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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
Visiting Hours:
Mon - Fri 10 AM - 7 PM
Saturday 10 AM - 6 PM
Sunday Noon - 5 PM Please consider a tax deductible donation. Your gift of any amount will directly help the birds.
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| FREE Classes at Parrot University |
Please RSVP
Call 704-889-2325 or email
Parrot 101 plus one additional class is required for adoption
Parrot 101
Wed, Jan 9, 6:30 pm
Sun, Jan 27, 2 pm
Avian Medicine
Sun, Dec 16, 2 pm
Sat, Jan 26, 2 pm
Positive Reinforcement
Sun, Jan 6, 2 pm
Sex & the Single Bird
Sun, Jan 13, 2 pm
Check the 'Calendar of Events' at
Please Support Our Sponsor
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Recently Adopted |
These lucky birds of CPR have recently found new families. Join us in wishing the birds and their families wonderful new lives together!
Kahlua, Macaw
Carpe, Conure
Satai, Senegal
Connect with us on Facebook! Our new families often post photos, videos and progress reports about their new family members.
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Joining Us Soon |
In Quarantine
Mija, White-bellied Caique
Gleeson, Jardine's Parrot
Peaches & Pebbles, Budgerigars
Pablo, Maximillian Pionus
Andy, Yellow-naped Amazon
Waiting in the Wings
DYH Amazon
Blue-fronted Amazon
Timneh African Grey
Congo African Grey
And many, many more!
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| Hoping for a Christmas Miracle | | |
by Karen Justice, President & Founder
I am heart-broken to report that Emmy and Jasmine are still missing. I thank each and every one of you for your efforts toward bringing them home. Let us all pray for a Christmas miracle and that our girls will be returned to us.
 | | Jasmine |
Leads come in almost daily and each is thoroughly investigated. We continue to receive periodic television coverage so that the faces of the thieves are out there. The reward is in place at $1500 for their safe return, NO QUESTIONS ASKED. As good as the surveillance photos are, surely SOMEONE knows these individuals and will tell us.
While I feel this is an isolated incident that was thoroughly planned, we have taken several measures to increase security at Parrot U. Sadly some of these measures are costly, diverting funds from the care of our birds, but definitely to their benefit. One measure to be taken immediately is that all birds large enough will be micro-chipped for permanent identification. Increased staffing and more volunteer help will put more eyes on the scene.
I want to thank everyone for their generous donations toward the reward, costs associated with the search, and our micro-chipping program. Please know each dollar will be used to the benefit of our birds and HOPEFULLY the return of Emmy & Jasmine.
 | | Emmy |
It is very bittersweet to me that some good has come out of this horrible loss. Due to the massive publicity received, adoption inquiries are way up. Bird owners who were not aware of us have found us and are taking advantage of our classes and wonderful products for their birds. Our most recent Parrot 101 class was standing room only with 27 people in attendance! The tragedy that befell our girls has not been in vain.
Another bitter-sweet moment has occurred. After many years with us, our adorable and charming couple, Carpe and Kahlua, joined their new home. I am always happy when an adoption occurs but this pair was difficult to let go. But we get frequent updates and they are very happy with their new family. In their honor our featured birds for December are bonded pairs. Each pair can be adopted at the fee for one. Our goal is to find good homes that are willing to keep them together.
Happy Holidays to you all. Thank you again for your support. May our girls be home for Christmas. |
| Mango & Zsa Zsa: Featured Pair for December | |
 | | Mango & Zsa Zsa |
Meet Mango & Zsa Zsa
Species: Cockatiel
Ages: Mango 4, Zsa Zsa unknown
Mango is a very sweet and outgoing fellow who is willing to share his love with both a human and another 'tiel. During his time at CPR he has wooed and won several cockatiels. Zsa Zsa was his most difficult conquest but his persistence has paid off and they are quite the couple.
