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Sophie’s Ark

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Sophie’s Ark

Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Sophie’s Ark, Animal Rescue Service, Andover, Aylesbury.

07/07/2024

🎉 S E V E N Y E A R S 🎉

I adopted Sam through The Cinnamon Trust seven years ago last week. They are a fantastic charity, who help find homes for all kinds of animals when their humans get too sick to care for them. Sam was in her Twenties when she came to me after her owner had sadly passed away and none of the gentleman’s family knew how to care for her. She’d been through a lot, and it took time, but she is the sweetest most affectionate grey now, and I wouldn’t be without her 🩶 she is the oldest bird in my flock by quite a stretch and the only female now, which of course means, she is the boss 😁

03/07/2024

🔥 Sid the Supermodel 🔥 (also scared of his own feathers)

10/06/2024

River 🩶🩵 Elwin

04/05/2024

Every night 💤 no words are big enough for how much I love him 💛

03/05/2024

All hail the captain 🐟 we do love a Fish Finger 🩵

27/04/2024

My faithful everlongs 💚💛 Samson & Noah 💛💚

05/04/2024

🩶🩵 These two have become inseparable in just over six weeks of being together. Elwin is still being medicated daily and we still don’t know why his foot is still swollen which is a real worry. River is preening him and providing much needed companionship, and getting more and more confident with me too. The two of them together absolutely melts my heart, they are the most gentle and sensitive little birds 🩶🩵

31/03/2024

A little Elwin update 🩵 he’s back home, on a cocktail of four medications, twice a day. He cost me more than my return flights to Australia did but I’d pay it again and again to have him with me for a while longer. We are still unsure of the cause of the swelling in his leg and foot, but all signs were pointing towards an illness caused by his enlarged heart. So we will continue with the medications and monitor him closely for now.

He wasn’t eating voluntarily while hospitalised, he’s a very sensitive little creature and was dropping weight. So we decided he would be happier being medicated at home, in the comfort of his own cage. He went straight to his food when we got home, and River was so happy to have him back. He was calling for him the whole time he was gone, and has been watching over him and preening him since we got back. So for now, Elwin is stable, and being monitored very closely. Thanks to all who have messaged and sent well wishes 🩵

28/03/2024

My little Elwin needs all the good vibes and thoughts right now. He’s been hospitalised, after a confusing and worrying few days. He was presenting with a swollen right foot, with no signs of an accident or injury to have caused it. He was using it fairly well, but then began chewing his talons down to stumps until they bled, indicating he was in pain and discomfort.

The usual pain management routes seemed to make little difference, and I started to suspect a dislocation or some sort of trauma to his foot - although that also seemed odd as he was still climbing and using all his toes as normal most of the time.

So tonight we made the trip to see our Avian Vets as the swelling had not improved - poor little bird suffers with terrible travel sickness so an hour in the car wasn’t nice for him. There were discussions around avian gout, but his blood results came back healthy and normal.

Sadly, an xray has revealed an enlarged heart, leading the vet to believe he may have a cardiovascular problem, causing poor circulation and chronic pain in his legs and feet 💔 more tests and opinions pending in the morning, but for now, he’s receiving fluids, pain relief and heart medication.

He’s had such a tough first two years, but has been so happy just lately with River arriving, they have bonded and become firm friends. He’s so tiny, but has had a huge piece of my heart since he arrived, so I have everything crossed for this to be something treatable and have him back home with me as soon as possible 🩵🥺 my poor little blue potato 🥺🩵

22/03/2024

I’ve not been at home this past week - so lots of attention is being demanded tonight 💛 It still amazes me after nearly 16 years how something so small can show so much affection. there is nothing quite like a Noah ‘hand-hug’ 🥹💛

14/03/2024

Who doesn’t love holding hands with their bird 👫🏻

11/03/2024

More hands required.

07/03/2024

🩶🩵 Elwin and River are settling in together a little more every day 🩵🩶 luckily I’m still getting some cuddles too 😊

27/02/2024

I took a little bit of a step back from parrot rescue last year. The combination of running my own little business, working full time and providing for the needs of 13 rescue birds with a wide variety of needs was leaving me burned out with no life. My mental health was suffering, and in turn I wasn’t able to give every bird as much attention as I wanted to, which led to guilt, and on went the cycle.

