Parrot loving pals in rescue role

TWO friends from Dumfries have started a parrot rescue charity to care for birds in search of a forever home.

Laura Howieson and Margaret Mcfayden founded Feather Babies DG four months ago and since then have been working to re-home and rescue parrots across the region.

Laura explained: “Parrots can be re-homed or need rescued for all sorts of reasons, from a change in circumstances, behavioural issues, to not to knowing what it takes to look after them.

“People forget that parrots live a long time and in the event an owner passes away and sometimes the rest of the family aren’t prepared to take on that responsibility, so that’s where we’d come in. Having something locally can be a real help.”

Both women have owned birds for years and wanted to lend their experiences to helping others as owning a parrot can be first for many people.

Laura added: “It is still a bit of niche thing to own a parrot, but when situations happen people don’t always know who turn to.

“Knowing the enjoyment they give, we also want to show people what good pets and good company they can be and how key it is to get into a routine of looking after them, and what they need in terms of dietary requirements and care.

“But there’s no judgment about why the parrot needs re-homed, we’re here to help: whether it’s advice on how to best care for them or to find them a new home.

“We want to keep the parrots local too, sometimes they don’t travel very well, especially when they’re familiar with their surroundings, and it can be comforting for people knowing their parrot is being looked after locally and that they could visit if they wanted to."

Now that the charity is up and running Margaret and Laura are turning their efforts to recruiting fosters and securing funding to help with veterinary bills and the construction of an aviary.

Laura added: “We’ve had a few people sign up to be fosterers and more would be welcome.

“The ideal person would have the time, patience and space to look after whatever bird comes in, especially if it’s got specific needs.

“It’s about building relationships because a bird could’ve been with its previous owner since they were young so it can take a bit of time.

“Now it’s about securing some funding to help with the vet bills initially, then we’re looking to build an aviary, because when we get birds in we have to keep them separate from existing flocks for a couple of weeks to make sure they’re not carrying any diseases and to see how they would behave with a potential adopter or fosterer.”

* For more information about Feather Babies DG visit their Facebook page.