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| About CPR | |
Companion Parrots Re-homed is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Our Mission
The exclusive mission of Companion Parrots Re-homed is to accept companion parrots from unwanted, emergency or crisis situations throughout the Greater Charlotte, North Carolina, area and to facilitate through training and education, new adoptive homes for these sensitive and intelligent birds.
Meet the Birds
At our website
or
at Parrot University
321 S Polk St, Pineville
Summer Visiting Hours: Monday 10 AM - 7 PM
Tuesay - Closed Wed - Fri 10 AM - 7 PM
Saturday 10 AM - 6 PM
Sunday Noon - 5 PM PLEASE HELPPlease donate securely with PayPal. Your gift of any amount will directly help the birds.
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| Free Classes at Parrot University |
Please RSVP as classes fill quickly. Additional sessions will be scheduled based on demand.
Call 704-889-2325 or email
Positive Reinforcement Training
Sun, Aug 21, 2 pm
Sat, Sept 24, 2 pm
Parrot 101
Sat, Sept 10 2 pm
Avian Medicine
Wed, Aug 17, 6:30 pm
Sun, Sept 18, 2 pm
Sex & the Single Bird
Sat, Aug 27, 2 pm
Class Schedules check 'Calendar of Events' at
Please Support Our Sponsor
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Tip of the Month |
Don't you just love all the fresh fruits and vegetables available at this time of the year? If you shop at your local farmer's market or produce stand so you can have healthy organic food that is grown close to your home, then don't just buy for yourself. Think about your parrot when you're grocery shopping!
People frequently tell us "My parrot won't eat that." Probably true, but not necessarily forever. Offer your bird tidbits of different foods. Keep trying if they don't eat it at first. Try slicing it differently or try wrapping it up in a coffee filter to create a foraging opportunity. Try wetting it and clipping it to the side of the cage. Give them their dinner when you're eating yours. Just don't give up!
While almost all fresh fruits and veggies are safe for your birds, there are some that should be avoided, such as avocados, garlic and onions. You also want to avoid offering anything with heavy seasonings or sauces.
While trying to improve your parrot's diet you might also improve your own!
- Debbie Foster
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New to CPR |
Visit our website to learn more about these birds Salsa, Senegal PJ, Cockatiel Nonny, Cockatiel No Name, Cockatiel |
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Joining Us Soon |
These birds are winging their way to CPR.
Eclectus (male)
Cockatiel
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Recently Adopted |
These birds have found new families... Azizi, African Grey Peanut & Lily, Parrotlets Bird, Amazon Gizmo, Macaw Charlie Brown, Amazon Olivia, Quaker Darcy, Quaker Thia, Cockatiel
More of our new families are posting their adoption stories, photos and updates on Facebook.
Click  to join us.
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From the Desk of the Dean | |
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Karen Justice,
President and Founder |
A Message from Karen...
We've had a very successful summer thus far finding wonderful homes for many of our birds. This is so rewarding on many levels, as not only are we helping one bird but TWO find a new life! For every bird that's placed, a spot is opened for another bird to join us.
If you follow us on Facebook (and you should!) you can follow the stories of many of our birds' first few days home and the exciting progress they make.
Positive Reinforcement Training has made a difference in the lives of many birds and their human companions. Board member Debbie Foster has created several new training videos and they are all posted on our website on our Resources page. I don't know who is more excited at a successful training session, Debbie or Cockatoo Emmy!
As I write, I'm "winging" my way to Seattle, Washington for the annual Association of Avian Veterinarians conference. I hope to bring back lots of exciting and useful information to further help all of us improve the health and happiness of the parrots in our lives. Also stay tuned for announcements of the exciting events coming to CPR during the coming year!
Thanks to all of you for your support,
Karen
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| Parrot Soup | |
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Birthday Girl Ms Bos |
News and Treats from CPR
2012 CPR CALENDARS COMING SOON
Our 2012 CPR calendar should hit the streets (and Parrot U) in early October. They make great gifts, raise awareness for the need for parrot rescue plus all proceeds support medical care for the birds of CPR. It's a win, win, win for everybody!
BOSLEY'S BIRTHDAY BASH -- A WONDERFUL DAY
If you were with us on Saturday, July 23rd, for Bosley's Big Birdie Birthday Bash, you know that NOBODY had a better time than the birthday girl herself! She waved, showed off her pretty feathers, took a bow, blew kisses and dove headfirst into her birthday cake (specially made by CPR board member Leslie Wieser). By the end of the day we're pretty sure she was saying "I can't believe I ate the whole thing!" We're also pretty sure we know what Bosley's birthday wish was -- a new home! Do you know someone who could make her dream come true? Could it be you?
DID YOU SEE US ON TV?
