of the first day, set up a cage in the area where the bird was last seen. If the property is not yours, ask for permission. Take food, water and familiar bowls. Birds have incredible vision as long as there is daylight. If you cover your bird's cage at night, take the cage cover, a familiar shirt that you wear often around the bird, a large favorite toy, the bird won't need the items, but they will be familiar and attractive to a lost bird. If your bird has a flock mate, put his friend in a secure travel cage and take him with you. Walk away from the travel cage to encourage the caged bird to call to you. Your bird is most likely to flock call in the morning and evening. If you have a recording of your bird, take that with you and play it as loudly as possible. An extension ladder and strong flashlights come in handy too. Don't hesitate to ask for help. People will be willing to loan you a ladder and most will volunteer to help search.
If you locate the bird in a tree, if possible, the bird's favorite person should climb the ladder and attempt to retrieve the bird. If the bird is still out of reach, call to him and offer a familiar perch to step onto. If it's impossible to reach the bird, leave the cage set up and return to the location before sunrise and repeat the process. If you know your bird is in the area, stay near the cage as late as you can and arrive as early as possible the next morning. Your presence will discourage predators and hopefully encourage your bird to come down after everything is quiet.
A lot of people will not approach a parrot, but may report his location if they see a parrot in a tree. Keep all your search equipment in your car and ready to go at a moment's notice if you get one of those calls.
Keep searching and don't give up hope too soon, your parrot may have been taken in by someone who is trying to locate you. Keep checking your fliers and replacing them and update your bird's story on all your social websites. Check regularly with all the agencies you contacted at the beginning of your search, your calls will remind them you are still searching.
~The Mod Team~
When your bird takes off, according to the circumstances and the location, the bird may not fly too far away. Walk the entire area while calling to your bird. Check trees carefully, lost birds are frightened and a tree or a group of trees may look like a safe place.
If you lose sight of your bird, search a wide area in the last place you saw the bird. Use your cell phone to enlist friends and family members to help. If possible, have someone start printing fliers with your contact information, a photo of your bird, and the word "Reward", to encourage more people to actively search, you don't need to advertise the amount. Don't be afraid to print too many fliers. Make it personal, let everyone who sees the flier know how much you want your bird back. It's ideal if the bird's favorite human is free to search for the bird while others take care of the fliers and social media.
Have someone make phone calls to
•Shelters
•HSPCA
•Police Stations
•Newspaper Offices
•Pet Shops
•Veterinary Clinics (microchips are very successful, a lot of people will take a found pet to the closest clinic to have it scanned)
•Local Busineses including coffee shops and restaurants. You never know who will see your bird's photo and remember seeing a strange species of bird in a local park or near their home.
Leave your contact information everywhere and make sure someone is available to take every phone call and do the follow up. You don't want to miss a single call. When a parrot is lost, hungry and afraid, it may allow someone to pick it up and take it home. Remember, not everyone will be able to tell you what species of parrot they have found. When describing your bird to someone who hasn't seen a photo, use general descriptions, size and color. It isn't a common occurrence to come across a lost parrot, even the most well meaning person may not know how to locate the owner. Make it as easy as possible for them. If your bird is wearing a band and you have the number recorded, withhold the information and use it to identify your bird. If you make the band number public while your bird is lost, and your bird is taken in by the wrong people, they may remove the band. If your bird has a microchip, remember to alert the organization and the veterinary office that supplied the chip.
Have someone check any and all classifieds for the duration of the search, not only the lost bird ads, but also new birds for sale. Keep extending your search area. Take a good photo of your flier and post one on all your social media sites. Post to FB- your county citizens page, 911 parrot alert, local bird rescue pages, your personal page. Facebook has reunited hundreds of pets with their families. Get the word out, the more people you can involve, the better your chances of recovering your parrot.
If you haven't found your bird by nightfall of the first day, set up a cage in the area where the bird was last seen. If the property is not yours, ask for permission. Take food, water and familiar bowls. Birds have incredible vision as long as there is daylight. If you cover your bird's cage at night, take the cage cover, a familiar shirt that you wear often around the bird, a large favorite toy, the bird won't need the items, but they will be familiar and attractive to a lost bird. If your bird has a flock mate, put his friend in a secure travel cage and take him with you. Walk away from the travel cage to encourage the caged bird to call to you. Your bird is most likely to flock call in the morning and evening. If you have a recording of your bird, take that with you and play it as loudly as possible. An extension ladder and strong flashlights come in handy too. Don't hesitate to ask for help. People will be willing to loan you a ladder and most will volunteer to help search.
If you locate the bird in a tree, if possible, the bird's favorite person should climb the ladder and attempt to retrieve the bird. If the bird is still out of reach, call to him and offer a familiar perch to step onto. If it's impossible to reach the bird, leave the cage set up and return to the location before sunrise and repeat the process. If you know your bird is in the area, stay near the cage as late as you can and arrive as early as possible the next morning. Your presence will discourage predators and hopefully encourage your bird to come down after everything is quiet.
A lot of people will not approach a parrot, but may report his location if they see a parrot in a tree. Keep all your search equipment in your car and ready to go at a moment's notice if you get one of those calls.
Keep searching and don't give up hope too soon, your parrot may have been taken in by someone who is trying to locate you. Keep checking your fliers and replacing them and update your bird's story on all your social websites. Check regularly with all the agencies you contacted at the beginning of your search, your calls will remind them you are still searching.
~The Mod Team~