Rhode Island Parrot Rescue

[Wolf]

No, no, maybe I worded it wrong. I was wondering why this beautiful bird had to wait so long for a home, when you have posted about so many other birds arriving at the rescue and then being adopted out fairly quickly, as in a matter of weeks it appears.

[Navre]

No, no, maybe I worded it wrong. I was wondering why this beautiful bird had to wait so long for a home, when you have posted about so many other birds arriving at the rescue and then being adopted out fairly quickly, as in a matter of weeks it appears.

I couldn't tell you what the average stay is, but at 17 months, Stimey might be close to it. I think the fastest a bird can get adopted is about 2 months. They are in quarantine for 30 days, and then the adoption procedure will probably take a month, or so. Most people can only come in for bonding visits once a week, or so, and then there is a home visit required, and people need to buty and set-up cages, etc.

On the other end of the spectrum are birds like our beloved Bucca. A wild caught Moluccan, he is very loud and always will be. If you don't pay attention to him, he gets loud. If you pay attention to him, he gets excited and gets loud. He's a good bird, but he can be aggressive and territorial. He does like people. He LOVES those whom he loves, but he's been waiting for the right combination of someone who can handle him and someone who is in a situation in which they can take him. He's been at the rescue for 6+ years. All cockatoos seem hard to place. I know that for a bunch of reasons, I've never seriously considered one. The ones who have been adopted since I've been at the rescue have all gone to volunteers.

As to Stimey, Jendays and Suns are loud for small birds. We don't hide that fact from people. The average bird has something like 7 homes in its lifetime. We aren't looking for the birds next home, we are looking for its final home. I guess it takes a person who bonds with the bird and is therefore willing to put up with both us ( the adoption procedure), and the noise. Also, the price differential between our adoption fee and "market" price is a lot smaller on small birds. A conure is $185 from us. You can find them for that on CL, and they are widely available. You can also walk into Petco and buy one for about $600. Once you drive 2 hours each way to the rescue, 4 or 5 times, you've probably spent that on gas and tolls. Add the mandatory vet visit to the mix (Petco and CL dot care if you take the bird to the vet once they sell him) and there is no real money savings going with the rescue.
Large birds are a different story, money wise. A Greenwing, a Blue and Gold, or even a Hyacinth will only be an adoption fee of $500 or $600. That's a huge money savings. I don't know what greys are selling for, but considering that I bought grey for $1000 in 1990, I bet it's a lot. They're $450 from us.

[liz]

I was rejected by Red Dog Farm when asking to adopt a DYH female. They said my house did not fit what they were looking for. My house is what the critters are looking for. They can blend in and be part of the kaos until they are ready to accept me.

Squeekie was a rescue from a horder who answered my add for lost kitten. She was wild and had to be forced into a carrier. I opened the carrier in the laundry room where the litter box was. She disappeared for 3 days before deciding that I and my critters were good people.

The animal shelters in FL have the same requirements and I have been told it is hard to adopt. They also require home visits. I spent about an hour at the shelter on paper work and visiting with the cats but was late for a doctors appointment and had to leave. When I left the doctors office and on my way back I got a call asking if I was coming back. I adopted 2 kitties that day with no red tape.

While searching for a cockatiel to fill the hole that Sweetie left my name and phone number got around on CL. I received calls from people I did not know but asked me to take their birds. My last call was from a shelter in VA that needed to home Gimpy because he did not fit in their schedule. He could not walk or fly and therefor was afraid of everything. (while putting their seed supper on the tray yesterday he was the first one to land on the tray while I was still filling it.)

There are good humans out there with good hearts and a feel for critters but are being blocked by red tape like at Red Dog Farm. I was willing to pay $450 for the DYH female. I am glad they rejected me. That DYH had a loving place to be and it left me open to find Myrtle.

[Navre]

The rescue has changed its name. It is now Rhode Island Parrot Rescue.

Www.riparrots.org

[Pajarita]

Yes, moluccans are real loud. I just mentioned on another thread that they are the loudest birds in the world and that their calls have registered at the same decibels as a 747 plane. But, OMG, poor, poor thing, seven years and still waiting! What a sin! Personally, I think that when an animal (and I am not talking only about birds but ALL animals) has been in a rescue for a certain period of time, an effort must be made to relax the rules a bit and reduce the price -when I was working with the dog and cat rescue in Pa, we even used to give out difficult dogs to adopt for free as 'permanent fosters' so we could find them a home and still keep an eye on them, just in case. I know that every rescue is hoping for the perfect 'forever home' but, in my personal opinion and experience, when it comes to birds, it's absolutely unrealistic and completely counterproductive in terms of providing them with a home. Because of their requirements (the bonding visits -which are useless- the vet visit, the same price as CL, etc), birds end up in rescue limbo for years and that does not help them at all.

[Navre]

I'd imagine Bucca would be free to the right home at this point.

The only thing that worries me about someone seeking a reduced adoption fee is that if $400 adoption fee is an issue, how are you going to afford toys (he can go through a $30 toy in an afternoon) and proper vet care? Birds are expensive, especially the the macaws and big 'toos. We make a lot of our own toys, and get a lot donated, but a Greenwing, a U2, or an M2 will have a toy budget that exceeds its acquisition fee, in pretty short order.
(Some birds ar more destructive than others, of course)

[Wolf]

I hear you, but then some things are relative. I can't afford all new cages for my birds although they do need to be replaced, so I keep a close watch on them and keep them in good condition, but I do not skimp on their food. I am a cheapskate when it comes to toys and use a lot of paper and cardboard and I have several varieties of bird safe wood growing here so I cut them branches and make both toys and perches from them, but they do not lack for medical attention if they need it. With being on disability I am not allowed to have more than $1,000 in my checking account at any time and we know how quickly one bird could go through that if they require medical attention. But I have my ways to deal with it.

[Navre]

The rescue has an open house this Saturday. There were two birds who hated the last one. Buddy, the stray, plucked, goffin, has already been adopted. The other one who hated the open house was Nicholas. We has to move Nick into another room and cover him up.

I figure it makes sense to take him home this week, so he doesn't have to deal with the open house. I can't get a vet appointment until Monday, so he will have to come home and then go out to the vet a few days later.

I was actually kind of surprised that there were only those two birds who disliked the open house last time.

[Pajarita]

Yes, good idea to bring him home before the open house! I would think that most birds don't like open houses, they just do not show it like those two. No bird likes a number of strangers staring at them... But by no means am I saying that the open house is not necessary or, at least, helpful in getting somebody interested in adopting!

[galeriagila]

YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY for Nicholas... a very lucky bird!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So happy for him! And his new family!