ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE SANCTUARY:
The Sanctuary is all about peace and harmony for the birds; I run the sanctuary at my own cost and from my home in Mikpunt.
The sanctuary is unfortunately not open to the public, and no visitors are allowed. It was established with the sole purpose of caring for those birds in need, to love and provide for them and not for exhibition purposes to the public and others.
I take in the following birds:
- old, crippled, abused, unwanted and neglected birds.
- those whose owners are emigrating and are unable to take them with them, and
- even those birds which have been discarded by breeders when they are of no use to them anymore, or even those born with defects and will be unable to sell.
I offer them all a forever home as I love to take care of them, even the older birds, whom I offer a retirement home.
The birds I take into my care will stay with me forever and are at no point adopted out to other instances or people. Once taken in, they are here to stay.
I get no funding whatsoever, and this is the reason that I started producing the parrot toys range, that is, to fund the Sanctuary.
I have three huge aviaries full of birds that have been surrendered, and only myself and my husband care for and provide for all their needs.
They often arrive in a terrible state, some ill, others injured, resulting in me having to medicate and rehabilitate them.
Most of my feathered children are special needs, children.
Blue, my blue and gold macaw, had a stroke a few years ago and is very sensitive to change or even strangers; hence I don’t allow any other people, especially children (who move too quickly and unknowingly scare the birds due to their sudden movements), near him. Due to his disability caused by the stroke, he can easily fall and hurt himself.
Similarly, with some of my greys, I have taken in. Due to their past experiences, they are incredibly nervous and sacred and will more than likely injure themselves in an attempt to get away. Even if it means falling/jumping off a 2m high cage, why I cannot allow any strangers near them.
They are comfortable around my husband and me, as they have gotten to know and trust us since they arrived; we clean their cages, feed them, and give them all the love and attention they need daily.
Regrettably, the Sanctuary is at full capacity and being so financially and emotionally hard on me, I work closely with Cheeky Beaks when any new rescues are presented.
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE PARROT TOYS
Sometimes, when seeing a parrot with no toys in their cage, you would pity it and wonder why the owners don’t provide them with any toys. This is normal behaviour as we as humans are naturally judgemental.
Sometimes, it is merely a case of the bird (mainly African Greys) being so scared of anything new, anything strange or anything that they feel may hurt them that the owners have decided, after numerous attempts, that it would be better to leave them without.
One of those Greys is Skye, a 3-year-old, beautiful little boy who suffered a very traumatic experience when he was 1. One morning, he was perched on his mommy’s shoulder, accidentally slipped backwards off her shoulder, and landed on his chest bone. The impact split his chest muscle, and unfortunately, it was an injury which required a specialist (medical) visit as he required it to be stitched up. Due to the injury and being a very sensitive and soft-hearted baby Grey, who did not like change or strangers, he was forced to spend five days in the hospital surrounded by nurses and doctors who tended to his wound against his will. This was an extremely traumatic experience for him, one that led him to distrust all humans after that day, together with the stress of that week, which led him to self-mutilation and behavioural problems in pulling out all his feathers. A natural reaction for them when stressed and scared and, unfortunately, not something for which there is a “cure”. He would require a peaceful existence, patience, ample space, and abundant love. His mommy tried for a year and a half after that day to give him all he needed to heal. Still, unfortunately, with a lack of space to be able to provide that large of an area to him where he can avoid any human contact and seeing him going backwards by the day, she made the very difficult decision to surrender him to the Sanctuary where he was housed in the furthest part of the room, with limited human interaction and where he to this day, two years later, is thriving and enjoying life. Yes, he still pulls his feathers at stages, that is normal, but he is happy. He was whistling, calling and playing.
Meet Skye.
He inspired the Nervous Grey/Skye range of toys I have available, which was developed with the utmost care and patience, accommodating their non-trusting and fearful tendencies. Baby steps, starting with one wooden block, adding a few straws, then a toilet roll holder, and then adding three peanuts. All this was done over some time, and every bit progress, to where we are today with a complete toy. Small enough not to freak him out, yet 100% safe and not intimidating. I have tried, tested, and been loved by Skye.
I have a massive fear of rope-type toys, where the rope portion is too long, allowing it to accidentally wrap around their neck and injure them, or worse. Especially for baby Greys and other baby parrots, their foot and mouth coordination still needs to be fully developed. An accident happens so quickly, but the regret stays forever.
As a result of the above, I only use very thick rope, where the hanging part is kept to the bare minimum length for it to hang. The thinner the rope, the more dangerous it is for the birds; similarly too, with too many metal elements, I try to use as little metal as possible in the toys. Exposure to lead, found in metal, for extended periods, or when accidentally ingested will cause heavy metal toxicity poisoning in birds and could lead to severe illness or even death.
Hence my toys are made with all these dangers in mind, ensuring my toys are as safe as possible for our dear beloved feathered children.
Meet Lelo
Her mommy’s beautiful daughter. She is an Umbrella Cockatoo who got lead poisoning, and as a result, her feathers will never regrow again. She also spent two weeks in the hospital, which was an extremely stressful time for her.
Another reason you will not find any metal chains or metal rings on my toys, nor any bells, is due to the internal part they love to dismantle and would likely accidentally ingest.
My toys have been made with your feathered child’s well-being at heart; all the care and love in the world has gone into making them not only for their enjoyment but also to make it as safe as possible for them.
I cannot, however, do that on my own, and I need you, as the responsible feathered child-parent, to keep this in mind when buying toys for them:
I am a Parrot 🦜
Inquisitive and playful,
BUT also destructive by nature.
That's me!
Check toys regularly and remove hazardous parts resulting from chewing.🦜❤️
~ Written By Lozaan Burger