Adopted vs Purchasing a Baby Bird…..the misconception!

I have seen many comments on this subject and it is clear that there is a misconception that Adult birds in a rescue need more bird education to adopt rather than just purchasing a baby bird. This is absolutely not true! It is in fact just the opposite. A baby bird is going to require a huge amount of time to even have the hope of reaching maturity and not having behavioral or health issues. Babies taken from their parents too early are more likely to develop behavioral issues like biting, plucking, screaming…and the list goes on. Babies should not be weaned for quite some time, some species require a year or more. So that two month old baby being sold as weaned??? Most likely a baby is going to have issues just from forced weaned to early.  It is also very important that birds have annual avian checkups. No matter if it is a baby or an adult parrot, everyone needs to do a huge amount of research to even begin to understand a birds wants and needs. Taking a parrot into your life at any age is a huge commitment. There are sacrifices that must be made if you are going to provide for them and meet all their needs.

Birds in rescues are not there because they just happen to be bad or have issues. Most of the time birds end up in rescues due to being purchased as a baby and then the owner was not prepared for what happens when they become adults. Birds are messy, loud, require special diets, loads of mental and physical stimulation and they will chew whatever they can get their beaks on. They require regular avian checkups due to the fact that they hide illness so well. There are many things that are toxic to them and so you must remove and quit using many household items. The list is very extensive and most do not take the time to learn and educate themselves prior to bringing home the bird. These are the main reason birds are given up, they were just being birds and the humans were not prepared for it.

The reason there are so many birds in rescue now is due to the lack of education prior to someone purchasing the baby birds in the first place…. impulse shopping! Now I do understand that there may be other circumstances where a bird is given up to a rescue, but the majority of cases are just that the human is having issues dealing with the bird being a bird. All Baby birds are sweet and cuddly, but as they mature so do their personalities and they are not going to always be that sweet baby you brought home. In fact they are most likely going to do a lot of changing especially when they reach hormonal maturity and then what? That sweet lil baby bird you brought up may decide they don’t even like you. Especially if you do not have the prior education to understand the emotions and changes that they are going through. Hormones can be dealt with and those who truly understand parrots know it is an annual occurrence and how to get the humans and bird through this very difficult times.

Rescues do require a person interested in adopting to fill out a questionnaire which does ask if you have bird experience.  And I have seen where some believed this was because the birds in rescues are bad and require more work than babies….this is completely an ignorant statement. They ask because they want to make sure that you have the skills, knowledge and commitment to give a bird what they truly need. Their greatest desire is to make sure that should you adopt from them, that the birds is going into a loving educated home and the bird will have his best chance of staying there forever. Birds that are shifted from one home to another are more likely to develop behavioral issues… like trust. Birds are flock creatures and since we become their family they do not understand being given away especially time and time again. Rescues want to make sure that they are giving the birds in their care the best possible chance of this not happening. Pet stores and breeding facilities that just allow you to walk in a purchase a baby without any questions….as long as you have the desired amount of cash….how much do they truly care about that babies future? Not one bit! It is all about the cash to them and nothing more.

There is also a lot of controversy over the fees charged by rescues. Nobody seems to question a breeder or pet store requiring payment though. Here is a fact that some may not be aware of. A legitimate rescue makes sure every bird coming in is seen by a qualified avian vet…this can be a couple of hundred dollars or more depending on what tests need to be done, species and where the bird is coming from. A rescue then must provide cage, proper food, toys, mental and physical stimulation for each and every bird and continued vet care. All of this can run them hundreds of dollars monthly per bird. Many times the fee charged for adoption does not even cover the initial vet fees. Rescues are NOT making any money! What they are doing is making sure that each bird is well taken care of and is placed in a home with the best possible chances for that bird to have a happy life. They are taking in these precious Feathered ones that others have cast aside and hoping they can make a difference for them.

Bottom line is the reasons rescues are full now is NOT due to the birds being bad or anything like that. It is because these precious creatures are so misunderstood and there is a lack of education prior to people purchasing them. Most people are not willing or understand the commitment needed to provide for these babies for 30 plus years and so.

Take the time to educate yourself properly on what these precious creatures need. Visit your local avian rescues and take a look for yourself. Volunteer at the rescues, ask for the education. Do your own research from many many sources. Talk with an Avian vet. Education is key into helping ease the burden on the Avian Rescues. There are literally thousands and thousands of birds in Rescues just waiting for someone to adopt them. To think that these are all bad birds is just ridiculous. They are just birds being birds and waiting for someone to look at them and see them for the beautiful creatures that God created and accept them as they are.

Let one choose you and you will forever be thankful you did. I have 11 all adopted and they are the most loving babies ever!