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New bird room
january 11 2011
The new storage building is here and have it all set up.
Now we need to get things out of the
garage and into the building.
We have some of the materials we need for the bird room--the
2x4's. We need insulation, plywood, flooring, a bird safe heat
source and a few other things. Then we can start
using the room for some of the birds and hopefully
have everything else finished by the summer.
It's going to be so wonderful for the birds. It will allow
them more out of the cage time, fresh air and sunshine.
We have several hanging play gyms for them as well as some
large boings to hang.
THOUGHTS
December 28, 2010
This year is coming to an end. It's been a long year, some good,
some not so good. We've adopted out some wonderful
birds to some great families.
I lost my little Timneh, BoBo this year and it's hard to get over.
We've made progress toward converting our garage into a bird
room. A wonderful couple has donated an outdoor storage
building and we're working on getting it here. At that point
we can start moving cages and stuff out of the garage and, with
the help of Prilosec OTC, who has sponsored us, start getting
the materials to get the garage converted. That will be such
a great thing. The birds can get fresh air and sunshine and it
will allow us to help more birds.
I want to thank everyone that has supported us through 2010.
We couldn't do what we do without you. We certainly hope we
can count on your continued support in 2011. It's all about
making a better life for these wonderful, intelligent, magnificent
beings we call parrots. Even one saved from a negligent or
abusive situation is worth everything we do. To see a parrot
finally trust and bond to someone makes it all worthwhile.
On an ending note for 2010, have a wonderful New Year and
thank you again for all your support and well wishes.
over the rainbow bridge
September 8, 2010
At 3:00 p.m. today I got a call from a lady that said a "large grey and red parrot" had just flown into the horse stables and was just sitting by the door. She had called other people that were closer for help, but no one was interested. DNR actually told her that if the bird was still there in 2 or 3 days to call back and they would come. I immediately left work and with Jon traveled the 1 1/2 to get this bird. We arrived and there sat a beautiful, perfectly feathered, unclipped Congo African Grey. We didn't see any signs of injury so I went to pick him up. He didn't even try to get away or bite me. I have never felt a skinnier bird since starting rescue. He was very lethargic and just stayed perfectly still as I wrapped the towel partially around him and held him close. I immediately called our wonderful vets, Sycamore Vets, and told them the situation. Even though it was after 5:00 and we were at least an hour from them, they agreed to wait on us.
The whole trip I held the beautiful bird against me, telling him to keep fighting, that he was loved and missed and that we were trying.
About 10 minutes from the vet, the beautiful bird looked up at me, fluttered his wings and took his last breath. My heart broke as I just held him. He tried so hard to hang on and I couldn't stop the flood of tears for this precious life gone.
We arrived at the vet's and they said they doubted he'd been outside any more than a week. Other than being grossly underweight, she said he was perfect. Beautiful feathers, no picking or plucking and looked like he'd never been clipped.
I cried most of the way home thinking if we'd gotten him a day earlier, if someone had just gone to help a few hours earlier this incredible bird might have lived.
I found a posting on Parrot 911 that linked to a post on Craigslist. Someone's African Grey had escaped from their Aviary in the same area we had found this bird. I made the phone call I desperately did not want to make. I talked to the lady and we are 99% certain this was her bird. He had only been gone since September 1st. We both cried and I told her that her precious baby didn't go to the Rainbow Bridge alone. That I held him, stroked him and told him he was very loved. I could barely find the words to talk to her. I told her that if I was in the same situation that I would want to know and not have to keep hoping and looking. She was very grateful that her baby was held and loved when he passed.
I do NOT like this part of rescue. My heart still hurts for this precious being. He was so close to home and she looked daily and called for Bongo.
Fly free over the Rainbow Bridge precious Bongo. Know the wind and sun and freedom you didn't have here. Find my little Casey and Stella and fly with them. Know you will be loved and missed everyday. Missed by one that barely knew you but whose heart you touched with your strength and beauty.
TIPS
June 24, 2010
We've had some wonderful adoptions lately. Our sweet Sophie found a couple that she just fell in love with. They spent hours here with her and it was like a match made in heaven. We definitely miss Sophie but are so happy that she found her forever home and her special people. She is doing great and I'm sure loving being the only bird and all the attention.
Joey also found a home with a wonderful family that were previous adopters. They are continuing to work on his screaming and separation issues but we know they will do fine. They have the love and patience to turn Joey's life around and we're so grateful he found such a great home.
