We’d recommend that you put as much thought into adopting or purchasing a new parrot as you would into buying a house. Both are long term commitments with consequences.

Thousands of parrots are living in a parrot rescue awaiting a forever home right now.  A couple of reasons come to mind about why so many parrots end up in a parrot rescue before age five.

IMPULSE: Baby parrots are incredibly captivating and adorable! Inquisitive, playful, tolerant and fun. Baby parrots crave socialization and are amazingly amenable to bird training, whether it’s done right or not. It’s so alluring to buy a beautiful baby parrot and most bird stores know that. But, buying a parrot on impulse without due homework is ill advised for both you and the parrot.  Mostly the parrot.  We’d suggest that you put as much thought into buying a parrot as you would into buying a house or moving to a new state. You need to know how deeply parrots bond to their caretakers.  If you are inexperienced in bird care, learn what parrots want and need in order to become fun pets. Learn about how much a parrot costs and how long they live.

MESS: A second reason people turn to a parrot rescue is that after getting the bird home, they realize that parrots are really messy, destructive and loud! We expect some of these behaviors from our kids, but when your feathered kid has a huge destructive beak that issues painful bites and destroys furniture, leaves feather dust all over the house and tosses splattered food all over the walls caring for it becomes stressful.

TRAINING PROBLEMS:  Intolerable behaviors like biting, screaming, and chewing develop very quickly.  These very intelligent pets can actually train you to respond to their innate behaviors! Birds, just like young children crave attention, and will quickly learn what behaviors get a response.  Attention can be in the form of loving scratches or yelping and yelling.  The bird doesn’t care! After all, birds communicate with loud squawks that are amazingly like yelling.  Exotic undomesticated pets, parrots can’t train themselves to live in a domestic home.  They need you to train them with techniques that exotic animals respond to.   We humans assume that we can use parenting techniques that one would use with a child to train our exotic bird.  But, exotic pets respond best to proven bird training techniques like those described by Good Bird, Inc. or Clicker Training for Birds.  These techniques are easy to learn.  Many a parrot has been rehomed due to negligence about bird training.  The good news for parrots is that they quickly learn new expectations and behaviors with research based bird training techniques.

TIME COMMITMENT: Parrots require daily socialization.  After all, they are flock animals.  Not only do parrots need quality time each day, cleaning up after them takes time.  And, since parrots live for decades, it may seem like there is not end in sight.  Kids leave home after they reach adulthood.  But, parrots stay.

Without adequate attention, parrots may develop behaviors that cause them to be relinquished to a parrot rescue.

Respectable parrot rescues are located all over the United States.  A respectable parrot rescue screens for and treats for medical problems  such as malnutrition.  They meet many of a parrots innate needs and address anxiety related behaviors as much as possible.  And, just as important, trained volunteers teach the parrot how to trust humans again.  While an adult parrot may not be as cute as a cuddly baby bird, parrot adoption of adult birds can be even more rewarding due to the care and support that the bird has received.  Not only that, a respectable parrot rescue may have a thorough application and training process that they require before allowing you to take your new pet home.  While the entire adoption process may seem daunting, it is done in your best interest as well as the birds.

Click Here to find a Parrot Rescue near you.

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Rehomed parrots make great pets for the well informed.

Did you know that in the U.S., pets are considered personal property to buy and sell at will? Even parrots, many species which are on the CITIES Endangered Species List.  Rehoming a dog or a cat happends all the time.  Rehoming parrots is becoming a serious concern for our feathered friends. Rehoming a parrot through adoption is a responsible choice.

Our culture has not traditionally revered animals as being fundamentally valuable nor endorsed a great deal of moral responsibility for their care. We Americans tend to pursue pet ownership based on our needs and not the needs of the pet. For this reason, people frequently acquire a pet wholly based on their short term desires and not the needs of the animal. All you have to do is look up PetFinders.com to see how many pets are available for rehoming in your zip code! There’s an incredibly sad, long list of dogs, cats, parrots, and small pets in need of rehoming. Every one of them deserves a forever home.
I was adopted myself so as a bird lover,  rehoming a parrot was important to me.  BirdSupplies.com strongly advocates responsible pet ownership, including the  rehoming a parrot alternative.  Long lived parrots are captivating for those that can love and commit to them, but the commitment is measured in decades not years. Incredibly social, intelligent and engaging, most pet bird species are living in shelters and available for adoption. There are some reputable pet stores and breeders that care more about insuring the parrot is placed in an informed and educated home rather than making a sale, but overwhelmingly, most parrots go to homes where the new owner is poorly educated about the care requirements of parrots nor the level of commitment. Reputable pet stores develop a contract with you whereby you must commit to bonding with your new pet, learning its long term care and enrichment needs and develop a plan to both train your pet bird and parrot proof your house.