Did you see us on 'Larry's Look' on WCNC-TV on July 20? Despite getting up at 5:00 am, Debbie Foster, Lea Waller, Bosley (Birthday Macaw), Bird (Amazon) and Robbie (Eclectus) had a wonderful time. Debbie said "The birds chattered, whistled and sang so much on the trip over that I had a hard time hearing the GPS. Of course, once we got there...:)"
After the spot, the entire crew was standing around playing with the birds. "Bosley didn't let anyone hold her (other than Lea and I), but Bird and Robbie were passed around quite a bit. They were so-o-o-o tired when they got back."
Watch the video on our website.
A HAPPY ENDINGS STORY WITH A COUPLE OF TWISTS
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Gabby |
In 2009 we were contacted about a rescue of two macaws, one scarlet and one blue and gold. The birds had been housed in a dinky, dirty cage in a garage with no heat or AC. One of the birds wouldn't let the other one eat and she was the most emaciated bird we had ever seen. We wondered if she would survive.
Enter Gabriella, or Gabby. Her first happy ending was being taken into the rescue at Companion Parrots Re-homed. But, wait, there's more!
The second happy ending was being taken into a long-term foster home by the Smith family. This fragile little girl has been treated with love and respect as one of their flock. She has learned to play with toys, allow people to scratch her head and offer a 'Hello' for treats. She doesn't even look like the skeletal bird we first saw.
You'll notice that this story hasn't ended with "and they all lived happily ever after." We need a third happy ending. Gabby deserves her forever home. Anyone who is interested in Gabby can contact us and we'll set up an appointment for you to meet her at the Smith's home. Watch video of Gabby.
Can't wait to add the final chapter to THIS happy ending! |
| Meet The Cockatoos of CPR | | |
Birds Available for Adoption
Meet the featured birds of CPR for August-- this month we're featuring our four wonderful Cockatoos. They've all been training and are ready and waiting for new homes -- please watch the videos of the Cockatoos on our website and please come to Parrot University to meet them!
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Rosie |
Rosie
Species: Goffin's Cockatoo
Age: Unknown
This beautifully colored female was found outside and we picked her up from Animal Control. She was very quiet and shy at first, but is starting to warm up to being one of the gang at CPR. She talks a little bit, likes to have her head scratched, and prefers men. She has a broken toe on each foot, but that doesn't stop her from climbing around, and in and out, of her cage. View Video
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Emmy |
Emmy
Species: Umbrella Cockatoo
Age: 12
Female umbrellas are noticeably different in size from the males. They also have reddish-brown eyes with clearly visible pupils, unlike the males. If you've seen our training videos you know that Emmy is the champ! If you take the time to establish a relationship with her she is a very trusting bird who is a very willing worker. She is target-trained, waves, does the turn-around, is crate-trained, towel-trained and is working on harness and leash training. She's amazing! View Video and visit our website for more videos of Emmy.
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Buddy |
Buddy
Species: Umbrella Cockatoos
Age: 23
Buddy is a male in his twenties who's had multiple homes. He's been trained to track a target (chopstick) all over the inside of his cage and to allow his toenails to be filed. Recently he's been trained to follow the target to a training perch or table and is working on entering a carrier for transport. He loves to work and we're seeing a whole new side of him!
Watch video
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Angel |
Angel
Species: Umbrella Cockatoo
Age: 10
Angel arrived at CPR with a Moluccan Cockatoo named Jasmine, who has been adopted. Angel has come out of his shell since Jasmine left. He's allowing lots of people to scratch his head, takes treats, will step up for some people and has started to talk a bit in his scratchy little voice.
Watch video
Click to meet more wonderful birds that are available for adoption. You can read the birds' stories and watch the videos.
Thanks to donations and volunteer support from people like you, these birds are now in a safe, caring place, waiting to meet their new families. Please consider a tax deductible donation in any amount, to help support The Birds of CPR.
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| Happy Endings -- Zorba | |
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Zorba |
By Karen Justice
This happy ending is a perfect example of the fact that there's sometimes an exception to a rule! As a rule CPR doesn't adopt an Eclectus into a home in which there is an Eclectus of the opposite sex. Given our experience from behavior consultations, customer experiences and relinquishment requests for this species we've learned that it's problematic to have a male/female pair in a home. Seldom do we ever see a pair coexisting without feather plucking, screaming and chronic egg laying.
So when Dr. Powers contacted me about a client who had recently lost his male Eclectus and who wanted to adopt another, but had a female in the home, I was hesitant. She assured me that this home was the exception. He had a pair for many years without the problems I mentioned. They were a client of hers for quite some time and Dr. Powers felt that this was a family who understood the species well and could handle any problems that might arise.