Zsa Zsa was found outdoors so we don't know her background. She's very retiring but we feel that with some training, she would be accepting of human attention. We will provide instruction on managing this amorous pair to avoid egg laying. Watch video and come meet these cuties.
Mango and Zsa Zsa must be adopted together. In honor of the adoption of Carpe and Kahlua, they both can be adopted for the adoption fee of one. |
| Jack & Jill: Featured Pair for November | |
 | | Jack & Jill |
Meet Jack & Jill
Species: Blue & Gold Macaws
Ages: Unknown
Jack & Jill are a very bonded pair of Macaws that we took in from a puppy mill seizure by the Humane Society. Sadly we have no background on them, including their names or ages.
Jack is a friendly guy who will step up. Clearly they have been pets. Jill is extremely jealous of Jack showing attention to someone else. They both say "Step up!" and "Group hug!" as well as "apple" and "Bye." Both enjoy toys, especially wood! They are delightful to watch as they interact with each other. Watch their video and come meet this pair.
Jack & Jill must be adopted together. In honor of the adoption of Carpe and Kahlua, they both can be adopted for the adoption fee of one. |
| Poe & Gipper: Featured Pair for November | |
 | | Poe & Gipper |
Meet Poe & Gipper
Species: Poe - Nanday Conure; Gipper - Jenday Conure
Ages: unknown
Poe & Gipper are a bonded pair of male Conures who have been with CPR for over four years. They came to us due to the previous owner's health issues.
Gipper is a "special needs" bird as he is on daily medication for self-mutilation. Even with his meds he periodically will mutilate, requiring wound care and sometimes antibiotics. Poe is extremely possessive of Gipper but both are quite sweet and interactive. Due to his nakedness, Gipper must also have a source of supplemental heat. Prior to their last home, life was not very kind to either of them. These two boys greatly deserve a home full of love and security. Watch their video and come meet these delightful guys.
Poe and Gipper must stay together. In honor of the adoption of Carpe and Kahlua, they both can be adopted for the adoption fee of one.
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| Happy Endings 2012 | |
Our 2012 Adoptions
 | | Carpe |
As we approach the end of 2012, I took a peek at our year-to-date statistics.
While we still have a little time left in 2012, our adoption total for this year stands at 50 birds happily placed. To date for 2012 we have brought 47 birds into our care. There are several families currently in the adoption process, so let's hope the total goes up before the New Year.
Congratulations to all of the deserving birds in their new homes and THANK YOU to the wonderful families providing them!
My New Year's resolution is to increase the adoption total by 20% in 2013. Oh, what the heck, let's be optimistic, what about 30%!
-- Karen Justice |
| Holiday Open House -- Saturday December 15th | |
December 15, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm at Parrot University
Please join us on Saturday, December 15th from 11 am to 4 pm for our annual Holiday Open House at Parrot University.
We'll have light refreshments and great sales throughout the store. Plus, when you purchase one of our 2013 calendars, we'll take 20% off the second. It's a unique gift for friends and family and 100% of the proceeds go towards the support of the birds in the program.
We know everyone is saddened over the theft of our beloved Emmy and Jasmine. We are so, so grateful for the outpouring of love and support from our bird community and the many volunteers who have stepped up to help in so many different ways. So we celebrate YOU this holiday season and hope that you will stop by to celebrate with us and the birds. |
| CPR 2013 Calendar | |
 | | 2013 Calendar Cover |
Our 2013 Companion Parrots Re-homed calendar makes a wonderful holiday gift AND all proceeds directly help the Birds of CPR.
The theme of this year's calendar is 'Ready for my Close-up" and you'll see what that means when you see the details in the photos of these beautiful birds.
Calendars are $15 each. Add $3 for shipping (mail only). Calendars can be purchased at Parrot University. Or to order, call 704-889-2325 or email info@companionparrots.org
Take advantage of the 20% off your second calendar promotion during our Holiday Open House! |
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Train Away! | | |
by Debbie Foster
 | | Fiona, Parrotlet |
I can't tell you how many times we've had someone tell us that their parrot only likes them or hates everyone else in the house. Unfortunately, a lot of those stories end with the bird being surrendered in order to keep peace in the household.
