Mary Allen
Where to go with the birds on vacation? Anyone who keeps parrots in an indoor aviary must ask themselves this question. The rescue center for parrots and parakeets APS in Matzingen TG helps here. She offers a holiday station.
The holiday station is becoming more and more popular. We are receiving more and more inquiries,” says Christine Honegger, President of the APS. Cathrin Zimmermann, the long-standing head of the station, also confirms that the demand for vacation spots is very high. “All holiday birds are given aviaries at least two meters long. The parrot owners appreciate the fact that their birds have a lot of space with us,” she says.
77 parrots and parakeets spent their owners’ vacation time in the APS last year. They came from all regions of Switzerland. The APS wants to further expand the range of holiday places due to the high demand. The room with the holiday birds is flooded with light, the walls are painted in pleasant shades of green and yellow.
A Health Check for Each Bird
A little nerd tripped up to the railing of a holiday aviary and narrowed his pupils. The black-headed parrot with a special appearance lives with its big friend, a gray parrot. Cathrin Zimmermann speaks gently to the two and explains: “These two are regular holiday guests. They know the conditions here, so when they come to the APS it’s no longer a fuss.” Every holiday bird undergoes a health check upon entry, which is carried out by veterinarian Cornelia Christen. The APS was able to give numerous parrot keepers tips on how to keep them better as a result of this initial examination. Christen says: “Many feed their parrots too one-sided and especially too fatty. This becomes immediately apparent when we examine the birds. Aspergillosis, a fungal disease, is also a problem in housekeeping.”
Cathrin Zimmermann is an expert when it comes to feeding and keeping parrots busy. Both are close together. Parrots are often underemployed in captivity. “Most keepers still give the food conventionally in a bowl,” she says. She has taken to scattering the parrots’ grain into the wood chips on the ground. “The birds spend so much time searching. Of course, I have to be careful with newcomers that they get their food,” she says. If a parrot is not used to “working” for its food, it will not realize that the tasty and often high-calorie grains are in the wood chips. However, he learns this behavior from the others and initially still gets his portion in a bowl. The parrots are always given large quantities of fruit, including exotic ones, and vegetables, and this is still in bowls.
Of course, such experiments are not carried out with holiday birds if they are not used to it. But the owners receive valuable impulses from the APS on how their parrots can also be occupied with the food. In addition, Fritz Brönimann, a volunteer, makes wooden and cardboard activities for the parrots. So the birds always have something to do.
But not only holiday birds live in the APS. The switching station is probably unique in Switzerland. Although parrots are long-lived, it happens again and again that a black-headed parrot or a blue-fronted amazon dies. The partner bird is then alone and mourns. How can he get a sidekick? It hardly makes sense to associate him with a fledgling. The age difference would be too big. Of course, he cannot be kept alone either.
On the other hand, there are owners who can no longer keep their birds for various reasons such as age, allergies, or changes in living conditions. They give them to the APS switchboard. “We have two large aviaries with very different parrot communities. Some birds were given up because they no longer wanted to keep their owners, others are looking for a bride here, »says Cathrin Zimmermann. The switching station is wonderfully popular with parrot keepers. However, the socialization of parrots is not easy. They are special characters. Zimmermann can tell you a thing or two about that. Some are argumentative, others have a phobia of certain roommates, and still, others are too pushy. A lot of tact is required. Zimmerman has years of experience. She often recognizes developing trouble spots in advance.
One-Eyed Amazon Finds Her Way Around
Each parrot is ringed or microchipped so that it can be positively identified. In addition, each bird also has a name. Zimmermann laughs and says: “Yes, they are just real individuals that we address individually. Many have previously lived as tame birds. So it’s clear that we talk to them and respond to them. In contrast, parrots raised as aviary birds are much more independent and self-reliant.” The parrots are observed daily. Changes in behavior are immediately apparent.
At the APS, every parrot receives the medical attention it needs. A blue-fronted amazon suffered from a watery eye. APS vet Cornelia Christen found mycobacteria and aspergillosis in the eye area. External veterinary advice was to euthanize the bird. Christen extensively removed the eye and surrounding tissue. Today, as if nothing had happened, the Blue-fronted Amazon sits at the top of her perch in the aviary in company with others, loudly joins in the parrot choir, and finds her way around with one eye.
The ages of deceased parrots are revealing. For example, a Yellow-fronted Amazon born in 1967 died last year. The President is hopeful with her statement that she does not expect that so many parrots will have to be taken in permanently. “Today, keepers in Switzerland are better informed and are no longer so careless about buying parrots that they can no longer keep afterward.”