There are many reasons why someone may end up with a pet bird that they can no longer properly care for. Perhaps your living situation changed and you can no longer accommodate the bird, or you took in a bird that someone else could no longer care for only to discover you are unable to meet its needs. Whatever the reason, finding yourself responsible for a bird you know you cannot provide a good home for can be an incredibly difficult situation.
The most important thing is to make sure the bird ultimately ends up in a good home – whether that is through finding someone else who can care for it, surrendering it to an avian rescue or sanctuary, or in the worst case scenario, humanely euthanizing a sick or suffering bird with no prospects for recovery or rehoming. As caring bird owners, we have an obligation to make sure our feathered friends receive the best care possible. This article will provide some guidance on things to consider when trying to rehome or surrender an unwanted bird.
Try to Rehome the Bird Yourself
The first option to consider is whether you can find a new home for the bird yourself through friends, family, or advertising. There are a few advantages to rehoming the bird directly rather than surrendering it:
– You can thoroughly screen potential adopters and find someone you trust to take good care of the bird. Shelters and rescues often do not have resources to comprehensively vet adopters.
– You can provide background information on the bird’s personality, care needs, diet, etc to set the new owner up for success. Much of this insight is lost when surrendering to a third party organization.
– You can request updates and even visit the bird in its new home, giving you peace of mind. Once surrendered, you lose all ability to follow up on the outcome.
– The bird does not have to adjust to completely unfamiliar surroundings and people. This reduces stress and potential behavior problems.
However, there are also challenges with independent rehoming to consider:
– It can be very difficult to find someone willing and able to take in a bird, especially larger species or those with specialized needs.
– Even if interested, many will not have proper supplies and housing ready. This means an interim period until the new home is ready.
– Advertising birds online or other public forums opens you up to people with bad intentions like dogfighters or hoarders. Vetting is essential.
– There are usually no guarantees or legal contracts. If the adoption does not work out, the bird could be abandoned or bounced around.
Overall, rehoming independently can be rewarding if done carefully over surrendering, but also risky if not thoroughly considered. Use your best judgement weighing options.
Surrender the Bird to an Avian Rescue or Sanctuary
If you cannot find a suitable adopter yourself, consider surrendering the bird to a reputable all-avian rescue organization or parrot sanctuary. These non-profits specialize in taking in unwanted birds and finding new permanent homes for them, typically by:
– Posting online profiles of available birds to advertise to potential adopters
– Hosting regular adoption events where interested adopters can visit and interact with birds
– Thoroughly screening every potential adopter prior to an adoption
– Providing post-adoption support and requiring regular updates
– Fostering birds in volunteer homes while waiting to be matched with an adopter
The advantages of surrendering to one of these organizations include:
– The bird will receive specialized care from experienced avian caretakers while waiting to be rehomed
– The bird will receive proper housing, nutrition, socialization, and veterinary care
– Adopters are thoroughly screened to prevent risky or impulsive adoptions
– Legal contracts ensure adopters must return birds if the adoption fails rather than abandoning them
– You can often require updates on the bird as a condition of surrender
The main disadvantage is limited control over precisely where and with whom the bird is ultimately placed. But overall, surrendering to a reputable rescue that performs due diligence with adopters is preferable to alternatives like shelters.
Some things to keep in mind when surrendering:
– Make sure the rescue is tax-exempt nonprofit and all-avian specific
– Ask about their adoption screening process, policies, and post-adoption support
– Inquire about veterinary care birds receive and conditions at their facility
– See if you can specify preferences for the adoptive home
– Ask if they will agree to a trial period and give you updates
Surrender the Bird to an Animal Shelter or Humane Society
If no specialized bird rescues or sanctuaries near you are able to accept the bird, the next option to consider is surrendering to a local open-intake animal shelter or humane society. These facilities take in unwanted pets of all species as part of their mission to find new homes for homeless animals.
Some benefits of surrendering to a shelter include:
– Shelters are required to accept any animal surrendered to them, unlike rescues who can pick and choose
– There are shelters in most communities, making it a convenient option
– Shelters provide food, housing, basic care and veterinary treatment until the animal is adopted or euthanized
– Shelters have an established process for adopting out animals, including screening potential adopters
However, there are also some significant risks and disadvantages:
– Most shelters are overwhelmingly focused on dogs and cats, with very limited avian expertise
– Birds are often housed improperly, leading to health problems
– Birds commonly develop behavioral issues from inadequate socialization and mental stimulation
– Adoption screening is often less rigorous compared to bird-specific rescues
– Length of stay is usually limited before euthanasia if the pet is not adopted
– Shelters offer little to no post-adoption support or follow up
Bird Rescue/Sanctuary | Open Intake Shelter |
---|---|
Specialized avian focus and experience | Primarily focused on dogs and cats |
Thorough adoption screening process | Less stringent screening |
Trial periods and post-adoption support | Minimal post-adoption support |
Care for birds until permanently placed | Limited length of stay |
As you can see, while shelters are sometimes the only local option, a bird-specific rescue is generally the far superior choice if at all possible.
Take the Bird to Your Veterinarian
If the bird is sick, injured, or aggressively problematic, your veterinarian may be able to take it in or may know of other rehabilitation or sanctuary options. Some things veterinarians could provide:
– Euthanize the bird if it is suffering or untreatable
– Provide palliative hospice care for birds living out remaining time
– Direct you to specialized bird rescues, rehabilitators, or sanctuaries
– Temporarily house the bird until a new home is found
– Administer behavioral medications to treat issues like screaming, biting, etc.
