Reminder of upcoming events

As a reminder, CARE will be appearing at the AWARE pet expo on Saturday, Feb. 2 (this weekend!). Lori will be speaking -- probably at 11; but that's always subject to change. This is a great event if you're thinking about adding any new pet to your household. Many exhibitors will be on hand, with organizations showcasing animals up for adoption. CARE will have bird toys and food for sale. See their website for more information!

CARE also will be at Bird Fest at Wehr Nature Center on Saturday, Feb. 2. The Wehr Nature Center is a fantastic county park and puts on many educational events throughout the year. There will be plenty of things to do, especially for kids!

It's been a busy year so far for us. On our homepage, we keep a running total of birds surrendered to us. So far, we are averaging more than one bird per day. We have many birds of all sizes up for adoption. Whether you're looking for a finch, amazon, cockatoo, or macaw, stop by and see if your next companion might be waiting for you!

Regular readers of this blog or visitors to the Center are familiar with Mango, a female Ducorps cockatoo that was surrendered to us last summer. Here is the entry when she was surrendered, this one is two days later, and this one is about a month after that.

Mango, the day she was surrendered:


We are happy to report that she has made amazing progress since being entrusted to CARE. As you can see from the picture below, her wound has completely healed, and she is almost fully feathered.

Mango, yesterday:

Mango is not yet up for adoption, as we want to wait a few more months to make sure that she will not relapse. Additionally, we need to make sure that whoever adopts her is fully aware of the issues involved when dealing with a former mutilator, as we are concerned that if she goes into a stressful environment, she may mutilate again.

Mango is yet another testament to the resiliancy of parrots. Sometimes it's hard to remember that parrots are wild animals; only a few generations removed from the wild. They have behaviors that make them unsuited to living in most homes: they're messy, they're loud, they bite, etc. As a result, they get shuttered in garages, basements, outdoors. Denied the interaction that they require. We have seen hundreds of neglected and abused parrots come through our facility. It truly is amazing to see how proper care and patience can transform a formerly broken bird into one with a new zest for life.

If you are considering adding another bird to your household, please consider a second-hand (or more!) bird. We can work with you to find the right companion for your household. Many of the most successful human-parrot bonds we've seen are those that started when the parrot was older. They have lots of love to give and are looking for that chance!

Millie, the mitred conure seen at left, recently was found to have a large mass on his neck. We rushed him in to have surgery, where it was successfully removed.

Surgery on birds is particularly risky due to their reaction to anesthesia. But Millie was a fantastic patient.

He is currently sporting a collar so that neither he nor his cagemate Cleo can pick at the site.

Cleo is a white-eyed conure. These two boys met at the center and became fast friends. Cleo has been very protective of Millie, and we are so happy that Millie has someone to help him through his recovery!

Once Millie has completed his recovery, they will be up for adoption. Although they like to observe people, they aren't happy about being handled. They will be looking for a home that will provide them with a huge cage, lots of toys, plenty of time outside of their cage, and a great diet. A home that will accept them for who they are and enjoy their antics without putting pressure on them to conform to any expectations.

CARE has a couple of events coming up in the near future, so mark your calendars!

• AWARE pet expo on Saturday, Feb. 2. Lori will be speaking -- probably at 11; but that's always subject to change. This is a great event if you're thinking about adding any new pet to your household. Many exhibitors will be on hand, with organizations showcasing animals up for adoption. CARE will have bird toys and food for sale. See their website for more information!
• Bird Fest at Wehr Nature Center also on Saturday, Feb. 2. The Wehr Nature Center is a fantastic county park and puts on many educational events throughout the year. There will be plenty of things to do, especially for kids!
• Oshkosh Pet Expo on March 15 & 16. More information to follow!

In doing these events, CARE hopes to spread an educational message about companion parrots. We want to let people know about the pros and cons about adding a bird to their household so that people can make an informed decision about whether this is something that they want to do. Also, we want to let people know about the birds that we have up for adoption, looking for their second (or more!) chance for a loving family.

2007 was another busy year for CARE. We had 352 birds surrendered to us. These are birds that had a loving home at one point but for one reason or another, lost that home. More often than not, the reason birds are surrendered to us boils down to the fact that birds are wild animals and are unable to meet their humans' unrealistic expectations.
Breakdown of birds surrendered during 2007:

6 African Greys
11 Amazons
56 Budgies
3 Canaries
70 Cockatiels
15 Cockatoos
19 Conures
25 Doves
62 Finches
1 Lory
43 Lovebirds
14 Macaws
11 Parakeets
3 Parrotlets
4 Pionus
4 Poicephalus
5 Quail

We hope that everyone reading will take the time to appreciate their birds for who they are -- wild animals that are trying their best to adapt to life in our living rooms. Give them a few extra head scratches, sing a silly song together, and appreciate the quirkiness they bring to our lives.

If you have the time, space, and desire to add another bird to your flock, consider a rescue bird. Not all second-hand (or more!) birds come with insurmountable issues. Some of the best human-parrot bonds we've ever seen have come from parrots who didn't meet their human until the parrot was well into the second decade of his life.
If you're having issues with a bird that's currently in your life, please consider trying to work with him or her. Sometimes a few environmental changes and an understanding owner can make a huge difference and can help your bird to become a loving companion.