Rehoming a Parrot can be very rewarding! Just look at Peachy!

I rehomed a 3 year old Moluccan Cockatoo, but it took me a good month to research and soul search whether I was up for the commitment. I’ve had Peachy for about 15 years and he is pretty much like a son! Truth is, Peachy picked me! As you probably know, parrots mate for life. Peachy was 3 years old and relinquished to a bird store when his first family had to move and couldn’t take him to their new home. I was a well known “bird lady” at Birds of Paradise in
Wichita, KS and the staff at the bird store were completely honest and realistic in terms of the level of commitment that Peachy would require. They interviewed me about my suitability to care for Peachy as much as I interviewed them about whether I was equipped to care for Peachy. Even so, I took it upon myself to read everything that I could about Moluccan Cockatoo’s while doing some serious self reflection. I made sure that the whole family was on board for our new feathered son, too! We ultimately decided that Peachy was a “Burroughs” for ever and ever.  He’s still here! And, I have plans to write his long term care into my will.

I used to own a brick and mortar store and it was sad how many people would call to try and sell a parrot back to a bird store. One extreme story I remember – a lady called me and asked me to buy her mother’s baby Moluccan Cockatoo. Her mother was 80 years old! Apparently, the zealous and gifted sales person at Busy Birds in Wichita felt that the 80 year old lady could develop a long term commitment with this long lived bird. A healthy, well cared for Cockatoo can live for up to 80 years! Surely, a baby cockatoo is the cuddliest creature ever, but, was it in the best interest of the aged mother to acquire a pet that bonds for life and lives 80 years? NOT. Do you think that that baby bird had rights?

I recommend that you put as much thought into acquiring a parrot as you would in purchasing a house. After all, it is a long term emotional and financial commitment. If you are working with a pet store or a breeder make sure that they offer realistic and appropriate advice based on your needs and the birds’ needs rather than working toward closing the sale. If you choose to buy a baby bird, interview the pet store. Responsible parrot shelters such as MAAPS, The Gabriel Foundation, Phoenix Landing, Oasis and Fosters Parrots require that potential adopters complete classes and demonstrate a long term commitment before rehoming parrots in their care. You can test out your own commitment by completing one or more applications to adopt a parrot. The application process asks relevant, inquiring questions that really require self-reflection about whether your personality and lifestyle are “parrot friendly.”

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Assemble a Parrot Evacuation Kit

This past week of Hurricane Sandy has certainly been scary for everyone.  If you’re a real parrot lover,  than you know the sense of panic that sets in when faced with evacuating parrots.  We had to evacuate 7 parrots in the Summer of 2012 and we’ve done a lot of research on how to prepare.  The key to a successful parrot evacuation is to plan ahead.

• Document Parrot ID:  Microchip your parrot for permanent identification.  Don’t forget to register the number with an agency such as AKCCAR, AVID or PETtrac that keeps databases of pet information for pets that have microchips.  Check out the Pet Microchip Lookup site.  Record micro chip #, leg band # and take a picture of your pet.
• Prepare a Parrot Emergency Kit: Basics include bird food, a portable bird stand, cleaning supplies, bird first aid kit, paper towels and toys.

Small Pet Birds May wish to evacuate in their own cage.

• Keep Your Bird Carrier Ready:  If you live in an area with weather related disasters, have your bird carrier assembled and stocked with bird perch and bowls.  Ideally, your bird should have time to become desensitized to the bird carrier and to car travel.  Make sure to label the bird carrier with your parrots name, your name, two telephone numbers and your vets name.
• Generate a List of Hotels, Shelters and friends that Allow Parrots: Know where your local shelters are.  Get a list of pet friendly hotels within a 25-50 mile radius, put them in your GPS or tablet and try to call ahead.  Even if a hotel doesn’t take pets, they may bend the rules if you let them know your situation.  We even got a discount!

