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Health & Fitness

Wilton Parrot Rescue is restarting our blog

It’s mildly ironic for me to be blogging – when asked if I’d take responsibility for Wilton Parrot Rescue’s blog I had to look up what a blog was to reassure myself I could make a go of the assignment. I’ve lived with companion birds for over 50 years, and have been volunteering at Wilton Parrot Rescue (“WPR”) for the past six months. As a parrot owner I learned a little bit about the birds with whom I lived: parakeets, an Amazon parrot and a small white cockatoo. As a WPR volunteer I’ve encountered many different species of parrots and realized how little I truly know about these creatures who’ve enchanted me for all these years.

For most of my career as a bird co-habitant I never knew another person with a parrot and, during the pre-internet phase, my knowledge was limited to my own observations and a single book on parrots and related birds. Accordingly I envision the WPR blog as an opportunity to share information about parrots for persons who would like to learn about these interesting creatures.  

Before proceeding further, let me share my biases to prevent misunderstandings down the road. My beliefs have been formed over many years and are while they may be debatable, this is not the appropriate forum for such dialogues.

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1.       First and foremost, I do not believe parrots were meant to live in captivity. Since birds in captivity are unsuitable candidates for return to the wild, we must strive to do our best to understand these creatures and provide homes that meet, to the extent possible, the needs of our birds and are safe, wholesome and rewarding to both birds and humans. For example, in the wild most parrot species live in sizeable flocks and tend to mate for life. There are few, if any times, wild parrots are alone. I bought an inexpensive tablet on which I play a TV cartoon channel for Charly when I’m out of the house to provide some companionship in the form of sound, color and movement. When I’m home I spend a minimum of one to two hours of one-on-one time with her.

2.       Adopting a rescue bird is vastly preferable to purchase from a pet store or breeder. There is a vast reservoir of displaced birds in shelters which strive to find loving “forever” homes. Typically, rescue birds are fairly well socialized, and many are past puberty – a difficult time for birds and their humans.

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3.       A parrot is a lifetime commitment. Parrots are long lived birds with substantial intellectual and emotional capacities. Displacement from a home and the only loved one(s) a bird has known is a profound shock which, I believe, should be avoided whenever possible.

4.       Birds need to be seen at least annually by a qualified avian veterinarian. In the wild, most parrots are prey animals. Sick or weak birds are the easiest targets for a predator. Consequently, they are very good at hiding signs of illness. As parents take their children to a pediatrician, an trained avian veterinarian is the caregiver of choice for a bird rather than a “dog & cat” vet who will “see” birds.

I plan to post weekly and will start with a series of articles describing the many different species of parrots and related birds. I will periodically showcase one of WPR’s adoptable birds and encourage readers to visit our web page (http://www.wiltonparrotrescue.com/default.html) and our Facebook fan page (https://www.facebook.com/wiltonparrotrescue).




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