Alumni Story: Bart

Earlier this year, Bart, a male cockatiel, was adopted. Here he is with his new buddy, Mork:Since parrots are flock animals and learn from their flock, Mork has become friendlier since Bart arrived, actively seeking human interaction.

Far too often, people overlook the smaller parrots, but they bring just as much joy as the larger guys, and here's another story that proves it!

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, 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!

Meet Pearl

Pearl is a gorgeous white cockatiel who's only about 1 year old. She was a transfer to us from a local humane society.She is very tame and has a stunning personality. She was purchased as a pet for her former owner's children. When the kids lost interest, Pearl lost her home. Now she's looking for a second chance at happiness!

Meet Lily

Meet Lily, a beautiful lutino cockatiel. Lily was found as a stray. She must have been found quickly as she is blind, so could not have survived long on her own.As she was a stray, we do not have any history on her. She is tame and friendly, and willingly steps up, with a bit of guidance. She loves to sit on shoulders and feel safe next to a human.

We do not know what her name is, but we've been calling her Lily. If her new home wants to give her a new name, she'd be fine with that!

We're looking for a special home for Lily. Being blind, she requires a bit of extra care and attention. For example, making sure to announce your presence to her so she doesn't get scared, or holding her close to your chest so she doesn't get scared and drop to the ground.

If you'd like to meet her, please stop by the Center!

Meet Bugsy and Jay

Bugsy (cockatiel) and Jay (quaker) are two adult birds looking for a home. Several years ago, they decided that they'd rather share a cage than live separately, so their owners acquiesced to this demand!They have not been handled much recently, but with consistent gentle handling, they will revert to the sweet birds they were before their owners got ill.

If you'd like to meet them, please stop by the Center.

New cockatiel enclosure

If you visit the Center, you will notice that we've made a few changes. We're in the process of installing a better floor, for example. But, more exciting, the cockatiels have a new enclosure!We still have many cockatiels up for adoption! We'd really like to get these guys into good homes; many have spent quite a few months with us, and they'd like a new family.
Stop by if you'd like to add one to your flock!

Cockatiels

We currently have 47 cockatiels up for adoption. Many of these are currently not tame, though some are. If you've been thinking about adding a cockatiel to your house, there has never been a better time to adopt one, as we have so many to choose from!

As I was walking by their cage last week, one of the tiels was standing over two other tiels, watching them:These three are all tame. They rushed up to the front of the cage when I stopped to say hi. They love to get attention and will shine once they're in a good home!

The majority of our not tame flock is living in the giant cage that Cages by Design donated to us several years ago. Though these birds tend to prefer the companionship of their own species over humans, it can be fascinating to watch them, and we can help you to set up a cage with two same sex birds if you'd like some birds that don't necessarily want a lot of human interaction.

These pictures are a bit blurry as they were taken through the plexiglass front to their cage:We are currently unable to take in any more cockatiel surrenders until we are able to adopt more cockatiels out. Many of these birds were from the confiscation earlier this year -- they have all overcome their early nutritional deficiencies and are now just waiting for a good home!

Good news! Reunited cockatiel!

We work with our local animal control and receive parrots who have been found outside as strays. Despite extensive efforts, we are usually unable to reunite a stray parrot with its former family.

Last week, however, was an exception -- we were able to reunite a cockatiel with his loving family!

Even when parrots' wings are clipped, they can still fly, especially if there is any wind. In the blink of an eye, they can fly out of sight. Even if they've never flown before, and even if they are extremely bonded to their families. Instinct and adrenaline can take over. Losing a parrot is a horrible experience, and one we hope our readers (and their birds) never have to suffer through.

This year alone, we have taken in 3 stray quaker parakeets and 4 stray cockatiels. There have been many more stray birds who have not been found, or were found by someone who didn't turn them in to animal control.

Please do not take your parrot out unrestrained, even if it's just from the car to your house. Make sure she's in a properly fitted harness or in a pet carrier. It's really not worth the risk!

Meet Jesse

Jesse is one of the most personable parrots we have ever met. He's a cockatiel who's about 12 years old. He was obviously very well-loved and provided with a ton of attention!Jesse requires a very interactive home. A place where he will be included in everything that's going on. He protests if he's in his cage too frequently!

Jesse whistles several songs and will often make his own medleys or mix-ups of the songs he knows. We're sure that he can learn many more songs in the right home!

Here is a video of him saying "Hi Jesse bird!":


As we've said many times before, cockatiels are wonderfully smart and can make great pets. They are often overlooked, and Jesse is proof of what can happen when a tiel is provided with a loving, interactive home.

Jesse is up for adoption, so please stop by to meet him if you are interested in an amusing (and demanding) new friend!

Cockatiel love

This picture isn't perfectly clear as it was taken through the acrylic cage front, but these two tiels were swinging together in the cockatiel aviary.We still have many tiels looking for good, loving homes! Stop by if you'd like to meet some of them.