So, I moved my focus onto the birds who are bonded strongly to me with more specific needs, and let the birds who were in happy bonded pairs move on to be with someone who could give them the focused attention they deserved. A decision that I really struggled with, but deep down knew it was for the best for the birds and for me. There are still nine birds in the house; still a lot of work, but a more manageable and happier flock.

That said, I had a lingering worry about Elwin. I had never worked with Lineolated Parakeets before he arrived, and although very small, they have big personalities and specific needs. Through research I learned they are sensitive birds that are rarely happy alone, and I hated the thought of Elwin feeling lonely.

I was determined not to buy a bird as a companion for him, as I can’t in good conscience put money in hands of self-serving breeders who have no care for the birds they breed or where they end up when there are so many already needing homes. So I joined a few Facebook groups and kept an eye out for anyone looking to rehome a lonely Linnie that might be good company for Elwin. I never go looking for rescue birds, but this situation was a little different as it was a matter of Elwin’s quality of life.

It had been a while, but then a post popped up from a lovely woman looking to rehome a single bird, whose partner had passed away. Her little one was being bullied by other birds, and desperate for company. So after some long chats and plans, we decided to see if they would get on.

Introducing River, thank you Chloe for entrusting your little one to me, and giving Elwin the company he has so been longing for 🩵🩶

15/02/2024

When I first collected Elwin, he didn’t even have a name. I didn’t actually think he would survive the car journey home, he was so weak and terrified, I really thought the shock might kill him. At just six months old he had already been passed around three different ‘homes’. He didn’t make a single sound for the first few weeks. He’d never been given the chance to fly before, so his first attempts ended in crash landings and falling asleep where he landed, exhausted and breathless. He was so malnourished and unfit for such a young bird.

This was the first time he has come to me for some attention with no coaxing and without the safety net of a blanket or my phone around him. To Elwin, an empty human hand has been something to be scared of. Something that has grabbed him countless times from cages or as a punishment for biting; which only happened through fear. He’s come such a long way in 18 months, and his confidence and personality are still growing. Even the tiniest creatures have big characters, each one is unique 🩵

06/02/2024

‘Face-on Elwin’ is really quite a vibe 👀🩵🥔

17/01/2024

Poor old Tumbleweed had a funny turn today 🥺 it’s not known how old he is as his past is a bit of a mystery, but he is definitely an older bird given the arthritis in his feet and his thickened beak and claws. Had me very worried earlier, on the floor of his cage unable to stand properly. He’s doing a bit better now, sleeping off the excitement in his favourite spot 🩶

10/01/2024

Nothing beats the January blues like a naked parrot dancing to Dusty Springfield 🥹 Gladys is a big fan of Classic Gold 💛

04/01/2024

Elwin might be my spirit animal 👀⛈️🌪️☔️🥶🩵

13/12/2023

Just had to break the news to Gladys that his request for a subscription to ‘Totally N**e N**es’ is not an appropriate request for Father Christmas; and that it contains a very different kind of naked bird.

12/12/2023

My beautiful old man had his annual anaesthetic tonight for a major beak and nail trim. He handled it like a champ, and my favourite vet did a beautiful job as always 🥰 a very handsome Tumbleweed 🌈

08/12/2023

Did you ever see a more deliciously sleepy blue potato in all your life? 🩵🥔

07/12/2023

Ah, the annual game of bauble thievery has begun 🎄

22/11/2023

Sidney makes grey times a little lighter 🩶

21/11/2023

Elwin always tries his best to soothe my migraines 🩵

24/09/2023

Yesterday was a special day in my little world of parrot rescue. Back in April over the Easter weekend, I collected a wild Indian ringneck parakeet from a vet nurse in Newbury. As most people know, there are huge flocks of them in and around London now, and this bird was definitely not tamed or happy around humans. She’d been found in a road after being attacked by other wild birds leaving a nasty bald spot on her head with an open wound. Her wings had been clipped back so heavily (presumably by someone hoping to breed from her for profit) she couldn’t fly at all.

