Adoption
Deciding to adopt a bird is not a quick decision to make. Depending on the species of bird you would like to adopt, the complexities of owning and caring for that bird vary significantly. Some species can live up to 80 years old, while others might have a lifespan of 8-10 years. Considering the bird’s age, its potential lifespan, and your age at the time of adoption is crucial when deciding which bird to bring into your home.
Many parrots are given up due to their caretakers’ lack of understanding of the needs of that specific bird. Therefore, it is critical that the bird’s next parent and family fully understand the physical and emotional requirements of that bird. It is not as simple as taking a bird into your home, providing it with a cage, and feeding it what the nearest pet store sells as food. Parrots are sensitive to their environment, diets, care received, enrichment activities provided, and treatment. Because the goal of For Birds Foundation is to give each bird the best life possible, we require the main caretaker adopter to take an online course covering the health and welfare of parrots.
The course we require is offered through the American Federation of Aviculture (AFA). You can find more information at www.afabirds.org. There is a charge for the course. However, learning the information in that course is vital to understanding how to best care for the parrot, and requiring that the course and test be taken is a small price to pay for years of love and companionship from your bird.
In addition to the course, there is an application to fill out. If, after testing and applying, the process moves forward to adoption, there is an adoption contract and an adoption fee as well. The fee is species, age, and condition-specific. You can find a list of adoption fees on our FAQ page.
Please visit the American Federation of Aviculture website. First go to the membership link to join and then look under the education tab for the level one course. Once you pass the course, they will issue you a certificate. Please forward a photo of the certificate to us at [email protected]
Fostering
When birds are rescued from dire situations or are voluntarily surrendered to The Birds Foundation, they need a safe and welcoming home. Here, we evaluate their physical health, emotional state, and personality. Sometimes, we are fortunate to receive birds with comprehensive health records and a list of their favorite toys, foods, and habits. Other times, we take in birds whose names are even unknown to us.
Foster parents play a crucial role in the evaluation and transformation of these birds. They are responsible for taking the bird to the avian vet for a health check, introducing new and nutritious foods to transition the bird to a well-rounded, species-specific diet, and, in some cases, helping the bird overcome past traumas. This might include teaching the bird to trust people, perform basic tricks like stepping up and stepping down, and sometimes even learning to fly.
For all intents and purposes, foster parents become the bird’s new family until it is ready to be adopted and placed with a permanent family. Foster parents bear all the responsibilities that come with caring for the bird but do not experience the long-term joy of being with the bird for the rest of its life.
Due to the significant demands placed on foster parents, all potential new fosterers must complete the same online class required for potential adopters. Once the class is completed and passed, the potential foster parent is added to our available-to-foster list.
Foster parents can choose the species of parrots they are comfortable fostering. Some prefer large birds, while others prefer to foster smaller birds such as cockatiels and lovebirds.
Adoption Fees
$30 Budgies (Parakeets)
$100 Cockatiels
$125 Parrotlets, Lovebirds
$200 Conures and Ouakers
$275 Meyer’s Parrots, Senegal’s
$400 Hahn’s Macaws and all other medium birds
$400 Caiques, Amazons, Jardins, Pionus, Severe Macaws
$450 Eclectus Parrots, Small Cockatoos (Citron-crested and smaller)
$ 500-800 African Greys, large Cockatoos (Eleonora, Umbrella, Moluccan)
$ 600-1200 Large Macaws
If you would like to adopt a bird or apply to become a bird foster parent please click here.