Available Birds
Please note: if the adoption requirements include providing a cage, do not purchase one until an adoption counselor has approved the adoption. Having an appropriate cage does not ensure your application will be approved.
Over the past 15 months or so, HARP has worked with a wide variety of parrots, including budgies, cockatiels, conures, quakers, ringneck parrots, african greys, cockatoos, and macaws – oh my! Today, we want to introduce you to a parrot of another species, and this sweet girl is named Missy.
Missy is an eclectus parrot, and she is 9 years old. There are many unique things about eclectuses (yes, spellcheck, this is the correct spelling and term), one of them being that they are sexually dimorphic. Most parrots do not reveal their gender in any visual way, except for the eclectus. No, she is not just dressing up for the July Fourth holiday: male eclectus are mostly bright green, while females are a combination of red with blue and purple. There are five species of eclectus, and Missy is a Papuan (or Solomon) eclectus. (The Oceanic Eclectus is extinct, but its scientific name is Eclectus infectus!)
A stunningly beautiful bird, Missy’s first owners were likely unprepared for the reality of keeping an eclectus like her healthy and content. When she was 5, Missy was rehomed, and lived with a family who did extensive research on the appropriate ways to provide care and enrichment for her. When she showed signs of illness, they took her to see an experienced avian vet; sadly, her primary caregiver’s own health was in decline at the same time. They made the difficult decision to surrender Missy to our organization in order to give her a more stable life with someone who can continue monitoring her health and well-being.
Missy’s foster home continued treating her bacterial pneumonia, but she continued to display symptoms. After another visit to our avian veterinarian, Missy did another round of treatments, and seems to be doing better. Her forever home will need to stay on top of Missy’s medical care and conditions by having regular check ups with an avian veterinarian, and learning the symptoms she might display that would warrant a follow-up appointment.
The digestive system of the eclectus parrot is slightly different from other parrots, in that it is a little slower. Some experts believe this is due to a longer digestive tract, but whatever the reason, it is important to understand that whatever food is consumed will be in the body for a longer period of time. This gives the eclectus the ability to absorb more nutrients from its food; at the same time, if it is consuming lots of sugar, fat, food contaminated with heavy metals, or an imbalance of minerals and vitamins, those things are also more likely to be absorbed and cause issues with the bird’s health. Her foster is currently serving her chop with ground flax seed (ingredients will be shared, along with guidelines on what to include and what to stay away from) and Harrison’s Lifetime Coarse pellets. When she needs medicine, Missy has been taking it with applesauce, and she gets bits of various nuts for training rewards.
Female eclectus, in particular, are not generally known to be “velcro” birds, and Missy is not either. Her foster describes her sociability as similar to a cat: Missy will want to interact a little bit, but only on her terms and her time schedule. She might seem aloof, but typically does want to be around people. Just not directly interacting with them all of the time (she is not going to be a cuddly bird). Missy can be somewhat territorial of her cage, mostly around her food dish; her foster is working on counter conditioning and she has been improving, but her new home should expect to continue doing this (we can show you how!). “Once she’s familiar with you, she will happily approach and take a treat through the bars,” notes her foster caregiver.
Missy does seem to prefer a clothed arm to step up on rather than bare skin (which could be just due to a better grip). She often will climb from the arm to the shoulder, and while she has never tried to bite from this vantage point, she will chew on whatever is nearby (the couch, your sweatshirt, etc). Once she is settled in a new home, Missy does seem to enjoy spending time outside her cage, and often sits on the back of a chair, a stand alone perch, the top of her cage, and of course, on her person. She enjoys playing and chewing on toys outside her cage, but she will not engage with them inside her cage. (Unlike many other parrots, her toy budget will likely be relatively low, as many of her playthings last for quite a while.) Occasionally, her foster reports she is not always willing to go back into her cage, but can be lured pretty easily with a treat.
Aside from making kissy noises (and maybe “hi”?), Missy is not much of a talker. Most of the day, she is relatively quiet, but when she does sound off, it is very loud – her foster says she is maybe the loudest bird she has cared for! Typically, she will holler because something distressing is happening: she sees another bird, people she does not know enter the room or who try to care for her, etc. For this reason, Missy will need a detached home with no shared walls.