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Zorba & Ruby |
Mr. Agliata attended our classes, had an extremely impressive home visit and adopted Zorba. I was comfortable that he and his wife knew what they were doing and were totally willing to admit if it didn't work out. And we're happy to report that we've received wonderful updates on Zorba including the following:
"Zorba is doing extremely well in his new home thanks to the excellent job his prior parents did in socializing him. He and his new girlfriend Ruby, are out all day on their cage when I'm home and they share each other's food and treats. Animal crackers are a favorite treat for sure but Zorba will try to get his share of anything and everything I am eating. Pizza crust and Italian lemon ice are two of his new favorites and he's learning to speak Bronx English too. Regular diet for both birds is soft cooked food and Roudybush pellets each day, with seed given only on Sunday in lieu of the cooked food.
 He has never bitten anyone and my grandchildren love holding him. Allison, my 8 year old granddaughter needed a sweat shirt to hold him because his nails were extremely sharp at the time. When I leave the bird room briefly I usually find Zorba sitting on my recliner or my desk waiting for my return.
I am hoping that with time he will develop the trust so that he can be scratched and petted as I do with Ruby. He is saying "hello" quite a bit now, mostly when no one is in the room. He really does not have any bad habits, fortunately.
 Thanks again and continued success".
Our congratulations to Zorba and Ruby and the Agliata Family. |
| Positive Reinforcement Training Tips | | |
Vocallzation Training
by Debbie Foster
Would you like to know how to address a particular issue with your bird? Please send your requests for particular topics to cover in this column to me at info@companionparrots.org.
While I'm waiting for your requests, I decided to address what is probably the number one issue with parrots -- the noise level.
"Noisy" is such a relative term. We've had several people complain about their budgie being too loud (stop laughing, all you cockatoo owners!). I think there's a tolerance level hard-wired into each individual. I have an umbrella cockatoo, yet think the Conure yells are awfully raucous.
Regardless of what type of bird you have, the noise level may be an issue for you. What can you do about it?
First, I think it's important to understand that there are things we cannot change, things we can change and ways that we may be able to control the situation or environment.
For example, if you tell me you don't want a bird that yells I'll tell you to go buy a stuffed animal. You can't make a bird stop screaming. It's instinctive -- it's how they stay in touch in the wild, let other birds in the flock know where the food is and alert the flock to danger.
If your bird yells and you run to see what's wrong, tell it to "stop that" or give it something to eat so it will stop, you've just taught your bird to yell. Or maybe your bird just taught you to do what it wants you to do. Guess what will happen the next time under the same circumstances?
How much yelling can you tolerate? If your bird "greets the dawn" are you okay with that, knowing it is short-lived? Are there periods during the day when your bird is more apt to be noisy than others? How long do they last? Where were you and what were you doing at the time?
Would your bird enjoy a noisy sing-along during the day? Choose a time that works for you and your schedule. Maybe you could even incorporate a little "flappercise" into the routine. I bet your bird will settle in for a snooze after expending all that energy.
I love to let my guy sit on the screen porch, but I don't put him out there early on weekends just in case he decides to be a little exuberant (I figure any neighbors who might like to sleep in won't appreciate that).
Another thing to consider is to teach what's called an "incompatible behavior." For example, it's impossible to scream and either whistle or whisper at the same time. Teach your bird to do one (or both) of these things and reward it lavishly with a favorite treat. Make sure you have the behavior on cue, so you can ask the bird and it reliably performs. Then, when it looks like screaming may be imminent, cue the incompatible behavior and head it off at the pass.
Since Cockatoos are the number one re-homed species, most likely due to the noise level, I thought you might like to see what we're doing with Buddy. This is a good example of teaching and rewarding a desired behavior.
Train away! And remember, stay positive!
Watch video of Debbie training Buddy the Cockatoo to perform the behavior.
Want to learn more? Reserve your seat now for the next Positive Reinforcement Training Class -- free at Parrot University on Sunday, August 21 at 2 pm. |
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Volunteer Corner | | | AUGUST 2011
by Lynda Rettew
Thanks to everybody who worked at Bosley's Birthday Bash, helping to keep an eye on the birds and keep them safe, as well as helping with the raffle and cake. Special thanks to the Stein family, the Dunlap family, Marcela Diaz, Caroline Stott, Connie Thompson, Steve Hrisikos, David Rettew, Val Vajay and Stephen Platte.
As always, thanks to all of our board members, also all volunteers, who showed up for the same duties. Your dedication and effort continue to impress and inspire me.
Extra special thanks to those who did duty on the sidewalk in the heat! It was a tough day out there.
If you're interested in joining our group of dedicated volunteers, please email me at volunteer@companionparrots.org. Thanks.
Lynda
Lynda Rettew
Volunteer Coordinator
volunteer@companionparrots.org
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Enjoy the rest of your summer! See you in September!
The Birds of Companion Parrots Re-homed
Karen Cheek Justice, President & Founder
Board of Directors
Volunteers
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