When we have a bird that finds their special person, everything clicks and you can tell it's just right, that's what makes everything worthwhile. To know they won't be bounced from home to home anymore and will learn trust and love. Though it's hard to let a bird go that we have grown so attached to, when you know it's right it helps to let go. We miss the birds we have adopted out but stay in touch with their new families and love the updates about how great everything is going. That's what we're all about after all. You can't keep every bird that comes in and you just do your best to assure they will have the best life possible. The ones that aren't adoptable for whatever reason stay here with us and are loved and cherished. I've also come to realize you can't save them all--unfortunately. I see parrots on craigslist being traded or sold and it breaks my heart. I wish I could take them all and find them their special person that will love and cherish them as they deserve. I see pictures of birds in cages way too small, no toys, no perches and a bowl filled with seeds and my heart hurts. We have offered toys, cages, perches and food to people but some don't seem to understand the needs of the parrot. It's heart breaking. But, we can only do what we can do with what we have and I'm so grateful to all the wonderful and loving adoptive homes we've found for our birds. These people will surely be blessed for the love and care they offer to a parrot that truly needs it!
TIPS
April 18, 2010
Just yesterday we took in an Umbrella Cockatoo that made me remember why we do this. He is beautiful, fully feathered, talks a bit, very snuggly and friendly---and a complete screamer. Someone took this beautiful, wonderous, intelligent creature and turned him into a screamer. Parrots don't just scream. They don't do it in the wild and well socialized, well trained parrots don't scream.
BUT if you get a baby and you spend hours and hours holding and cuddling it because it's so new and so cute, you are doing a terrible injustice to this parrot. Whatever hours you spend holding this bird as a baby you better be prepared to do for the rest of his/her life. They don't understand you're too busy, or life changed or your tired. They understand you held onto them for 4 hours at a time and now they sit in their cage and you hold them 30 minutes. They understand that they want to be with you.
This Cockatoo has been through 7 homes in his very short life. Why? Because someone turned him into a screamer and then couldn't stand the noise. The next home got tired of the noise and so on and so on until he ends up in a rescue. People don't seem to understand that when you buy or adopt one of these magnificent creatures that it's a lifetime commitment. Would you re-home your child because of behavior issues? If your baby cried too much would you send them away? Most of the time, like children, these parrots become what we make them.
The absolute best thing you can do for your parrot, any parrot, is to teach them to play independently. Teach them they can play on their cage or a play stand and be happy. Teach them they don't have to be glued to you 24/7 to be happy. Yes, hold them, cuddle them, love them but not for longer than you can do for the next 50 years. They need lots of out of the cage time but not necessarily on you. They can play happily near you, on a stand or their cage. They can talk to you and be close without making them a neurotic mess. If people just put the time and effort into raising their baby parrots that they put into other things there would be far fewer re-homed parrots and the need for far less rescues. Just my 2 cents I guess.
So, we start the process of trying to reprogram this bird into not screaming for attention. We try to teach him that he will get attention and love but not by screaming for it. It's hard. It doesn't always work. This great and beautiful parrot doesn't know that he can be loved because he's just himself without having to beg for it. We'll try to teach him that and then find him a home where that kind of attention will be given.
Please, do your homework BEFORE you bring a parrot into your life. Give them the love and training they deserve. They didn't ask to be in captivity nor did they ask to be in your life. That's a commitment you make to them. Try to honor that.
TIPS
April 2, 2010
When you purchase a cage for your new parrot, large or small, they seem to come with perches that are nothing more than wooden dowels. These are just not the best for your bird's feet. We don't use wooden dowels even for the small birds like parrotlets or cockatiels. We make perches from natural wood like crepe mrytle. We clean off any remaining leaves, wash with soap and water, then with bleach and water and finally with peroxide and water and let them dry in the sun.
These make great perches as the sizes vary and they aren't just straight.
Your bird's feet need a variety of perches and textures to remain healthy. We put in crepe mrytle branches, manzanita branches, a concrete perch for nails and beaks and usually a rope perch just for something different. We also use bamboo, Cholla Cactus and Cajeput to make perches. Besides being great perches they are wonderful for your bird to chew on. Just make sure to replace them before they chew them in half!
Having all the perches the same size and texture can cause pressure sores on your bird's feet and I'm sure is very uncomfortable for them. Remember your bird is on their feet 24/7 and they need a variety to be comfortable.
TIPS March 2, 2010
Lately we have received some disturbing telephone calls from people wanting to adopt. The stories were of lost birds, birds killed. One left the food door unlocked while getting food, the bird climbed out the food door and was killed by her dog. Just yesterday we received a call from someone wanting a replacement for a bird they had left on a screened in porch, in the freezing weather that had died.