Alumni story: Bobber (MoJo)

A few months ago, we introduced you to Bobber, a gorgeous male cockatiel. He had such a wonderful personality, we knew whoever adopted him would be very lucky as he is a joy to be around. It took a few months, but he's found that perfect home!

Here he is, giving a kiss to his owner:He thinks it was worth the wait!

That dirt on his face is leftover fresh food. Cockatiels can be messy eaters!

His family renamed him MoJo, and he's looking at this name change as a new start in life. We love to hear these success stories! As we've written many times here, cockatiels are often overlooked because of their small size. This is a shame, as they often have fantastic personalities and just need someone to help them develop their potential.

MoJo really lucked out. Thanks so much to his new family for making him so happy!

Cockatiels

Here's a recent picture of some of the cockatiels in their flight cage.We really want to start finding these guys homes! Now is the perfect time to bring home a cockatiel or two (same gender). Stop by if you have room in your home and heart!

Meet Chuck

Meet Chuck, a beautiful lutino cockatiel. We don't know much about his history since he was transferred to us from animal control.Unfortunately, Chuck suffers from night frights. This is when a parrot flails uncontrollably around its cage, usually at night. It almost seems like they're having a seizure. This type of behavior seems to be particularly prevalent in cockatiels.

No one is entirely sure what causes night frights, and there are probably a multitude of triggers. Some potential explanations are minor earthquakes, headlights coming in their room, strange shadows, unstable perches, or even just bad dreams.

Sometimes plugging a night light in near the bird can help, or moving his cage at night to a room without windows. A lot of experimenting may be needed to see what works best for each individual bird.

Chuck is up for adoption, though his new owners must understand about the possibility of night frights and be willing to do some hard work to try to reduce their occurrence!

Cockatiels

Once again, we are overrun with cockatiels. Tiels are the parrot that are surrendered to us in the highest quantity. It is so very sad as they can make terrific companions, and most are not given the opportunity to reach their full potential.

They appear to be frequently impulse-purchased, as they are relatively inexpensive. Then, in a few weeks, months, or years, the newness wears off and they are discarded.We currently have 47 tiels up for adoption. That is not a typo. Almost 50 tiels are at the Center, hoping for a chance at a family and happy life! While 35 of those are not tame, we have some very sweet tiels, like the guy pictured above. He's ready to be a part of a loving family.

We'd really like to place these guys. Every day they spend with us is a day they're not with a loving family. Though we do our best, and they have all of their physical needs met with us, the truth is that they don't get the attention and bonding at the Center that they do in a home.

If you've been thinking about adding a tiel to your home, there has never been a better time to do so! Stop by the Center and we can help you find your match! Tiels also make a great choice for first-time bird owners, and if that describes you, we can work with you to set you on the road to success with one of these loving, too frequently overlooked, creatures.

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!

Meet Bobber

Meet Bobber, a male cockatiel. He is approximately 10 years old. This picture doesn't do him justice; he is one of the most beautiful cockatiels we've ever seen! His face is almost egg-yolk yellow and he has subtle yellow tinges on his chest. What a beauty!

Bobber was surrendered to a local humane society. CARE maintains close relations with several local humane societies as they are often not equipped to handle the special needs birds require. His owners said they were surrendering him because he would attack them.

However, he was kept in an 18" X 18" cage -- much too small for a cockatiel. We've noticed that parrots in small cages tend to be more cage-aggressive than parrots in appropriately-sized cages.

At the Center, Bobber has not tried to attack anyone. He steps up beautifully and is a delight to be around. As I was whistling to him yesterday, he whistled back. I wouldn't be surprised if he has several whistled songs stored inside his head. And, if not, he seems eager to learn some! He will make a wonderful companion for some lucky person.

Cockatiels!

How many cockatiels can you find in this picture?Could you locate all six of them?

We have some very loving and entertaining cockatiels for adoption right now. As I went to take this picture yesterday, all six of them came forward to beg for attention from me. Several of them started whistling and got excited when I whistled back.

Cockatiels are among the birds that make the best pets in most homes. They are often overlooked because of their small stature, but those who take the plunge realize how lucky they are to have a cockatiel!

We have around a dozen cockatiels looking for new homes, so if you're looking to add to your flock, stop by and we can try to find a good match!

Freckles

Meet Freckles, a cockatiel. Freckles was dropped off at the Domes as a "donation." After her former owner was information that the Domes can't take animal surrenders, her former owner argued with the employees at the Domes, set the paper bag in which Freckles was placed on the counter, and ran out of the Domes!

And with that interaction, Freckles's luck began to change! She lived for a few weeks with a wonderful Domes employee, until arrangements were made for her to come to CARE. During her short stint in her foster home, Freckles calmed down and showed her gentle personality.

Now we're looking for a permanent home for Freckles! Cockatiels can make wonderful companions, and whoever adopts Freckles will have a friend for years to come.