Of Birds and Bonding

Meet Vana and her boyfriend. Two birds that have bonded in our shelter setting. They are considered sanctuary birds. (Vanna's health isn't what it used to be, and we feel that she should remain with us so that her medical needs can always be addressed)

Seeing two birds really and truly happy with each other is one of the most heartwarming things we get to witness. What happened between them is one of my favorite tales.

Their Story:

When Vana was surrendered she was supposedly a young, plucked bird that was a breeder. A quick medical exam and behavioral evaluation later and it was apparent that Vana was actually an older bird and had been a breeder for quite some time. She had cataracts, her feather follicles were permanently damaged and she was extremely skittish with people.

Vana was always gentle with the shelter staff and never bit, but she was easily stressed and obviously scared. Despite months of working with her, Vana never really warmed up to people. I was always sad to see this sweet old girl looking uncomfortable. She seemed lonely, but didn't want people as companions. The other macaws generally ignored her. One of the other female macaws would let Vana stay on her cage top and generally tolerated her presence. Adopters were not interested in this "ugly old bird" - no one seemed to notice how beautiful she was on the inside.

Vana getting ready for her bath

One day, a young, gorgeous, fully feathered hybrid macaw was surrendered. He was out going and people oriented. DJ is the kind of bird that most adopters stop and stare at. He's fun, he likes to dance, he plays (sometimes a little too rough for those of us who don't have feathers!) and he is breathtakingly beautiful. After quarantine the "new guy" was placed in the large macaw room.

DJ after a bath!

Instead of checking out the beautiful fully feathered, young "ladies" in the room though, DJ zeroed in on Vana. He immediately started defending her, staying on top of her cage and trying to hang out. Vana either ignored him or went inside her cage to get away. DJ was very stubborn. He kept trying to make friends - he never chased her, but made sure he was always near by so if someone tried to pick Vana up or do anything that distressed her he could protect her. He was a constant shadow.

A few months later Vana finally gave in and the rest is history. Vana finally has a friend who she is not afraid of and DJ can be with the lady he is smitten with.

These two somehow found each other and are both much happier with each other than they are with people. Like most good stories, this one has a moral. Sometimes it's what's on the inside that really matters. And unlike some good stories this one is completely true.

Son of Sam

Meet Sam our hybrid amazon. Our vet thinks Sam is a cross between a yellow nape and a yellow headed amazon. We aren't sure exactly what species Sam is, but we can tell you one thing. He came by his nickname "Son of Sam" honestly.

Sam was surrendered with a history of self-mutilation and severe aggression. He stays in a collar since he harms himself. Our vet can find no cause, but after many years (no one knows how long he had been mutilating when he arrived) it is unlikely to stop. The severe aggression is what earned him the nick name. At first, Sam would fling himself at any human in eye sight and attempt to bite their face and head. Volunteers tried to work with him, but he was extremely dangerous since he would always jump or fly at people's eyes and lips.

Sam also liked to sit and look outside. He couldn't be transported outside without risking serious injury unless a towel was used and toweling was traumatic.

Eventually one of our volunteers started to work on teaching Sam to be "perch trained" using positive reinforcement. Instead of offering an arm (which is attached to a face) the volunteers could use a stick. A side benefit was that a towel could be slung over a shoulder so that if Sam did attack the volunteer could easily protect their face and restrain Sam without dropping or hurting him.

Once he was carried outside, Sam was a different bird. He didn't display or attack humans. In fact he was happy to sit in the sun on the grass and stare at the sky or the ground or whatever happened to be nearby. In this environment, Sam actually started letting people touch him. He also learned to accept toweling and will sometimes sit in the towel and make cooing sounds.



















Sam still isn't really trustworthy around faces, but he does enjoy being kissed when he's in his towel and everyone can be safe.

Sam says: Everyone Deserves Love!

Spotlight on Brent

Today we're doing a "spotlight" post. These are posts where we highlight people who are important and valuable to PARS.

Without these people, it would not be possible for PARS to do all that it does.

Brent is one of our most dedicated and longest term volunteers. Brent's wife works with Dave Spurlin. She learned about the parrot rescue that existed and Brent and Renee decided to adopt.

When they first visited, they were set on getting a Congo African Grey. Congo Greys are generally considered to be the "most intelligent" of parrots. Some of them have extensive vocabularies and they also have a reputation for taking their time when deciding to trust someone. They were interested in a challenge. That all changed when they met a Timneh African Grey at the rescue. Timnehs are smaller and darker colored than Congos and have a horn coloration on their top beak. They are generally considered more easy going. This particular parrot took one look at Brent, hopped on him and wouldn't get off.

It was love at first sight for Thumper and after several more visits she went to her new home. Many volunteers stop volunteering after adopting. Not so for Brent. He continues to come to the rescue on average of two times per week. He changes papers, food and water dishes and is one of our best socializers. He enjoys gaining parrots trust and has worked with countless birds in house to get them used to being handled.

Brent also goes above and beyond the regular volunteer work. In addition to the "standard" volunteer things, Brent has been instrumental in building our second aviary, installing doors, flooring, mounting air filters, cutting lumber for toys and perches and various other tasks that require skill, hard work and precision.

