Unique Beaks Sanctuary

03/06/2025

🌿Sakari appreciation🍃
We are so incredibly proud of this girl. When she came to us 3 years ago she was extremely traumatised after having her wings and tail feathers cut completely off, leaving her with sharp quills that would rub against her body causing irritation and leading her to pluck her body. Due to her fear and lack of flight ability, she would thrash around the cage when someone came close, breaking any growing feathers and hindering any progress.
After making her a custom cage set up with lots of padding to prevent damage from falls, slow but persistent interaction, and out of cage time to allow her some independence, she began to fall less, trust more, and eventually get to a point where she could actually fly!
From this point she only improved more and more, taking treats from us, allowing head scratches (though we keep this to a minimum as she can be easily excited 😅), and exploring more of her surroundings.
As it stands, she has claimed a corner of the bird area (well more like 1/3 of it) where she happily spends her days flying from one stand to another, climbing ropes, shredding any toy she can get her beak on, stealing food from others cages, and flirting with Pluto.
Sometimes progress can be slow, but seeing an animal become comfortable and happy over time makes it so worth it ❤️

24/04/2025

Happy Tito enjoying chewing on some pine! 🌲 Cockatiels have deceivingly strong little beaks 😂💕

09/04/2025

Well the attempt to keep the birds out of the kitchen with a curtain has proved fruitless against Pluto! Just has to be in on the action

30/01/2025

We are so excited to announce that our chop toppers and sprouting mix our now being sold at ! You can treat your birds to some delicious and healthy treats while they receive amazing veterinary care from the team.

30/01/2025

We are so excited that our chop toppers and sprouting mix are now available to purchase at Melbourne Bird Veterinary Clinic!

We've partnered with Unique Beaks Sanctuary to bring you delicious and safe chop toppers, and a sprouting mix.

These are usually only available once per year at the Bird Lover’s Expo, but now you can access them year round at the clinic!

19/01/2025

Nothing better than cold watermelon on a hot day! In order we have Omari, Pierro, Athena, Hera, and Valentino 💚 The green crew

10/12/2024

A few months ago, the beautiful Mercury was brought to us by a lovely rescuer who took her in and got her vet care for some infected feather follicles on her wing, likely caused by an injury. She had surgery to remove the affected feathers and the rescuer believed she just needed to regrow the feathers and would be back to normal. Mercury would have been picked on in the rescuer’s aviary due to her lack of flight, so we agreed to house her in our specially adapted aviary for our flightless pigeons until she regrew the feathers and gained flight again.

Well, one of our disabled pigeons Cherry took an instant liking to Mercury, and he began constantly following her and courting her. We had never seen Cherry come out of his shell like this and we didn’t want to separate them, so we decided to make Mercury a permanent resident here. (pic of Cherry and Mercury on slide 6)

Fast forward a few weeks and Mercury’s feathers grew back very abnormally, forming lumps under her skin and becoming infected again. We took her to our trusted vet and found out that this was a chronic issue that was not going to be resolved with only one procedure. She has since had two surgeries to remove the affected follicles in an attempt to stop the feathers regrowing at all. Follicles are stubborn though, so it will likely take at least two more surgeries (maybe more) to damage the follicles enough that they won’t regrow and cause infection again.

It’s not a pretty process, but Mercury has been so incredibly strong and maintains her feisty personality! We are doing everything possible to make her comfortable during recovery and eliminate this issue.

Any donations are incredibly appreciated and would help us so much. You can donate directly to the vet’s account as pictured on the invoice with the description “Unique Beaks” or donate to our account at BSB - 062948 Account number - 13249918

10/12/2024

A few months ago, the beautiful Mercury was brought to us by a lovely rescuer who took her in and got her vet care for some infected feather follicles on her wing, likely caused by an injury. She had surgery to remove the affected feathers and the rescuer believed she just needed to regrow the feathers and would be back to normal. Mercury would have been picked on in the rescuer’s aviary due to her lack of flight, so we agreed to house her in our specially adapted aviary for our flightless pigeons until she regrew the feathers and gained flight again.

Well, one of our disabled pigeons Cherry took an instant liking to Mercury, and he began constantly following her and courting her. We had never seen Cherry come out of his shell like this and we didn’t want to separate them, so we decided to make Mercury a permanent resident here. (Pic of Cherry and Mercury on slide 6)

Fast forward a few weeks and Mercury’s feathers grew back very abnormally, forming lumps under her skin and becoming infected again. We took her to our trusted vet and found out that this was a chronic issue that was not going to be resolved with only one procedure. She has since had two surgeries to remove the affected follicles in an attempt to stop the feathers regrowing at all. Follicles are stubborn though, so it will likely take at least two more surgeries (maybe more) to damage the follicles enough that they won’t regrow and cause infection again.

It’s not a pretty process, but Mercury has been so incredibly strong and maintains her feisty personality! We are doing everything possible to make her comfortable during recovery and eliminate this issue.

Any donations are incredibly appreciated and would help us so much. You can donate directly to the vet’s account as pictured on the invoice with the description “Unique Beaks” or donate to our account at BSB - 062948 Account number - 13249918

28/11/2024

Artemis has been doing his best to start a nest in our kitchen shelves behind this tub, and guards the entrance fiercely 🤦‍♀️ He hasn’t even paired up with either of the girls yet so I dont know who he thinks will be laying the eggs 😂

02/11/2024

We are so excited to be selling more chop topper and sprouting mixes this year at on November 17!

Our chop toppers come in three yummy flavours to keep chop interesting for your birds! They can be mixed through your bird’s chop to absorb excess moisture and add a bit of crunch, or used by themselves as a foraging mix or treat.

Our sprouting mix is easy to make and comes with detailed instructions on how to prepare for your bird. Sprouts are a fantastic addition to your bird’s diet as they are packed with vitamins and minerals not always available in dry seeds or pellet mixes.

Please come along to support local bird rescues and shop so many products specifically for birds and their humans to enjoy!

12/10/2024

We are so excited for this year’s bird expo! Mark your calendars, come and have a chat with us, and pick up some fun things for you and your birds to enjoy!!!