| Help the Birds | |
Companion Parrots Re-homed is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Your tax deductible donation to Companion Parrots Re-homed will make a real difference and help a bird in need.
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| Connect with CPR | |
STAY CONNECTED
Please share this newsletter with a friend and invite them to sign up
STAY UPDATED
 for the latest news on the search for Emmy and stories of other wonderful birds
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WATCH THE BIRDIES
Watch some great videos of the Birds of CPR in training or just being themselves
GO SOCIAL
Use the 'Share' links at the top of this newsletter to let your friends know about CPR
VOLUNTEER
Contact Lynda at
volunteer@companionparrots.org
DONATE
Click for info
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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
Thurs, Mar 7, 6:30 pm
Avian Medicine
Sun Feb 17, 2 pm
Wed, Mar 20, 6:30 pm
Positive Reinforcement
Thurs, Feb 21, 6:30 pm
Sat, Mar 16, 2 pm
Sex & the Single Bird
Sat, Feb 23, 2 pm
NEW CLASSES
Tricks, Tips and Recipes: Healthy Eating for You and Your Parrot!
Sun, Feb 24, 2 pm
What's in Your Toolbox: Strategies for Problem Solving*
Sun, Mar 24, 2 pm
*Positive Reinforcement Training is a pre-requisite - limited to 8 attendees - must pre-register
'Calendar of Events'
for class schedules
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!
Gracie Sue, Eclectus
Connect with us on Facebook! Our new families often post photos, videos and progress reports about their new family members.
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New to CPR |
Come meet the newest members of the CPR family at Parrot University.
Peebles & Peaches, Budgerigars
Pablo, Pionus
Birdie, African Grey
www.companionparrots.org |
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Joining Us Soon |
In Quarantine
Davey, Cockatiel
Kiwi, Quaker
Nora, Jardine's
Binx, Peach-front Conure
Waiting in the Wings
Eight Cockatiels
Four Budgies
Four Amazons
Harlequin Macaw
Two Parrotlets
Two African Greys
And many more...
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| Watch the News | | |
Karen and Leslie in the Headlines?
 | | Karen & Jasmine |
by Karen Justice
As you're reading this, Board member Leslie Wieser and I are in...CUBA! We are participating in a humanitarian environmental study of the wild birds of Cuba. This is an opportunity of a lifetime for us that has been several years in the making and we are ecstatic! But as many of you know about me, unusual things tend to happen to me, or around me, when I travel. So watch the news for anything about an American in Cuba in trouble. After we return, we'll be providing a presentation about this experience. We'll let you know the date.
The search continues for Emmy. Please keep your eyes and ears open. Visit bird fairs, flea markets and pet shops. You never know where she might turn up. The $1000 reward is still in place.
The new classroom isn't completely finished, but we have put it into operation anyway. Class attendance is at an all-time high and we no longer have room at Parrot U to hold many of our classes. So please bear with the messy carpet, dust and general clutter. Honestly, we are happy to be in this position! |
| Stormy: Featured Bird for February | |
 | | Stormy |
Meet Stormy
Species: Yellow-fronted Amazon
Age: 23
Stormy is a 23 year old male, Yellow-fronted Amazon that has been with us for almost five years. You may know him as our Moe's companion and protector. While Moe would miss him, we are sure he would not want to prevent Stormy from finding a family to love.
Stormy is one of our more challenging birds -- he must really get to know you before you attempt to develop a relationship. He is a robust, handsome fellow that makes it very clear through body language how he feels. Watch the video and please come meet this handsome guy who deserves a forever home. |
| Fiona: Featured Bird for February | |
 | | Fiona |
Meet Fiona
Species: Parrotlet
Age: 4
Fiona is a female Parrotlet that joined us a year and a half ago. Due to domestic violence (on HER part) we divorced her from hubby, Ben. An extremely feisty girl, Fiona went to live with our trainer, Debbie, for some 'attitude adjustment'.
Through lots of training, patience and more than one 'nip' Fiona has made great progress. She's happy to hang out with you -- once you get her away from her cage. Debbie has accomplished this by teaching her to get on a training perch to be moved. Watch a video and come meet Fiona. She would be so happy to go home with her special someone. |
| Emma Jane: Featured Bird for February | |
 | | Emma Jane |
Meet Emma Jane
Species: Blue-front Amazon
Age: unknown
Emma Jane is a bird who may have some gender-identity confusion. For seven years she was a she, until she joined CPR and it was discovered that she is a HE.
Emma definitely must be the only bird in the family. She shows a preference for women and, once a relationship has been established, will interact appropriately most of the time. You must be able to read body language and keep your guard up. She has done well in training seasons and would blossom if she could be the "only child". Watch a video and come meet Emma Jane. Maybe she'll choose you!
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| Tip of the Month -- Check Our Class Schedule Often | |
by Karen Justice
When our beautiful calendars are printed each Fall, we schedule the dates for our classes for the following year. While we always hope we can stick with the schedule, there are various reasons why it never quite works that way. So please check the schedule under Calendar of Events at www.parrotu.com for the most current listing. You can also find the class list on the left column of this newsletter. And, of course, you can always call Parrot U for information.
