As a former rescuer of dogs I also had to step away! It is neverending and heartbreaking. Here in Florida it is worse. Not only are the people losing their homes giving up their birds and other pets but people think they are all so cute when babies and then get overwhelmed with the care they need as they get older. Most do not even get the right care in the end...especially diets for parrots. As far as I am concerned all birds should remain to fly free in their own homeland! All these pet stores should be shut down! Too much money being made at the animals expense of a horrible suffering life in most cases. Right now I am putting a wonderful stray dog I found in the street through heartworm treatments. You never want to see a dog suffer from heartworms, it is so painful for the animal! I could not let this one be picked up by animal control, I knew there was something wrong with her. So now she will be dog # 6 for me. Since living in this state for the past 3 years I cannot tell you how many others I picked up off the street only to call animal control and send them off to a doomed ending at the kill shelters. Simply horrible!

It is heartbreaking. No doubt about it. I also make an exception here and there, on a case by case basis but, generally speaking, I have closed my doors too. I just cannot handle more than I have and I don't even have that many large ones that require personal attention, most of the birds I have are the little ones that couldn't care less about people once they join a flock.

We are already beginning to put down parrots, the same way we do with stray dogs and cats. It's becoming more and more common. I personally know a couple of people that were seriously considering it because they couldn't find anybody they could trust to take in their birds. As you say, rescues and sanctuaries are full and there aren't that many good homes out there still open to adoption. The solution is to stop breeding and buying babies from petstores and breeders. If there is no demand, there will be no supply. It's as simple as that.

I have a friend who told me they were getting an M2 from a rescue. I did a lot of research on them last year when I nearly took in Gigi, a very well behaved M2. I told her to really research this, look into it. Go visit some. They're great pets only if YOU know what you are getting into. It's not the birds fault that you don't know.
She got the bird despite my warning. Long story short, the bird ended up donated to a zoo because the owner tried to KISS the new bird THRU THE CAGE bars and the bird nailed her hard in the lips. After the husband came and untangled them from INSIDE the cage, she got 7 stitches in her lips. Two days later he attacked her again. Loved her husband but hated her. I really struggled with what to do and offered to help her but they just gave up and put it in the paper. No takers. One more attack on her and they donated her. Now, she is in a good place, but this just brought home to me how people are generally so ignorant about birds.
My wife's coworker was saying they just got a peach and yellow bird, didn't even know what it was. Turns out it was another M2. And, the first day she let that big bird put her walnut cracking beak around her whole NOSE!! Jeez...why not just schedule an appointment for a nose job now! Anyway....
All of this just really makes me think twice about birds as pets. Although we love ours dearly, it's not a normal pet. And the birds suffer.
It's much like kids. Just because you can have them doesn't mean you should.
Mark

Oh my word! I consider K&K little sweeties and I would NEVER do this. I don't even stick fingers in, when they're in their cage!

So sad, but you're right Mark, more times than not it's the bird that suffers and loses a home when the human makes the mistakes.

Lord have mercy...same here! However, I have learned that over time and with experience. As we know, people are impulsive with animals. especially parrots.

As much as I have read on Cockatoos, which isn't a lot but isn't very little...I would know not to even touch them with my fingers through the cage bars.

However, my Bailey is the same way. He's a little devil in his cage. If you even walk closely by he'll lunge and snap. I tripped on the plastic carpet proctor and caught myself on Bailey's cage and he lunged and grabbed my finger HARD. I know he's a little angel...it's just how parrots are with their cages. *sigh*