I have been thinking about how people care for their parrots. Or any animal for that matter. I would think that if it was too cold for you to spend the night outside it would be too cold for an animal. If you have dogs in the house, you cannot leave your bird unsupervised or in a position to be attacked or killed by the dog. Even a very friendly dog is curious and it only takes a moment for an accident to happen. We have dogs, 2 of them, in the house. Our birds are never left unsupervised. Even though we know our dogs would never hurt the birds there's always a chance, no matter how slim, of something happening.
I realize that accidents can and do happen--to everyone--but simple precautions can prevent a lot of them. Don't leave birds unsupervised--ever. Don't leave birds that are used to being indoors outside in the cold or the heat. Being out enjoying a nice sunny day is one thing, but to leave them outside overnight in just a cage, with no protection from the weather is something else. Would you leave your 2 year old outside overnight in 20 degree weather?
I've had phone calls from people who have lost birds when they were out and the door was opened. It only takes a second for your bird to dart out the door and be gone. Just the blink of an eye. They can be gone--forever. They are outside facing not only the weather but preditors like hawks, eagles, foxes, people.
We have a responsibility to our companion animals not only to feed them and care for them but to keep them safe and protected. This is something we take on when we buy or adopt one. It's not enough to give them good food, fresh water, lots of toys and keep their cages clean. It is our responsibility to keep them safe from harm. To keep them secure and out of situations that can end their lives or injure them. The same as we do for our children. It is a choice we make to bring them into our lives and into our family and it is our responsibility. One we shouldn't take lightly.
TIPS November 4, 2009
The holidays are almost here. Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. There will be a lot going on with people coming and going.
Don't forget that it only takes a few seconds for your parrot to be out the door and gone before you even know what's happening. Be sure and tell people coming to your home that you have parrots and make sure to knock and wait before coming in. If you are expecting people over it may be easier and safer to put your parrot in his cage for awhile rather than risk them being startled and flying toward an open door.
I believe it's always better to be safe than sorry. What a sad and terrible holiday season it would be with your feathered companion loose somewhere out in the cold and dark and you not knowing where they are.
Enjoy the upcoming holiday season but always look out for your parrots first and foremost. Their well-being and safety is up to you.
Also remember Poinsetta plants are poisonous. If you have them keep your birds away.
Dee's Haven Parrot Rescue wishes you and your birds a wonderful and magical holiday season.
TIPS
July 14, 2009
Well, you've found a parrot you want to adopt. You've filled out the paperwork, gone to spend time visiting the parrot and now you have him/her home. What now?
Here are a few tips to hopefully make things go smoothly. Hopefully your parrot came with his/her own cage and toys. If so, put them in their cage and leave them alone! That's right, leave them alone. Give them a few days to get used to new surroundings, new sounds, new sights, new smells and new people. Just like it would be for you, a new home can be overwhelming for any parrot. They've been taken from a home with people they knew, gone to a rescue and gotten comfortable and now have been taken to another new home.
Parrots aren't like dogs and cats. They aren't going to jump into your arms or onto your lap and lavish you with kisses. Parrots have to learn to trust you. You have to earn that trust. An adopted parrot may have been abused or neglected. We don't always know their whole history. We ask for history, we tell people it makes the transition much easier, but we don't always get it.
The first step I take is to leave the parrot alone for a couple of days. Talk to them when I walk by or feed them. Then I pull a chair in front of the cage and just sit and talk to them--quietly, calmly. I may talk to them about their new home, the people in our house or simply just talk. I sometimes sing to them. Then I start offering them special treats through the bars. I let them have the time to get used to me and their new surroundings.
Then I open the cage door. I don't try to force the issue of stepping up at this point. I just kind of let them come out in their own time. Still talking to them and offering treats. Maybe he/she will let me stroke their head or their back. Maybe they will step up and want to be held. Maybe not. Time and patience are things that everyone has. It doesn't cost anything.
Also, in the beginning, I don't just thrust my hand into their cage. No wonder people talk about being bitten. How would you like for a complete stranger to force their way into your home and start going all around it and grabbing your stuff? Parrots are no different. The cage is their home. The toys are their stuff.
So, when you get your new family member home, remember to take things slow and easy. You'll have many years ahead of being able to hold and enjoy your new companion. Don't rush them. Give them time to grieve for their former home and "flock" and become accustomed to their new home and "flock".
