I also tied the bottom of a wicker basket to the side of the cage. I often weave those through the bars of the cage, tie pieces to the bars of his cage, or string pieces of wood with holes drilled on them on one, knot the bottom and hang it in the cage.Ībove is Mitri’s cage and on the left is a piece of leather I weaved through the bars. One of the pet stores near my place sells strips of leather made specifically for parrots, so they were not treated with any harmful chemicals. Mitri and the phone book he's working on destroying. If bacteria or insects are a worry, just bake the pine cones (boiling pine cones will make the kitchen smell like turpentine). It’s always worth a try! Pine cones can be a lot of fun for cockatoos as well. A lot of cockatoos enjoy chewing items they can hold, so I recommend giving cockatoos “foot-sized” sticks. There are plenty of lists of bird-safe woods on the internet, so it’s easy to find out what’s safe and what isn’t.

Before giving a bird wood from trees, check to be sure that the tree isn’t a species that is toxic. I also give him plain sticks from outside. He will hold these in his feet and chew them or he will use them as back scratchers. His favourite chew toys seem to be the popsicle sticks and metal-less clothespins I get him at the craft store. I do buy Mitri pet store toys, but I also give him other things and he actually seems to like the “junk” I give him over the more expensive items. I’ve noticed that he spends a couple hours each day chewing on the various enrichm ent items I give him.Ī good cockatoo toy purchased from a pet store can cost anywhere from $30 to $50 (or more!). I’ve been working at home a lot lately, and Mitri’s cage is close to my computer. Today I am going to write about what kind of cheap, easy-to-prepare toys can be used to keep a cockatoo occupied.Ĭockatoos are one of the more active parrot types and as such, they need a lot of toys and activities to keep themselves occupied with. To contact Huntbatch, call 25 or email “Toos”day Part One: Keeping a cockatoo busy. In the meantime, its website will expand to include more featured birds and sponsorship opportunities. Huntbatch figures as long as people keep visiting, particularly during the busy summer season, the refuge wil stay afloat. They then got their grandmother to drive them from Duncan so they could donate their $20 profit to the refuge.Īnother young boy donated his birthday money. Two young girls spent their allowance making crafts, which they sold around the neighbourhood, said Huntbatch. It’s absolutely huge for us.” Heartwarming stories have also filtered through to the refuge when people learned it could be shut down. “You get caught up in the process of trying to make ends meet,” she said. Huntbatch was overwhelmed by the support they received. In a month, the refuge usually receives about $10,000 between sponsorships, gate receipts and donations, but that figure dropped significantly over the winter. On average, about 100 parrots arrive at the centre annually.įor information, call 25 or visit .Įdit: Looks like they got some good news! Care for each parrot costs about $500 but medical bills can drive that cost up. It costs about $300,000 each year to operate the 23,000-square-foot facility that allows the parrots to fly in large enclosures designed to mimic natural surroundings. You just suddenly get to a point where it’s like, ‘Oh my God, (money) is not there.'” I haven’t faced it yet,” said Huntbatch on Tuesday. It has provided a home for life for parrots since it first opened on Vancouver Island with 400 birds in 2004. Huntbatch, a lifelong animal welfare advocate, is desperate for help and cannot accept a worst-case scenario if the centre runs out of money. Parrot owners are surrendering their pets more often - more than 15 birds have arrived since January - and visitors have dwindled, and donations with them.

Gaming Commission provides money but that endowment dropped about $15,000 this year in an economic downturn that refuge co-founder Wendy Huntbatch believes is to blame for the centre’s woes. The Coombs sanctuary desperately needs funds by the end of March to continue caring for the flock of 700 birds.

The World Parrot Refuge has room to house the unusually steady stream of extra birds that arrive each week, but not the money to pay for their care.

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