Do you prefer to get a rescue or a rehomed parrot?

[Natacha]

I honestly don't know.

Thing is, I am picky about what birds I do want - or more so what I do not want as well.

When I was waiting for a female Red-bellied to come along, I was opened to both rescues and rehomes. And for the longest time that wouldn't work so I thought of getting a baby.

In the end, Pixel came along, she was a rehome, but definitely more in need of a new home than let's say Joey where her own well being in the end was concerned.

[lightweight]

...I once spent 2 hours in the Walmart parking lot chasing a crow with broken wings. Pity I wasn't able to catch him, he outsmarted me and got lost in all the cars. I still pray to this day he somehow managed to survive, though I doubt it

I did that once with a seagull at Superstore! Chased it all over the parking lot, finally caught it...took it home (while it was trying to pluck out our eyes) for the night...rushed it to the vet college in the morning....

When they saw what I had - they literally pushed me out of the building. Seagulls are considered 'dirty birds' and made me take it over to the neighbouring lab...I thought the lab would make arrangements to send it to some wildlife rehab...and while I was waiting, they just went ahead and euthanized it without telling me first!

I did get the necropsy report in the mail (go figure). It was a healthy juvenile female gull with a broken wing. No diseases.

Seagulls have such a bad rap don't they! I love ALL animals. I was once in London (Canada) on one of the major streets (this was about 9 years ago now and there was this seagull in the road, cars zooming by and it's wings were out at weird angles and it could only move in circles because it's head was also at a weird angle. Obviously hit by a car and left there. I had a friend with me and I actually came to a stop right in the middle of the road so nobody else would hit it. Of course they would avoid my car but not a living creature. Thankfully I had a blanket in the back (which reminds me I should put one back there now just in case) and I picked it up and had my friend hold it while I searched for a vet. There was a couple who saw what I had done and pulled up beside me to have me pull over so they could tell me where a vet was. they figured if I was going to go through the trouble that they might as well help me out. I had a few rescue pigeons (from the wild) already so was willing to do what I could for this guy. Unfortunately, I was told that it's lungs were collapsed etc. and even if they could fix it that he would need a lot of respiratory therapy. They told me they would do the work and see if it worked or I could sign him over and they would euthanize him. I decided on euthanasia because he was so messed up and clearly in a lot of pain. I just can't believe people can be so callous.

As for rescue or rehome...whoever needs me. I have had the opportunity to rescue cats in dire straits (and a couple of budgies as well) and they are the most wonderful companions you can imagine. Sometimes a rehome can be more than that. Some people are willing to do things if they can't get rid of the animal (a budgie I rehomed because someone was going away to school and her Dad said he would break the bird's necks if she couldn't find them a home.

As for rescue/rehome vs store/breeder. I would rather support the rescue/rehome because there shouldn't be breeders or petstores. We need to take care of the animals here first. But the reality is that there are breeders and pet stores and even puppy mills. And while people are more concerned with profit, the animals still deserve a loving home just as much. We can't even take care of our own people (homeless etc) so I'm not surprised people don't try to take care of the animals...

[ptuga72]

As for rescue or rehome...whoever needs me. I have had the opportunity to rescue cats in dire straits (and a couple of budgies as well) and they are the most wonderful companions you can imagine. Sometimes a rehome can be more than that. Some people are willing to do things if they can't get rid of the animal (a budgie I rehomed because someone was going away to school and her Dad said he would break the bird's necks if she couldn't find them a home.

As for rescue/rehome vs store/breeder. I would rather support the rescue/rehome because there shouldn't be breeders or petstores. We need to take care of the animals here first. But the reality is that there are breeders and pet stores and even puppy mills. And while people are more concerned with profit, the animals still deserve a loving home just as much. We can't even take care of our own people (homeless etc) so I'm not surprised people don't try to take care of the animals...

I have the same sentiments as you, but I understand why people go to (responsible) breeders for a bird. I wish that more would consider adopting/rehoming vs buying/breeding, but it really isn't for everyone. I don't know many that would've wanted to take on Scarlet. Honestly, I don't know if I would've adopted her had I truly known the full extent of her behavior needs. I don't ever regret getting her, but it's not an easy road either.

I wish more would think like you. So many birds are surrendered simply for taking up space, their owners having no business having a bird in the first place. They got the bird on a whim, and it was relatively cheap (a pet store puppy: $2000+ vs a bird mill/pet store GCC: $250). And now with the foreclosure rates holding steady, more and more animals are finding themselves without homes. But I guess that is the difference between responsible breeders and bird mills. In my opinion, if someone wants to buy a bird, then go to a responsible breeder instead of a pet store.

[TheNzJessie]

i must say i class my rainbow lorikeet as a rehomed even thou i got him at 12/13 weeks, he wasn't bred intentionally or for money but when he arrived the 'breeder' was going to keep him and his sister as pets but then took in 2 breeding pairs of king parrots and needed the space for they were 'up for adoption' for the extremely low price of $120, very nice lady and didn't care about the money only wanted them to find good homes. i love her because hes anti clipping. she turned down 12 people before me who asked her to clip the birds wing and she refused and refused the money. she was very happy when i asked her not to clip him

[liz]

I am addicted to this forum. When it is slow I go to past postings.

The one about catching a wild bird in a parking lot is not strange to me.

I once watched a Canadian Goose on a pond near me. Each day it seemed a little slower. One day I drove by and it was the only bird there. The next morning I litteraly went on a "wild goose chase". I took a large laundry basket with me. It did not fly and I thought it was sick. The laundry basket made a good trap and I was able to toss the light weight plastic to catch it.

