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The past couple of weeks, we've been taking a look at the different kinds of pets that are available for adoption. This includes dogs and cats, as well as rabbits, and all of them come from shelters that take in animals that have been abused or come from homes where the people can no longer care for them. But small and furry animals aren't the only pets that wind up in shelters.
Corky is an African Grey Parrot living at A Refuge for Saving the Wildlife, a parrot no-kill shelter in Northbrook. Corky's owner fell ill and could no longer care for the bird. Corky is described as shy about stepping out his cage, but once he's out, he enjoys sitting on towel-wrapped arms. [Ed note: Who doesn't?] He has some problems with feather growth on one wing and needs some extra attention to stay healthy. As a result, he can't fly.
If you'd like to give Corky a good home (he prefers women), or if you want to check out other exotic birds that are looking for a family, check out the Refuge's adoption process, and then get in touch to find a bird that's right for you.
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so many good shelters in chicago and surrounding areas, so little time. check out some cuties available in evanston:
http://www.care-evanston.org/pets.htm
definitely do your research on these guys. not to say you shouldn't research any pet you would adopt, but these guys live to be something like 70, 80 years old!! a lot of people have to find people to will them to, because they outlive their owners. crazy.
Another good rescue organization to check out if you're in the market for a dog is New Leash On Life, where I volunteered on weekends a couple of years ago...
While fostering a female pit bull (Rosie) for several months while she was recovering from knee surgery, I was devastated upon learning that she had been adopted (I didn't move sooner on adopting her myself because I incorrectly assumed nobody would want a 'broken' dog). I was soon suckered into fostering another pit bull (Scotty), and was sure not to make the same mistake twice--I adopted him three months later and have never looked back...
Former parrot owner here...actually, it's not really common for parrots to live til they're 80 years old. Probably between 30 and 50 is more like it.
But the biggest reason to do your research before acquiring one of these guys is that they are more work than you will EVER know.
They are unbelievably messy. You seriously don't know what 'mess' is until you own a parrot.
They're also like owning a perpetual 2 year old.It's not like getting a puppy that will eventually grow out of its puppy stage.
Parrots never grow out of their 'puppy stage'...they are constant in their needs and desires for attention, toys and things to do.
If you take a look at the birds offered at this rescue, they are mostly cockatoos.
Cockatoos are amazing birds. But they are loud and noisy and extremely prone to plucking because of boredom. They need constant attention and they need something to keep them busy every waking minute.
Those beaks are strong and destructive. They love to chew and destroy. Wood parrot toys are very expensive, and they go through them like crazy.
I was actually very surprised to see that most of the cockatoos at that rescue did not look like pluckers. You rarely see a cockatoo that hasn't plucked.
Cockatoos are also very dusty..so if you are the least bit allergy prone, beware of the dust that will cover every square inch of your home and the inside of your nose and lungs.
African Grey's are also very prone to plucking. They're sensitive, intelligent birds who are very needy.
There are SO many parrot rescues around. People get these birds because they're so beautiful and they're so cool..but after they realize how much work they really are, they end up
in a rescue, or sitting in a cage that is too small and plucking themselves to death out of boredom.
When my situation changed and I couldn't keep my birds anymore, I was fortunate enough to find someone who took them in and gave them a wonderful home. Too many birds are not that lucky...they end up in rescues and then going from home to home to home. It's not unusual for many parrots to have lived in more than a half a dozen homes in their lives...which is so sad because it takes a long time for a parrot
to get accustomed to a new owner in most cases.
I'm glad to see that most PetCos and PetSmarts have stopped selling large breed parrots because that has stopped a lot of the impulse buying...I wish that more stores would stop as well.
The same goes for pet stores that sell puppies which are always purchased from puppy mills and we all know what THAT situation is.
Anyway, my point is to do a lot of research before bringing a large breed parrot into your home and make sure you are ready for the commitment...just imagine taking care of a 2 year old for the next 30 or 40 years...a relentless 2 year old.
Or imagine having a puppy that never got housebroken....for 30 or 40 years.
It's not just the inside of a parrot cage that gets dirty...it's the 3 to 4 foot radius surrounding the cage that gets pummeled with crap, seed hulls, feathers, dust, water, fruit, vegetables...this is the kind of stuff you never read in your friendly parrot manual.
Parrots are awesome, beautiful, fun and intelligent. But there are not a lot of people who are up for the work and commitment that go along with owning one.
Wow, thanks Ingrid.
I have always cosidered getting a Parrot, but never considered accompaning work/obligations along with it.
Maybe when I'm older
Spook, if you like parrots and don't feel like taking on the work of a large parrot, check into a "parrotlet"...they are teeny...they weigh like a few grams but they have ALL of the spunk and personality of
a macaw.
They are real characters and lots of fun.
I had one once, but it died. Had a necropsy done on it but there was no cause of death to be found!