The Parrot Fundraiser In The Media - read why this event is vital to both organizations and parrots in need.

Tickets Now On Sale …. Tickets Now On Sale ….

It’s fast approaching … The Parrot Fundraiser, featuring Vegas-style Hypnotist, MIND MASTER SCOTT CHRISTIE, and Comedy Magician, Rod Boss!

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Meet the “real” Easter bunny – and find out why adopting, not shopping, is the best way to find a new pet this Saturday at the Surrey Museum, hosting its annual spring crafts and Easter egg scavenger hunt.

Originally conceived as a way to shed light on the problem of abandoned holiday pets, the Surrey Museum’s Easter Fair is a popular event for families and people of all ages. It runs from 1 to 4 p.m.

Alison and George the Dancing Dog perform live in the Museum’s plaza at 2 p.m.

For the past eight years, the Surrey Museum has celebrated Easter by focusing on the problem of unwanted pets. Every Easter, real pet bunnies find themselves cast off or neglected when their new owners realize they’re as much work as any other pet.

The event has grown to include dogs, cats, reptiles, rodents and other critters.

“People should adopt instead of shop,” says Jennifer Kaiser of Without Borders Boxer Rescue.

“There are far more homeless dogs than there are dogs in loving homes.”

Kaiser says by adopting an animal from a shelter or rescue organization, you can save two lives, because it frees up a spot for another animal.

This year there will be an array of animal rescue groups on hand, representing all creatures great and small, including the West Coast Society of the Protection and Conservation of Reptiles, AireCanada Airedale Rescue, Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue, Vancouver Rabbit Rescue Association, Greyhaven Exotic Bird Sanctuary, the Wildlife Rescue Association of B.C., the Canadian Disaster Animal Response Team, and Without Borders Boxer Rescue.

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This article and artwork is copyrighted and has been reprinted with the permission of Sally Blanchard. Please read her other articles: https://companionparrotonline.com

by Sally Blanchard

A Grey Who Bit His Owner

Talking with people about their parrots usually helps me clarify my own theories about parrot behavior. A long-term Companion Parrot subscriber called me with a question about her African Grey. For the most part, her grey (who was almost 2 years old) had been a well-behaved, contented parrot causing his caregiver few behavioral concerns. Her worry was that occasionally, for reasons she was not always sure about, the parrot would bite her. These infrequent bites were rarely hard and seemed more like petulant warnings than mean-spirited aggression. A few of the times she was aware of the fact that he was actually grabbing her finger with his beak to direct her hand elsewhere because he wanted her to be doing something else. For example, if she was petting him and wasn’t paying attention, he would reach over and grab her finger to tell her to pet him more carefully. The bite was more of a clamp and a lot of African greys like to reach out and put their beaks around their caregiver’s fingers. It is not a bite it is just a pressure clamp.

If he bit too hard, she dealt with the behavior immediately by giving him a quick (not more than a couple of seconds) disapproving look (the evil eye) and saying a firm (but not aggressive or overly dramatic) “NO.” Usually the grey would settle down immediately. In some cases, if he seemed overstimulated, she would place him, without further admonishments or drama, away from her, either on the arm of the chair, his playgym, or back in his cage — not as a punishment but a time-out to let him calm down. She also knew that it would help her parrots’ behavior if she stayed as calm as possible.

The reader wanted to make sure these incidents would not become an aggressive biting pattern. Clearly at the young grey’s age, the rare biting behaviors were isolated incidents, not part of a habituated pattern. This was most likely true because his owner had dealt with them in a manner that neither rewarded him with drama nor punished him with aggression. My only advice was to try to figure out if there might be some sort of pattern to the biting incidents, keep dealing with the occasional obstreperousness in the same manner, and enjoy her delightful companion.

Many human beings (not excluding parrot owners) seem to jump to the conclusion that when one bad thing happens, it is an omen of a future full of disaster. (Been there, done that!) Following these prophecies of doom, many a parrot owner goes off the deep end the first time his parrot bites him. Often the first reaction, which is totally illogical, is “my parrot doesn’t love me anymore!” The grey’s caregiver had saved her relationship with him by accepting his occasional forays into misbehavior as what they were — simply a part of his independence process or a slightly inappropriate communication. She did not erroneously jump to any conclusion that he didn’t love her anymore or that an occasional bite was the beginning of the end. Therefore, she was able to deal with the behaviors in a rational way.

