Cockatoo Adoption Process

Adoption Process

It has become necessary to list the ground rules by which we operate. Please take the time to read the following before submitting an application.

1. Our number one priority is the birds we are charged with caring for.

2. YES, we do charge a fee to adopt a bird.  WHY?  Because there is a great deal of time, money, sweat, blood, and tears that go into the rehabilitation of many of our birds.  It takes money, time, and considerable effort to find these birds forever homes and often times we have costly veterinary bills for these birds.  However, our fees are much less than retail and are based on the individual bird.  We are not going to give away the birds.   To do this would be to let down the birds that we are currently caring for and eventually, will cause us to shut our doors as there will be NO money left to care for any of the birds.  If you are looking for a free bird, please look elsewhere as birds are not free nor are they inexpensive to keep as companions. On occasion, there are those birds that come in to us that are very, very ill. We have very high veterinary bills for these birds and sometimes simply cannot justify passing them on or we know that no one will adopt the bird at the fee we would need to recoup our vet fees. So, the bird gets a fee that is more in line with the species of bird and we take a loss.

3. Our fees are NOT listed on our web site because each bird's fee is based upon the costs we have incurred.  Please do NOT call and ask the prices of our birds.  Our process tries to match the bird with your family and not to try to place a bird based upon its adoption fee. If this is how you are geared at shopping, then our process is going to disappoint you as we are not a pet store.  We can assure you that ALL of our birds are well below retail that you would find at any pet store/breeder.  We spend 1-2 hours daily taking phone calls regarding the fees, the personalities, etc. of each of our birds.  Please understand that this takes us away from caring for these magnificent creatures and therefore violates # 1 above.  Once approved, you will know ALL of the costs involved in adopting a specific bird.  Many times the bird you are calling on is not one that would be most suited for your family so we go back and forth utilizing precious time that no one really has these days.

4. WE DO NOT SHIP OUR BIRDS, EVER!!!!! Please don't call us and ask us to as this will violate # 1 above.  We won't ship our birds as this is highly stressful for the bird, costly, and most airlines won't ship anymore since the tragedies of 09/11. Also, we MUST perform a home inspection.  Further, you MUST meet the bird PRIOR to our decision to adopt to you.  This way we know the bird will like you and you will like the bird. There are NO EXCEPTIONS to this policy.

5. Due to many of the problems we have found and the costs involved in out of state adoptions, we are suspending adopting out of state until further notice.  Also, since we are required to perform a home inspection, we must now limit our distance to travel (at the discretion of the Director).

6. ALL of our birds receive the following veterinary work (this is what your fees come from):

a. Psittacosis,

b. Polyoma testing, NOT the vaccination (Note: Some birds have received these vaccinations prior to coming to the Refuge and will not be tested for polyoma),

c. Psittacine Beak and Feather,

d. Complete Blood Count (CBC),

e. Avian Chemistry Panel (including bile acids), ,

f. Fecal - Float,

g. For those birds who remain beyond 1 (one) year, they receive a fecal - float and CBC annually.

7. If you have been approved to adopt and you currently have birds, ALL of your birds MUST have the aforementioned testing protocol or we will NOT adopt a bird to you.  We would need proof of current vet records to include the above as well as a papilloma check, and a general examination.  This goes back to rule # 1.  We will not expose our birds to ANY untested birds and you should not either.  While this can be cost prohibitive, we cannot place our birds, whom have had all of these tests, into a home with birds that have not been tested to these standards. Since the costs can be prohibitive, there are some less expensive ways to get the testing done. Please contact the Director to determine what methods are most appropriate for your individual situation.

8. How long will this take? That depends. We are a small, all-volunteer organization that work full-time jobs outside of the rescue in order to support the rescue.  PLEASE be patient with us. Each application will be carefully reviewed and given the utmost consideration it deserves, just as our birds do.