Rescue Unwanted and Abandoned Companion Birds

Mickaboo and its birds are grateful to the many people (like YOU!) and organizations (like GlobalGiving!) who help us help our rescued flock.  At 450 birds and growing, and still run entirely by volunteers, Mickaboo is a miracle that keeps happening. 

GlobalGiving has just released their second (and last) $30K in matching funds today.  If you have already donated today - THANK YOU!  If you have not given, now would be a great time to do so, at this website.

Many of our birds come from shelters who are geared toward dogs and cats, and who therefore call upon us when they receive a bird.  Such was the case with a parrotlet and budgie pair recently.  The parrotlet has since been adopted by a couple who has adopted birds from us before; repeat adopters are an important part of Mickaboo's ongoing success.

When people adopt from Mickaboo, they can rely on Mickaboo for help with their bird's care.  Here are a few snippets of information from our online library and newsletters:

• How to deal with a feather-plucking bird
• Why foraging behavior should be encouraged
• The dangers of Teflon to a bird's respiratory system

Are you considering adopting a bird? We would love to help you! Here is a link to Mickaboo's adoption process.

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Watch our blog and Facebook page for how well we are doing with today's fundraising challenge. 

THANK YOU again for YOUR support of Mickaboo's mission.

Links:

• Mickaboo's online newsletter archive
• Mickaboo's online bird care library

We at Mickaboo wanted to tell you about some of our recent activities - and to ask for your help with today's GlobalGiving Bonus Day fundraising.

GlobalGiving is releasing $30,000 in matching funds TWICE today - at 3am PT/6am ET, and 9am PT/noon ET. That's two opportunities for you to make YOUR donations go further!  Our veterinary costs are now running at $40-$50K/month, so your help at this time will be very appreciated!  Consider donating now - it only takes a couple minutes to make a lifetime of difference for our birds.

We invite you to join us as we watch the flow of matching funds at our blog and Facebook page, where we will also post snippets of birdie info along the way.

Your generosity helps birds such as these:

• Snookie, a greencheek conure who landed at an animal shelter due to an eviction. He is a sweet bird and while vocal, isn't loud.   After a few days with his foster parent, he started stepping up without biting first. He likes to be with people, and loves shoulder-surfing.
• Pierce, a former member of the iconic Wild Flock of Telegraph Hill, came to us due to a disability he suffered while in the wild. 
• Max, a cockatiel, was surrendered to Mickaboo along with an Amazon and 3 zebra finches from an individual facing housing challenges. He was described as 20 years old, friendly but not hand-tame. We were almost immediately able to place him with a couple looking to adopt a friend for their existing older cockatiel.

Please help us continue our mission of helping birds like these with their medical challenges so they can find permanent homes.  Over 95% of your gifts are spent on our veterinary expenses; we cannot do what we do without generous supporters like you.

Thank you for your kindness!

Links:

• Read our birdie blogs
• See the Telegraph Hill conures you can help
• See the budgies you can adopt

Mickaboo has some newly-rescued lovebirds; here is their story and how you can help them.

A family surrendered their lovebirds to Mickaboo because the family was moving to a less pet-friendly home. And, they were unwilling to take the baby lovebird to a vet to address the baby's leg issues.  

The family of three lovebirds are now in Mickaboo's hands:

• Kita is the mom of the family at just five years of age. She is an absolute sweetheart!  Unfortunately, she started plucking after SweetPea (her baby) hatched. She is putting on weight (a good thing, in her case) now that she has been separated from daddy and baby. She is still plucking but has new feathers coming in that we hope she will leave alone. She steps up readily and likes being outside of her cage with people . 

• Beryl is the dad, purchased to keep Kita company. He is just three years old, hand-tame, and steps up well.  He will make a great pet bird for someone, though should be kept separate from Kita because he plucks her feathers. He is eating Harrison's pellets - a good diet!

• SweetPea the baby is not yet hand tame and is nervous. His foster parent is working on socializing him. SweetPea has a slipped tendon and will eventually need surgery to address it.

Mickaboo took the entire family to the vet for a health check - and the vet found all of the birds have spirochetes and gastric yeast.  Yikes - that means twice-daily oral medications for a while for every bird before they can be adopted out to permanent homes.

Please consider helping Mickaboo with the vet bills for this family. If you are unable to do so now, consider giving on September 21 - that's when GlobalGiving is having its next (and final for 2016) Bonus Day.  Eligible donations will be matched at 30%! We'll email you a reminder on that date.

Thank you again for your support of Mickaboo's mission, its rescued birds, and its volunteers!

Links:

• See the birds needing our help most!
• See the lovebirds we have up for adoption!

The matching gift opportunity we told you about earlier is on NOW! From June 15, 6 am  - 9 pm Pacific, GlobalGiving will match your online donations at 50%, up to $1,000 per donor, until the $110,000 matching funds pool is gone. Go to Mickaboo's GlobalGiving page to take advantage of this opportunity before the matching funds are gone!

Your generosity helps birds - AND their guardians. Here is one recent incident to illustrate.

We received this email on May 16:

How are they doing now?

Links:

• Be an angel to one of our birds!
• Online resources about bird care
• How to adopt from Mickaboo

The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill are an iconic symbol of San Francisco.  What is less known is that when these colorful birds become sick or injured, more likely than not Mickaboo is called in to help them heal and to find them new homes.  

Anza and Irving (pictured) are two such birds, both coming to Mickaboo after their fledgling flights ended in collisions. Our latest newsletter describes the adoption journey their new guardian took to add the conures to his family, and some of his experiences with these unique birds.

Meet some of the volunteers who care for our rescued birds at Mickaboo's Third Annual Spring Fling, June 5 in Hayward.  It's a casual afternoon potluck for birdlovers and supporters alike - learn more and RSVP here.

Speaking of saving dates - put a big gold star on your calendar for Wednesday, June 15.  It's GlobalGiving's next Bonus Day - and with a 50% match rate, it's the best one of the year! Online donations from 6 am Pacific onward will count, until the $110K in matching funds are gone. Give early (before 8 am is recommended!) to maximize the effectiveness of your gift, and ensure your funds are matched!  We will send you a reminder when this online giving event starts.

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On behalf of the 450+ birds in our rescue flock (all looking for new homes - maybe yours?) and the dozens of volunteers who care for them in their homes and their hearts, we thank you for your support, now and ongoing.

Links:

• Birds available for adoption
• Be an angel to one of our birds