She’s been living in a cage in my bathroom for the past five months, while she and I have patiently waited for all of the clipped flight feathers to fall out, and new ones to grow in. I’ve had minimal interaction with her, in an attempt to ensure she stayed as wild as possible. She’s had calcium, vitamins, and as much healthy food as she has wanted, but you could see she was miserable in the cage, and terrified whenever I entered the room. But we had to wait until she had the ability to fly again, so she could escape danger and stand a chance of survival back in the wild.

So, yesterday we took her to a suburban park in London, with lots of tall, leafy trees and a known presence of other wild ringnecks. We took her to an area away from people, and released her. It was something I have never had the pleasure of doing before, but it couldn’t have gone better. We had a very still, clear, sunny day, and she flew straight up into the trees with no issues at all.

It was so heartwarming to watch her getting her bearings up in the top of the trees, instantly camouflaged by the foliage. Massive thanks to Benjamin for scouting the parks in North London for regular sightings of parakeets so we had the perfect release spot, and catching some beautiful shots of the moment she flew out of the cage. Oliver managed to catch it on video, which wasn’t easy as she went like a bullet when she finally chose to go. I hope she thrives back where she came from; and as I knew she was wild and not destined to stay caged I couldn’t name her, she will forever be affectionately known as Bathroom Bird 💚

11/09/2023

🩵 ONE YEAR OF ELWIN 🩵

A transformative year. Elwin is a text book example of why no bird should be called a ‘starter bird’ or a ‘beginner pet’. Did you know that lineolated parakeets, budgies, parrotlets and lovebirds can all talk, be recall trained and learn tricks just like an African grey? Just because they are small, does not mean they are any less sentient beings than the bigger parrots. Sadly, they are available in pet shops country wide, you can walk in, buy a tiny cage and let your child pick a ‘cute bird’ and take it home the same day, which is exactly what happened to Elwin. Most people expect the little birds to be cuddly because they look so cute - let me assure you, they are not. They bite hard when scared, and they require just as much time, patience, enrichment and input as a larger bird would.

Elwin had two homes before he even came to me and he wasn’t even 6 months old when I collected him. He could live 25 years. He was a terrified, emaciated, malnourished wreck and I really didn’t think he was going to survive that first week. He’d been mishandled, shouted at and left to sit in the back of a cage, terrified with low quality food - having been pulled away from his siblings and other birds at a pet shop.

There is no such thing as ‘a starter bird’. All birds should be appreciated equally 🩵

09/09/2023

Oh to be Tumbleweed 🥵🚿😎

02/09/2023

Almost 16 years together, didn’t think we would get here. half blind, battling cancer, and still the most beautiful soul I’ve ever encountered 💛 My Noah 💛

07/08/2023

My Gladys lad 🖤 Walking in to the room and seeing him sat chilling out on his cage, looking like he does at the moment makes my heart feel like it could burst with happiness. Such huge progress just lately, I barely recognise him as the same bird 🥲🥰

Address

Andover
Aylesbury
SP11

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Videos

Gladys loves Gold 💛

Nothing beats the January blues like a naked parrot dancing to Dusty Springfield 🥹 Gladys is a big fan of Classic Gold 💛

Today was a day of deep-cleaning in the bird room, and moving Louie and Jojo into their new mansion. Their new home was very much needed, as the boys want to be together, but need their own space to escape to at the same time. This cage upgrade was entirely funded by donations from our incredible regular donors; you have just improved the lives of these two beautiful foghorns an immeasurable amount. We love you Carla, Darren, Ruth and Martina ❤️ Sound on for some very excited and happy birds 😊

Absolute psychos 😈 Because everything is a nest.

Sid is such a good boy - and he knows it 🤍

🤍 LATE NIGHT CUDDLES 🤍 Tomorrow is the 4th and final attempt to fix Storm’s cloacal prolapse. If this fails, we are out of options. Trying to remain positive but terrified of the possible outcome. Wish us luck 🤍🤞🏻