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About Parrots and Evacuation

After our horrific  2012 Colorado Springs fire summer of having to evacuate our own flock of parrots and dogs at BirdSupplies.com,  we get the fear that hurricane “ISAAC” is creating in the Caribbean and East coast.  Our hearts especially go out to Haiti and surrounding islands.  Last night, I wondered about how the Puerto Rican Amazon parrot was fairing and how wild birds manage 100 mile an hour winds while it is literally raining sheets of water.

Maybe, it is fate that we’ve been asked to assist a parrot named Peter in case he must evacuate his home.  Peter is a Mexican Redhead Amazon Parrot.  I don’t know what you know about Amazon Parrots, but they are incredibly endearing and a bit on the fiesty side. Peter’s Parronts are so smart to give themselves a few days planning time to insure a safe, quick parrot evacuation.

Evidently, Peter the Amazon Parrot is lucky enough to have a guardian angel associated with International Bird Rescue.  Peter must have touch hearts beyond his Louisiana borders.  This organization not only rescues wild birds of all species but they spread the word about our domestic parrots plight and that of their family.

Did you know that the majority of parrots in the pet trade industry may flourish in the pet trade, while their wild cousins are endangered?  Well, potentially flourish.  Just ask any parrot rescue if people really get that many parrots are endangered, with incredibly unique personalities – just like people.  Lot’s of people adopt a cute baby parrot only to learn that they haven’t studied bird training techniques nor fully understood what they had signed up for.

About Wild Birds and Bird Conservation

Parrots aren’t the only birds that are endangered.  Birds are considered to potentially be among a flock of a massive extinction.  Not just parrots but soft bills and peregrine’s, as well.  These birds are loosing their habitats, not their cage.  Please consider assisting International Bird Rescue or any other rescue organization to spread the word that we can’t let our feathered friends become extinct.

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Jane is About Animal Rights

I’ve had horrible insomnia since pre-school.  For some reason, I need to tune out the ordinary household sounds and the worries of the day with T.V. at night.  So, I turn HLN on the T.V. at night and listen to Nancy Grace’s quest toward justice, Joyce Baher’s comedic ramblings and Jane Velez-Mitchell’s emotionally charged stance on charged issues.  Jane is a passionate animal lover and she truly supports responsible environmental management of trash, plastics, etc.  Despite this diversion, Jane kept me awake.  She’s an animal rights activist.

On September 6, 2010, Jane repeated an emotionally charged episode of many CITIES identified animals that suffer abuse and terrorism at the hands of humans.  KUDO’S, JANE! You addressed dolphin and whale hunting practices in Japan, Iceland and Norway, horrific wild horse practices in the U.S., and Puerto Rican Monkey Labs.  But, there is another whole set of innocent creatures that we are in the process of destroying. Pelican’s. Birds.  Parrots.  And other innocent creatures that are exploited for one reason or another.

In terms of parrots …  All over South America, Mexico, Africa,  and every rain forest territory, parrots suffer, loose nesting and feeding territory and die!   Why?  So,s poverty ridden locals can capture and sell these exotic yet beautiful creatures to U.S. and European pet industry.  It’s not enough to destroy their natural rain forest to feed cattle or build condo’s.  Locals are compelled to steal baby parrots right from the nest to sell in the illegal pet industry just to put food on the table.

PLEASE TAKE A STAND FOR PARROTS. Just check out how many bird and parrot species are on the CITIES Endangered Lists.  From New Zealand to Australia, to the Amazon, Moluccan and Solomon Islands, Mexico, Brazil, and more.  People can’t seem to figure out how to live hand in hand, respectfully, with the wild animals and fauna that encompass their surroundings.

As the owner of www.ParrotQuest.com and www.BirdSupplies.com …. As the room-mate of 7 pet birds from nippy, yet sweet Parrotlet, to a shoulder riding Senegal Parrot,  three African Grey Parrots, to a huge and noisy Moluccan Cockatoo Parrot … I adored these feathered creatures, friends, companions.  I am so lucky to be able to share my life with these friends.

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Beautiful parrot needs forever home.

We’ve long been advocates of promoting parrot adoption  from a bird rescue vs. buying hatchlings.  Of course, like anything, there are pro’s and con’s about rehoming a parrot vs. searching out exceptional breeders.  If you’ve followed our 15 year old bird supplies business for any length of time, you may know that we originated in Wichita, KS and recently relocated to Colorado.  This past week, we had to evacuate our Colorado Springs home and bird supplies business due to unimaginable wild fires.

