upatsix.com - Your Source For Pet Bird Information

I'm sorry to report Chibi-tori made a break for the outside world yesterday and is now a free birdie. Emi was outside and opened the door in the garage to enter, and apparently there had been, or created a panic, and Chibi bolted out the door. We found him a couple of hours later about 100' up in an oak tree one street over from us. From there, we coaxed him down towards the cage that had Pixie and Missy in it, but he did not stop, but started flying huge circles around us. He then took off in a westerly direction and disappeared. Later in the evening, Emi found him again in the top of another tree to our west, and we thought he'd come down, but instead, he again took off to the west and disappeared behind some tall pines, but it looked to me like he went out of the subdivision towards a C-store. We've had thundershowers this morning and it's been quite windy, with such bad conditions, we were unable to locate him today so far. I've prepared a flyer to hand out and post in a number of locations, and will make all the necessary contacts regarding him. It's supposed to get quite cold tomorrow night -- down in the low 20's, so without knowing his whereabouts, I'm afraid he does not have a good outlook for survival.

Sam

Oh, Sam...I am so sorry. I am praying that he was able to withstand the temperature and made it through the night in order for you to look for him today.

Please keep us posted. Casper and I are sending our loving thoughts your way to help in the search for your boy!

Praying for you guys Sam, don't give up hope yet!

Lori

How terrible! best of luck Its supposed to get really cold here too, I can't wait till it heats up some. I hope you find your Chibi-tori

Sam,

You should know these things, but this is for everyone, and a reminder for you.

Finding an Escaped Bird
How to Proceed
Act Immediately - Locating your bird is the first step. It is critical that this be done as quickly as possible. So, start searching as soon as you realize your bird is lost.
Place his/her Cage Outside - Put the cage outside and fill it with his/her favorite treats and fresh water. Leave the cage door open.
Canvas the Neighborhood - Most birds are recovered within a half mile of the escape location, so within hours you need to have everyone within that area know how to contact you. Let your neighbors know that you lost your bird. Walk around the neighborhood and call his/her name. The best way to do this it to literally go door to door to every home within a half a mile of the escape location.
Disburse Fliers - Post and pass out fliers with a detailed description of your bird and a picture if you have one. Include instructions that say to leave the bird alone and not attempt to recover it and your contact phone.
Ensure that as many eyes and ears as possible are on the lookout - Give fliers to school crossing guards and distribute them to students exiting schools local to the escape location.
Keep Your Phone Charged - The phone number listed on the flier should be a fully charged cell phone with service available in the area of loss. If this is not available the phone should be a friend or family member who will be able to contact you while you are out searching.
Offer a Reward - Offer a reward for the safe return of your lost bird.
What to Expect
Even brightly colored parrots blend in amazingly well and are hard to spot. The bird will most likely start calling within the first 24 hours; those close should know how to contact you.
Days are not counted with 24 hours, but how many nights the parrot has been out.

Day 1 is the day of escape whether morning or late in the afternoon.
Day 2 is the day after the first night spent out.
Day 3 is the day after the 2nd night out.
First 24 hours
Looking for parrots should begin the moment they escape and continue until dusk and resume every morning at dawn. Large parrots are quiet and roost at night making searching at night fairly pointless.

Next 24 Hours
If you have not spotted your parrot within the first 24 hours make sure someone does rounds at local shelters and veterinary hospitals on a daily basis. As time passes the chances of recovery lessens so move fast and keep moving.

Send your flier to your local avian vet.
Call your local animal care and control and humane society and list your bird missing; Go there every day to see if your bird has been surrendered.
Day Three
By day 3 you should enlarge your flier area to 1 mile and grow it each day thereafter. This is the most critical part of recovery. DON'T GIVE UP TOO SOON!

Place an ad in your local newspapers. Some of them place ads about lost and found animals for free.
Seek a bird rescue organization near you and let them know you lost your bird. They often take in stray birds as well.
List your bird as missing at other lost and found bird websites:
www.birdhotline.com
www.batnet.com/candiceb
www.lostandfound.com
www.pets.lostandfound.com
911 Parrot Alert http://www.911parrotalert.com/
Recovering a Large Parrot
Birds instinctively tend to fly when their adrenalin level is high. They also generally fly up to the highest point they can land. However, most pet birds today have never fully fledged (fledging is the process of learning how to fly). While smaller birds can often fly quite easily, larger parrots require more skill to be able to take off and land at will, and navigate where they want to go.

Wait Until the Bird is Ready to Come Down
Consequently, if a bird flies to something high, like a tree, it may not have the skill and experience to know how to fly down. This means that most large parrots who escape their caregivers need to be found quickly and then monitored until they are ready to climb down on their own. Once the parrot is located, if it is above arms reach, you need to wait until the parrot climbs down willingly. The parrot will do this on its timetable, not yours. Food treats and attention by the caregiver are the only tools that should be used to encourage the parrot to come down sooner, rather then later.