So let's take a look at what can be done before the bird loses its home. First, the favored one needs to take a step back. I completely understand how flattering it is when you're the one the bird loves. But that's not the key to success in the household. In fact, it can become a dicey and dangerous situation.
Second, identify the bird's very favorite treat. This is a time when it's okay if it's not the healthiest choice, as long as you control the portion size. So maybe it's a tiny piece of a Dorito. Here's where we start to make a change. The ONLY source of this treat will now be the person the bird doesn't care for. To start, the person might just drop the treat in a food bowl and walk away. Repeat this until you see that the bird has figured out that this person produces that treat. It probably won't take very long.
Then try offering the bird the treat while it's still in the cage. Doing this with the bird caged will make the person more comfortable. The bird can't stick its head through the bars; if you are bitten while the bird is in the cage, your fingers were clearly too close, right? So think about how you hold the treat and how close it needs to be for the bird to get the treat and not your fingers.
If you're concerned about aggressive behavior -- oops! That's a label, so let's talk about what it might look like: eyes pinning, tail flaring, feathers puffed up, beak striking bars. I think we can agree that this is a good behavioral description of aggression. Now, you have two choices. The first is to ignore it and continue to train. The second is to calmly, silently, remove the treat, turn around, count to three slowly, then turn and offer the treat again. This tells the bird that the treat will only be delivered when aggression is not present. You'll be amazed how fast the bird will figure this out.
Think of other hands-off activities that your bird can do with the least-favored folks: target-training, the turn-around, showers with a spray bottle and feeding breakfast, lunch or dinner.
What we're doing is incorporating the bird into a larger flock, teaching appropriate behavior, and teaching that all people in the flock have value. A win-win for all involved parties!
Train away!
P.S. We're doing something very exciting at Parrot U: we're collecting data on a problem behavior, then designing and implementing a behavior modification. Can't wait to tell you about it next month! |
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Volunteer Corner | | | by Lynda Rettew
There are so many volunteers to thank this month who have helped with the search for Emmy and Jasmine. We've had such amazing support from so many that we could not begin to name you all. You know who you are and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. There are two people we'd like to thank in particular that were instrumental in getting the search started.
First: Brad Link. Brad showed up at Parrot U the night Emmy and Jasmine were taken and worked for hours converting the security feed into files that we could use to make flyers and send to TV stations. He came immediately when we contacted him and got the job done. Brad, there are not adequate words, but still, thank you so very much.
Second: Lindsay Boardman. Lindsay spearheaded so many projects for us that were instrumental in spreading the word. She spent countless hours compiling lists of pet stores and veterinarians to contact then did many of the contacts herself. Lindsay manages our Facebook page, which in and of itself has been a full time job since the abduction. She oversaw the compilation of a list of flea markets to be searched then drove all over S.C. catching the ones where we had no volunteers to attend. And the list goes on! She continues to tirelessly monitor Facebook and follow up on the tips we receive. Thank you, Lindsay.
 Our deepest appreciation to the dozens of volunteers who spent their weekend searching flea markets and distributing flyers and to those who gave of their time to assist at Parrot U with answering phones and talking with people as they came by to show support.
Sadly, our work is not done. PLEASE continue to spread the word on Facebook and other social media, keep posting flyers wherever you can, monitor Craig's List, EBay classifieds, etc. We ARE NOT giving up hope.
My best wishes for the holiday season. And please contact me if you would like to help CPR in any way. Thanks so much.
Lynda Rettew, Volunteer Coordinator
volunteer@companionparrots.org |
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We'd love to hear from you. Please send your comments or suggestions to info@companionparrots.org. Thanks to all of you for your support.
The Birds of Companion Parrots Re-homed
Karen Cheek Justice, President & Founder
Board of Directors
Volunteers
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