MANY HAPPY ENDINGS

by Debbie Foster

Back cover, 2010 CPR Calendar

In late 2009 we decided to display photos of birds available for adoption on the back cover of our annual calendar. We are happy to announce that EVERY bird on the cover of the 2010 calendar has been adopted!

Wonder what's happening with the birds featured on the back cover of the 2011 calendar? So far eight out of 15 have found new homes! We hope that by the end of 2011 ALL of these birds will have found new families!

You can help

Do you have a favorite bird at Parrot University?  Why not make that bird the "pin-up parrot of the month?" For a minimum $50 donation you can sponsor a bird for the 2012 Companion Parrots Re-Homed annual calendar. Your donation offsets printing costs and is tax deductible. All proceeds from the calendar sales go towards medical care for The Birds of CPR.

For more information, contact Debbie at info@companionparrots.org.

HELP US SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT CPR

Here's two simple things that you can do. The birds will thank you.

Follow us on Facebook

CPR's Facebook pages feature the 'Bird of the Week', adoption stories, reader stories, photos of the birds, classes and events.

Several of our adopting families now post on our Facebook page about bringing their new bird home and their lives together. 

Help 'The Feathered Forum' go social

Use the share links at the top of this newsletter to share 'The Feathered Forum' with your friends.  Ask them to join our mailing list to receive future issues.

Emmy the student

Last month we talked about wrestling alligators and how hard it could be to get your bird into a carrier to transport it. This month we're going to address another common issue: toweling.

Birds need to be restrained in a towel for a variety of reasons -- an annual vet exam, a broken blood feather or other injury, nail or feather trims and sometimes for reasons of safety. As a rule, it's not a positive experience for them. Remember, positive reinforcement always gives the bird a choice and being wrapped up like a burrito isn't a choice that most birds will make!

So what do you do? Let's teach the bird that towels don't have to be big, scary things. Let's reward the bird for being around the towel, while still giving it a choice.

You know your bird best, so ask yourself how your bird feels about towels. Does the bird flee the scene at the sight of one? Does it go on the attack when a towel is presented?

As usual, we're going to break things down into baby steps. Hang the towel where your bird can see it, but not on its cage. Be casual. Drape the towel across a chair and walk away. Monitor your bird's body language. When you notice that it seems relaxed, move the towel a little closer. Reward your bird for being calm around the towel. Give him/her a head skritch or a little bite of a favorite treat.

Find a flat surface, like a table or maybe the floor. Bring your bird to this spot, praising her lavishly and offering treats. The towel should be nearby, but not necessarily on the table. It will depend on your bird. Remember, choice!

In the video, you'll notice I rolled up two towels into tubes, and put them side by side with about six inches between them. Depending on the size of your bird, you might use two washcloths or two beach towels. Make sure the bird can easily pass between them without touching the towels.

Using your target training, ask the bird to come closer and closer to the towels, eventually starting the bird down the path between them. This might take a while, so be patient and make sure it's fun for your bird. Generally, birds will train for 15-20 minutes. If you like, you can try a training session in the morning and one in the evening.

When your bird happily toddles the entire distance between the towels move them a tiny bit closer and repeat the process.

Now comes the fun part!

Fold a towel lengthwise so that it can form a bridge over the two rolled towels. You don't want it to be more than about two inches wide. The bird should easily be able to pass under it without any constraint at this point. Use your target and ask the bird to come up to the bridge, stick his head under the bridge and finally pass completely under the bridge. Repeat this several times, making sure the bird is completely comfortable and well-rewarded.

Gradually widen the bridge, from 2" to 4", then from 4" to 6", asking your bird to pass under the bridge multiple times. Eventually you'll be able to unfold the towel completely.

What has happened here is that you have gradually desensitized your bird to the towel. It doesn't see it as an object of fear or torture any longer, but a chance to bond with you and earn treats. When you watch the video you'll see that Emmy looks like she absolutely loves doing this. In fact, sometimes she does it without being asked!

Over the long haul, you'll be able to reduce the size of the path between the towels, which means your bird is used to the feel of the towels on its side and back. You can even exert very gentle pressure on the bird's back as it passes under the bridge when fully extended. Eventually you can gently pick the bird up for a millisecond in the towels.

Slow, steady, positive effort - with amazing results. I guarantee you'll love this as much as your bird will love it!

Do you have any requests for training columns? Let me know and I'll try to cover them in a column and video the training.

Volunteer Training

Thanks to all the volunteers who showed up for "Volunteer Event Training" on June 25.  Lindsay Boardman, Steve Hrisikos, Stephen Platte, and Connie Thompson have all already spent a lot of time helping, and we appreciate all of them.  We are very fortunate to have a loyal group of volunteers who show up regularly to help carry out our mission.

New email address

We have a new, dedicated email address for volunteers.  Current and future volunteers can now contact Lynda Rettew, Volunteer Coordinator, at volunteer@companionparrots.org.

July Volunteer Spotlight on Paula Randolph

Paula Randolph

Paula and Doug Randolph discovered Parrot University when they moved to Charlotte in 2006 and were looking for a place to board their budgies.  "When we met Karen Justice, we realized that we had found our hero and we really wanted to be involved with CPR".

 

Paula and Doug have lived with budgies for the past 15 years and say "our birds have taught us everything and changed our lives". Their three boys -- Sammy, Gussy and Willie -- are all adopted and "we try to serve as a voice for the small birds".

 

While they lived in Charlotte, Doug served on CPR's Board of Directors and Paula helped launch the website and the email newsletter. Today Paula works for CPR remotely, overseeing CPR's digital marketing efforts. She produces 'The Feathered Forum' newsletter and oversees the websites and CPR's Facebook and YouTube presence. "CPR tries to provide meaningful content for our readers. Karen and CPR Board Members are regular contributors to the newsletter. We also invite everyone to 'like' us on Facebook where you can read about new birds, classes/special events and hear from our adopting families. Lindsay [Boardman] has done a great job building our Facebook site. We have 300+ followers and there's a lot of interaction."

 

Paula says she's grateful to be able to contribute to CPR even after leaving the area. "Although I don't physically interact with the birds, I feel that I know each one of them when I edit their photos and stories and plan how to promote them through our digital media -- I do what I can to help each one find the home they deserve."

 

Paula hopes her story might help someone else create their own unique opportunity to help CPR, to find that special fulfillment while helping the Birds. "There are so many ways to help -- bring your special talent or skill or learn a new one."

 

Leslie Wieser, vice-president of CPR, adds "Paula and Doug have contributed so much to CPR and their loyalty and support has not waivered, despite the fact that they now live several states away."

 

If you're interested in volunteering, please send us your information.  There are many needs in our all-volunteer organization.  We can match you up with what makes you comfortable.  We need not only people to attend events, but also to care for birds at the store, clean habitats and prepare fresh foods; to help make toys and to make vet runs from time to time. Plus we always need quarantine and foster homes for new birds.

Lynda Rettew

Volunteer Coordinator
volunteer@companionparrots.org