Since I don't know anything about gueese I took it to the rehab center at the zoo. I carried it in and it was calm. While I was still holding it the woman in charge came up and saw that it's legs were entwined with fishing line and had become infected.

Since the bird was calm in my arms, they numbed it's legs and did surgery while I was holding it.
They kept it 4 weeks using antibotics and rich food then called me to come get it.

I put it back at the pond but it stayed with me for about an hour - it called out and finally got an answer. It was a beautiful thing to see it fly up and away in the direction of it's response.

The story traveled around the community that crazy Liz would even go on a "wild goose chase' to save an animal.

[HungryBird]

I think out of my birds only one can be considered a rescue and the others are rehomes. I don't know if I have a preference or not. I guess it is just what happens to cross my path and at what time. I don't think I could turn my back on an animal that needed rescuing. I also don't believe in paying rehoming fees, which probably helps keep me semi-sane, but that is another issue altogether. I might not take in a bird that needs to be rehomed (not urgently) but I am guaranteed to take in a bird in a desperate situation. Or a dog. Or a rabbit. Or a tiger, but only a baby one.

[pfinarffle]

The lines between "rehomed" and "rescue" were blurred in our parrot's case. PeeWee the Sennie was given to Phoenix Landing when his owners divorced. So I guess he was rehomed at that point to a foster family. Over the years, he's been rehomed several times (he's going on 18 years old this September) due to various situations: fosters developing allergies, or he couldn't get along with foster's other pets etc. When we fostered him, I noticed he had several symptoms of illness, though very subtle. Sure enough, his liver enzymes were elevated and he had a yeast colitis (GI infection). Several months of antibiotics later he's back to his happy, *loud*, and buzz sawing through wood self. My point is that he was in dire straits and in need of intervention. But since he was bouncing around from household to household, no one could possibly have known he was as sick as he was until I put two and two together (mostly he was falling from perches randomly and I noticed he was no longer sawing through his wooden toys like he clearly had done to the play gym he came with). In fact, the last foster parent who had him looked at him and said something along the lines of "yeah, he has a good 10 years left in him!" (commenting on his health). No way! He has a good 30+ years left in him from what I can see now!

[liz]

The lines between "rehomed" and "rescue" were blurred in our parrot's case. PeeWee the Sennie was given to Phoenix Landing when his owners divorced. So I guess he was rehomed at that point to a foster family. Over the years, he's been rehomed several times (he's going on 18 years old this September) due to various situations: fosters developing allergies, or he couldn't get along with foster's other pets etc. When we fostered him, I noticed he had several symptoms of illness, though very subtle. Sure enough, his liver enzymes were elevated and he had a yeast colitis (GI infection). Several months of antibiotics later he's back to his happy, *loud*, and buzz sawing through wood self. My point is that he was in dire straits and in need of intervention. But since he was bouncing around from household to household, no one could possibly have known he was as sick as he was until I put two and two together (mostly he was falling from perches randomly and I noticed he was no longer sawing through his wooden toys like he clearly had done to the play gym he came with). In fact, the last foster parent who had him looked at him and said something along the lines of "yeah, he has a good 10 years left in him!" (commenting on his health). No way! He has a good 30+ years left in him from what I can see now!

He was deffinatly a rescue. How wonderful that you got him.

[Army.Wifey1990]

Ive never seen a bird that needed to be rescued here. Where i live birds are rarely "lost/missing/found/abandoned" here its hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of chiuhuahs. they have filled up all of the animal shelters.

I got My jenday conure from a bird store. In my opinion bird stores tend to have higher prices than breeders. I got my parrotlet from a breeder. And im picking up my 3rd baby a sun conure today and she is a rehome. The lady is having her 2nd baby in march and there moving to a different state so she says "i wont have time for her".


I'd rather have a rehome then a bird store or back yard breeder. But if a bird needed to be rescued id love to that as well.

[liz]

Ive never seen a bird that needed to be rescued here. Where i live birds are rarely "lost/missing/found/abandoned" here its hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of chiuhuahs. they have filled up all of the animal shelters.

I got My jenday conure from a bird store. In my opinion bird stores tend to have higher prices than breeders. I got my parrotlet from a breeder. And im picking up my 3rd baby a sun conure today and she is a rehome. The lady is having her 2nd baby in march and there moving to a different state so she says "i wont have time for her".


I'd rather have a rehome then a bird store or back yard breeder. But if a bird needed to be rescued id love to that as well.

You don't say where you are.

I went on ebay to a distance of 500 miles from home looking to rehome an older parrot no bigger than Rambo . A rehome showed up and was way too cheap ($300 with cage & toys). I made contact immediatly and went after her. She was in a dire situation. A blue front Amazon with gray instead of blue and very very skinny. She did not make a noise and the woman said she never came out of her cage. The more I talked to her, she admitted that the AG in the cage RIGHT BESIDE HER wanted to kill her. She was a 1 year old who lived in terror for 6 months of her life. She still gets scared if an AF comes up on YouTube.

She is now a healthy little girl with bright colors and talks a lot of baby talk. She is only starting to understand the words she has been repeating. She was stunted by her fear.

I didn't know if she could handle the kaos of my house so I stayed in a motel before I brought her into it. I opened the cage but she wouldn't come out. When I got her home, I opened the cage and have never closed it. It took 24 hours of watching everything, then she came out and now really enjoys her new family of birds, dogs and cats.

Those in need are everywhere. Because of my add on ebay, I have been getting calls asking me to take their birds. I can't at this point but turn their info over to someone I think would want it.