18 birds in peril -- saved!

CARE was recently called by a law enforcement agency to help out in a dire situation. A woman had died in her home of a heart attack. Luckily, she was found the day after her death. Inside her house were 18 birds. She had no family or friends who wanted the parrots.

These birds were all in bad shape. It was apparent that they had received good care at some time in the past, but it was also evident that they had not done so recently -- evidence at the scene suggests she had just been throwing seed in their cages as late.

She had the birds' names on their food dishes (except for one conure), so at least we know their names. However, we know nothing else about them -- ages, favorite foods, special toys, things that might be comforting to them at times like this.

This can serve as a huge reminder to all of us with birds. It is very important to think about what should happen to these long-lived animals if we're no longer able to take care of them. I know it's not pleasant to think about, but the well-being of your loved companions is at stake. Also, leave information about your birds with a trusted friend or in an obvious place in your home. These kinds of transitions go much easier on the bird when they have some comfortable items around them.

Over the next few weeks, we will introduce you to these birds. Unfortunately we are very full right now. We were already on a waiting list for surrenders for certain species, but could not turn down these birds who needed us so badly.

We are incurring large, unexpected vet bills as it relates to these birds (one amazon was extremely emaciated and needed to make an emergency trip to the vet to save his life; another macaw is deformed and may require special care.) If you can help us out with a donation, we'd greatly appreciate it. We are a 501(c)(3) organization, so all donations are tax exempt to the full extent of the law. You can send a check made payable to CARE at:

CARE
3053 Beechwood Industrial Court
#1
Hubertus, WI 53033

or use the paypal donation button on our website.

Thanks so much for your help in saving the lives of these birds! More updates to come...

Meet Harry

Meet Harry, a cockatiel that came in with Charlie.We're still getting to know him, but so far he has been incredibly tame and sweet. Look at that face!Harry is up for adoption, so if you've been thinking about adding a tiel to your flock, stop by to see if you hit it off with Harry! He has lots of love to give and is just looking for the right home.

Meet Charlie

Meet Charlie, a female timneh african grey. Charlie was owned by an elderly man who passed away. His daughter tried giving Charlie a home, but after a few months, realized she couldn't give Charlie what she needed and surrendered her to us.We could tell upon looking at him that Charlie was in bad shape. She is not yet up for adoption as she is on medical hold. We anticipate that she will make a full recovery and will soon be a healthy, happy grey.
We'll update you on Charlie's progress in upcoming entries.

Meet Pia

Meet Pia, a young hybrid amazon. She is a mix of orange-wing and blue-front. We don't know much of Pia's early life. She was found wandering around outside in below-freezing weather. She must have been found relatively quickly after getting outside, as she does not appear to have any permanent damage done to her feet.Based on her appearance, especially her eyes and beak, we suspect that she is around 1 year old. Extensive efforts were put forth to find her owners -- if someone was looking for her, they would have found her.

Pia found her way to us, and is now looking for a home that will cherish and take wonderful care of her.

She doesn't know how to step up (we're working with her on that and she may have learned by the time this entry is posted) but is tame and doesn't bite.

She loves to play with toys -- we've rarely seen a bird so interested in toys when they first get here!
As always, stop by and meet Pia if you think your home might be a good fit for her!

Meet Charlie

Meet Charlie, one of the most adorable cockatiels we've ever seen. I know we say that a lot -- and it's always true! We are very lucky to have known some amazing birds!

Charlie is about 7 years old. He was transferred to us from another humane society -- one that usually deals with dogs and cats. Realizing that birds have special needs, they sent Charlie and some of his friends (all tame) to us.Charlie is very curious. He loves to play with toys. Last week, he was wandering around the front counter, and he'd stop occasionally to hop up on the arm of one of the volunteers nearby. How can you resist?

One of his favorite things to do is sit on someone's shoulder and preen them. He particularly likes to preen long hair and will do everything he can to get to a shoulder near some long hair! The trouble with Charlie? It's barely perceptible in the above picture, but he has a club foot (his left)!

This does not cause him any pain, and the only modification needed is that he can't grip your finger or shoulders well, so you have to be really careful when walking around to make sure he doesn't fall. It's also important not to wear slippery clothing, as he may tumble to the ground.

We're pretty sure this guy won't be around long -- he's just so adorable, so if you'd like to meet him, stop by soon! We do have other tame tiels up for adoption as well!

Daisy Packer Fever

Last week, just in time for the playoffs, we introduced Sam. This week, we're showing Daisy, our resident amazon.Daisy doesn't verbally cheer on the Packers -- she's more likely to ask for a kiss or to come out of her cage -- but she is the right color!

