Hedgehogs and Angels continued
Needless to say, we bought the cockatiel to get it out of that room. That was Morgan who turned out to be a girl, eggs and all. She’s a doll. After Morgan we purchased 16 more birds to get them out of over-crowded pet stores and just to get them into a much needed home setting. Back then there were four of us taking care of the birds: my husband, his aunt who lived with us, a young girl that came in on Saturdays to take care of cages, and myself. After Ralph’s aunt passed away (the doctor said that she lived three years longer than they expected because of the birds) and the young girl became a teenager; it was just the two of us caring for the birds. By the way, I never did get a hedgehog.
About eight years ago we joined the Capital District Cage Bird Club and were asked if we would be interested in adoption. Well, of course, it would be wonderful to help. In the beginning we were getting about two calls a week from the person who was running the hot line. I ‘believed’ that she didn’t have anyone else to call. Our first rescue was on a very cold February night. With a blanket and carrier, we found the house. The man said “Let me put my pit bull inside, he doesn’t like people or the birds...ha ha ha”. I didn’t think any of this was funny. Especially when we found they were kept downstairs and downstairs didn’t mean on the first floor. The two cockatiels were in the cellar on an old washing machine in a small cage full of sunflower seeds and a wild bird seed bell. No lights. No windows. No toys! I said “Let’s just get the cage and get out of here”. My husband, Ralph put the blanket over the cage and went to lift it. He said this cage is awfully heavy. When we got home, we realized that the entire tray (about 6” deep) was full of poop. Needless to say, the birds got a new cage immediately. It took me about three weeks to convert them to pellets and I did allow them a wild bird bell for another month. We named them Stewart little and Little Mouse because they sounded like mice. I wonder why?
Within the last seven years we’ve adopted many birds of all sizes. The love for these birds has grown and the interest in educating other bird owners is foremost on our list. We attend as many functions as we can to promote education. When the president of the club got sick about two years ago, I took over the hot line. When she passed away I offered to be President. (I knew no one else would want it!).
Last October, Jane Thorwarth contacted the club and asked if we could help with donations for the birds of Hurricane Katrina. We were more than happy to help. Jane then joined the club and began
to bring me donations for our rescue. Jane donated blocks of wood for our cockatoo (sadly, not White Cloud). Then she began making us toys. She asked me what kind of birds we have and how many. She became our “Angel”. The birds always loved their new toys. Jane would also come to our events at new locations to promote education.
The money Capital District Caged Bird Club donates to us is used for part of the hotline phone bill. The rescue is ours and we pay for everything else. The owner of Affordable Pets in New York is a club member and gives us a discount on our food and toys from her store. We spend at least $600 a month on dry food and another $100 plus on fresh food. Let’s not forget the vet bills, cages and toys when we can afford to buy them.
NanC Bird, one of our members offered to lecture at our July 10th meeting. When I asked her the topic, she said it was a ‘surprise’. I trusted her and said “Fine, this should be a good one”. I had no idea how good it would be. <smiles while remembering>
July 10, 2006 came and I was not feeling too good. I had been ill for a while. It believe it was more depression than anything else. The hotline had become too much. I spend at least two hours a day on calls related to people giving up birds or lost birds and crying people. Some seasons are worse than others. I want more time to lecture but my weekends are so full with our human and bird family. We both work full time. We get up at 5:00am to take care of the birds. I make our breakfast and lunch then have about 15 minutes to shower, get dressed and run to work. After work we spend 2-½ hours each cleaning and playing with our 93 birds. That day was worse than most. I was about ready to call our Vice-President, Pat Huff and tell her she would have to run this meeting, but thought better of it. I knew NanC Bird was going to take care of most of the meeting and I could just sit there. I’ve never missed a meeting so forced myself to attend that night.
When we got there, the lights were out in the meeting room. When my husband, Ralph and I walked in everyone said “SURPRISE”. We were shocked. Jane Thorwarth, our daughter, April, Arlene Christman, Joyce Rockenstire, NanC Bird and Rita McCarthy had brought the club together for a “Birdie Shower”. The members brought food for the shower and gifts in baby gift bags for us. As well as donations of sheets, towels, cereal, corn bread mix and paper towels. They also donated items for a raffle to raise money for our birds. Gifts included gift certificates, money, food for the birds, adding machine paper rolls, spray bottles and BANDAIDS. There were many more wonderful gifts also. How wonderful to know that the members of CDCBC care so much about what we do.
More than overwhelming were the large amount of red packages that we were told to open. Before opening the gifts, we had the pleasure of meeting Angels Meryl Sheridan and Dorothy Koenemund who both drove long distances to share this experience. What amazing people to do all of this for our “love”, our birds. Rita McCarthy, long time member of the club is also a Parrot Toy Angel, which we had no idea about. We opened all these red packages for well over an hour. Cody Smith, Jane’s grandson, was very helpful in the undertaking, even holding each item up for everyone to see. There were about 200 toys for our birds. As well as birdie bread, birdie mashes, nuts and special items for our footless birds. The toys were all handmade and came from all across the U.S. and Canada.
The Parrot Toy Angels are truly Angels. Our birds are content and quiet! Praise God. There is no favorite toy, they love them all. One of the items I find amazing is the tamale corn husks that our African Red Belly, Sammy loves to sit on like a perch and shred the ends. They toys came at such a great time also. The expense of feeding them has grown as our flock has grown. Toys are so expensive! There are no words to really express our feelings. I must say that I cried that day....and I don’t cry easily. You are wonderful people to have done so much in just a year.
We picked up a bird named Screamer. He was a Nanday Conure in a cage too small for a parakeet. He had no toys. His dishes were so dirty we threw them away. He had no feathers except for his head, wings and tail. He screamed so loud you could hear him two blocks away. When we put him in his new cage with new toys, a happy hut and clean food, he said “THANK YOU”........I cried that day too.
Who needs a hedgehog anyway?
Thank you Parrot Toy Angels from all of the flock....and Ralph and Linda too!!
Have you been touched by an Angel? Would you like to share your story? All submissions welcome. Please send to: editor@parrottoyangels.org