Do You Need to Rehome Your Exotic Bird? Here’s What You Need to Know

Owning exotic birds presents unique challenges that some pet owners aren’t aware of when they start their journey. Many people will throw the term “forever home” around when they’re adopting a pet. However, with parrots and other exotic birds, that term takes on a new meaning. When it comes to exotic birds, one of these unique challenges can be the animal’s long lifespan. After all, some species such as large macaws and cockatoos can live up to 80 years old! As people come to realize that if properly cared for, exotic birds can long outlive their owners, they begin to recognize that rehoming their birds is more of an eventuality than a fleeting thought experiment. 

Common Reasons For Rehoming Exotic Birds

Taking care of exotic birds differs significantly from other pets. As some pet owners take the first step towards adopting an exotic bird, they may not have done their homework into the kind of attention, specialized care, and patience required to raise a bird properly. As the birds go through an adjustment period, if the pet owner isn’t ready to deal with these challenges, they may opt to rehome the bird instead of exercising patience. Additionally, if the owner got the bird later in life, they may no longer have the energy to give them the attention they need. 

There are also plenty of other life circumstances that may come up, such as needing to move to a new location where you cannot have a pet, a changing work schedule that doesn’t allow you adequate time to interact with your bird, or anything else that happens which prevents you from meeting your bird’s needs. 

Where Should You Take a Bird That Needs to Be Rehomed?

Exotic birds have more specialized needs than dogs and cats, so finding the right place to rehome them where you know that they will receive the level of care that they require is imperative. Most common pet stores do not have the training or the equipment to properly care for these birds, and if they let someone adopt them, there is a good chance that they won’t be properly educated about what they are getting into — potentially leading them to bring the bird back yet again. While some exotic bird sanctuaries might be a good fit, others may simply be a front for the owner to collect exotic birds. It’s important to vet the sanctuary thoroughly before leaving your bird there.

At Todd Marcus Birds Exotic, we know birds, and we care deeply for these amazing creatures. When someone decides to rehome their bird with us, we will properly care for them until we can find them a suitable home. When someone is interested in adopting a bird that’s had a previous owner, we carefully consider their experience and the environment in their home before agreeing to allow them to take the bird. Additionally, we get to know many of our regular customers on a personal level, which helps us to determine if they would be a good fit for the bird. After that, we often see the bird for many years to come if the new owner brings in the bird for grooming or just to socialize! 

What to Know When Adopting a Rehomed Bird

When someone begins considering adopting a new feathered friend, we want to ensure that they can meet the bird’s complex needs and have the patience to handle the adjustment period. Birds often display more anxiety while adjusting to a new environment, even more so than other animals, and the new pet owner must have the patience to help guide the bird and not put too much pressure on the animal before it’s ready. 

Choosing to adopt a bird or find a Scarlet Macaw for sale that has lived with another owner involves an acclimation process that people need to be aware of ahead of time. If you think you are up for the challenge or are looking for acrylic bird toys to help ease their transition into your home, visit Todd Marcus Birds Exotic today!

How to Keep Your Beaks and Nails in Check: Grooming Tips for Your Birds

Keeping your bird as comfortable and well-kept as possible is one of a bird owner’s most important responsibilities. Throughout a wild bird’s day, they perform different tasks and actions to keep their bills and nails in check and prevent them from growing too much. Since bird’s bills are made of keratin, they will continue to grow throughout their life. It’s why wild birds have been documented rubbing their bills and talons against rough surfaces to wear and shape them in such a way that keeps them properly balanced. However, when they are in captivity, birds may not have the ability to keep up with their grooming routines. That’s where you can help. 

Why Grooming Matters

With your exotic birds, the length of their bill and talons matter a great deal for their day-to-day quality of life. Birds will utilize their bills for a variety of tasks throughout the day. Based on their activity level, the chance for their bills to become overgrown increases and can cause problems for your bird if left unchecked. Bringing your feathered friend into a trusted bird store can be an easy solution to get their bill trimmed down to a manageable size. 

Keep Those Talons Trimmed

When it comes to your bird’s feet, the length of their nails matters more than just for appearances and preventing scratches. The birds use their feet to grasp stands, interact with their environment, and move around when they aren’t flying. If the nails are not regularly trimmed, your bird will have difficulty moving around their cage and your home than they would have otherwise. Every species of bird will vary in how often they will need their nails trimmed, but the general rule thumb is every one to three months. 

What Can I Do to Help in Between Trimmings?

While birds in the wild have multiple ways to help maintain their grooming habits, their options become a bit more limited in captivity. At the same time, they can no longer forage for their food and use these actions to keep their bills nice and shapely; the dynamic shifts when they live in a cage in your living room. There are various toys on the market that you can get for your birds that will help them maintain a semblance of the grooming routine they would have had in the wild. The variety of chew toys and bird shredding toys available in our online marketplace can help your feathered friends keep their grooming routines, even in captivity. 

You Don’t Have to Handling Grooming Alone

You can handle the bill and talon trimming on your own; however, your bird may not appreciate the procedure and hold it against you. To avoid becoming the “bad guy” in the eyes of your feathered companion, you can swing by Todd Marcus Birds Exotic and take advantage of our grooming and bird nail trimming services! We’ll help your birds look and feel their best!