Parrot Packer Fever

Here is a video made by one of our volunteers by her bird Sam, a Congo African Grey parrot, cheering on his favorite football team:



Let's hope his enthusiasm will help them to be victorious this playoff weekend!

Meet Phoenix

Meet Phoenix, an approximately 4 year old bronze-winged pionus. Like many parrots surrendered to CARE, Phoenix is not here due to any behavior problems. His owner tragically and unexpectedly died, leaving him homeless.Phoenix is tame and loves attention. He's a little nervous at the Center due to the commotion and the big change from his quiet previous home. He also was never in her cage at home. At one point, his owner had been clicker training her and he'd probably love to start that up again.

Please stop by if you'd like to meet Phoenix!

UPDATE: Phoenix is a male, so I've changed the pronouns.

Meet Zoe

Meet Zoe, an umbrella cockatoo who is approximately 12 years old. We're not sure if Zoe is male or female, but I'm going to use female pronouns as that's what I think of when I hear the name!

Zoe is tame and handleable. As you can see, she has some feather destructive behavior, which is not uncommon in captive cockatoos.Zoe had been a much-loved member of the family. She was surrendered because her owners added a child to their house. Zoe had not shown any signs of aggression to this new addition, but her owners didn't want to take any chances.

We currently have a lot of cockatoos up for adoption; so many in fact that we have a waiting list for cockatoo surrenders until some get adopted, opening up some space. There may never be a better time to add a rescue too to your house, as we have so many that we can work with you to find one that will fir into your house.

Please stop by if you'd like to meet Zoe! She lost her home not due to any behavior problems, but due to changes in her owners' life circumstances.

Meet Shaggy

Meet Shaggy, a gorgeous peach-fronted conure. Shaggy is about 6 years old, and during that time lived with a single man. Shaggy was very happy as he was loved and well-cared for, and also loved his owner. What more could a bird want?Shaggy's life got turned upside down when his owner got a new girlfriend. Used to having his owner to himself, Shaggy got upset that he now had to share. Apparently he wasn't too aggressive towards her; he just didn't like her.

Unfortunately for Shaggy, that meant he was no longer welcome in the only home he'd ever known, so he was surrendered to CARE.

He loved being part of a family and is hoping to find that again. If you're looking for a small/medium-sized parrot with lots of love to give, stop by and meet Shaggy!

Meet Frosty

Meet Frosty, a lovebird who had to have one of the most terrible experiences for a tropical bird, followed by great luck. Frosty was found outside on a snowy day (hence his name). We're not sure if he was intentionally released outside or if he escaped, but attempts to find his former owners were unsuccessful.Given the way he was found, we don't know anything about Frosty's history -- age, favorite toys, favorite foods, etc. All we know is that he is very tame, his toes have healed as much as can be expected, and he is ready to go to a new home that will keep him safe.

Because of the trauma to his feet, it's important that Frosty have lots of comfortable perches in his cage.

If you have an interest in meeting Frosty, please stop by. He's hoping 2011 will turn out to be better for him than 2010 was!

Meet Frankie

Meet Frankie, a special needs quaker looking for a good home.Frankie lost his eyesight when someone sat on him in his previous home.

He is a very sweet parrot and is looking for someone understanding who will give him a chance. He needs someone who will be very gentle and explain what's going on to help avoid surprises!

If you're interested in Frankie, please stop by. We can talk to you about what living with a blind bird entails (surprisingly, not much different than a sighted bird -- parrots are extremely resilient!)

UPDATE: Frankie was adopted into an experienced quaker home and is doing very well!

Easier online ordering

As anyone who's visited us in person knows, CARE has a small retail store that stocks all of your pet bird needs. Here's a picture of Frieda, a parrotlet, posing in front of our wall of Goldenfeast:

CARE is very excited to announce that our new online store, including a shopping cart, is now operational! Here is a link.

This is fantastic news, as all proceeds from sales go to support the parrots at CARE. And now even people who don't live close enough to visit can help their birds by buying great food and toys while helping to support the birds still looking for a home.

Thanks again for all of your support!

More Gracie

Gracie continues to make more volunteers fall in love with him on a daily basis. Here he is, "helping" one of our volunteer assemble parrot toys:
He loves to be out of his cage, eagerly stepping up. He's not as good about going back inside -- though we're working on it! He'd much rather be where the action is and will frequently tighten his grip so as not to go back in his cage.