Bird Sanctuary Considerations

We all love our birds, right? And we love them enough to plan ahead for them, right? Wrong! It is scary and upsetting to think that we might not be around to care for our birds forever, so many of us just cruise along pretending that it will all work out in the end.

Some of us realize that making arrangements for our larger, very long-lived birds, like cockatoos and macaws, is necessary, but give little thought to the small ones, like budgies and lovebirds. But sadly they might outlive you, too, and they can be challenging in terms of placement. They are plentiful and easy (and cheap) for people to purchase in pet stores. Some, like female lovebirds, can be a handful, and difficult to re-home as a result. I say this as the guardian of two of them. One had been in the Greyhaven program for over 2 years before I adopted her; she is a biter, and once potential adopters found this out they were no longer interested. So, please, keep in mind that the little ones need as much thought regarding future planning as their larger buddies.

There are several possibilities to consider as you sit down to write your will and make arrangements for your birds. Probably the best is to “groom” a younger family member or friend, so that you know exactly who will be taking your birds when you are gone. When this is an option it is the best bet for your peace of mind and your birds’ future adjustment. They know their future guardian, s/he knows them and their quirks, and a degree of warmth and friendship already exists.

Some people do not want their birds to be re-homed, but would prefer that they go to a sanctuary that will keep them for life and allow them to interact with others of their kind and fly freely. Such sanctuaries, where they exist, are typically run by people who adore birds and ensure that they have good food and lots of toys. But by their very nature — a home for life — numbers can be extremely high, and the birds will not receive the regular, loving interaction that a very much-loved member of the household is provided. This can be extremely stressful for the bird. After years of sustained, loving contact with humans, the company of other parrots may not be appreciated. Such a sanctuary can be a good choice for a bird who has never formed a close bond with a human, perhaps one who was abused or used for breeding purposes, with little human interaction. But I cannot imagine sending one of my birds there.

Another option is to go through a program like Greyhaven. This can take some of the fear out of the prospect of your darlings going to a new home. Our adoption process is rigorous. Birds are never adopted to a home without a home visit, and if potential adopters do not meet our requirements they are rejected. The bird’s past history is taken into account when homes are chosen, so that a bird who is used to spending 12 hours a day out of his cage would never go to a home that planned to allow him out for only a couple of hours a day. In fact, families are counseled to allow their adopted charges to be out of their cages for as long as possible regardless.

This does not mean that we can guarantee your birds as good a home as they are in now, but it comes very close to a guarantee. If you decide to choose Greyhaven, this can be written into your will, and your wishes conveyed to us.

Just a caution about “rescue” organizations in general. Taking in parrots can sound like fun to a bird lover, and fun is certainly part of the daily routine, or should be. But running a sanctuary is also hard work and very expensive. It is not the sort of endeavour that can easily be managed by an individual. So it is certainly in your birds’ best interests for you to ensure that any resource you choose has a “history,” is a registered charitable organization, and has a substantial number of volunteers and members to carry on the huge amount of work that needs to be done. It pays to do your homework.

Whether you are 65 or 25, today is a good day to begin planning for your birds’ future.

– Jan Robson