I often write about parrots being “addicted to drama.” Certainly many of their behaviors (both wild and domestic) can seem quite flashy. However, it is also important to realize we are dealing with a prey animal (one who can become another animal’s lunch at the slightest misstep) who also clearly exhibits the importance of being hidden and unnoticed. There are certainly times when a parrot should be as quiet and unobtrusive as possible.

I would like to make the equally accurate observation that we humans also tend to be drama addicts. And our parrots thoroughly enjoy this aspect of our behavior. In fact, our dramatic responses to their behaviors are likely to turn an incidental act into a habituated pattern. Our parrots love our drama whether we are attempting to be positive or negative. Providing them with a dramatic response reinforces the behavior we are responding to, and this is often the very behavior we would rather not have repeated.

So, in actuality, we are the ones who so often turn our parrot’s initial misbehaviors into habituated patterns because we do not deal with them correctly. It is doubtful to me that the grey in this story will ever become a biting bird because at the rare times he does bite only that particular incident is dealt with. He is not rewarded with drama, nor is the single bite responded to as if the African Grey had suddenly turned into a blood-lusting vampire. The incidents will not become a habit.

It appears to me there are actually people who seem to have an investment in their parrot’s misbehavior. Perhaps they also love the drama it brings into their lives. Others seem unable, no matter how important it is, to set rules and provide guidance for their parrots. These parrots usually end up with some serious behavioral problems. Unfortunately, most of them end up losing their homes.

Does breeding behavior last forever? No. Once a parrot reaches sexual maturity, the bird is not in a permanent, perpetual state of sexual arousal, agitation, and aggression. People often dread this time because they have heard so many stories, most of which are based on bad behavioral information. Although some parrots slide through the initial stages of sexual maturity without their owners even noticing, others go through periods of time during the year when they do exhibit serious behavioral problems. Of course, the only reason these behaviors become a problem for the parrots is because they are a problem for the caregivers. Does this mean a parrot who becomes unpredictable and aggressive during certain seasons of the year no longer makes a good pet? Of course not! Again, the one key is starting out by providing rules and guidance and maintaining it throughout the bird’s life. The other key is accepting the fact that parrots will naturally go through some periods in their lives when they might not be what we humans think of as the ideal pet. If people have realistic expectations and provide instructional interaction, the negative behaviors will not last forever — live with them, love them, and work with them to get past the seasonal behaviors.

“Oh, don’t worry. It is just as stage he is going through. He’ll be fine when he gets through it.” While biting, screaming, and other negative behaviors may be part of a stage a parrot is going through and he will indeed get through this stage, it is important to realize that we will be the ones who determine whether or not he gets through it with his pet potential intact. While some people have an overwhelming and inappropriate response to one or two bites, the opposite also occurs. Too many people wait to work with their parrot’s behavior until the problems become entrenched. The longer the person waits to get the right information to change his parrot’s aggressive biting, excessive screaming, and/or behavioral feather picking, the more difficult it is to change the behaviors.

I strongly advise parrot caregivers to take each behavioral misadventure as an event by itself and not go off the deep end about them. Far too often people take a bit personally and they respond with aggressive anger or ignore the parrot. One well-known avian veterinarian actually wrote in his book that if a parrot bites, he should be placed in his cage and ignored for as long as six weeks. This type of horrible advice and the fact that people won’t accept their responsibility for the bite is is usually the end of the parrot’s happy home. However, it is also important to know how to deal with these incidents so they won’t become repetitive patterned behaviors. If the one or two bites do turn into a patterned behavior with the problem escalating, it is best to get and use good, trust-building information as soon as possible. The parrot will not change his behavior by himself. It is essential for the owner to start interacting with the parrot in a positive way to change the negative behaviors.  Sometime an increase in calm focused attention for 10 or 15 minutes a day in a neutral room away from the parrot’s cage is all it takes to return your parrot’s trust and sense of security with you.

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The Concept:

These are re-loadable shopping cards so when you pay for your groceries, the cashier can load funds onto the card for you then you pay for your purchase using the card.

The Reward:

5% of what you load onto the card gets donated to the Hominy Fund!

