Rescue Unwanted and Abandoned Companion Birds

What if there was no rescue group to take in the needy and neglected birds saved by Mickaboo?  We asked one of our supporters about the special birds she has adopted from us:

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Mieli was the sweet little guy who had suffered a scaly mite infestation before we took him in, and after he was treated his beak no longer grew properly. The upper one was close enough to normal that a reshaping once a year was sufficient, but his lower beak grew at an abnormally fast rate.  He was supposed to need a vet visit every four to six weeks to trim that, but the morning he was supposed to go for his first trim as my adoptee, the beak was normal length.  It took many weeks of careful observation to discover that the clever little guy was rubbing it back and forth on the lava rock until it was thin enough for him to snap off the excess growth by using the cage bars for leverage.  He was not only typically budgie-smart, he was also an incredibly sweet little guy who personally helped everyone else in the flock with their pinfeathers at moulting time.

Chaos and Miracle [never] fledged so they fly like rocks ... straight down to the floor.  Of course, they sometimes forget they can't fly -- after all, they know they're budgies! -- and are then quite embarrassed to be down there and needing their person's help to go back to the cage.

Poppy.... [was] the baby budgie with the funky wing that found his way to the Berkeley shelter....  When it was discovered that the little guy hadn't suffered a broken wing but a birth defect, it was pretty obvious he wasn't going to be anyone's first choice for adoption, so he came here rather than spend years in foster waiting for a forever home that probably would never be offered to him.

Well, today Miracle found himself on the floor again and when I didn't notice him right away, Poppy got to a spot on the outside of the cage where he could see Miracle and also get my attention with his chirping and acrobatics.  Once he knew I was watching him, he switched his focus toward the floor, knowing I'd follow his gaze.  Miracle stepped up to my hand from my floor and Poppy then watched him non-stop until I got him back to the cage.

Why do we save them?  Because they are intelligent, thinking companion birds who deserve it ... even when not physically perfect.

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Could you imagine a world without Mickaboo to help these special birds and the others in our rescue flock? A world where these beautiful, loving, feeling creatures are euthanized simply because they require medical care? These are the birds Mickaboo was founded for—the birds who, through no fault of their own, find themselves homeless and in need of care.

The financial support of people like YOU is what makes the Mickaboo miracle continue. Your donation today can go further – a matching gift event is underway NOW until 9 pm Pacific Time.  GlobalGiving will match ALL online donations, up to $1,000 per donor per project. (In today's event, the exact matching percentage depends on the donation total collected by GlobalGiving for its nonprofit partners.) Go to Mickaboo's GlobalGiving page to take advantage of this opportunity.

As always - THANK YOU for your ongoing generosity and support.

Links:

• We're having a party! Learn more and RSVP to our Spring Fling!

Thanks to your continued support, we have been able to continue our work of rescuing, rehabilitating, and re-homing companion birds.  So far this year, we have accepted about 20 birds and adopted out approximately that many, while caring for a flock of ~450.

YOUR help and that of our many dedicated volunteers are what make the miracle that is Mickaboo happen. Your donation today to keep the miracle going can go further – a matching gift event is underway NOW! From March 18, 6 am - 9 pm PT GlobalGiving will match your online donations at 30%, up to $1,000 per donor per project, until GlobalGiving has given away $60,000 of matching funds for all of its projects. Go to Mickaboo's GlobalGiving page to take advantage of this opportunity.

Your donations help birds like Louie, a 15-year-old female blue-fronted amazon (pictured). Louie was surrendered to Mickaboo when her guardian could no longer afford Louie’s medical needs. Louie appeared to be having great difficulty breathing, so she was immediately hospitalized and put on oxygen while veterinarians assessed her condition. 

Initial imaging suggested something was blocking half of Louie’s airflow at the base of her pharynx. More imaging over a two-week period showed large finger-like growths in the esophagus interfering with Louie’s food intake. Louie’s frantic stretching and head movements were how she had been moving food down her esophagus. Biopsies showed the growths resulted from inflammation (rather than cancer or an infection), possibly due to a vitamin A deficiency. Louie was given a vitamin A injection and other medications; her movements have become far less frantic. Follow-up care will be needed over the next several months.

Louie is now in a Mickaboo foster home where she is talking, laughing, and eating well. She says ‘hello’ and other words in a cute woman’s voice when she thinks no one is listening.

Louie’s vet bills have exceeded $5000 so far. The improvement in Louie's quality of life - priceless! Would you consider taking advantage of this matching gift opportunity to help Louie and our other birds heal and find permanent, loving homes?

Links:

• See the birds needing our help most!
• Read more about what we do
• Helpful avian care information