Meet Jilly

Meet Jilly, a gorgeous, tame budgie.

Jilly was a stray who was found and turned in to Animal Control. After unsuccessfully trying to locate her owners, she was transferred to us.
She is a bit skittish, but tame. As she gets to know her new owners, she will calm down and be a delight.

Since she was a stray, we don't know anything about her history. We don't even know her name. We'd really like to get her into a home as soon as possible, so if you've been waiting for a tame budgie, stop by to meet her!

Budgies

We have about 12 young budgies up for adoption. These are the offspring from someone with a pair. She never intended to breed, but did nothing to stop her pair from breeding, contributing to the parrot overpopulation problem.These young budgies vary in age, including some that are quite young. They have not had a lot of human interaction and are thus not hand-tame, but they have very sweet personalities and it wouldn't take much to show them that humans can be trusted companions.

If you've been thinking about adding a budgie to your house, there's never been a better time! We can help find one whose personality will fit with yours.

Budgies!

We frequently post that we have a lot of budgies up for adoption; that's the case again! The difference this time is that we have a lot of tame/semi-tame budgies! Many of these budgies were tame at one point, but hadn't recently been receiving human attention. With some patience and work, they will easily tame down again as they do not bite and aren't aggressive.But why are budgies listed in an Adopt A Less Adoptable Pet Week post? Because far too frequently, these little gems are overlooked. Many people underestimate the intelligence of these little guys, and how much joy they can bring to a home.
The majority of people who come to the Center looking to adopt a bird gravitate towards the larger birds, possibly thinking that bigger is better. But those people are missing out on the joy and treasure that is the budgie!

If you've been thinking about adding a tame budgie to your house, there may never be a better time! We'd love to find these guys homes as they require frequent human interaction to stay tame. We do the best we can here, but our attention can't match what they'd get in a good home.

As always, stop by if you'd like to meet these budgies!

Meet Skipper

Meet Skipper, a young budgie only 1 1/2 years old. Her previous family took her to a vet, presumably one not used to seeing birds. She is a great cautionary tale of why it's important to take your bird to an avian vet.According to her former owners, this vet was worried that Skipper was too thin, so he gave the owners some medication that would help put weight on her. We cannot even imagine what this medication might have been. At any rate, while giving her the medication, some got in her eyes, blinding this gorgeous budgie.

We have had several blind parrots at the Center before. They truly are a testament to the resiliency of parrots, as blind birds are able to enjoy just as satisfying of a captive life as sighted birds can. They play with toys and enjoy being around their owners.

Some considerations do need to be made, but they are easily done.

She was only recently surrendered to the Center; as such, she is not yet up for adoption. However, if you are interested in bringing her home, stop by to meet her. Skipper will bring great joy to someone, that's for sure!

Just a reminder that we will be having a Clean Out the Garage sale this Friday and Saturday (July 16-17) from 12 pm - 5 pm. We'll have used cages for sale ($25-$250), used playstands, smaller shelving units, and other miscellaneous items. Stop by for some great bargains! All proceeds directly benefit the Center. Hope to see you there!

Please note that CARE will be maintaining normal business hours, meaning that we will not be open on Friday, except for the garage sale. Saturday, we will be open as usual.

Young budgies

We have several young budgies up for adoption. These guys are just adorable. Is there anything cuter? We had placed them inside the basket, and one by one, they all climbed up to the handle.A tame budgie is a true delight, but sadly, also a rarity. They are often overlooked due to their small size, but those who overlook them have no idea what they're missing out on!
Budgies can be a great choice for someone who is looking for a parrot, but doesn't have the space required for a larger bird. Budgies do still require a lot of attention and love!

Meet Daisy

Daisy is the beautiful tri-color budgie in the foreground of this picture.She was surrendered to a local humane society, who transferred her to us because of her special needs. She is a chronic egg-layer, and currently requires lupron injections.

We're hoping that with an improved diet and change in environment (plenty of toys to keep her busy, no male budgie companions, etc.) we may be able to control her egg laying and discontinue lupron.

Chronic egg-laying can be dangerous and/or fatal to birds. Creating eggs is a very stressful process on a bird's body. It can deplete the body of important nutrients, especially if the bird is not on a good diet. Some birds can even become egg bound, which is frequently fatal, especially without vet intervention, and especially on the little birds.

Daisy is not yet up for adoption as we work through her health issues, but we hope that she will someday be able to find a loving home!

