Hi Everyone-

August 13th, we had a very interesting seminar and presentation by Sybil Erden, president and CEO of the Oasis Sanctuary in Arizona and by Dr. Todd Driggers, Phoenix’s only mobile avian vet. The seminar really opened my eyes to many things. For one thing, both of these speakers are out there amongst hundreds, if not thousands of parrots, gaining immense knowledge about parrot behavior. The concept of a mobile avian vet is so valuable and for him to be able to see the birds environments and how they are really being cared for by the owners would be such a benefit in order to help both the parrot and their surroundings. I encourage you to visit other parrot owners’ homes, see how they are set up, what creative things they have done in their homes to enrich their parrots lives and possibly bring home an idea for your own parrot that will only make their lives better. Also since our vets here can’t see their behavior in the home, then log it or record it so they can be more informed. Hopefully one day Anchorage will be privileged to have an avian vet that will do house calls. It just makes sense. Remember, Dr. Nybakken out of Soldotna (Peninsula Veterinary Services) does do house calls for basic avian care and Jenny Treacy of Parrot Perfecting will also do in-home visits here in Anchorage. She is a licensed vet tech and does in-home wing clippings (grooming), nutritional advising and cage enrichments for an hourly fee. You can reach her at parrotperfecting@yahoo.com or at 689-7889.

Sybil Erden presented the state of the parrot today and to encouraged people to open their eyes to the vast number of parrots being relinquished to various sanctuaries and/or in desperation, being surrendered to inappropriate “rescue centers”. I was amazed at how many people nationwide didn’t get it…. That if you are in your 40’s or older, and you own a younger bigger bird (macaw, cockatoo, even an Amazon), you have to make arrangements for these guys because they are going to out live you! I thought it was a responsibility that people understood. Sybil says that she often gets phone calls when an elderly person has passed away, leaving behind eight or ten parrots that they don’t know what to do with. The sad thing about this is that these parrots have lived together, forming their own ‘flock’ and often people break them up and try to give them away as fast as they can. Estate planning! If you haven’t done it, do it. Please don’t put your family or friends in the position of having to ‘figure out’ what to do. Companion birds don’t need to be ‘rescued’, they need to be re-homed… together. And that takes time and money and legal preparation for the sanctuary of your choice. Plan accordingly. Limit your flock to what you can financially afford and always, always, encourage your family and friends to consider adopting before buying.

Sincerely,

Lin