Find a good home for my birds

Question
I found your correspondence below on a website and am in a similiar situation.  I live in Rockville, Maryland.  Can you provide me with sources for finding a good home for my 7 year old parakeet and cockatiel.  Thank you.

Expert: Jan G
Date: 1/30/2006
Subject: Should I give away my bird?

Question
Hi Sarah,

I have a 15 year old Myers parrot ( I think he comes from the African Gray family). Anyhow, he was my twin brother's bird and when we went off to college he didn't take him. So I felt bad for the bird and took him with me. I love my bird but I barely have any time for him. He's in great health but I feel guilty that I don't have more time for him. I wondering if I should give him to someone who will give him a lot of attention and love. I know birds get attached to one or two people and he's very attached to me. He bites other people when they try to pet him. I'm worried that he won't do well with someone else.

Do you think my bird could cope in a new home?

Thanks for your help! I am also so expert on this site for Graphic Design so I appreciate your time.

Sincerely,
Susan

Answer
Hi Susan,
Sorry it took so long to answer but after several days of apparent sever errors with Allexperts, I had to leave town for a while to teach some CPR classes and I wasnt able to set my away message.

I understand the dilemma you are having and admire you for realizing just what a time commitment these guys take. I think he probably will have a tough time in leaving the family he knows because he has been with ytou all so long but I also believe it can be done. My own Polo was nearly 12 when he came to me and you would think I sat on his egg and hatched it.

My best advice here is to use EXTREME caution in finding a new home for this guy. Don't post an ad someplace and just let him go to anyone who responds. There are so many people who will respond to an ad, think they really want a bird and then find out after awhile that it is too much work, to messy, etc... the bird will be sent off with someone else (probably with less knowledge) or worse, banished to a dark basement or garage where he will waste away. I dont know where you are but there are many bird rescue groups around who will take in a bird and foster it while a new home is found. These people generally are very tough in the screening process of potential adopters which is good. If you will let me know where you are, I will try to find a reputable group near you that could help. Please get back with me with your location.

Best of luck and thank you for caring about this bird anough to come here.

Jan  

Answer
Hi Louise,
 
I was not able to find any that I can be sure are reputable in Maryland. I only found individuals listed there and I am not comfortable with those unless I know the person. I did find two though in Virginia that I know are legitimate rescues. I would suggest calling them and seeing the they can take your birds or if they know of someone a bit closer to you.

Thank you for taking the time do this the right way for the birds. So many people just give them to the first person that comes along, especially when it involves small birds like budgies and cockatiels. At one point I had 48 cockatiels that had all been bounced from home to home to home. I took them in and kept them for 8 years until I found myself having to move to a place where it was not possible to have that many birds. I took mine to The Tropics refuge in WV. It was a tough decision, deciding who I could keep and who I could not, and it was a long, heartwrenching drive there but I have been able to know that they were at last in a permanent place where they could live out the rest of their lives just being birds.

Here is the info for you. Best of luck to you.

Virginia

Phoenix Landing
PO Box 7661
Arlington, VA 22207
703-533-3838
phoenixlanding@earthlink.net
www.phoenixlanding.org

Rescue Me, An Avian Sanctuary
Post Office Box 534
Ark, VA 23003
804/693-5997
FAX: 804/695-9475
Rescuemeinfo@aol.com
www.rescueme.org