Owning an exotic bird has risen in popularity in recent years, but unfortunately, there hasn’t been much increase in the knowledge of how to take care of them. Our birds came into our sanctuary because many first-time bird owners weren’t ready for just how time consuming and expensive proper care can be. They weren’t prepared for the destruction, screaming, feather pulling, or the mess of feathers, seeds and poop in and around the cage and house. We even had one bird come in who needed a wing amputated and another that lost a foot due to being caught in a toy. Other birds have came into the sanctuary due to an owner’s illness or death. We currently have 20 parrots that reside at our sanctuary, some of them well over 50 years of age.