Her vocalizations at the sight of other birds is also an important thing to note. While she has not shown aggression towards people, she is not a fan of other birds and will attempt to strike at them, even through cage bars. In her foster home, Missy’s cage is in another part of the home from the foster’s personal birds, and if her new home has birds already, they should understand that Missy will need to be housed, interacted with, and have out of cage time in an entirely different space. Ideally, Missy would be an “only” bird for this reason.
We never trim a bird’s wings, and we strongly advise against it 99% of the time (it truly should only be done out of medical necessity and by a qualified avian vet). Missy can fly, but not well; typically she only takes off when she is spooked or when she wants to go back to her cage. Flight is a great exercise for Missy (and parrots in general), so encouraging her to practice would be a great way to offer that!
Missy’s foster has noted that she can be fearful, particularly of new or unfamiliar things (such as a new perch). The foster has been working on desensitizing new items by offering a nut (a positive reward) for sitting on the perch (something she would not otherwise try). It does help if, for example, when she sits on this new perch, she gets to hang out with the people in the household (which is another positive reward for Missy!).
If you are interested in learning more about Missy and possibly adopting her, please fill out an application today!
This is Jon – we think he’s the prettiest little green cheek conure* we have seen! (*along with all the other conures we have worked with or are working with or will work with) His name is Jon, but honestly, we don’t know for sure whether Jon is a male or female. Prior to joining HARP, Jon was kept with two other conures, and his owner noted that while there would occasionally be eggs in the bottom of the cage, they were unsure exactly which bird had laid them.
HARP is very careful not to separate bonded pairs or groups of birds, but Jon and his friends had not yet developed that type of relationship. Jon is about 2 years old, we think, and while his foster has been working with him, he is still somewhat wary of hands. When his foster needs to move him from place to place, they do use a towel, which Jon has somewhat become accustomed to. This is how his nails are trimmed; he will also accept pets and some preening of pin feathers on his head in a towel!
Jon is fully flighted, and needs out of cage time daily to exercise and socialize. He does tend to follow his foster from room to room as they go about their day, so clearly, he is interested in interacting. His new home should be ready to continue working with him on trust in a slow and respectful way.
Jon’s foster family has experience with conures, and noted that he is probably “average” in terms of how much noise a conure can make. His foster told us, “He does let you know he is present, however he is not a constant screamer. He is typically quiet in the evenings and more vocal in the mornings.” Jon does seem to enjoy music and will “dance and sing” with his human flock. He does enjoy whistling, and sometimes it sounds like Jon is trying to say some words, but at this point, they are not clear enough to understand.
Currently, Jon eats Zupreem natural pellets in the medium size; his foster has tried giving him some of the smaller pellets, but he leaves them behind in his dish. He is a pellet dunker, meaning that he will dip his pellets in his water before eating them, so his new home may need to change his water multiple times a day. A quality pellet diet is important, but parrots also need to eat fresh veggies, legumes, and grains daily. His foster has offered Jon both fresh and dried veggies, but suspects he is not eating much of them (if any). This is something that his new home should continue working on with him; we can help with some ideas for diet conversion as needed.
In his foster home, Jon’s cage is situated near a window, and he seems to enjoy observing what is going on outside. If he happens to see a person from his “flock” pass by, he will call to them! Jon’s foster has provided a swing for Jon in his current cage, and he seems to enjoy swinging on it. While he also has several different types of toys in his cage, his foster has not yet seen him “playing” with any of them, and upon inspection, reports that they look untouched. Some birds need to be taught how to play with toys, and Jon may fall into this category. We can offer support in this area also, as needed. Additionally, Jon does not appear to be bathing himself in any of the water sources made available to him; because bathing is an important ritual for birds, his new home should be ready to work with him on this as well.