Aftermath of a hoarding situation

Last week, we got a call from animal control in another county. Over 40 birds had been found in deplorable condition. Their owner realized they needed help and agreed to sign over the birds to us.
The birds were fed a diet of canned cat food and sunflower seeds. As parrots are mainly herbavores, this was not good.
The birds had many wounds, recent and healed. It appears that some occurred when they attempted to flap their wings while housed in too-small cages and other occurred from fights.
These birds are not yet up for adoption, but will be shortly. We were already full at the Center, so these additional birds are placing strain on our resources as several will likely require expensive vet care to get them healthy again.
In just a few short days, they have shown remarkable improvement. Parrots are incredibly resilient and these guys just need the right homes to come around. We are working with several other parrot rescues near us that share our values, in hopes of reaching a broader range of potential homes to get them placed more quickly.

These pictures were taken at the Center, in their travel cages, before we did intakes on them.

At the senior center

One of our volunteers has a parent in a local senior center. This center had a budgie and a cockatiel in adjacent cages. These birds brought great joy to the residents, and also enjoyed singing to each other. The birds are very well taken care of and receive a lot of attention from the residents.

A few weeks ago, their budgie died, leaving the cockatiel bereft. He was no longer singing, and was barely eating. The senior center was contemplating buying another budgie to brighten the spirits of the cockatiel.

Somehow, this volunteer found out about it, and approached CARE about providing a budgie. Since we have budgies looking for homes, we readily agreed. We found the most brightly colored budgie (since many of the senior residents have less than perfect eyesight) and he made his way to the senior center last week.

It was a great match! The cockatiel is now eating and singing with gusto. The budgie is reveling in all of the attention from the residents. The residents are so happy and enjoying their feathered friends. Best of all from our perspective, this budgie found a wonderful home. A win-win-win situation!

Secrets

These two budgies are usually near each other. Sometimes they allopreen; sometimes they just hang out.I think they're talking about how lucky they were to find each other. Budgies are very social creatures and often appreciate being in flocks of their own kind.

We currently have several budgies up for adoption.

Budgies

Ten budgies, some of whom are pictured here, were recently surrendered to us. They were owned by a single mother and her disabled adult son -- his pride and joy. They are absolutely gorgeous and obviously well-cared for.

Unfortunately, they are losing their home to foreclosure and were unable to keep these little jewels.

Though often overlooked, budgies can make great family pets! If you'd like to adopt one, please stop by to see if one may be a match for you!

Budgies desperately seeking homes!

As we've mentioned in previous posts, we have many budgies up for adoption. Through June 30, we had 73 budgies surrendered to us, and we had some still in residence that had been surrendered in 2007.

While they have been living happily in a cage we turned into an aviary that was donated by Cages By Design, we really need to find them homes. We are no longer able to accept any budgie surrenders as we are starting to see aggression in the aviary due to the large number of budgies.

We have temporarily reduced the adoption fee for untame budgies to $0. If you've been thinking about adding some happy budgie chatter to you life, the time has never been better! We have over 50 budgies that are looking for new homes.

Of course you'll need to fill out an adoption application, bring in an appropriately set up budgie cage (specs below), and purchase quality food! Two budgies can then be yours at no cost. These budgies will be same sex as there is already a budgie overpopulation problem. We can also help you set-up a proper cage if you stop by.

Specs:

cage at least 18"x18"x23"
at least 3 different types of perches or 2 types of perches plus a boing
at least 5 different toys (ex. bells, wood, leather, acrylic, including 2 destructibles)
quality food (ex. Goldenfeast seed, Zupreem pellets, Harrison's pellets, etc.)

This offer does not extend to tame budgies - only the cage pets.

Budgies can make a delightful addition to your home. They are full of personality and joie de vivre. Their happy chatter can brighten even the darkest day. These little guys are just looking for the right caring homes to come along and allow them to live their happy lives!

Budgies surrendered

On Saturday, we had four budgies surrendered to us. They were emaciated; two of them in particular were very thin and probably close to starvation. We gave them millet to eat (along with budgie food) and they devoured their food.

After several hours of eating and drinking, they relaxed on their perches and were even playing with their toys.

We currently have many budgies up for adoption. These guys are so often considered throwaway pets, and don't receive the consideration they deserve. They can be great companions!

If you've been thinking about adding a budgie to your flock, stop by and we can help you find the perfect one.

More budgies!!!

We currently have scores of budgies looking for new homes. Most of these are currently non-tame cage pets; however, with some work, they could become delightful companions. Or, with a buddy and large cage set-up, they can provide happy chirps to any house!

We've had several surrenders of large budgie flocks. This usually starts with a pair of budgies and uncontrolled breeding.

