Our veterinary clinic offers boarding while people are out of town, but every once in a while, we have a case of a bird that never goes home. It is understandable that if the owner dies, the family may sign the bird over to us. In this case, the parrot was here for over 2 years while the owner repeatedly promised to send payments or to pick up the bird, but after months without money or communication, we finally had to declare the bird abandoned. Missouri law dictates how we had to do this, and we followed all of the rules. The owner threatened legal action, but they have absolutely no chance of having a ruling in their favor. We are not publishing a photo or description of the bird in question, and never publicly announced it for adoption. We placed the parrot with a long-time client who had seen it and expressed an interest in adoption.
Not all birds come to us because of a tragedy or for a valid reason, sometimes people think they can get away with threats to make us hand over a bird without them paying. In one case a few years ago, a person actually came into our office and attempted to forcibly take their bird.
If you have to move out of your home or apartment, sometimes you may choose to leave behind some items that you don't want. Your pet should not be one of those things that is left behind! This Green Cheek Conure that we named Billie was found in a home in Kansas City after the owners left her along with some other birds. Fortunately, they were found right away by the person who managed the property, who found us following a brief internet search.
A few phone calls to local animal control agencies or shelters would yield a number of resources available for pet owners in need of emergency placement options. Even if the organization doesn't take birds, they network with other rescues like ours to help find a place for every animal. There is no excuse to abandon an animal to potentially starve, or turn them loose to die in a number of possible ways, when there are so many options for placing them somewhere safe.
"Fifth Time's The Charm?"
We have had a few birds that we have followed through multiple homes over the course of many years. Jose, the Blue and Gold Macaw, was seen with one of our clients from 2000, when he was 3 years old, until she had to surrender him to us in 2017. He was adopted in May 2017, and returned within a month because he didn't get along with his new family. He was adopted again in February 2018, but returned in August 2019 because he was too loud (Have you met a macaw? It's what they do!).
He was adopted again in October 2019, and sadly came back to us yet again when his owner passed away in August 2024. This macaw is now in his fifth home in 7 years, and we hope that this time he will be there for the long haul.
"Imperfect Is Perfect Part 1"
This Double Yellow Head Amazon is over 40 years old, and came to our veterinary practice several years ago for an abnormal nostril with a growth protruding from it. A biopsy of the mass showed that the tissue was reacting to a chronic infection. We tried treating with antibiotics in the water, but the owner was unable to catch and restrain him to administer drops into the nostrils or medication by mouth.
We saw him again this year when he was surrendered to our rescue. By this point, the infection had caused what is likely to be permanent damage to the beak. He was developing cataracts, and had mucus discharge from his nostrils. His new family adopted him knowing that he had some special needs, but they are dedicated to helping him live his best life. Medical expenses for a problem that existed when a bird was adopted from us are always covered by our organization, so people who choose to take in an imperfect bird can be confident that those issues will not cost them any money. A bird like this may be your perfect companion.
"Who's Your Daddy?"
We get in a lot of birds every year that were found outside. It is often puzzling to us that nobody seems to be looking for some of them. This Green Cheek Conure was brought to us by a firefighter after they rescued him. He was thin, but his blood and swab tests came back perfect. In this age of the internet, when you can easily post about a lost pet on a variety of websites and pages, there is no reason why a lost parrot can't be reunited with their family. Was this bird purposely turned loose when someone didn't want him anymore? Did he accidentally escape, but the owner thought there was no chance of getting him back, so they didn't even try?
We have a wide network of contacts in the area and even worldwide, so whenever a lost or found bird is posted somewhere, we inevitably get tagged on the post. While we can occasionally help facilitate a reunion, most of these cases are never resolved. If you have a bird escape, always contact us for advice on how to improve your chances of catching it, because it is possible to get your lost friend back.
"Toxic Diet"
No parrot can live a long, healthy life on a diet deficient in vitamins and minerals. It is especially important to avoid foods that are actually dangerous! Avocados were part of this 32-year-old Orange Wing Amazon's diet, but avocados contain a toxin in the pit that can leak out into the fruit. Birds are particularly sensitive, and should never eat avocados in any form. While his blood tests were surprisingly normal, he was extremely underweight and had an E. coli infection.
Following his treatment, he was transferred to our friends at Beak 'N' Wings, the other bird rescue organization in Kansas City, because our facility was beyond full. We frequently work with other rescue groups when one of us is overwhelmed by too many intakes.
"Dog Versus Parrot, Not The Worst Of It"
A 30-year-old macaw came to our rescue this year that had been attacked by a dog 3 days earlier, and had a wound to one nostril. She was very underweight, and plucked feathers over her neck and in scattered areas of her body. Testing revealed much more serious problems. Her kidney function test was very high, and she had 2 bacterial infections that were resistant to most antibiotics. She had to get injections twice daily to help fight the infections, and we are about to send out another round of blood tests to see how her kidney function is doing.
If not for the dog attack, her other underlying illnesses might not have been diagnosed until it was too late. We hope that we can turn her health around and help her live another 30 or more years. She will not be available for adoption until her issues are treated.
"Road Trip!"
What year goes by without us having to drive several hours to rescue birds from some far away place? In 2024, our longest road trip was 4 hours each way to St. Louis. A breeder had built a wire enclosure in part of a room, but now the house needed to be sold, and the birds had to go. It took a bit of time to catch the 17 budgies and 5 finches that were very fast and good at dodging the net that Dr. Julie was using to try to catch them. In this photo you can see that many of the birds had been captured and placed into small cages for transport. We hung up sheets to make the space smaller in order to catch them more quickly, but it was still close to an hour before every tiny bird was safely contained.
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When someone said they needed to donate several budgies, we didn't know until we examined them that 2 of them had permanent severe leg deformities. Kevin and Kenny are bonded to each other. They manage to get around their cage by holding onto the cage bars, but neither can perch like normal with both feet on a surface at the same time. They probably had "splay legs" as babies, which describes a variety of issues that cause the legs to not align properly. This can sometimes be treated if the chick is seen very early on, but if it lingers for weeks, the bones, tendons, ligaments, and muscles may be permanently displaced.
It took 10 months, but we eventually found the perfect home for them with someone who accepted and loved them despite their special challenges.
Would you like to donate to help the 333 birds we rescued in 2024?
2024 was the year when a number of our clients sadly passed away, leaving so many birds in need of placement. The situation we called "The Unpleasant Basement" was a particularly upsetting example of how people can refuse to accept that they can no longer keep up with the needs of their pets when their health declines. This former breeder had lost all but 2 of their small birds, but still had 8 cockatoos, a macaw, and an African Grey. Some of the birds were in an upstairs room, but 3 cockatoos lived in this section of the basement, which flooded when there was rain, and the cages were not being cleaned.
This Umbrella Cockatoo had been destroying the cage bars, possibly for decades, and a variety of metal items were attached to the cage to keep him from escaping. When it came time to remove him, we discovered that it was impossible to open the door due to all of the wires holding things together. It took several minutes with bolt cutters before we could rescue him from his prison.
The owner had been offered help by family members, but had refused all assistance, and did not want anyone coming into the house to see the conditions. There were a lot of empty cages, and we don't know how many birds might have died due to the unsanitary and unsafe conditions. We beg everyone reading this to remember that there is no shame in asking for help in caring for your pets. They depend on you, and you should do whatever is needed to keep them healthy and happy.
