I had mentioned in a few of my previous posts that I wanted to eventually get another Canary after I lost Woodstock unexpectedly last year. I am a big component of rescuing,over buying a pet, but from experience I knew Canaries don’t come into rescues often(at least not in my area). I checked several websites dedicated to animals for adoption, but didn’t see any Canaries within 100 miles. There is a Bird rescue that is about 50 minutes from me that doesn’t advertise all the birds they have online or on these sites, so I decided to reach out to them. You have to submit an application before you can meet the birds, which is very common. I am not on Facebook or may have been able to see more of the birds they had. I let them know that I was seeking to adopt a male Canary, but knew they were not common in rescue. I received a reply back that they had 2 up for adoption, they were out of quarantine & available separately as they were both males & when together they started to fight (typical of some male Canaries). It took about 10-14 days to get approved, which I will admit, it was hard to wait. I had to send a video of the cage & the room he would be housed in. I got word last night that I was approved & I could go today & meet them & adopt if I liked either one.
I said yes to the time they had available & got my carrier cage together (it’s the one in the first photo) with a box to carry it in & a towel to cover it as it is chilly here today. Birds can handle some cold, but not drafts, so wind getting to them is a big no no.
I arrived a few minutes before the coordinator so I got to walk around & see all the birds they had for adoption. They have a store front that houses the birds & some birds are fostered in homes & brought in when a potential adopter wants to meet them. They had almost every type of bird including: Finches, Parakeets, Cockatiels, Lovebirds, Conures, Quakers, Amazons, Cockatoos, Macaws & many others. When the Coordinator arrived she found me & she told me the stories of some of the birds. It is so sad that people get birds as pets & have no clue of the commitment, whether that is caring for, the long term commitment (some can live 40+years)or the personality of the bird type they got. Some were purchased by seniors that died & the bird is 10 & now has no one to care for it now that they are gone. I have “Godparents” for my dogs & my birds if, God forbid if I die before they do.
They had little info about Elijah or the other Canary, weren’t sure of their genders for about a month (weren’t singing yet). They were found in an apartment after someone was evicted. They are not banded so no year of birth is known.
Elijah seems quite happy in his new hope, he is hopping & flying all over & chirping, he even sang a little.
I mentioned they had two canaries available for adoption & I decided I would let one choose me. If they both showed the same interest I would decide which one I liked more. It didn’t take long for me to see that Elijah (formerly Jet, so now Elijah Jet) chose me. The other canary would hang at the back of his cage & Elijah came up front of his cage, & he even sang while I was standing there. He is adorable & his markings are unique so I adopted him.
Adoption is a great way to add a new family member, but sometimes you don’t know their back story, but that is not always that important. Knowing that you are helping a pet find a home & freeing up space for others is great. Surprisingly they had 4 other Canaries that came in & they were almost out of quarantine & will be put up for adoption. Adopting pets is often cheaper than buying one, & many have been checked by a Vet prior to adoption. In the case of the canaries or other tiny birds it is usually a visual exam only so not to stress them out.
I am looking forward to enjoying hearing Elijah Jet sing for many years to come. I don’t think I will ever be without a Canary for long, they are cute, & fun to watch & listen to. He was just singing a little & my dog Echo just realized he was there, he just looked up from the futon like ‘oh a birds in there again’.
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Echoing Great Pet Care 