TIPS
January 25, 2009
Tips on Re-homing Your Bird
We all know that things happen that require us to do things we don’t want to do. Re-homing a parrot is one of those. Sometimes circumstances change, allergies develop, time and life change. It is a very selfless act to realize that perhaps your parrot will be better off in another home. It’s not an easy decision to make and then you have to find that home.
If you put an ad on the internet or in the newspaper you have to be so very careful. There are people that will promise a “forever” home to your parrot, but you can’t be sure. There are people looking for free parrots to use as breeders, to turn around and sell to make money and then there are hoarders, which just keep increasing the number of parrots they have until they become overwhelmed and can no longer correctly care for any of them. Their intentions may be good and they may just want to help, but it’s never a good situation for the person or parrot.
Whether you decide to re-home your parrot with an individual or with a rescue/sanctuary, there are steps you can take to insure people are who or what they say they are.
First, you should always insist on visiting the home where your parrot will be living. If there are other parrots, you want to make sure to see them and spend some time in the home. Now, no cage is ever perfectly clean—parrots are messy. But, you want to make sure the cages are clean. Check out the food and water dishes and make sure there is appropriate food and clean water. Make sure each parrot has toys and that they are appropriate for parrots.
Next, ask questions. What aviary vet do they use? How do they quarantine a new bird? How long have they had birds and which species? How much time is spent with each parrot? How much time are the parrots alone? Out of their cages?
You need to be comfortable with the home you are placing your parrot in. Ask what they feed their parrots or if they don’t have other birds, ask what they will feed yours. If you aren’t planning on sending the cage with your parrot, ask to see the cage yours will be living in.
Spend some time with their birds if they have others. Do they seem healthy and happy? How is the interaction between the person and their other birds. Do the birds seem comfortable or afraid of them?
If you want updates on your parrot, ask for them. Most people will be more than happy to shoot you an occasional e-mail telling you how things are going.
If you chose to place your parrot with a rescue/sanctuary, ask if they are licensed by the Department of Agriculture. In Georgia, every rescue MUST be licensed and MUST display that license in a prominent location. Now that doesn’t mean there are no problems but it does mean the Department of Agriculture has done an inspection and that they will do future inspections.
Above all, if you aren't comfortable with the place and/or the person, don't leave your bird. You want someone that will take as wonderful care of your parrot as you have. You want your parrot to be loved and cherished as you have done.
TIPS
December 1, 2008
Good nutrition for parrots is vital. Poor diet can cause serious illness that can lead to death. A parrot with a seed only diet can get fatty liver disease or arterial sclerosis. First, provide pellets at all times in their cage. There are many different brands including Harrisons, Roudybush and Zupreem. There are the natural pellets and the fruity pellets.
They must have fresh filtered water, we use bottled spring water. Wash the bowl daily as bacteria can form. Bacteria in water is one of the big reasons parakeets die. Also some parrots like to dunk their food in their water so change the water frequently. You wouldn't want to drink water that has been sitting around all day and has food pieces in it so don't expect your parrot to!
Fresh vegetables and fruits are a necessity. Try different ways to offer them. Some birds like them chopped up, while other like larger pieces. Make sure you wash everything WELL. We even will leave greens wet and hang them for birds to play as they eat. If your parrot doesn't like something,
keep trying. Show them how good it is by eating a bite and then offering them a bite.
Partial List of Vegetables: Carrots, string beans, corn, squash, broccoli, peas, snow peas,
sweet potato, cauliflower, leafy greens.
Partial List of Fruit: Apples, pears, grapes, mango, papaya, oranges. Try to buy organic.
Grains: Cooked brown rice, sprouts you can grow at home.
Parrots can eat what you have as long as it is healthy. Fast foods aren't good. Neither is salt or sugar. They can eat eggs, pasta, chicken, steak, rice, whole wheat bread etc.
Parrots also need nuts: walnuts, almonds, pistachio unsalted, in the shell is great.
FOODS NOT TO FEED YOUR PARROT
Avocado, Rhubarb, Caffeine, Onions, Garlic, Chocolate and Alcohol.
Avocado and chocolate are deadly to parrots as well as fruit pits like apple seeds.
Dairy should only be in very small quantities as parrots are lactose intolerant.
TIPS November 14, 2008
I've been working on recall training with our Blue & Gold Macaw, Eli. It's much easier than I thought it would be. He's gotten to the point that is he's on top of his cage, or the door, or the door frame, I can hold my arm out and call him and he will fly to me.
We started slowly. When he was on his cage, I would call him and hold my arm out. About 1 in 10 times he would fly to me and I would praise him like crazy. The more we work the more times he will fly to me. Now, it's almost every time.