If you shop in their stores and would like one, please let us know. For more details or store locations visit the website:

http://www.thriftyfoods.com/EN/main/community/smile-card-program/faq.html

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On Assignment: Do Parrots Name Their Babies?

http://video.ca.msn.com/?mkt=en-ca&vid=3d5bd486-26ae-185c-6293-341be44dd8f0&from=dest_en-ca&src=v5:EndSlate%5EWide:email:

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http://www.spca.bc.ca/news-and-events/news/bosleys-parternship-ends-2013.html

The BC Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has announced it will no longer host SPCA satellite adoption centres in Bosley’s Pet Food Plus stores in British Columbia, effective immediately.

“When we launched our partnership with Bosley’s in October of 2009 it was a wonderful opportunity for us to increase public awareness and exposure for animals needing homes,” says Craig Daniell, chief executive officer of the BC SPCA.

“Bosley’s former president and general manager Ken Almond and his staff were very committed to the partnership and to our shared goal of improving animal welfare in B.C.”

In addition to working collaboratively on the satellite adoption program in 17 of its B.C. retail outlets, Bosley’s also provided corporate support for the BC SPCA & Scotiabank Paws for a Cause event and other SPCA initiatives.

“Since Bosley’s was purchased by the Ontario-based retailer Pet Valu last year corporate sponsorship for the BC SPCA’s work with abused and homeless animals has been withdrawn and we recently learned that the company is planning to sell live animals in some of its B.C. locations,” says Daniell.

“The BC SPCA, like most animal welfare organizations, has serious concerns about the welfare implications of selling animals as products in a retail setting. It is clear the values of the BC SPCA and Pet Valu are no longer aligned and that the partnership is not a good fit for us as an animal welfare organization as we move forward.”

Daniell says the BC SPCA will remain in partnership with other pet supply stores and veterinary offices which host BC SPCA satellite adoption centres and looks forward to expanding this network.

“We are also planning several special events and campaigns in 2013 to highlight the wonderful animals we have available for adoption. We hope the public will continue to make the SPCA their ‘first adoption option’ and to support the wonderful pet supply stores and vet clinics which host our centres.”

The BC SPCA is a non-profit organization funded primarily by public donations. Our mission is to prevent cruelty and to promote the welfare of animals through a wide range of services, including cruelty investigations, emergency rescue and treatment, sheltering and adoption of homeless and abused animals, humane education, advocacy, farm animal welfare, spay/neuter programs, and wildlife rescue and rehabilitation.

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Nicole brought 3 big boxes of toys, perches and sleepy tents. There is probably almost a year worth of Nutriberries.

Giovanna’s little Ernie is our model. What a handsome boy!

[Show as slideshow]

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Bret gently cradles Max, the 15-year-old lovebird. He and his brothers Chai and Jay will have a table at the CSA Christmas craft fair to raise funds for their feathered friends and other birds that have found refuge at the Greyhaven Exotic Bird Sanctuary.

The sounds of a tropical rain forest filter through the home of Rebecca Salmon, where she and her three sons look after nine exotic birds.  Salmon currently cares for four budgies, three cockatiels, one 15-year-old lovebird and a black-capped conure named Suzi.  Suzi ‘feather picks’ due to stress but otherwise she is a healthy bird that is mending nicely under the supervision of Salmon and her children.  For Salmon this is more then just owning pets,  “we decided as a family what we were passionate about and gave our time and our resources to care for these birds who were bred in captivity. I don’t believe in breeding exotic birds for pet stores so it’s about teaching my children about generosity, passion and responsible ownership.” states Salmon.  All nine birds have been adopted from a rescue sanctuary called Greyhaven located in Surrey and Salmon’s mission is to educate people about owning birds, her core message is, “don’t buy birds from a pet store, if you truly want birds as pets, adopt them.”

Greyhaven Exotic Bird Sanctuary is a non-profit society that rescues exotic birds. It specializes in parrots and houses on average 40 birds – a number that can increase at any given time. Hundreds of pet birds are brought to Greyhaven each year for many different reasons. Perhaps the owner becomes ill and can no longer care for the bird. Changes in lifestyle is a common reason and neglect and abuse unfortunately are realities seen far too often.  “People don’t realize birds can live for a long time,” says Salmon. Greyhaven provides  a safe refuge and works hard to find appropriate homes for most of the birds. Unfortunately, not all of them can be adopted so they become permanent residents of the sanctuary.

The facility relies heavily on volunteers. Salmon’s family understands this first hand. They volunteer their time cleaning anywhere from 25-30 cages and provide socialization for the birds. At times, they have transported birds to and from the vet. They also foster one of the larger breeds, an African Grey named Cody who stays at the sanctuary.