Occasionally we may surprise you by teaching a different class than the one you thought you were attending! Must tell on myself. I recently taught Avian Medicine to a good size group who seemed to hang on my every word only to discover afterward that each and every one were wondering what I was doing. It was supposed to be Parrot 101! Thankfully everyone needed that class as well. |
| Happy Endings - Sunny Wu | |
 | | Sunny Wu |
by Maddie & Kayia Wu
About a year ago, our parents shared some shocking news -- we were moving to Charlotte, North Carolina! It has changed our lives in so many ways. The best way of all is our Cockatiel, Sunny.
Before our move, we stayed at the hotel right behind Parrot U and begged our parents to go visit. We assumed that we would buy a bird from a breeder but after talking to Lindsay (CPR volunteer), we learned that we could adopt a bird. We had no idea! That day we fell in love with Petrie the Cockatiel, and knew that Cockatiels were the birds for us. Luckily, at the end of the summer, a young female Cockatiel was surrendered to CPR because of her owner's health problems. It was love at first sight. We came every week to see Sunny and couldn't wait to take her home.
When Sunny first arrived, she didn't like to come out of her cage and didn't really know what to do once she did. After training, patience and a lot of millet, she has discovered the reward of coming out of the cage and will do just about anything to get to your shoulder. Sunny adores head scratches and has taken up the position of 'guard bird' by tweeting loudly when anyone comes through the front door! She is the star actress in our movies and even has her own Facebook page. When we are at school she likes to hang out in our dad's office and listen to him play his guitar. She loves country music. Sunny is an expert at touch training and is learning how to toss rings out of her bowl, and take the rings off of a peg.
We are so happy that we had the chance to adopt such a wonderful little cockatiel. We never knew that such a big personality could come in such a small package. |
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Train Away! | | |
by Debbie Foster
 | | Jasmine & Debbie |
I was talking with two people recently who were considering returning the parrots they had adopted from CPR, due to behavioral issues. Both of these folks genuinely loved their birds and it broke my heart to see how upset they were about potentially losing a treasured family member. It also gave me the idea for this month's column.
What if your bird started to exhibit an undesirable behavior? It could be anything: biting, screaming, aggression toward another family member, refusing to come out of or go into a cage. How long do you wait before you do something about it?
The answer to that question may be the key to the bird staying in your home. While there's no perfect answer, the idea is that you shouldn't wait very long at all. A pattern becomes established with each repetition of the behavior. The stronger the pattern, the more challenging it becomes to change the behavior. Remember that behavior is not random. It serves a purpose. There is something that reinforces the behavior in order for it to continue. In other words, the bird is never doing it "for no reason at all".
If you haven't taken our Positive Reinforcement Training class, please consider doing so. It will give you an understanding of the role the environment plays in behavior and how you can change the environment in order to change the behavior.
The other thing that you can do is to contact us at Parrot University. We're open seven days a week and would much rather talk to you about the problem and brainstorm solutions than hear that you are at the end of your rope and want to surrender your bird. When you adopt a bird from CPR, in addition to getting a bird that has been quarantined, that has been given a thorough physical exam by an avian vet, and has worked with a trainer, you also get access to the well-trained, knowledgeable staff at Parrot U. Please take advantage of this!
How long should I wait before doing something about it? I can't answer that question specifically. What should I do? That's an easy one. Call us. Please.
Train away! And watch Donovan's training video.
P.S. Our first 'advanced' class will be offered on March 23. It's called 'What's in Your Toolbox: Strategies for Problem-Solving'. Positive Reinforcement Training is a pre-requisite for this class and it is limited to six people. You must pre-register so please contact us to reserve your seat. |
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Volunteer Corner | | | by Lynda Rettew
 | | Bosley |
Without our quarantine families, we would not be able to fulfill our mission. As most of you know, birds relinquished to CPR spend their first 30 days with a quarantine family and then are vetted before coming to live at Parrot U, where they can look for a forever home.
We owe many thanks to the wonderful families who have quarantined for us in 2012 and to some new ones who have recently signed up. Robin and Kelly Martin, the Gosselins, Jenn Feagans and family, the Herrs, the Rodriguez family, and Val Vajay have quarantined birds for us over the past year. The Wu family will be beginning their first quarantine for us shortly. And the Mathew family will soon join this group.
The only requirements to quarantine are to take Parrot 101 and have a home visit. If you have birds of your own, you need a location on a separate air supply in order to protect your own babies. Your bird(s) must have had a wellness exam and negative psittacosis test within the last year. We supply cage, perches and food -- you just need a safe place for the bird to stay during its quarantine.
If you are interested in quarantining for us, please contact us.
Please watch the newsletter for future events that you can attend to support CPR. And we still need people to help out at Parrot U on the weekends. There will be a request coming out soon in an email to try to fill in some dates for the next couple of months. Contact me at volunteer@companionparrots.org if you would like to be added to our email database of volunteers.
Thank you for all that you do.
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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