From N. Florida

[veganjen]

Hello from Gainesville, Fl. I'm Jen.
I adopted a 3 yr old African Grey and Jenday conure a few months ago. Also I foster for Gainesville Cockatiel Rescue - 4 untame cockatiels formerly used for breeding. They are doing much better now that they have plenty of food to eat and a large cage to play in. Anyway glad to see so many people that love birds. Also for those who like to buy from a breeder- please consider adopting unwanted birds in your area first since they do bond with you once you give them attention and normally save you a lot of money! Recently I have seen a large variety of breeds offered on craigslist.org (all over the country) and in fla. Gainesville4sale.com and Ocala4sale.com: eclectus, macaw, amazon, greys, pionus, conures, cockatoos, and small birds. Thanks!
Jen aka. vegan j-lo

Welcome to the board Jen :D


Donna

[imported_David]

Jen
Nice to have you join us. Enjoy yourself---Dave

[imported_Jason]

Welcome. I hate to be the one to add this.. I think the bird rescues are great, BUT... One should only adopt if they are familiar with birds, and prepared to deal with issues the bird will more than likely have. I only say this because too many people out there end up with a bird that has issues, and feel they do not have the ability to overcome or accept the issues,... and then the bird ends up right back where it started, but possibly further damaged. Adoption is great, and all birds need a loving home where the owner knows, and respects the birds boundaries. But there are too many new comers in the hobby that have no idea that a bird may bite HARD, pull its own feathers out for no apparent reason, or even screech at a decibel level that can wake the dead. So please people, only adopt if you have the ability, and knowledge to deal with issues like these. Leave the adoption for the more experienced bird handlers. I can tell you from personal experience, most of the time, IF you have never owned a bird, it is in my opinion better to purchase a fully weaned baby from a reputable breeder, that socializes their baby's than to take on a possibly emotionally challenged bird that you are not ready, or in some cases, capable of caring for. I'm sure there are exceptions to my statement, but if there is any chance,... any question ... any concern with a bird, you should just pass it up. To take on a bird that you are not prepared for, hurts the bird more than most know. Birds are creatures of habit, and routine. Placing a bird in new home, after new home takes it out of its normal routine, and creates unnecessary stress, as well as making bad habits worse. Most adoption agencies know how to properly care for these birds, and want more than anything to find them a suitable, caring, forever home. But if you have to question ONCE if you can handle caring for the bird and dealing with issues they may have, leave it in the care of the experienced adoption agency rather than "trying" to see if you can make things work out..Someone will eventually come along that has the ability to care for the bird properly, and it will be less of a job if the bird has not been further damaged by being placed in home after home until it gets to the right person, and less stressful a transition for the bird. Make your adoption, or purchase a forever one, for the birds sake. ...and once again, Welcome, we are glad to have you here. This post is meant as informational, I have NOTHING against adoption agency's, and think they are a great thing for our little unwanted feathered friends,... as long as the person adopting KNOWS they have the ability to properly care for the bird, and the ability to love the bird,.. No matter the baggage that comes with it.

Jason

[imported_David]

"""""""""""""I hate to be the one to add this""""""""""

I don't see why. Someone has to say it. Actually, my feelings on the subject are stronger than yours. If I were to say something, it would come off as being too blunt. Luckily, most adoption/rescue/adoption centers screen potential owners. Most older birds in places like that, especially medium to large sized parrots, aren't usually taken home by newbies.

Everything you say about baby birds vs adult birds that have unknown problems is true. Of course, there are a very few agencies that will let the inexperienced take the older bird but that bird usually winds up back at the center waiting to go to another place. Most rescues make a person taking a bird sign a consent form allowing rescue visitation for about 6 mts.

Don't feel uncomfortable when stating your opinion. It's an opinion that can possibly enlighten or help or not enlighten or not help but at least it's out there to be seen by all.--------Dave

[imported_kimtoo]

Hi Jen...I am also in Gainesville! No cockatiels here but lots of other fids...

[veganjen]

Great I was hoping for locals! Definitely keep in touch and let me know if you find someone who wants a cockatiel=) They are now eating from my hand and almost tame!

Anyway I totally understand the joy in raising a baby/young bird. However these birds will still make noise, get nippy/bite sometimes and possibly make a mess anyplace they go. So the inexperienced will face a lot of the same problems with a young bird as they would with an adult. As for the emotional problems that previously owned and neglected birds may develop, they are often created by a novice who ignorantly purchased a baby bird thinking they would be easy to train. Most of these birds are genetically identical to their wild counter parts. They still have strong wild instincts.

The very reason there are so many abused/neglected/unwanted birds is the lack of self enlightenment and education among consumers. I believe that anyone who wants to buy a bird should thoroughly research the species and caretaking responsibilities. A person responsible enough to properly raise a bird can most likely also properly care for a healthy previously owned bird. In fact this way they have an idea of how friendly/talkative/nippy the bird can be.

I will never be sorry for defending innocent animals that are victims to human ignorance or greed.
So I must say please consider giving a warm loving home to an previously owned/unwanted bird if you are responsible enough to care for any.

I applaud you for doing rescue work :) It takes some one speical to do this. I have taken in my share of unwanted birds but I don't call myself a rescue. I am a breeder of dogs and birds and enjoy it very much. I do it for the love of the breed or speicies of bird. I my opinion a bird that ends up in a reputable rescue is a lucky bird. They are going to sceen potental buyers for that bird. The birds that I usualy get in are the ones that are privitely sold through newspappers and it's on it's third or forth home within a year. These are the sad cases. I've also put a couple of birds that I rescued in breeding programs because I felt that was the best thing for me to do for the birds well being. So with this being said I feel that I'm doing my part in trying to educate the public and looking out for the birds.


Donna ;D