I periodically encounter various animals who for one reason or another are in need of good, loving forever homes.  If you or anyone you know are looking for a new furry or feathered family member, please take a look at this page and contact me if you are interested in adopting any of the little ones listed here.  Thanks!

IN NEED OF A FOREVER HOME: 

Ixchel the Scarlet Macaw

Ixchel on the day she came to me:

Ixchel a couple of months ago:

Ixchel was given to me last fall by an avian vet whose clients had bred her, but didn't know very much about parrots or avian husbandry in general, and had inadequate substrate in the nest box.  After 8 weeks of poor nutrition and insufficient splinting, she was surrendered to the avian vet with severe splay leg because they could not afford corrective surgery and did not know how to do the physical therapy required to prepare for the surgery.  She brought her to me so I could hand-feed her and do the physical therapy in preparation for surgery.  The intention was never for me to keep Ixchel; I was just fostering her until she was weaned and repaired and ready to go to a permanent home.

Things changed.  After months of physical therapy and further diagnostics, we realized that she was not a candidate for corrective surgery, and she had adapted surprisingly well to her condition.  She learned not only how to stand on her own, but how to walk and even climb.  She also flies pretty well, but she only flies to soft, cushy objects like the sofa or her chair (pictured above; she has claimed that chair as her own!) because she has terrible balance and can't land very gracefully, so she only likes flying to things where she can comfortably crash land.  In light of her permanent handicap, I have kept her longer than was originally planned because it became increasingly obvious how special her new home would have to be.  Having said that, I am not giving up hope that the perfect home will come along.  Here is what that permanent home will look like:

1. YOU DO NOT NEED A SUPERMODEL BIRD.

She uses her tail as a crutch/tripod, so her tail feathers are often broken/beaten up, and probably always will be.  She has poor balance and limited range of motion in her legs, so she can't groom herself, so her feathers tend to have a disheveled look to them.  I give her showers and groom her myself as much as possible, which helps, but nothing is going to be able to substitute the fastidious grooming that normal, healthy birds do for themselves.  She tries to scratch herself with her shoulders, so the feathers on her shoulders will always be rubbed off.  In other words, I think she's beautiful, but she'll never be perfect.  Also, she came to me with awful stress bars all over her feathers, and she still has a few of her baby tail feathers, so those are going to be unsightly until she moults them out.

2. YOU ARE WILLING AND ABLE TO KEEP HER IN A MACAW-SAFE ROOM OR AN INDOOR AVIARY INSTEAD OF A CAGE.

Because she has splay leg and terrible balance, she can climb vertical surfaces pretty well (as evidenced by the photo above) but is not very good at navigating any surface where she would be hanging by her own weight upside down (in other words, any surface with >90 degree angle).  For this reason, she would not be able to utilize the inside of a cage very efficiently and would have limited usable space in one.  I'm also gravely concerned about her catching wings, feet, and tail in cage bars as she falls--which she does often.  She lives in my laundry room and does very well navigating the puppy pen and playgyms that are in there.  I can take pictures of her room and will post them later so you can see how she lives right now.  If you live in the Austin area, a couple of APS members have volunteered to help me and Ixchel's new family build an indoor aviary that would suit you, Ixchel, and your home, so you wouldn't be left on your own to do that.

3. YOU ARE COMMITTED TO KEEPING HER AWAY FROM YOUR SMALLER BIRDS AND ONLY ALLOWING HER TO INTERACT WITH OTHER MACAWS WITH STRICT, CAREFUL SUPERVISION.

She has injured some of my smaller birds a few times, because she is a Scarlet Macaw, and that's how they roll.  Macaws in general simply can't be trusted with smaller birds (there are exceptions to that rule, obviously, but she isn't one of them).  And since she hasn't been around another Macaw since she was 8 weeks old, she missed some pretty crucial interspecies socialization, so I'm concerned how she'll fare with other Macaws.  They could be great, but until you know that for sure, please don't take any chances.  Alternately, if Ixchel would be your only bird, so much the better!

4. YOU ARE COMMITTED TO USING ONLY APPLIED BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS/OPERANT CONDITIONING/POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT WHEN INTERACTING WITH AND TRAINING HER.

This is crucial.  If you don't know much or anything about these training methods but are willing to learn, I'm fine with that.  I will be a life-long, free resource to you for behavior consults, phone calls, emails, texts, visits, whatever you need.

5. YOU ARE NOT INTIMIDATED BY MACAW BEAKS.

Because she is a Scarlet Macaw with a predisposition towards big, dramatic reactions, lunging, and being "mouthy", and on top of that has very poor balance and uses her beak as a crutch, a stabilizer, and a lever, it is imperative that whoever adopts her will ONLY display CALM, STABLE reactions to the way she uses her beak.  Anything other than that, and she is an aggressive biter waiting to happen.  She does try to grab hold of clothes and skin to make herself more stable.  She does lunge when she feels insecure in her balance.  She does sometimes pinch my skin when she's navigating her way around--not out of aggression, but just out of hanging on for dear life.  We've definitely come a long way in mitigating those behaviors, but on some level it's important to allow her to be her sassy, brassy, crippled self.  

6. YOU ARE WILLING TO FILL OUT AN APPLICATION, SUBMIT TO A HOME CHECK, MAKE MULTIPLE VISITS TO MEET AND INTERACT WITH HER, AND SIGN A CONTRACT BEFORE TAKING HER HOME.

Also, I'd like to be able to visit her from time to time--not because I don't trust you, but because I will miss her and will enjoy seeing her again.  If you live out of state, you must be willing to either submit to a home check from a local organization who's willing to do one on my behalf, and/or do a video home check for me.  You must also be willing to travel here and spend a few days in my home, getting to know her.

I know it's a lot, but there's no point in rehoming her if it won't improve her quality of life.  With me, she has an excellent diet, plenty of space, plenty of foraging opportunities, love, compassionate training, and patience with her disability.  However, she is isolated in her bedroom with much less interaction than is ideal.  I have to split my time among seven birds, and she cannot be out at the same time as the other birds, which means that on many days she gets no more than 15-60 minutes of interaction per day.  That simply isn't ideal for a Macaw who is otherwise completely alone.  If you can provide a better life for her, I'd love to hear from you!

HAPPILY HOME: 

Stevie the Senegal

(Picture pending) 

I am happy to report that Brigit and Siobhan found forever homes!  You can read more information about them HERE. 

I am happy to report that Cariad found a loving forever home!  Yay!