Do NOT Spook the Bird into Taking Off Again
Chances are, the parrot will not come down until s/he has spent two nights out. Thus, your goal is to ensure that nothing spooks the parrot into flight. The worst thing that can happen is for the parrot to take flight again so you have to resume your search. This means that under no circumstances should anyone climb a tree, use a ladder, net, pole, hose, or other reaching item to access the parrot. A few cold nights are far less dangerous to the bird than having it fly onto a power line or to a location where you can't spot it. The hard part is finding a bird!

Observe the Bird
The parrot should be observed from dawn to dusk. The parrot will probably just roost. Food should not be left out or distributed around location. The goal is for the parrot to climb down to the caregiver. This usually happens on day three. Avoid too many strangers at the location. You want the parrot to focus on its caregiver.

Watch for signs the parrots is ready to climb down:

Fluttering of wings
Movement in tree to ensure a good view of care giver
Calls to care giver when not in view
Movement toward the caregiver
Start the Food Fest
Once the parrot is showing clear signs of being ready to climb down, start passing favorite foods to other spotters around the location in view of parrot. Make yummy sounds showing great pleasure in having such wonderful treats. Use fairly large visible portions of brightly or strong smelling foods that the parrot sees as a treat. This should get the parrot fairly excited if it is ready to come down. Continue with the food fest with only the primary caregiver directly at the base where the parrot will need to climb down.

Leave and Return
If the parrot settles a bit during day three, leave a spotter at the location and have the primary caregiver leave for an hour or so, returning with a plate of food. Offer the food to the spotter and start the food fest over again. Most likely, by the end of day three, the parrot will give in and climb down to its care giver.

If it is getting late in the day on day 3 and the parrot is looking like it is settling in for the night, call the pizza delivery guy for one last shot for that day.

By day 4 most parrots will climb down to anyone, but for those few holdouts, just continue as on previous days. The parrot will eventually climb down when it is ready.

Be Prepared for an Escape
For all pet owners, please have fliers ready just in case. Take 30 minutes now to make one up for each pet. Have copies available so a friend can make copies for you while you do an initial search.

You don't want to take this time after the escape nor do you want to find you have no photo. A photo should show the bird in full color both back and front view and with wings spread if possible. If you leave town and your parrots in the care of others, make sure they fully understand the recovery process and that they understand to notify you immediately if you bird escapes.

http://www.mickaboo.org/reading-room/readingroom.html

Remember to put lost ads in all local papers, Parrot 911, Craigslist, the penny saver paper if your town has one, and fliers at all vet offices, schools, churches, pet stores etc. With a storm, he could go anywhere.

To find all the various lists you can post ads on the net, search lost bird in google.

Oh Sam... I am so sorry... I will keep you all in my thoughts and prayers. Even if the temperature is getting low, have hope--birds have been able to survive low temperatures... and perhaps he will find his way to a caring person who will keep his little body warm and his tummy full. Hopefully he will find his way home. Please, keep us updated!

Also... scatter seed on your roof, and put a cage with food and water outside in your yard... you probably already know this, but I don't think I would be thinking straight if I lost one of mine...

Hugs,

Jackie

He will come home Sam! Remember how Rosie turned up after missing for several days if not a few weeks! We are all saying prayers for Chibi!

oh gee
hope he gets found safe and sound soon Sam!

I'm so sorry Sam! don't give up hope! luigi and i will be hoping for chibi's safe return

Sam,

do you have an update for us? what has been going on? any more sightings? I have been checking regligiously for updates (even in class--shhh), so please, let us know what is happening!

I'm so sorry to hear about Chibi-tori. Don't give up hope. I remember Rosie getting out a while back. If I remember correctly, it was November or December in New Mexico. It was over 2 or 3 weeks before she was found. I wouldn't be surprised if he seeks out someone now that he has been out for a while, if he hasn't already.

Sam,

Are you guys O.K., any updates for us ...

Lori

Emi and I are OK..

We widened the search area this afternoon, but saw or heard nothing. This area has so many trees, and a lot of it is completely inaccessible it's quite possible he could be in those areas and we couldn't get to him. Today is day 3, and it has been cold as heck all day, with a morning low of 24. I just hope he found someone to take him in and keep him safe, warm and fed. Unfortunately, no calls from any sightings either.

Sam

I'm very sorry.

Light, Paca

Oh Sam, I'm sooooo sorry about Chibi. Thats so sad and so horrible. I am so sorry.. Don't give up hope tho.. Rosie left on Nov 7th and I got her back on Dec 5th! She lived out in the wild for 2 weeks and in someones house for 2 weeks before they returned her to me. Good luck and we will keep you in our thoughts and prayers. Hopefully someone has him and is keeping him warm and with a full tummy..

~Jenny