Spring Survival Guide

It seems that almost every parrot goes crazy in the spring.  They chew much more, get a lot louder, nippier, grumpier, and worst of all hormonal! 

My phone rings off the wall every year at this time by people who are either fed up or are panicked about their parrots behaviour this time of year.

It is all a natural reaction to spring.  Which is breeding season for most animals including parrots.

We need to provide for our pets and our own sanity to make it through the two months of raging hormones.

Here are a list of things that should help.

- Clip the birds wings.  If he is attacking and biting clipping the wings will stop 90% of your trouble as you will have to approach him in order to get bit.  It also helps to ease off some of the aggressive tendencies.

- Bring in lots of toys.  This should help keep your wood furniture and door moldings safe.  Parrots chew very heavily this time of the year.  By providing plenty of toys it should help to keep their little beaks busy and ease off on the furniture chewing.

- Keep them caged longer, if they are aggressive and grumpy, there is no reason to get your self injured.  Spend time with him by playing games through the bars of the cage.

- Get rid of hormone inducing toys.  Happy huts, fuzzy buddies, nesting materials etc

- Ignore the loud screaming.  I know it is a pain but it will end shortly.  You don’t want to acknowledge the screaming as it only leads to reinforcement.

- Keep petting to the top of the head.  If the parrot starts panting, stop all petting.

- If the parrot starts laying eggs, start a calcium supplement and get rid of hormone inducing toys.

- Some plucking can take place this time of year also.  Give plenty of baths and provide preening type toys.

If will take some patience and perseverance but it does get better………well that is until next spring!

Ella – Umbrella Cockatoo

Ella is a 14 yr old female umbrella.  She is exceptionally social and very sweet.  She has been going to anyone here and loves lots of attention.  She would probably be best suited to someone who is home all day.  She has some plucking issues that we are hoping we can get her to overcome.

How To Tell If A Rescue Is Real Or a Scam

Times are getting frightening with places like craigslist and kijiji and free websites.  People can post anything and claim to be just about anything.  We have had many upset people come to us after they have given up their parrot to someone they thought was a rescue asking for our assistance to help them get the bird back.  However once you have given up your parrot, specially without a contract it is too late to do anything.    There are many inexperienced and unscrupulous people out there also just looking to get a bird for free for many reasons.   Some may have been turned down from adopting after reference checks or failed the adoption process or they do not have the birds best intentions in mind.  Most are resold for profit or used for breeding.  Some are even sold to labs for animal testing!  There are also many animal horders out there that pray on classified ads try to collect as many dogs, cats or birds as they can.  This same thing applies to dog and cat rescues as well other animals.  The best place to get a reference for any rescue is through  the local bird club, dog club etc.  There are a list of birds clubs posted on our links section to assist you in this process.

Here are some basic guidelines to help you determine if the rescue is legitimate or not:

• real parrot rescues do not need to advertise they will take in birds on kijiji, craigslist, livedeals or any free advertising space
• a real rescue will be able to provide a vetrinarian as a reference and should have their vet information available to you
• a real rescue will not phone you and offer to take your bird after seeing it advertised somewhere
• real rescues usually have a paid for website and do not use freebies such as tripod, bravenet etc
• real rescues should have parrot care information on their websites
• real rescues should have pictures of successful adoptions posted on their site
• real rescue do not claim to keep the pets offering it a “forever home”  They are looking for a few free birds, hording or  end up selling them or are just trying to find a way of obtaining them without having to pay for them or go through the home visit or reference checks of a real rescue
• real rescues will allow you to come and meet the birds and see their home
• real rescues do not operate in apartment buildings or in the center of large cities like downtown Toronto or Scarborough.
• real resscue will not only take a certain type of bird or refuse certain types of birds
• real rescues will  not refuse to take your bird under any circumstances (with the exception of communicable diseases but should still offer their assistance)
• real rescues will assist you in trying to keep your bird instead of placing it in the rescue if that is something that you are interested in
• real rescues will have forms that need to be filled out
• real rescues are usually involved in the avian community, bird clubs, organizations etc

It is so important to check out the rescue before placing your parrot.  I personally know several animal abusers that are posing as rescues on the free classified sites, some have gotten their charity status making them look legitmate.  Make sure to get references from outside sources, not those given to you by the rescue, it is easy enough to get a friend to speak for you.

Make sure to speak with their vet, and animal clubs in the area.  They are a great resource.  Don’t become a victim of a scam.

Ricco – Double Yellow Headed Amazon

There is no history on Ricco as he was rescued after the death of his owner.  He is estimated to be between 20 and 25 yrs old.  Although the family has not seen the bird in years they recalled childhood memories of him singing and talking well.  He was found if very horrific conditions as he cage had not been cleaned in months at least.  We have thrown out his cage as it wasn’t worth saving and was way too small for him.  After several baths he has cleaned up nicely and looks like a normal bird again.

Lupee – Green Quaker

Lupee is a 6 year old female quaker.  She has laid several eggs but behaviour changes are being implemented to stop this type of behaviour.  She is a sweet bird, talks well and also sings.   She came to the parrot rescue from a very stressful family situation.  The family would love to have kept her but due to all the issues they felt it was best to find her a new home.