Adopting A Bird

Page updated: January 23, 2008

Non-Gainesville residents:
If you live outside of Gainesville and would like to adopt a bird from this rescue, it is requested that you make a gas donation for us to do a home visit (no donation is asked of Gainesville residents). The requested donation is $7.50 for every hour of driving time. For example if you happen to live in Jacksonville which is 4 hours round trip, the amount would be $30 at the time of the home visit. This is the exact cost we incur to do these out-of-area visits. We will not adopt out further than 2 hours away. This cost may be less or more as gas prices fluctuate. While the donation is optional, we may not be able to consider adopting a bird out to you if you do not want to pay for gas. It is cost prohibitive for us to do out of town adoptions and we can no longer afford to pay the gas costs out of pocket (we would rather put our money towards caring for the birds!). If you are not willing to make this donation, you will not be considered to adopt a bird unless we happen to already have a trip planned to your city. Paying the requested donation does not guarantee that you will be approved to adopt a bird. You may opt to come to Gainesville to meet the bird you would like to adopt before we do a home visit, however a home visit must be completed before you will be considered to adopt the bird or birds.

I hold the well being of any bird in my care in the highest regard. What this means is that adopting a bird entails a little more than just saying you want a bird and expecting me to give you one. If you are interested in adopting a bird some things will be required:

First, contact me to see if the bird you are interested in is still available or you can start by filling out the adoption if you want to adopt a bird but have no preference on which bird.
- New! Online application!
- Microsoft word application:application
- Rich Text format: application
You can type directly on the application, save it as a new name, and e-mail it back to betta5@yahoo.com and/or cockatiel_rescue@hotmail.com
If you are approved to be a potential adopter, a home visit will be required to make sure it is safe for a bird. This will also give me a chance to talk with you about owning a cockatiel and what it entails (if you have never owned one before or have any questions).
If the home visit goes well, you will then be invited to come and visit the birds. It is important that the bird like you and that you like the bird. So for this reason, the person who wants to adopt the bird must be the one to come meet him or her. Cockatiels bond strongly with their owners and it is very important that they like the person they may be living with permanently (and hopefully forever). If for some reason the bird does not like you or you do not like the particular cockatiel, you are still approved to adopt, but will have to wait until a bird is ready that is a match for you. Birds do have preferences and there is not always an obvious reason on why a bird likes one person over another person. See Calypso for an example.
If the cockatiel you wish to adopt likes you, you will be required to read and sign an adoption contract. This contract basically says that you will care for the bird to the best of your ability, offer vet care when needed and you will NOT ever sell the bird. If you cannot keep the bird you adopt, it must be given back to the rescue.
There is a two week grace period in which you can make sure the adopted bird fits in with your life style. If in this period you decide that the bird is not right for you, you may return the bird and all supplies for a refund of the adoption donation.
After this two week period, you must still return the bird if you feel you can no longer keep it, but the adoption donation will not be refunded (it will be used to care for other rescue birds).
There will also be a suggested adoption donation that varies depending on the type of bird. Usually, the suggested donation for a cockatiel will be between $50 and $100. For two cockatiels the suggested adoption donation will generally be between $100 and $150. The range exists because I may have to incur vet bills for ill birds or buy cages and supplies for other birds. If a cockatiel arrived in a suitable cage and has been healthy during its stay, the adoption fee will be lower. Suggested adoption donations are are subjective but quite reasonable when you consider a cockatiel alone without any supplies or cage will cost you between $75 and $110 in most pet stores. You may opt to donate more or less. Remember that all donations collected go to care for other rescue birds.
Note: I do not collect adoption donations to profit from these birds. The adoption donations help to cover the cages I buy for the birds, toys, food, medications, supplements and vet care. Bird supplies are also always appreciated. Most of the money spent on bird care comes out of my own pocket.
All birds come with a food, toys, dishes, perches and whenever possible, a large cage (this is to make sure they will feel secure in their new home as well as to ensure they are kept in a suitably sized cage.
If you adopt a bird and find out that he or she does not fit in with your life style please bring the bird back to the rescue as soon as possible. I would rather find the bird another good home than having you keep it if you do not like the bird or if the bird decides he or she doesn't like you (it happens sometimes). People who have birds that they do not get along with, often keep them in the cage all the time and do not interact with them. This is not good for any bird! They are very emotional creatures and need people or other birds to interact with to thrive.
Please consider that adopting a cockatiel should be a life-time commitment. They can live into their early 20's!
Please feel free to contact Jennifer with any questions you may have about adopting a bird.
Want to see if a bird fits in with your lifestyle before considering adoption? Consider being a foster parent. A foster parent means you take one of the birds into your home and care for him/her. The foster application requirements are much the same except that there is no adoption fee and you MUST agree to return the bird immediately when an adoptive home becomes available. You must live in Gainesville, Florida to be a foster parent. Here is the foster application in Microsoft Word format. You can type directly on it, save it as a new name and e-mail it back to betta5@yahoo.com and or cockatiel_rescue@hotmail.com. Not all birds listed will be available for fostering... it depends on the individual bird and its mental, physical, or medical needs.