– Charge for expenses related to housing, treatment, care while seeking placement
Important considerations if surrendering to your vet:
– Not all vets are willing to find new homes for pets, so ask first
– Vets focus on medical needs but often cannot address behavioral issues
– You may still need to cover the costs of care while finding a new home
– Transfer of ownership and liability paperwork is important
– Temporary care is limited, the vet cannot keep birds indefinitely
Your veterinarian can be a valuable resource even if they cannot directly take in your bird, so it is worth consulting them before any decision.
Look Into Bird Rehoming Networks
Another option to consider before surrendering your bird to a shelter or rescue is tapping into bird-focused rehoming networks. These are often grassroots efforts spearheaded by dedicated bird lovers focused on keeping birds in need out of traditional shelters. Two to look into are:
Parrot Alert – A network of bird owners, breeders, and rescuers who coordinate on Facebook to rehome birds within their existing communities. People needing to rehome can post birds in need and network members provide housing, transport, and permanent placements.
Bird Rehoming Resource Group -Provides templates and guidance for safely rehoming pet birds. They maintain a map of resources like shelters, sanctuaries, and transport volunteers across different states to connect birds with new owners.
Benefits of these networks include:
– Drawing on an existing avian-focused community to aid rehoming efforts
– Offer suggestions for temporary housing while a new home is found
– Help transport birds beyond just local adopters
– Provide guidance to make rehoming safer and easier
– Enable private rehoming without surrendering ownership
The main downside is these are informal networks with no screening, monitoring, or enforcement once receiving a new home. But they connect you to people passionate about parrots and their wellbeing.
Choose Euthanasia as a Last Resort
If the bird is suffering and beyond medical help, no one is able to take it in, and euthanasia is the only humane option left, you can elect to have the bird humanely euthanized by a veterinarian. Reasons euthanasia may be appropriate:
– The bird has incurable metastatic cancer or other terminal illness
– The bird has severe behavioral problems that present a danger to itself or others
– Profound accidental injuries leave the bird unable to eat, perch or have a good quality of life
– Advanced age leaves the bird with no quality of life and declining health
– No resources exist to rehome the bird and give it proper care
Euthanasia ultimately gives the bird a peaceful passing compared to alternatives of:
– Dying from the medical condition causing suffering
– Existing without proper care, socialization, or stimulation
– Potentially being abandoned or further neglected by an irresponsible owner
While incredibly sad, in certain situations euthanasia is the most compassionate option. But it should only be considered after all others are thoroughly exhausted first.
Questions to Ask Before Surrendering Your Bird
Surrendering a beloved bird is a difficult decision – make sure you receive answers to these key questions before finalizing:
– What screening process do you have for potential adopters? Can I be involved in choosing the new home?
– Will you provide regular updates about my bird? Can I visit my bird?
– What veterinary care do surrendered birds receive?
– What housing, social interaction, and diet will my bird receive in your care?
– What is the average length of stay before birds get adopted or otherwise placed?
– What happens if my bird isn’t adopted within a certain timeframe?
– Do you euthanize birds due to illness, behavior, or lack of space? What criteria must be met?
– Do you have any species-specific requirements for birds being surrendered?
– What are your policies if an adoption fails and the bird is returned?
Don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions – a quality organization will be transparent and happy to provide you the information you need to make the transition easier and ensure your bird’s welfare.
Transition Tips When Rehoming Your Bird
The transition to a new home can be very stressful and confusing for birds. Here are some tips to help it go smoothly:
– Gradually introduce the bird to its new living space, don’t force an abrupt change
– Have familiar food, toys, and cage items accompany the bird to its new home
– Maintain normal routines like sleep and feeding times if possible
– Spend some time interacting with the bird in the new environment so it bonds with you
– Give the new owner ample background info on the bird’s habits, needs, likes/dislikes
– If possible, overlap so the bird begins to associate the new owner with you
– Follow up with the new owner with any questions or issues that arise at first
– Consider writing a personal letter to the new owner about your experiences with the bird
The more of a routine you can maintain and the more fully you prepare the new owner, the lower the stress and easier the transition process will be on your feathered friend.
Prevent Need for Rehoming
The easiest way to avoid having to rehome a bird is to make sure you do not acquire one until fully prepared for all the responsibility involved. Here is some guidance:
– Extensively research bird ownership before making any decision – know what is entailed.
– Be realistic about your budget, time, lifestyle, household to ensure compatibility.
– Bird-proof your home and purchase all needed supplies in advance, not after purchase.
– Commit to providing proper long-term preventative medical care. Birds are expensive medically!
– Select species appropriate for your experience level – high energy large parrots are not beginner pets.
– Adopt if possible so you can start with insight into bird’s needs rather than guessing.
– Find an avian vet and take new bird for exams before mixing with existing flock.
– Ensure you have adequate emergency arrangements if ever needed.
If unable to make a 10, 20, or 50+ year commitment to responsibly caring for a bird, hold off acquiring one until you can! Proper planning makes all the difference.
Conclusion
Finding yourself unable to properly care for a pet bird can be devastating, but your responsibility is ensuring your feathered friend ultimately ends up in the best situation possible given the circumstances. While trying your own rehoming networks first is preferable, bird-specific rescues, sanctuaries, and shelters should be your next go-to options before considering euthanasia as an absolute last resort. Do your research, ask questions, and remember your priority is securing the bird’s welfare above all else. If we plan ahead and prepare properly, unwanted rehoming situations can often be avoided in the first place. With some luck and perseverance, a new loving home may still be out there for your bird.