Salmon has also taken on fundraising for Greyhaven as part of her volunteer duties.  On Sunday, December 2, at the annual craft fair located at BICS, her sons Bret, Chai and Jay will set up a table with donation tins for Greyhaven. The Community School Association (in partnership with community school coordinator Sarah Haxby) provides free tables to support young entrepreneurs, artisans, crafters and kids who are fundraising to support charitable organizations. If people donate a toonie or more they will receive a “feathered friend”, a plasticine feathered creature made by IPS students who recently visited the Salmon’s home base aviary and were educated on responsible bird ownership.  A $60 donation will sponsor a parrot for a year, anyone who donates this amount will receive a colourful tail feather from one of the larger breeds.

The boys will also be selling greeting cards from the Victoria-based company Hand and Beak, owned by Mary McQueen. Her pet lovebird Luigi shreds paper which she then turns into greeting cards.  McQueen was featured on the hit show the Dragons’ Den and a portion of sales will be donated to Greyhaven (www.greyhaven.bc.ca).

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A quick reminder: If you have already renewed your membership, our Board of Directors thank you!

If not, please take the opportunity to do so now. It is the last chance that you will be able to receive a complimentary VanDusen Botanical Garden membership, which includes entrance into both gardens for free for 1 year (plus other perks) – effective in January. You can download a membership form from our website: http://friendsofthebloedel.ca/join.html. Please note that because of the merger of the Friends of the Bloedel and the Vandusen Botanical Garden Association, we will be sharing our contact list with the VBGA. If you prefer to be taken off this list, please let us know before the end of the year.

And the good news does not stop there! I want to personally invite you to the Opening Night Event for the Jewel Box of Lights, taking place this Thursday on Bloedel’s 43rd Anniversary: December 6th starting at 5:30pm.

The Friend’s of Bloedel are sponsoring another fantastic evening of entertainment as this special event kicks off. There will be quartets singing songs of the season, a trio of tubas, and a wonderful Santa handing out individually wrapped European chocolates and filling the stockings for all the birds. Of course, there will also be very delicious Parrot sugar cookies and mulled apple cider (while supplies last). All free with admission.

The lights will be magical! The gardeners have once again pulled out all the stops placing millions of twinkling lights and cascading waterfalls of sparkling lasers. A fun night of family entertainment for a great value! Parking is also free throughout the QE Park from 4pm onward. You can find admission rates on our website: http://friendsofthebloedel.ca/info.html

We have much to celebrate and we hope to see you there! Wishing you a Wonderful Holiday Season!

Sincerely,

Vicky Earle

President

Friends of the Bloedel

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Jan Robson has been a volunteer with Greyhaven Exotic Bird Sanctuary in Surrey, BC, since 2003. She has been director of volunteers and director of education, and now focuses on education and pet therapy. She is also the doting mom to seven rescued parrots: a mitred conure, four lovebirds and two budgies. To pay for her addiction to her feathered friends, she works as coordinator of the dementia helpline at the Alzheimer Society of B.C.

Bailey is an adoptable Citron Crested Cockatoo at Greyhaven Exotic Bird Sanctuary in Surrey, BC.

So Cee Lo Green has decided to replace Purrfect, his cat companion from the second season of The Voice, with Lady, a Moluccan Cockatoo. (Read the story on PeoplePets.com and TMZ) But the decision to have Lady perched on his shoulder as he judges has animal welfare and rescue organizations concerned. Why the fuss?

 

First of all, it is important, I think, to have a sense of what might be motivating Cee Lo to have various creatures cuddling with him as he sits in judgement. It seems to me there are a few possibilities:

1. He is a publicity and attention hound. A beautiful big bird sitting on your shoulder makes you stand out.
2. He just bought/adopted Lady and he wants to spend as much time with her as possible.
3. He realizes the situation with parrot rescues and wants to draw people’s attention to the issue.
4. He is doing what the producers want him to do.

My hope is that #3 is the correct answer. But I suspect that is not the case. I have watched the show, and there really is no room for any of the judges to use their time to educate and raise awareness about issues close to their heart. So assuming that this will not be an educational endeavor, what’s wrong with having Lady participate on the show? On the surface Lady’s inclusion seems innocuous. Purrfect didn’t rate a fuss, so why should Lady?

