Meet Horton

Meet Horton, an Indian Ringneck Parakeet. He was owned by an items-hoarder (not an animal hoarder.) What we found was just heartbreaking.

Here is a picture of where Horton has spent the past years:

Among other things, notice the lack of appropriate food, toys, perches, and light. Piles of junk were stacked so high around him that we couldn't even get his cage out -- the pathway was too narrow.

Horton is safe now, but he has clearly been damaged by his past experiences. It is likely that he will never be tame, though with love and patience, you never know.

Here he is now; this picture was taken the day after he was rescued:

He is now on a good diet and is getting used to light, toys, and a clean cage at CARE.

We're looking for a special home for Horton. This home needs to be very understanding and have low expectations -- that way, all progress will be a bonus. They will love him for who he is and not expect him to ever be tame. It's very likely that he will develop some sort of bond with a caretaker, but it's likely to be a long process. On the plus, side, unlike many parrots, he will not be demanding of your time!

If you're that special home that's got a place where Horton can be safe and loved, and will provide him with time to heal, please contact us. We know the right situation is out there for him. In the meantime, we'll update you on his progress with us.

Meet Pepper

Meet Pepper, an approximatey 17 year old male African Grey. Pepper was in a very loving home, fed good food, and had tons of toys to play with. However, his family decided that they no longer had enough time to spend with him, and they wanted to give him the chance to get what he needs in a different home.
We're still getting to know him here; greys tend to take a little longer to come out of their shell than other species, but what we've seen so far is making us quickly fall in love with him.

He loves to be out of his cage, and begs to come out when he sees someone. In his previous home, he spent a lot of time out on a playstand.

Greys are very intelligent, and Pepper needs someone that will help to keep his curious mind busy. This may involve learning tricks, foraging for food, and being involved in all aspects of family life.

As with all of our birds, please stop by if you'd like to meet him.

Meet Cassanova

Cassanova is a gorgeous lovebird. This picture doesn't do his interesting coloring justice. We don't know anything about him, as he was a stray and no one came forward to claim him.
He has a great base personality and is not aggressive -- he doesn't bite. He also doesn't know how to step up (we're working on that with him), though he loves to perch on your shoulder or hang out in your pocket.

We don't understand how someone wasn't searching high and low to be reunited with this special guy, but their loss will be someone else's gain.

Rocky Update

Rocky is an adorable white-fronted amazon we introduced to you here. He's eating well with us, and his personality has really blossomed. He loves being part of the action and relishes attention. He will make a wonderful addition to the right home.
He is ready for that new home! White-fronts are the smallest of the amazons; he's closer in size to a caique or poicephalus than a blue-fronted amazon. It's been fun watching his personality shine through. He knows he's safe now, and whoever adopts him will have years of joy ahead of them.

Last year's less adoptable pets

This concludes our "adopt a less adoptable pet week" series. Let's hope it helps some of our less adoptable birds find new homes. They are safe at CARE, but are used to living in a home environment, and most of them would prefer to be in a home, where they can get more attention.

I thought it would be interesting to revisit last year's less adoptable birds, to see where they are now.

2010's less adoptable birds:

• Olive, a quaker, was adopted. Yay!


• Tango, a severe macaw, was adopted into an amazing home. He is thriving and very much loved. Yay!


• Lola, an umbrella cockatoo, is still up for adoption.


• Budgies, though these particular budgies have been adopted, we always have many budgies looking for homes!


• Peanut, a nanday conure, is still up for adoption

Meet Lou

Meet Lou, an approximately 20 year old male blue and gold macaw. He's featured on our adopt a less adoptable pet week because he is a very challenging bird. He is very picky about what people he likes, and if he doesn't like you, he tries to intimidate you and threatens to attack. Most people are unable to properly address such behavior issues in such a large bird. We need to make sure he'll be adopted into a home where he will be a loved member of the family, and not stuck in a back bedroom due to his aggression.
Lou's been with us almost a year now, and no one has seriously thought about adopting him. Like many birds, he chooses the people he likes. When he likes someone, he is incredibly sweet and friendly; when he doesn't like someone, he tries to intimidate them by showing how big and scary he is and by threatening to bite. However, while in his cage, he will sing and dance with those he doesn't want to be around, so there is hope that in a home, with understanding people and lots of patience, we may seem him warming up to more people.
Lou needs an experienced macaw owner to adopt him. We feel confident that he will blossom in the right home; the trick is finding that home for him.

Meet Biggsie

Meet Biggsie, a blue-front amazon who's in his late teenage years. Biggsie is considered less adoptable as he is very picky about who he likes and who he doesn't like. This is definitely the occasion where the bird picks its human, rather than the other way around!

He doesn't really like to be handled much. He'd do well in a home that would let him out to hang out on top of his cage, and who wants to verbally interact with him, but who wouldn't insist on physically interacting with him.

Biggsie has an old, improperly-healed wing injury. This does not affect his day-to-day life.

We were told that Biggsie's owner suffered through a house fire last year, and the other bird who used to live with him died in that fire. However, Biggsie survived. Now, he's hoping to thrive, in an understanding home that will let him decide how long to truly come out of his shell.

Please stop by if you'd like to learn more about Biggsie.