How to Surrender to us:
We recognize that circumstances change, and you might be forced to decide to re-home your companion parrot if you are unable to provide for them. Each bird that is surrendered to us is taken to see a qualified avian veterinarian and given an appropriately sized cage with perches and toys, so you can be sure that your feathered friend will be handled with the utmost care and respect and will find their new home in no time! Every one of our birds receives an abundance of love and care, along with extra attention to ensure they are provided with the healthiest diet possible.
Phase 1: QUARANTINE & MEDICAL CLEARANCE
When new birds arrive, we keep them apart from the existing occupants in our quarantine room. Our building has distinct air spaces, heating, and cooling systems for each area to prevent the spread of disease and to guarantee everyone’s health and well-being.
Quarantine sounds like a scary/sterile word. In actuality, it simply means that we are separating them from the flock until we are certain that they are well and do not contain any diseases. Since our Founder’s office and workshop share the quarantine space, people are typically present in the room with the birds almost all the time.
While in quarantine, birds are seen by a veterinarian. Our every day vet is (the incredible) Dr. Additionally, we make use of our close friend Melissa McNally of Jolly Road Veterinary. Dr. Scott E. McDonald, and on occasion, MSU provides us with their diligent students enrolled in the university’s veterinary school.
Quarantined birds undergo their initial medical examinations, and any unresolved medical issues are handled by us. They receive any necessary initial nail and beak care, and we get to know them as tiny, unique souls, considering all the information their parties who are surrendering them to us provided on their surrender application. We do not clip birds wings as a general practice.
Quarantined birds are switched to the rescue diet, which is by far the best rescue diet we’ve ever seen.
PHASE 2: BIRDS BECOME RESIDENTS
A bird is relocated to the area of the facility with similar species when it becomes a resident. They have their photo taken and uploaded to Petfinder, and we use all the data we’ve collected along the way to create a Petfinder advertisement for them. It is at this point the bird becomes “adoptable”. We rotate the birds on play stands each day so they can engage with people. Because there is a risk of injury and it becomes more difficult to place birds if they form a bond while they are here, we almost never allow birds to interact with other birds unless they are already bonded. We never separate birds once they have formed a bond with one another, under any circumstances.
Our core team regularly interacts with them, and we have volunteer hangouts with them in addition to fun activities like dance parties. This phase lasts for as long as it takes. The longest a bird was in our care before finding their “Happily Ever After” was four years.
The average length seems to be around 60-90 days.
And, we’ve never met a bird who was “unadoptable”. We don’t think that exists. While some birds are more difficult to work with than others, there is always hope for a successful outcome.
Our adoption process is thorough. Consider us to be the Tinder for birds—only far, far safer. After the application process is over, we vote as a team to decide whether or not to place an animal in their care. We investigate the applicants, their homes, their families, their veterinarian, and their past history of owning animals. We select humans for birds by assessing how well their personalities mesh with the birds that are currently housed at the facility. We work to help the applicant have a clear idea of what owning birds looks like in their mind, but we also try to bring that vision closer to reality. We do this by using the data the previous family gave us about the birds and our perception of them as individuals to match them with.
A person must go through our preparation process in order to be ready for the species or size range of bird for which they are approved for adoption. Once they arrive at the facility, we allow them to interact with the birds of the species for which they have been approved. We then select the birds whose personalities align with the individual, allowing them to meet that group of birds one at a time. They spend one-on-one time with each bird, and when the bird selects the human, it is typically fairly obvious.
It’s planned kismet.
FAQ
What to do with a bird you can’t keep?
Can I free my pet bird?
Is it OK to rehome a bird?
Can I pet my birds back?