Photo by Dave
Location: Zazu’s House Parrot Sanctuary
Pictured: Volunteer with blue and gold macaw and Amazon parrots

I love parrot rescues that make you volunteer first so you know exactly what it will be like to have your own parrot. That’s right – no surprises. You’ll be working it all out ahead of time, no excuses either! Though some parrots may act totally different once you get them home for the first time but that’s pretty normal.

Volunteering at a local parrot rescue is absolutely the best thing you can do in preparation of getting a pet parrot. I had a gentlemen ask me about African grey parrots after one of my shows, and I told them how they are naturally and recalled seeing many at the rescue I had just been to. I suggested he start with a parrot more like a senegal because they could still talk clearly which is what I assumed he wanted from the grey parrot. He had already had a cockatoo he’d had to give up because it didn’t like this wife and he either chose not to work through it or just couldn’t for whatever reason.

This is Jennifer from our Customer Service Team volunteering at her local parrot rescue in Texas, which she does every week! 

It’s so key to be ready for the type of pet you want, and to make sure of that, volunteering at a local parrot rescue is really best for the bird’s interests so you fully understand what will be expected of you to take one on as a companion. It’s also not a bad thing to do merely to gain experience even if you already have a bird.