He's a baby so sometimes he overshoots me and circles the room and back to the cage but on the next pass, he lands on my arm. If your bird is older, you can use his favorite treat. Just call and hold out your arm. When he fly's over to you give him the treat and make a big fuss out of how great he did. Just keep working and soon you'll have your parrot recall trained.
Please understand, I have done this in the house, NOT outside. I would never take any of my birds, even the ones that can't fly due to feather issues, outside without a carrier or a harness. It only takes 1 time, 1 gust of wind, and your bird is gone. All too often the wind catches them and they don't know how to get back down. Use every precaution when you take your bird outdoors. Never take a flighted bird out and assume that he will stay with you or come to you. It takes a long time to train a bird to come each and every time and they have to know how to fly well enough to be able to navigate the wind gusts.
TIPS
October 23, 2008
How to get your parrot to eat fresh vegetables
My Umbrella Cockatoo wouldn’t touch a vegetable most of the time if it were covered in gold. I’ve tried all the standards—carrots, peas, snow peas, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potato and every other vegetable I could think of. I’ve tried raw, steamed, boiled, cooked, mashed, peeled, unpeeled and every way I could think of.
You would think from the look I get from her that I was trying desperately to poison her. I put the vegetables in her fresh food dish every morning and she looks in the dish, then up at me, then back in the dish, and finally back up at me and the look in her eyes is saying “Hey, what are you trying to do to me? You think I’m eating that? Well lady, think again.”
I have read articles, books, tips on the internet and asked countless people how do I get her to eat them. None of the answers worked for her.
So, I found a great recipe for birdy bread. I discovered that I can put the fresh vegetables through the food processor with the eggs and peanut butter so that they become almost nonexistent. I usually add broccoli, squash, beans of some kind, carrots and then the recipe calls for 2 jars of vegetable baby food, I use the mixed green vegetables.
Now she loves the birdy bread. I just heat it a little in the microwave and she thinks it’s the best thing since sunflower seeds. She will eat it morning and night. She looks at me when I give it to her like I’m a goddess or something.
So, my little picky Cockatoo is now eating her vegetables even if she has no idea she is. I still offer her fresh vegetables daily but, with the birdy bread, at least I know she’s getting vegetables every day. It makes us both happy and my vet said the benefits of the vegetables and other ingredients tend to outweigh the not so great cornbread base.
October 27, 2008
How to get your parrot into a new cage
It’s true, most parrots don’t like change. Not a new cage, the location of the cage or new toys. Not at first anyway. I rescued an African Grey that was in a cage that was much too small but he seemed to like it. I bought a larger cage and just moved him in, toys, food dishes and all. He absolutely hated it. For 2 days he seemed to just sit on 1 perch and not move. I’m not sure he was eating or drinking except when I held the dishes right in front of him so he didn’t have to try to climb down to get them.
He just looked at me with the most sad and pitiful look you can imagine. Well, that was in between the looks of pure hatred that I could dare to put him in this huge jail. The door was of course open all day so he had the option to come out and play on top but oh no, that would have been admitting defeat for him.
After 2 days I moved him back to the smaller cage and started researching. Why would he not want the larger cage? To me it would have been like moving out of a 1 room apartment into a 3 bedroom house. I couldn’t imagine that he wouldn’t want all that room to play in.
That’s when I discovered you can’t just push new things, especially with African Greys. So I put the large cage right next to the small cage he was in. I kept both doors open and hung a ton of toys in the new cage. For the next week and a half he would look over at that new cage and then at me like it was a hated enemy. He just sat and stared at it like a condemed man might stare at a prison cell. He wasn't going near that place. No how, no way.
Slowly he started to venture over to the new cage. Just onto the door at first. Only for a couple of minutes and then back to the safety of his cage. After a few days of this I found him on top of the new cage. Just sitting there and looking longingly at the small cage. He didn’t go inside or touch a toy. Just sat there. But, the time he sat on the new cage increased over the next week or so. Eventually, he chose the larger cage and is now very happy in it.
Sometimes we don't realize that new things can be overwhelming to a parrot. Going from a smaller cage to a larger one or from a cage he/she has been in to a new one is like you going into a new home. It takes time to get used to it.
Believe it or not, there are parrots who prefer a smaller cage. I'm not sure if it's a feeling of security or what exactly. You should always provide the largest cage you can afford, BUT, if your parrot is out of the cage the majority of the time, and seems to prefer a smaller cage, then you shouldn't have a problem.