As we've mentioned so many times, budgies are truly underappreciated in the avian community. They are delightful little companions with wonderful personalities. Compared to larger parrots, they are relatively easy-care.
If you're interested in adding a budgie or two (same sex, of course) to your house, please stop by. We have many to choose from! Once you live with one of these little jewels, it's hard to imagine being without one. Their zest for life can brighten any day!

Sorry for not updating more frequently. We've been very busy! Lots of releases, a few adoptions. If you're looking to add a new bird to your household, we have many available, from tiny budgies to large macaws!

I was walking past our large aviary (cage donated by Cages by Design) where the budgies and a few other birds live. I saw this adorable budgie hanging out on the figure 8 rope swing, and I had to take a picture! Many birds love swings -- perhaps it triggers some kind of innate response due to being outside on branches moving in the wind?

Swinging can be great exercise for birds who enjoy it! Some birds will flap away on a swing as you give it a push -- much like a young child on a swing at the park. Of course, you have to make sure that you're not moving too quickly for the bird's comfort zone!

Here are Lester (cockatiel) and Phyllis (budgie), two of our permanent residents. Lester was surrendered to us because his owner didn't want to deal with his problems anymore. You can't tell from this photo, but his chest is completely plucked. He has some sort of medical problem, but it's nothing that vet tests have been able to find. However, whenever we've tried having him live in an aviary with other cockatiels, they start ganging up on him and attack him. We assume he has some sort of illness that the other cockatiels can sense, and they try to drive him out of the flock so that he doesn't become a liability (these are still wild, prey animals).

And then Phyllis entered his life! This little budgie helps Lester out. They preen each other, and she follows him around, making sure that he eats, even on his roughest days. He is much happier since she entered his life; incredibly, he seems to be doing a lot better physically as well.

We currently have quite a few sweet, relatively tame budgies that will make great companions!

We've probably said this many times on the blog, and I know we're constantly saying it to people who stop in and are looking for a new friend -- don't overlook budgies! Unfortunately, they are often considered to be "starter birds" or "throwaway pets." Nothing could be further from the truth!

A friendly, tame budgie is a delight -- truly a little jewel. They often do better in same sex pairs, so that they have company during the day, but they will remain tame to you if you take the time to spend with them every day.

All of the budgies I've been privileged to know love playing with toys. Just like the bigger birds, they have this desire to destroy, so they need wood toys.

Additionally, they have a delightful chatter that fills the air. It's pretty hard to stay in a bad mood with one of these guys around!

Daisy is a young female budgie that is currently up for adoption at the Center.

She is currently somewhat tame, but with handling will become a wonderful pet.

Budgies enliven any house with their cheerful chattering and zest for life! They do require quite a few toys as they are voracious toy players.

They require interaction every day, just like big parrots, and need to be included as part of the family. Unfortunately, too many budgies never realize their potential as people don't realize the love and intelligence that is wrapped up in such a tiny package!

If you're interested in adopting Daisy, please stop by the Center!

Several years ago, the company Cages by Design donated a large cage to CARE. This cage is big enough, with dividers, to house 3 large macaws, and we used it for that purpose for several months. However, we decided to instead transform this cage into an aviary for some of our smaller birds.

This set-up allows various small birds, including at times budgies, cockatiels, and Bourke's parakeets, to live their lives in a much bigger enclosure than if they were in individual cages. It is very interesting to see how they all interact with each other!

Here are some pictures of this enclosure:

As mentioned in a previous post, Lily is doing very well. In this picture, you can see where her tumor used to be.

Lily has a very sweet disposition and is not afraid of people. She is currently in a cage with several female budgies, and she loves to interact with them. Like most budgies, she also loves playing with her toys!

Isn't she gorgeous?

Meet Lily, a budgie that recently found her way to us with a HUGE tumor, as you can see in the picture. Perhaps the saddest part of Lily's story is that she was a stray. We assume her former owners didn't want to deal with her unsightly tumor and let her go in the wild. But here's where Lily's luck changes!

Against long odds, she was found outside and made her way to CARE. On Monday April 16, 2007, she underwent surgery to remove the tumor. Surgery and anesthesia are extremely risky with birds, and that's even more true for tiny birds like Lily. However, she is a survivor and less than an hour after returning to the shelter, she was swinging on a swing in her cage!

Lily lost 10 grams during her tumor removal (normal American budgies tend to weigh about 30 grams), so we're talking a significant percentage of her body weight was wrapped up in the tumor. Her sutures will disintegrate on their own.

A big thank you goes out to Dr. Andrea Sobon at New Berlin Animal Hospital for her special care that will allow Lily to live a happy life and allow her to find her special forever home!

If you are interested in adopting Lily or any bird at CARE, please fill out a Bird Wanted Questionnaire.