The Parrots’ Umbrella

10/31/2025

Adopt, don’t shop.

10/28/2025

Congratulations, Dr. Ponder! You inspire everyone who meets you. ❤️

10/21/2025

Meet Martie AKA Ruby. She was an emergency surrender a month ago, and we held off posting until we got a handle on her medically. We will start posting her progress. This is one tough bird.

Here is what her foster had to say about her when she first arrived:

“I’ve never seen anything quite like what happened to this pumpkin in a living bird. The family who contacted us rescued her last year in almost the same condition. They did their best and contacted us when their lives took a difficult turn, making it impossible to properly care for her.

I’m not posting photos of her legs and feet in a post without a trigger warning. I’ll put them in another post later. I honestly can’t believe she’s alive. Her vet records from her previous owner are grim. Emaciation, horribly fractured leg that wasn’t set, paralysis, and more. She’s going to lose some toes. I can’t imagine that she doesn’t have seizures. She’s been started on antibiotics and pain meds. Her disease testing is all negative. Martie/Ruby is chatty, busy, hungry, and sassy. She likes people and also likes to try to fling herself out the cage door when its opened. She uses the bars of the cage to maneuver around and rolls herself when she wants to go farther. She has an appointment with the vet next week to determine if there’s any possibility of a better quality of life and probably to uncover more trauma.

I don’t know how long she’ll be with us.

We love her.

Thank you to the family that rescued her from what would have been certain death.

Love life.
Love birds.

10/12/2025

Everything about this!

Pumpkin spice and everything nice!! 🍁 🍃 🍂

As soon as Mother Nature and Wisconsin come to an agreement we have entered Autumn/Fall.

That also means…..Hormone season for our feathered kiddos especially Cockatoos.

Here is a checklist of what you can expect and ways to manage it.

10/05/2025

Fly high, Dr. Goodall. You will be dearly missed.

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. Jane Goodall, but in her loss there is also hope—a powerful reminder of what she stood for and what she still calls us to do.

Jane saw the suffering caused by captivity, ignorance, and human indifference—but she also showed us compassion, wisdom, and the courage to fight for what’s right. She taught us that every being has its place in the wild, that true respect comes from understanding, and that our actions can change lives.
Now, it’s our turn. It’s up to us to stand up for wildlife. To protect habitats. To reject the pet trade.
To speak for those who cannot.

Dr. Goodall, thank you for leaving us more than memories—you left a path forward. May your spirit inspire every rescue, every release, every moment of kindness toward our wild companions. 🌱🕊️

09/30/2025

Hey everyone!
Reminder that if you applied online to adopt, please check your spam/junk folders if you haven’t received a response!
It appears that some of our emails aren’t going to your inbox!

09/21/2025

Every bird parent should know:

WAYS TO ADMINISTER MEDICATION TO BIRDS / PARROTS.
There are 4 ways to administer medication to your birds
Adding medication to drinking water
Adding medication to soft food
Adding liquid medication (Suspensions / Syrup)
Medicating through Injections
Adding medication to DRINKING WATER
Adding medication to water is the oldest and easiest method to administer medication to birds. The idea is that when the birds drink the water, it will also drink the medicated water.
This method is not reliable or safe. Some parrots will refuse to drink the medicated water when they sense the change in color or taste. They may go without water for 4 – 5 days, and the parrot is at risk of getting dehydrated.
The sugar in the medication spoils quickly in water, thus promoting the growth of bacteria very quickly.
Adding medication in SOFT FOOD
By using this method. The medication can be hidden in the bird’s favorite treat or food. Sometimes the birds sense the change in taste and avoid eating the food.
Adding LIQUID MEDICATION (Suspensions / Syrup)
They can be added to water / soft food. The advantages and disadvantages are the same as in the case of medicating water or soft food. Use of liquid medication is the best method of medicating birds, as it can be administered directly to the beak with a precise dose. But care should be taken when administering medication directly beak, to avoid aspiration. Medicating through INJECTION
This method of administering medication through injection is the most effective way of medicating the bird; it is very effective and quick in action, best used in cases of emergency.
This method of medication has its own drawbacks as it is painful to the bird due to repeated pricking, as it causes a lot of stress to he bird.

09/15/2025

Just don’t feed peanuts. As someone who’s held a bird while they died from aflatoxin poisoning, just don’t. There are so many other options for treats.

Look what we found inside a peanut shell - scary right? We do not feed peanuts to our flock and this is one of the major reasons - mold.

🩺 What is Aspergillosis?

Aspergillosis is caused by the fungus Aspergillus fumigatus and attacks the lungs and air sacs.
Some signs to watch for:
• Wheezing or noisy breathing
• Tail bobbing
• Lethargy or weakness
• Weight loss

Treatment can take months and requires expensive antifungal medications — and sadly, some birds don’t survive.

Safe Treat Alternatives

• 🌰 Human-grade raw nuts: almonds, walnuts, pistachios, hazelnuts (freeze for freshness)
• 🥦 Veggies: carrots, broccoli, bell peppers, leafy greens
• 🍓 Fruits: apples (no seeds!), berries, grapes, pomegranate
• 🌱 Sprouted grains & legumes for a nutrition boost
• 🧩 Foraging toys stuffed with healthy pellets or dried herbs

09/03/2025

A single budgie is a sad budgie.

In a study looking at how cage size and flock size altered steretypies in budgerigars, the most common parrot in captivity, researchers found that budgies housed with multiple conspecifics (not just in pairs) in larger cages showed the lowest number of stereotypes and preening behavior.

1. Polverino G, Manciocco A, Vitale A, Alleva E. Stereotypic behaviours in Melopsittacus undulatus: behavioural consequences of social and spatial limitations. Appl Anim Behav Sci. 2015;165:1430155.

08/29/2025

Do you recognize any of these birds and their moves? 😎