We took our flock to my brother’s house (Thanks Karl & Misty!!!) in Castle Rock, Colorado.  It’s about 25 minutes south of Denver so we took the opportunity to tour BirdBrains.  Awesome!  BirdBrains sells a small selection of elite bird supplies to the public to support their parrot rescue program.  Now, I’m a bit persnickity and a clean freak.  Like I said, this company sold top notch bird supplies.  But, more impressively, the building housed at least 100 parrots looking for their forever home.  THAT IS NOT TO MENTION THE ELIZABETH, COLORADO FACILITY.  So many sweet, lovely parrots need a forever home.  Affectionate, fast learners, adopting or rehoming parrot is not only the right thing to do, it helps you to focus on your parrot training and care strategy to get it right from the get go.

I can not tell you how impressively well these parrots were cared for.  Each and every bird cage was spotlessly clean, with a bowl of fresh, clean water and plenty of food.  They were all about the parrots.  The parrots that could tolerate bird toys had an abundance of bird toys.  Skittish or more fearful parrots had strategically placed bird cages and hiding areas.

If you are wanting a parrot in your life, or a new addition to your flock, we highly recommend the Gabriel Foundation and other quality parrot rescues.

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Parrot Conservation and Wild Kakapo Parrot Research

The Kakapo Parrot, also known as the Owl Parrot, is the heaviest parrot in the world.  Two other features make it extraordinary; it is also the only flightless parrot and the only nocturnal parrot known to man.  Native to New Zealand, the Kakapo Parrots, are critcally endangered.  As of November 16,  2009, there were 124 Kakapo Parrots in the wild.  With such a low gene pool, recovering this unusual, almost prehistoric parrot species has been difficult.

How did this unique parrot become so endangered?  Prior to settlement, Native New Zealand had two mammals on the islands, bats.  Obviously not predators of the Kakapo Parrot.  With the introduction of the Polynesian peoples and European settlers, came predatory mammals such as rats, ferrets, cats, dogs and more.  The flightless, fearless Kakapoo parrot was defenseless against new mammals.  Not only that, the unusual parrots simply did not even know that they had to retreat from these foreign mammals.  Polynesian and European settlers prized Kakapo feathers and skin, as well as their meat.  Records show that European settlers sent the first found Kakap0 skin to England for examination.  The 1889 study found the Kakapo parrot to be the oldest, least developed parrot known to man, which only made collection of taxidermy specimens of this precious parrot more popular; diminishing their wild numbers yet further. 

Kakapo. His name is Felix and he was not an easy capture for his annual condition check. Endemic to New Zealand. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By 1952, New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs became alarmed with the diminishing Kakapo Parrot population and thereby started  conservation efforts.  New Zealand terrain and mammal predators make recovery efforts of this beutiful parrot difficult, at best.  Wild parrots had to be moved to outlaying islands.  Kakapo Parrot recovery efforts thankfully have an international appeal.  PLEASE visit the KAKAPO RECOVERY PROGRAMME to find out what you can do to insure the Kapako Parrots’ survival.

So you want to help the Kakapo Parrot Recovery Programme, but you’re not sure how?

Well, the best opportunity as an individual is through fyour inancial support AND SPREADING THE WORD, . Saving endangered species is an expensive, long term business.

Please Donate any amount:

• $100 buys disease screening for one bird
• $250 buys a radio tracking aerial
• $1000 buys a portable incubator
• $1600 buys a radio-telemetry receiver

NO amount is too small – any donation will go directly towards kakapo parrot recovery – thank you SO much for your generosity!

PAYPAL DONATION: kakapovolunteers@doc.govt.nz

Send a cheque:

The Kakapo Recovery Programme
c/- PO Box 631
Wellington 6140
New Zealand

Please ensure you include your name and address if you would like to receive a donation receipt.

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Have you heard of Parrot Mountain & Gardens located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee?  I’d love to go!  They advertise that Parrot Mountain is 4 acres of beautifully landscaped gardens with hundreds of tropical birds housed in English Cottage style aviaries.

Racoon123 writes on TripAdvisor:

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1. The parrot develops behavior problems that make it miserable to live with such as biting, screaming or feather plucking.
2. Parrots are too messy.
3. Life circumstances changed such as a marriage, having a baby or moving.

