by Polarn » Thu Aug 02, 2012 8:16 am
I have yet to find any real shelters around here taking in birds, seems to me most shelterlike things are private persons taking birds in (promising them lifelong homes) to put em out for sale a few weeks later (I do not particulary like this since they often lack a veteinary check and get brought in all together at once). When talking rehoming parrots where the previous owner still cares for the bird but for an reason can't keep them but want to find the best possible home for their companion this occours some through "local" birdclubs (not ure thats what you would call em though) but basically you pay a membership to the club, can attend lectures events etc and then the club helps relocate birds to their members (even if your not in the club when wanting to find a new home for your bird they try and help) but getting one of these birds arnt easy, well you cant just join a club and get a parrot for free. But the club relies on other members to recomend certain members for rehoming birds etc. and usually you have had meetings or visits at that specific person earlier before recomendation, (e.g. Charles has built an indoor rainforest in an old barn and is proud as h*ll about it and wants to show people how he has done and the fruit of his labour, he invite the club for a visit and any member wanting to go check out his bids are welcome to come, someone might think this is a good enough speace for a rehomes bird of a certain kind to move in, and recomends charles for rehoming, charles still might not want any more birds but his on the list)
However 95% of the rehoming is through trade, people advert their birds for sale (pretty much as what ive understood is the same as craigs list) like Gila, I first saw her in a small cage with a parner being sold as a breeder pair (her being abused) as much as i wanted I felt i just cant bring both of them home, and at the same time I wouldnt have been able to go there and only leave with one of them... so I let it pass my mind for a bit, I then about 10 days later saw Gila out for sale alone, still obviously missing feathers and looking exhausted. this changed it for me, I have the room to take her in (would have had room for two but not being able to keep em separated, and even though a better living conditin might have made a wonderful breeding pair, I dont want to breed) so I called up the person advertising her. got the adres and made an appointment, and as soon as i got the adress I felt bad couse i know the neighbourhood, im not a fan... but there is nice people living there as well tho... once I got there I saw this bird who was cramped in a too small cage and I knew I would most likely have to bring her to a vet unless something drastic hapened in a new enviorment room to move and an abundance of food. so to throw someone off in a situation like this, depending on the situation I felt the best way to get out of there with the bird, without a fistfight, and without allowing this person to earn anthing from this bird I made him an offer on the cage she was in (same size as the transport cage i had with me in the car) although I made a generous offer on the cage he looked at me as if I were only gonna buy the cage and as he did I let him know that the bird was coming with me no matter what either in the cage she is in or in the cage i got with me. the only reason I made the offer on the cage was to throw him off, and to not have to move her out of it while in an argument. but i figured she could survive the carride in it couse i have no idea for how long she's been in it.
As of my other post you know ive been to the vet and she turned out to be healthy got nutrition through an IV and now she is sitting preening herself eating and drinking.
basically ads are the only way here you can help mistreated birds, but I doubt that everyone calling these adds has the nerves or confidence to just enter a house and tell them their not gonna make any money from that add (I know he actually made some money from the add but no way in hell he could hae bought the bird/cage cheaper to earn anything in the end from what I payed him, in that case he payed as much for her as he was charged by the company hosting the add. And as long as people do pay what their asking for their birds here will always be people trying to buy big lots of birds hosting them in small cages in their basements to try make some money by selling them 1 by 1 rather that as a pack of 40. or import birds just to trade etc. as an addition, over here I wouldnt buy a larger bird who doesnt wear the foot band. even if your not a breeder you normally mark your birds (bigger) if you get them at home. so alot of the bigger ones not wearing bands (Isuspect) are imported and you have no idea if their wild caught or not. Wearing a band is no guarantee though, as i stated in the band thread you can mark your birds later with a band and register them. although that isnt possible with endangered species since you still need all the proper documents then.