Adopt

We are not adopting out of the state of Georgia at this time!  We are so happy that you are considering adopting rather than buying your next family member!  You can learn about some of our feathered friends on Petfinder or on Facebook.  Not all of them are listed since they are all in different stages of rehabilitation or retraining.  We do have wonderful birds ready for a warm, loving, and supportive home.

We have a non-refundable application fee of $27.00.  The fee helps to cover the cost of our scheduling system and educational materials for prospective PRH adopters.  

Before submitting an application for adoption, review the contents of the PRH Adoption Agreement to understand what your obligations will be. You will be asked to sign it before your bird can live with you.

We request that prospective adopters have a bird-safe home without cats, ferrets, or bird aggressive or interested dogs.  Must be at least 21 years of age prior to adoption, no one in the home smokes or vapes, and has financial resources to care for a bird. We request that adoption applications be in state at this time.  We do not consider “gifting” bird applications.  

TIPS FOR APPLICANTS

  • Make sure you see our emails- if you use an email provider like Gmail or Hotmail, emails from our adoption counselor may often end up in your “Promotions” or “Spam” folders. Be sure to check these folders regularly while waiting to hear back from us.
  • Try adding adopt@papayagorescuehouse.com to your emails contact book so our emails go to your Primary folder
  • Calling is not necessary to ensure we received your application. 

Preprocess to be ready for adoption:

  1. Please have your birds already at home vetted with a CBC and Chlamydia and PBFD test.  We can do Chlamydia, PBFD, Avian Polyoma Virus (APV), Avian Herpes Virus (Pacheco’s), DNA at our rescue, or at your home.  There is a $50.00 fee for home testing along with the normal testing rate of $90.00.  
  2. A working smoke detector near the area of the ideal spot for your bird (to be verified by PRH).
  3. A working CO detector not more than 5 feet up from the floor and near the ideal spot for your bird (to be verified by PRH).
  4. Do NOT purchase a cage until you have discussed it with an adoption counselor.
  5. Bird proof your home with our helpful dangerous list of items to give away, donate, or otherwise correct.
  6. Read these helpful “Things we thought we knew vs what we should know about having a bird”:
    1. My breeder said I don’t have to take my bird to the vet unless they are sick
    2. I want another bird for my bird
    3. How expensive is vetting a bird anyway?
    4. I want to adopt but I don’t want to come multiple times

Qualifying

Our goals are to achieve the best outcomes for the family and the birds.  We are looking to place age appropriately.  That means based on the age of the bird to the age of the adopter(s) (over 21 years of age).  We understand that with long lived animals, forever is not realistic.  However, we want to encourage longevity of the relationship.

  1. The match is suited to the individual bird and family/individual

  2. The bird would be afforded appropriate yearly or emergency veterinary care

  3. The bird’s social, behavioral, and companionship needs would be met

  4. The bird would have a livable environment

  5. The bird would be respected and valued not as a possession but a living, feeling, thinking, complex thinking being

  6. The bird will not live in fear, hunger, thirst, or pain

Here is how the process will go:

  1. Fill out the adoption application. That will give us some information about you and your family to get started. Pay the application fee of $27.00.  This fee is not per bird interest.  One application means one fee. No refunds.
  2. PRH will review and email you to schedule a meet & greet via Calendly.  This can take up to 10 business days depending on workload.
  3. Meet and Greets.  It may take a while for you and a bird to make a connection but don’t get discouraged if or when it doesn’t happen right away.  We will be here to help you find a bird that you can connect with.  It may not be the bird you thought you wanted so try to be open to the experience and meet all personalities and species of birds that are within your abilities.
  4. Once a birdie connection is made, which can take several visits, we will arrange for a home visit to help you with arrangements for your new arrival.  We will also discuss cages, toys, food, foraging, and an emergency kit.  
  5. Meanwhile, a vet appointment will be made for final vetting and nanochipping.
  6. If you have received a training package with Animal Behavior Center, you can and should get started on your year-long virtual training program.  Sign up for the Parrot Project.
  7. You will be invited to a closed Facebook page just for PRH adopters.  This is a community and online forum to help you care for your adopted bird.  We are here to provide you with the best information possible to support you in a successful, enriching, and rewarding relationship with your bird.
  8. You will need to sign the adoption agreement and pay the nominal adoption fee if there is one.
  9. Post your experience with us via Great Non Profits