Lady’s presence could encourage people to get Cockatoos impulsively.
Cee Lo Green is a celebrity. We are a celebrity-obsessed culture. Lady is exquisite, and we have no idea if she has any special talents that will make her even more appealing, like talking. Seeing a bird like this may very well plant a seed in people’s minds. My fear is that many who would not otherwise have any special interest in parrots, and Cockatoos in particular, might decide they need a wonderful companion like Lady. They will check out their local pet store or breeder and bring home baby.Cockatoos are not good companions for the unprepared.

The problem is that Cockatoos, especially Moluccans, are one of the top species to require re-homing. This means the first home couldn’t cut it, and often the second home, and third home, and so on. And, with a lifespan of up to 70 years, this “and so on” can become extensive.

Moluccan Cockatoos can be sweet and cuddly, and bond closely to their person, but there is a dark side to this:

• Cockatoos are clingy. The cuddliness often turns into clinginess as the bird matures, and they become demanding, territorial, and high-maintenance. When they cannot be with their person 24/7 they may scream, self-mutilate, and become aggressive.
• Cockatoos are loud. The volume of the screaming is enough to curdle blood, and simply cannot be tolerated in many residential settings.
• Cockatoos self-mutilate. The self-mutilation can become so severe that the bird is virtually naked and requires collaring to avoid damage to the flesh. This is heart-breaking to deal with.
• Cockatoos are destructive. If the noise and the clinginess don’t cause the guardian to waiver in his resolve to care for the bird, sometimes the destruction of their homes does. They like to chew, and they must chew to maintain the health of their beaks. Without proper training and access to appropriate toys they will chew anything.
• Cockatoos are messy. Cockatoos produce copious amounts of powder down. Some people cannot tolerate the fine dusty particles that cover everything, since sinuses can be aggravated and many are very allergic. At the very least it is extremely challenging to keep the living space clean.
• Cockatoos are smart. This is not a pet that you can interact with for 30 minutes a day, then pop into a cage with little to keep him or her busy. Cockatoos take time, lots of it, and an endless supply of challenging toys.

Most people who adopt on a whim are not prepared for this.

If Lady happens to be a talker, it’s even more problematic. When I take my Mitred Conure out to educational sessions or pet therapy usually the first question people ask me is “Does she talk?” I tell them “Yes, absolutely. She speaks parrot, and I’m trying my best to learn.” Too often parrots are adopted because the idea of a talking pet is simply irresistible. If Lady talks, look out.

Buying a Cockatoo might support illegal importation
If all of this attention meant that parrot rescues would be inundated with people willing and able to provide long-term, loving, knowledgeable homes to the cockatoos in their care, fabulous! The more likely scenario, though, is that people will go to pet stores, or head to a breeder for a baby. And the cycle of buy, become exasperated, dump, will continue, as it has over and over again. Add to this the very real concern that you cannot be certain where pet store birds come from. They may have been bred locally, and the quality of breeders is extremely variable. They may also have been imported.

The Moluccan Cockatoo is listed as a vulnerable species, on Appendix I [the most endangered list] of The Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species, so the trade in wild-caught Moluccans is illegal. Sadly, this does not mean that it has ended, and the ways that smugglers get birds into the country are typically horrific.

Impulse-buying of Cockatoos will lead to more shelter-overpopulation
Rescues are typically responsible about educating prospective adopters about the challenges of the species they are interested in, so it is no surprise that finding suitable homes for the many, many Cockatoos that come into their programs is tough. And if Lady’s appearance on The Voice encourages even a few people to buy a bird, there is no doubt that this means more future shelter residents — NO doubt.

In The Parrot Who Owns Me, Joanna Burger wrote that “being owned by a parrot is not for the faint of heart.” Multiply this by ten when it comes to Moluccans. If those who purchase these birds aren’t prepared to maintain the relationship over the long haul, somebody will have to step in, and that somebody too often is a rescue organization that is staffed mostly or entirely by volunteers, in a space that is inadequate, and with more Cockatoos than can possibly be adopted out.

How you can help
But you, the reader, can help Cockatoos.

1. You might want to let The Voice know what you think. (You can contact the show here.) If they risk losing viewers they might reconsider.
2. Please help your local parrot sanctuary/rescue organization, as a donor or a volunteer.
3. Finally, never, ever adopt a bird or animal that you have not researched and that you are not prepared to truly make a member of your family. This means you must be in it for better or for worse. [If you're thinking of adopting, read 10 Questions to Ask Before You Adopt A Bird.]

 

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