Brent has also attended outreach activities. He has fielded questions from the general public, assisted with set up and tear down of displays and watched to ensure that parrots are not stressed and remain hydrated.

In addition to all of that, Brent and his wife are two of our finest adopters. They have adopted a Hans Macaw, a Scarlett Macaw, several cockatiels and of course Thumper the Timneh African Grey.

Thank You Brent! PARS would not be the organization that it is today without you!

You, Me, The Law and Your Parrot

A couple of weeks ago we got a call from Tennessee again. Another quaker parrot had been surrendered to an agency and the agency discovered that quakers are illegal to own.

When this happens, the bird is generally given 24 hours to be removed from the state to a place where it is legal to have. If the bird is not removed, it is euthanized - period, end of discussion. No recourse - DEAD. We do hope that the birds that we aren't contacted about are humanely euthanized, however it is still legal in many areas to "euthanize" using an unmixed gas chamber containing CO2 or CO. (This is like drowning in a gas instead of a liquid.) When your vet anesthatizes a bird, they use a mixed gas so that the bird slowly loses conciousness, it doesn't pass out due to asphyxiation.

Given the results of not following through, one of our volunteers took the call and spent their entire day Sunday picking up the bird. (Thanks Dave!) These laws are in place for a variety of reasons and agree with them or not, we are subject to them. While we are extremely grateful to the organizations who contact us and give us the opportunity to prevent an unnecessary euthanasia, we are always disappointed to find out that yet another parrot has been put in a position where it might die.

A lot of people don't realize that certain "common" parrot species are illegal in certain states. Quakers are the most highly regulated but there are other species that are also illegal to own/breed/sell/transport or possess in certain states. Nanday Conures for example are also illegal in our neighboring state of Tennessee.

A complete list isn't possible because laws change and we don't want our blog to be considered a legal resource. Please don't depend on potentially out of date web information when the health and safety of your pets are on the line. Some states don't post information on restricted species in a place that is easy to find or search.

If you are going to be travelling with your parrot, you are looking at moving to another state, or considering adopting or purchasing a bird PLEASE do your homework. The easiest way to check on the status of your companion bird(s) is to contact the state veterinarian of all the states you will be going through. Sometimes you'll need an interstate veterinary health certificate. (Any licensed vet can provide this to you, but it has to be done no more than 10 days before you travel.)

As with all other things, ignorance of the law is no excuse for breaking it. In the case of these laws, the pets are the ones who pay the penalty and the price is one you can't get back.

Polly the Quaker says "Check the laws before you travel, adopt, buy or move with me!"

Volunteer Days

Yesterday was Saturday. Saturday is the weekly peak volunteer day at the Huntsville PARS facility. Here is a typical Saturday at the rescue.

Volunteers begin showing up as early as 9:30. First on the agenda is cleaning duties. Grates are pulled and washed. It was raining, but a little rain never stops our group! Here you can see Dave pressure washing in the rain. (Thanks Dave!)

Papers are changed and trays are cleaned. This sounds pretty mundane, but some of the birds really like to help during this process. Unfortunately the parrots were feeling camera shy and so all we managed to get were shots of Danny and Brent. It's nice to have such photogenic volunteers!

Floors are swept and mopped. The birds all enjoy supervising from their cage tops and add in vocal corrections. If the floor isn't done properly they will make physical corrections... you need a poop right THERE! Now, that's perfect.




















Food and water is changed out. Many of our fine feathered friends like to make what we affectionately call "chicken soup". It's similar to bobbing for apples, only they use pellets. Any pellets that they don't successfully retrieve dissolve and make the water all sorts of fun colors! They say chicken soup is good for you. Unfortunately it's also a breeding ground for bacteria - so the soup is dumped and the the bowls are sanitized.


During all of this, birds are watched for any signs of illness. Anyone who has sharp toenails receives a pedicure and once all the physical/medical/cleaning chores are done we get to the fun part. Everyone gets to relax with a bird or birds of their choice. This is socialization and it's enjoyable for parrots and people alike.

Joe takes a second from making eyes at Brent to check out the camera.

Herby doing what he does best. Showing off!

Brent pointing out the camera to Ruby. Note: Ruby is already hamming for the camera.

We hope you enjoyed this look at Saturday at the rescue and we hope you decide to join in on the fun!

Greetings

Hello, welcome to the official blog for Parrots-R-4ever Avian Rescue and Sanctuary! If you'd like technical information about us, please refer to our website. It contains most of the "business" related information you might want to see as well as a list of adoptable birds. Right now our blog is not set up to handle an "adoptables" list. We hope to change that in future.

This blog is intended to give you an inside look at life in our rescue. Some of the posts will feature individual birds and their stories, others will take a look at volunteers and people who are special to our organization. You'll also find posts about upcoming events and efforts. The first posts are just intended to give you a feel for the goings and doings in our organization.

This is our first blog and we are excited to have an opportunity to share our work on a little more personal level. This site is maintained and updated by our volunteers. (Parrots-R-4ever Avian Rescue and Sanctuary or PARS for short does not have a paid staff.) You can expect updates at least weekly. We hope you enjoy sharing this journey with us.