So far, Jon has not shown a preference for the company of men or women; while the fosters have several parrots of their own, it is otherwise a fairly low-key home, and it is unknown how tolerant he may be of children. Jon has been friendly with the foster’s mini macaw; they have not allowed him to mix with their conures as they can be fairly territorial. Jon and the Illinger’s have shared a perch stand without any issues. If there are no other birds in his adoptive home, the new owner should be willing to spend a lot of time with Jon. He has seemed somewhat lonely, being away from his friends for the first time, but he seems to be slowly adjusting.
Jon’s foster has also noted that since arriving at their house, Jon has relaxed quite a bit and become friendlier. In terms of what Jon might need to be successful in a new home, his foster noted, “I feel he would do best in a home where he is let out daily to exercise and fly. A play stand would be nice as he has perched on mine while outside his cage. He is not afraid of larger birds so I feel he would need supervision if around them so he doesn't get hurt.” Jon will need consistent, confident, and plentiful interaction with his new human flock to become more trusting of people. If you have the time, Jon is ready to charm you with his sweet little face.
NOTE: Jon does not come with a cage of his own, so his adoptive family will need to supply one that is clean and of an appropriate size for conures (32” wide x 23” deep, with ½” to ¾” bar spacing). Please do not purchase a cage before you are approved to adopt Jon; we list the minimum size in order for you to get an idea of how much you may need to invest in a cage.
Attention! Is there anything more fitting than a military macaw named General? A few times a day, General will have something VERY LOUD to say, but otherwise the the similarities stop there. We believe General to be about 25 years old, and while we are saying “he/him” we don’t really know if he is male or female. At one point in his life, General had been dearly loved and carefully cared for, but through no fault of his own, he came to us after being neglected for some time when his owner began experiencing health and aging difficulties. Military macaws sometimes have a bad reputation for being a difficult or aggressive species, but General’s foster family has found him to be the complete opposite!
General is very gentle, and has been consistently stepping up (for adults) onto the wrist. Like many macaws, General will blush when given lots of individual attention and praise! His favorite activities seem to be watching the family goings-on (there are kids in the home) and having out of cage time to observe just a little closer. General has been good with the kids in his foster home, but all interactions need to be closely supervised, simply because of his enormous beak. He has been known to bite when overstimulated, so understanding macaw body language will be very important in his new home. Parrots largely use their beaks to understand their world, and his foster tells us that General does like to (gently) explore their hands while out of the cage. General’s foster believes that a busier home would be better for him than one that is very quiet and calm.
Like many companion parrots, General tends to know when he will be put back in his cage, and will do everything he can to avoid it. We can help with ideas on how to make it easier and more rewarding for General to be in his cage, but it will be important to continue providing quality out of cage time. His foster suggests that a playstand or climbing apparatus would be important to have for a bird like General. While we believe General might have the ability to fly (his wings are not clipped), and sometimes he acts like he would like to fly, he has not yet; we suspect his flight muscles have atrophied some over the years, which will happen when a bird is cage bound.
Inside his cage, General can often be found hanging near the top. He is not much of a toy destroyer (meaning, his toys usually last a little longer than for most birds his size) but he does like to chew on wood and shred paper and cardboard pieces.
In addition to his daily screeching (about three times a day), General also grunts and seems to babble word-like sounds. In the places where military macaws fly free, they are often in a social group with between 50 and 100 birds, so their calls have to travel miles, sometimes. Of course, it isn’t quite so appreciated in our homes, but this is part of having a macaw as a companion. Because of the noise factor, General will need an adopter with a stand-alone house (and patient neighbors, depending on how thick the walls are!).
General came to us on a seed diet, which today we know is harmful for our companion birds. He started eating Zupreem pellets (large size) easily in his foster home, and also gets a veggie-based chop mixture every morning. His foster does hide a few seeds in different places in his cage for him to find while foraging, which also gives him a healthy thing to focus on while people are away at work and school. His new home will need to continue feeding General a healthy pellet and chop mixture – he seems to enjoy it!
Another important part of a parrot’s life is bathing, and fortunately, General seems to enjoy it! He isn’t into a “tub” bath, so to speak, but quite enjoys a spray or misting shower regularly, which can help to keep his feathers and skin healthy. It is important to use only water (it can be mixed with a tiny amount of pure aloe) when helping birds bathe.