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1. GET TO KNOW ABOUT PARROTS BEFORE YOU BRING ME HOME – I am not a domesticated pet like a dog or cat. I still have the spirit of the jungle in me. I have special needs which you may find it hard to fill. Please don’t learn these too late for my well-being. And please don’t acquire one of my cousins wild from the jungle—it will jeopardize his survival and well-being, and that won’t be a party for you either!
2. GIVE ME THE LARGEST HOME POSSIBLE – I am used to flying through rainforests or savannas. I have given up this great gift for your pleasure. At the very least, give me enough room to flap my wings and exercise. And, I need toys for my amusement and wood to chew. Otherwise, I might confuse your home with the forest and its trees.
3. GIVE ME A NUTRITIOUS DIET - I need a wide variety of fresh and nutritious foods, even if they take time to prepare. I cannot survive on seeds alone and be healthy. Take time to learn what my needs and preferences are.
4. LET ME HAVE A SOCIAL LIFE – I am a gregarious flock animal, but I am not one of you. I need lots of socialization to learn how to interact with you as well as my siblings. I also need to have adequate quality time with you every day—no matter what your schedule or other needs are. I am a living, feeling creature. Above all, I need to be able to have complete trust in you and count on your predictability in looking after me—every day.
5. LET ME BE CLEAN – I may like to drop food or even throw it, but I need meticulous cleanliness to be healthy. My skin itches without frequent showers, the barbs of my feathers won’t seal if they become oily and, worst of all, I may become ill if my food or water is not always sanitary.
6. I NEED MY OWN DOCTOR – You may not understand my physiology and therefore you may not recognize it early on when I get sick. And, it may be too late when you do, because I hide my illnesses. (Remember what I said about my being an animal of the jungle, where there are lots of predators.) And I need an avian vet—a specialist. (No HMOs for me please.) If you can’t afford one, perhaps you shouldn’t have taken me home.
7. PLEASE DON’T PUNISH ME – Just as I don’t always understand your peculiarities, you may not understand mine. I don’t TRY to get into trouble—remember, a house is not the jungle. If I do screw up, don’t yell at me and never hit me. I have sensitive ears and I may never trust you again if you strike me. Hands are sometimes scary things to us. (Why in the world would you not be zygodactylous like us?) Even more importantly, we don’t learn by punishment. We are gentle creatures who only strike back to protect ourselves; we learn through patience and love.
8. SPEAK MY “LANGUAGE” – I know you get upset with me when I knock over my water bowl, throw food, scream, or pluck my feathers. I don’t do these things to annoy you. I am probably trying to tell you something ( perhaps that I am hurting, lonely, or sad). Learn to speak MY (body) language. Remember that I, alone of all creatures on this planet, learn to speak yours!
9. SEE ME AS AN INDIVIDUAL – I am a unique and feeling being. No two of us are alike. Please don’t be disappointed in me if I don’t talk like you wanted or can’t do the tricks that your friend’s parrot can do. But if you pay close attention to me (and I always empathize with you, whether you know), I will show you a unique being who will give you so much more than talking and playing. Give me a chance to show you who I am; I think you’ll find the effort worth it. And remember, I am not an ornament. I do not enhance ANY living room decor. And I am not a status symbol—if you use me as such, I might nip at your up-turned nose!
10. SHARE YOUR LOVE WITH ME – Above all, please remember that you are my Special Person. I put all my trust and faith in you. We parrots are used to being monogamous. (No bar-hopping for us!) So please don’t go away for long periods or give me away—that would be a sadness from which I may never recover. If that seems to be asking a lot, remember, you could have learned about my needs before bringing me home. Even having a baby or taking a new job isn’t a fair reason—you made a commitment to me FIRST. And if you think that you must leave me because you might die, provide for me forever after you leave. I may live to a ripe old age, but I can’t provide for myself. Remember I’m in a small cage amongst people who are not of my blood.
11. YOUR RIGHTS – You have lots of rights, but I can only assure one. And that is, if you treat me the way I described above, I will reward you with unwavering love, humor, knowledge, beauty, dedication, and a sense of wonder and awe you haven’t felt since you were a child. When you took me home, you became my Flock Leader, indeed, my entire universe—for life. I would hang the moon and stars for you if I could. We are one in Heart and Soul.

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