How to List a Pet Bird for Adoption in Canada | PetzLover

Should you list your bird yourself or go through a bird rescue?

A rescue brings experience, screening and a safety net, but space is short. Parrot Partners, an Ottawa-area parrot charity, keeps intake low and takes a new parrot only after it has settled a former resident in a new home. City shelters and SPCAs also place birds, though a shelter is a big change for a bird that has lived in one home for years.

Listing the bird yourself lets you meet every adopter and keep the bird at home until the right one appears. If you go this route, borrow the rescues' methods: criteria, a fee, screening, a contract and follow-up.

How do you set adoption criteria for a bird?

• Experience: a first-time owner may suit a tame cockatiel, but a cockatoo or macaw needs someone who has kept large parrots.
• Noise tolerance: large parrots can scream loudly, so an apartment with shared walls may not suit them.
• Time: how many hours the bird is used to spending out of its cage, and with people around.
• Companions: whether the bird must go with its partner; Winnipeg Animal Services places cockatiels, lovebirds and parrots in pairs.
• Other pets and children: cats, dogs and small children all change what a bird can cope with.
• Long-term plan: for a parrot that may live 30 to 60 years, who would take it after the adopter?

What adoption fee should you ask for a pet bird?

A fee filters out impulse adopters and people who resell free birds. Pitch it near what shelters charge, and lower it for an older bird or one with health needs.

Include the cage, carrier and toys if you can; they help the bird settle. If you would rather sell, see our guide on selling pet birds.

How do you write a pet bird adoption listing?

• Species, age or hatch date, sex if known, and band or microchip number.
• Personality: tame or hand-shy, talking, whistling, how it reacts to strangers.
• Health: last vet visit, any illness or medication, diet.
• Behaviour to disclose: biting, screaming at certain times, feather plucking.
• The home you are looking for, and what comes with the bird.
• For an African grey or another Appendix I parrot, that you will pass on its breeding records or CITES import permit.
• Your town and the adoption fee.

Post your adoption listing on PetzLover with your town rather than your address, keep your phone number out of the ad text, and ask people to message you. Your listing then appears with other pet birds for adoption near you.

How do you screen people who want to adopt your bird?

1. Ask by message about their experience, household, other pets and daily routine.
2. Ask for a photo of the cage and where it will stand: away from the kitchen, outside doors and heating vents.
3. Ask whether anyone smokes and whether they cook with non-stick pans near the bird; VCA Canada warns that overheated non-stick cookware gives off fumes toxic to birds.
4. Ask whether they have a vet who sees birds.
5. Meet them, ideally at your home first so the bird can meet them on familiar ground.
6. Visit their home or do a video call before the handover for a large parrot, as rescues such as Saskatoon Parrot Rescue do with home checks.

What should a bird adoption contract include?

• Both parties' names, addresses and phone numbers, and the date.
• The bird's species, age, band or microchip number and the fee paid.
• The health and behaviour history you disclosed.
• That the adopter will not sell, breed or give the bird away without contacting you first.
• That the bird comes back to you, or to a rescue you agree on, if the adopter cannot keep it.
• Copies of vet records and, for Appendix I parrots, breeding records or the CITES import permit.

Canada's CITES law makes it an offence to hold an Appendix I parrot for distribution, which includes sale, or to offer it, unless an exemption such as captive breeding or legal import applies, so pass on the records that show yours.

How should you follow up after the adoption?

Agree on a message after the first week and again after a month. Expect the bird to be quieter or more nervous at first. If the adopter tells you it is not working, take the bird back or help find the next home rather than letting it be passed on again. Never suggest releasing a bird: abandoning a captive bird in distress is a Criminal Code offence. Adopters can read our guide on adopting a pet bird, and owners in a hurry can read our guide on rehoming a bird responsibly.