Some parrots have preferences for men or women (though they reserve the right to change their mind at any time!), but right now, General seems to pick the lady of the home over other people. General is not a fan of the other animals in the home, however; he is very wary of them. If he is put in a position where he is near the resident parrot, General will try to move away from them first, and if he is stuck, will posture and lunge (a very macaw thing to do!) to keep them at bay.
General did see our avian vet for a general check up, and nothing remarkable was found, aside from some damage to his feathers. We suspect he barbers (overpreens) them, but lowering stress levels by spending time with him and allowing him more time out of his cage does help. When our coordinators first met General, he had no tail feathers at all, so he is doing much better!
The family who is fostering General has quickly fallen in love with him, and goodbye’s will be difficult. Finding the right forever home and family will help ease the transition, so if you think you might be up for the task, please apply today!
If you are looking for a challenge, or a “project bird”, we have the perfect parrot for you: Kiwi! You might think she looks as sweet as a little kiwi (and we agree!), but she also has a lot of qualities in common with a lit firecracker.
Kiwi is a quaker (also known as a monk parakeet), about 3 years old, and while we say “her” we don’t know whether she is male or female. Previously, she belonged to a young girl, and unfortunately, learned to communicate her needs in a not-so-sweet way.
First, a few basics. Kiwi came to us on a seed diet, but her foster was able to convert her easily to eating Zupreem fruit blend pellets and a fresh veggie and grain chop. She still gets a couple of seeds a day, but they are given by hand and used as tools for bonding and training. As a big treat, she enjoys a Nutriberry, but sunflower seeds seem to be a hit for training especially.
When we first met Kiwi, we wondered if some of her “explosiveness” might be due to pain or discomfort: Kiwi does stand and perch in a sort of splay-legged position, and will occasionally fall in her cage. She did see our avian vet, and they advised us that her knees (or that joint anyway) were turned outward, but the exact cause was unclear. They suggested it might be an issue with her hips, but in order to properly diagnose (and possibly fix) the problem, she would need further x-rays and tests, and even then, it might turn out to be something that cannot be fixed. While birds are with us at HARP, we want to ensure that they are not in any current pain and address any health problems that come up, but we also take the medical advice of our avian veterinary team very seriously. While the vet was working with Kiwi, they said that she did not seem to be in pain even when they were manipulating the joints, but they sent an anti-inflammatory home with the foster to see if it would change anything for Kiwi. After a week of the meds, it did not seem as if they did much to help her, and so her foster stopped using it. This is all good information for Kiwi’s new family to have, if they decide to pursue a “fix” or find that her posture begins to deteriorate at some point in the future. For now, her foster has added some padding to the bottom of her cage to lessen the risk of injury should she happen to fall.
Kiwi will need an appropriate cage when she goes to her forever home; the cage she arrived in was far too small for a bird her size. The Association of Avian Veterinarians recommends that quakers (also known as monk parakeets) need a cage that is at least 27” wide by 24” deep, with no more than ½” bar spacing. If you can find a larger cage with ½” bar spacing, even better: while her new family works on training and developing a trusting relationship, a lot of that can be done while she is inside a cage and will limit her ability to bite at hands. (Do not purchase a cage until you have been notified that your adoption has been approved by HARP.)
Let’s go back to the comparison to a firecracker, and rate her on a scale of * (it’s not an issue one way or another!) to ***** (something she is very good at, for better or worse).
ENTERTAINMENT VALUE (SPEECH): *****
One way that Kiwi uses to get attention is her ability to mimic human speech – and she is pretty good at it! She can do all the “viral” hits, like Bacon Pancakes and Cookie Cookie. She also says things like, Here kitty kitty, whatcha doin, and peekaboo. She enjoys doing a sort of “rap” version of pretty bird; she barks and wolf whistles, and has a whole bunch of other garbled words and phrases that she is still working on! Not all birds will mimic speech, and their interest in doing so will vary depending on the reinforcement they receive, but we understand that Kiwi did talk in her last home, so chances are good she will talk for you.
NOISE: *****
If Kiwi can not get your attention with her speech, she will scream. A lot. Very loudly. Often, the pitch is similar to the screech of a young girl. Parrots do tend to make noise at sunrise and sunset, as this is the time of day when birds naturally flock call. However, when the screaming is reinforced through attention or even treats (aka, bribes, because you can’t scream while you are eating), it becomes a difficult loop to get out of. Time spent reinforcing CALM or quiet (even if it is a little seed when she stops to take a breath!) will be important in Kiwi’s new home. Another way to calm an overly excited bird is to introduce bath time. Her foster has not seen her bathe in her cage, however, and has not worked with her on this particular issue, but if you can successfully introduce a shower by using a spray bottle, and she enjoys doing it, it can be a great tool. It should never be used as a punishment, but if a bird will stop to bathe, their whole mindset gets a chance to reset – kind of like a warm bubble bath. But no bubbles for birds. Because Kiwi has the ability (and for now, the inclination) to be very, very loud, she will need a family with an unattached, single house.
FUN AND FRIENDLINESS: **
Kiwi loves to be around people, and attention from humans is a big reward for her. Again, however, she has learned that things like biting (see next) and screaming will get a reaction from people, and whether that’s a good or a bad reaction, she does not care. Any and all attention is fun and entertainment for her. Kiwi does need out of cage time to be able to climb and explore (and work off some of that pent up energy!), and she will try to climb up arms to get to shoulders to bite heads and faces. (Again, big reaction = lots of fun for Kiwi!) Her new family will need to understand that her bites are not personal – she doesn’t hate you, but rather, wants your attention! Kiwi just doesn’t know any other way to tell you that. She does not understand the request to step up – so again, lots of things to teach her! For someone who has the patience and time to work with her, she should be an easy bird to train and Kiwi has the potential to be a very cool friend.
DANGER (BITING AND AGGRESSION): *****
Public PSA: don’t give a lit firecracker to a young child. They may not come away with injuries requiring a hospital visit, but it’s a chance you really don’t want to take. Same thing with Kiwi. Most days, if you asked her foster, little Kiwi will choose violence. If you’ve read this far, you know why! But it bears repeating, that at this point: Kiwi bites. Often. Very hard. And she will continue doing so until she learns another way to communicate. Like many quakers, Kiwi can be cage aggressive, so even under the best circumstances, do not reach inside her cage. It’s not respectful, and she will come after you. By attaching a perch to the door, you are creating a bit of a neutral zone when you open it to give her out of cage time. Her foster still uses a towel to gently pick her up and move her to a safe place to hang out. Kiwi can not fly at this time: her young owner clipped her wings very, very short (another reason she may have trouble balancing), and it will take time for them to molt and all grow in again. She acts like she wants to fly, though, and truthfully, some of her aggression may be due to the fact that she can not perform this very instinctive bird activity. While flightless birds can exercise and be active by climbing and walking, wing clipping often leads to very serious mental health issues for birds, which is why we discourage it unless it is medically required by an avian vet.
EXPENSE (AKA, TOY AND VET BUDGET): ***
Kiwi loves to destroy toys – which is great news, because that means she will spend less time trying to destroy your home! She particularly enjoys toys made of cardboard and soft woods (sola, balsa) that she can easily rip up. Kiwi’s foster has found that she will snip the cords to toys hung from the top of her cage before she can actually play with them, but she usually does better when they are hung from the side of the cage. She goes through toys quickly, but the materials can be easy to source and with a little research you can make your own, though toys for her size of bird are usually more affordable than those required by larger birds. Predicting vet costs is somewhat more difficult, but like any companion animal, Kiwi will need to see an avian vet at least annually, and as she gets older, she may need to go more frequently. Unforeseen emergencies do happen, and they can be costly, but preventative care goes a long way as well. As a rescue we have had emergency care bills range from $150 to more than a couple thousand, so regularly putting cash aside for a “parrot emergency fund” is often a good idea.
If you are up for the challenges and rewards that Kiwi comes with, we want to meet you! Please fill out an adoption application today!