It's Education Week in Australia! As you'll read tomorrow, Jack appears to know schools are open to the general public. For your education, this is a general post on what to do if you lose a parrot!
Search high and low.
Unlike what many might suspect, ‘naughty’ Jack, wasn’t out “sleeping in who knows whose nest”. He was very afraid, confused and a lost pet. Parrots often fly up and away to hide in the safety of a tree or they linger under and behind things. Some stay very quiet as not to be seen. Even if your pet Parrot might see you calling, they often don’t have the flying skills to fly to you even if it’s what they really, truly want!
It's a jungle out there!
There is a “One Mile: One Month Rule”! During the first month of being lost, a Parrot will usually stay within a one mile or close to 2 kilometre radius from where he flew off from. Look both high and low! Even if unable to fly to you, repeatedly call their name. The more attention you’ll receive, the more people will know about your lost bird which adds more eyes to your search. If listening for a reply to calls, your bird will more likely be vocal at dawn and dusk.
Food source for a lost Parrot.
Most importantly, make posters advertising your lost bird! Include a colour portrait, description, contact details and offer an award. Distribute the posters to neighbours, pet shops, vets and local wildlife organisations. Hang the posters inside shop and school windows, telegraph poles, stop lights and notice boards around your community. Stick posters to kid’s backs, and on the back of vehicles.
Parrot coloured trees.
Place advertisements where there’s a large local readership. Consign to the Lost and Found Classifieds of newspapers, Bird Club and school newsletters. Use all online resources, the local radio and television station for alerting others about your lost pet.
There's a Parrot in there!
Spread the word amongst kids! Pets are children magnets, and sometimes the other way around too. As we know, they know everything! They might know of someone who has found a Parrot or will know who to go to if one is found.
Another suggestion is putting their cage outside, preferably in a tree with the door open. Fill it with the bird’s favourite food and supply water. This didn’t work for us, the Rainbows ate Jack’s breakfast, the Noisy Miners his lunch and the bats and possums ate his dinner. But it might work for you!
Lastly, having your parrot fly off is a devastating experience. Your best chance of finding your bird is if you are proactive and don’t give up ever!
Another suggestion is putting their cage outside, preferably in a tree with the door open. Fill it with the bird’s favourite food and supply water. This didn’t work for us, the Rainbows ate Jack’s breakfast, the Noisy Miners his lunch and the bats and possums ate his dinner. But it might work for you!
Lastly, having your parrot fly off is a devastating experience. Your best chance of finding your bird is if you are proactive and don’t give up ever!
25 comments:
I'm having a difficult time catching up with ‘stuff’, so delivering this boring educational post to tie you over until I've written about ‘How Jack Came Back’!
Happy Education Week ;)
Not boring - sure to be useful to someone in a similar predicament! I've never had a lost parrot but I've had plenty of lost pets in the past and know how awful it is... and how wonderful when they come back, if they do.
he must be rather famous by now!
this is very informative.. and whats up with birds lately for me? even i posted about it.
but so glad jack came home!! cant wait to read all about how he came back!
Tsup*!* It's wonderfully heartwarming that all your proactive activity had such a brilliant fairytale ending and little Jack returned to his castle to live happily ever after ... you have installed a dungeon door now haven't you Tsup*!*
I hope this post will be useful to someone Caroline, especially to rid those awful feelings and having their Parrot found :)
Jack has always been rather famous ElizT! Heehee
Thanks AtomicVelvetSigh, I'm working on that post right now but it will be posted tomorrow ;)
Tsup*!* Tsup*!* Bimbimbie! We have put extra pegs on all the doors making his Castle look like a clothes airer HAHA! We are still thinking about whether to clip his wings or not. If he ventures outside again, he might not be able to fly away fast enough from a predator!
I like knowing about the one mile: one month rule. It reminded me of the time I ran away from home when I was seven. I hid in my mother's garden not knowing that she saw me all the time through her kitchen window.
Your post does tell about the enormous emotional upheaval that Jack's loss created. I am glad that all is well.
This was not boring at all, Anon! All of it was very informative and I really felt for Jack (and you) the whole time I was reading, imagining him seeing and hearing you but not being able to figure out how to get to you -- poor little guy! Thank you for this!
The "One Mile: One Month" Rule most probably applies to humans also, Ces Heehee! Nearly finished pulling down posters and balling our eyes out ;)
Then I succeeded in overwriting the “sleeping in who knows whose nest” notion Melissa! Thankyou, I'm pleased it was informative :)
I love the "don't give up ever" part. I lost Merlin once and was completely hysterical... so I know the feeling...
Thinking about it... I was hysterical about the loss of Jack too... };o}
i'm just glad all's well that ends well. how amazing that real care and empathy so easily skips across the miles....
(sniff, kj is being sentimental again)
Haha hot tips for bird lovers. It's amazing how invisible these brightly coloured things are in the tree tops, thank goodness they're incessant chatterboxes. I wouldn't clip his wings, I think he's probably learned a valuable lesson! Can't wait for the next installment!
Can you write this post in Belmattronic?
I changed my Pool Party posts for a fortnight to include a search for Jack , MerlinPrincesse! Even if proactive, you feel helpless knowing what your pet is going through at different times of the day and night! I had no option than to tell everyone about Jack's disappearance because he is important on this blog and it was effecting my whole online experience as well as everything else!
It is amazing about the real care and empathy from blog visitors KJ! At the same time it's understandable ;) It's time to stop crying!
Should be useful to a bird lover Baino :) YES! I tried to get across in the images how difficult it is looking into trees around here. The trees are the same colour!! I had close to what I experienced once called 'sea blindness'. By the end of the day I could hardly look a t a computer screen from 'sky blindness'! Jack won't fly off again in a hurry, he was SO HAPPY seeing us again :))))
Hheheeee, I'm fixing all the typos and grammar mistakes in a minute Belmattrons ;)
Possum did NOT eat his dinner... he just had a little leetle nibble hear and there.
This is a great post! On our cage doors we use 'curtain clips' that are really hard for the bird to undo or pry off... um... how to explain what they are... mmmm... I'll have to take a photo at some stage.
Heeheee, Possum must have been disappointed there was no seed, G3TFilms! Thankyou! I know what 'curtain clips' are!!! That's a great idea, wonder how much longer until Jack learns to pick those? It would also look much better for his Castle to not look like a clothes airer :)
Yeah, you know, these things. You take the ring off and use the little hook over the top of the door and the clip on part a non-opening part of the cage. Because all the opening leverage is at the back of the clip it's really hard for a 'Jack' to open them long enough to slip the off the bars... Although, a bigger 'seed eater' bird would probably eat it in no time.
Hehehe, yes and the aesthetic is much better.
Most excellent! Thanks for the graphic image G3TFilms! Aesthetics are very important when you're King Jack ;)
I'm so glad Jack is back, and this was a useful post. I wonder if the Belmattrons had anything to do with his disappearance? I'm just saying-if a lovely bird shows up in the next video, we'll have an answer.
Thanks Debra Kay :) Jack would REFUSE to wear the colour silver if he happened upon The Belmattrons!
Oliver likes silver-probably because he is silver....ok NO...what if Oliver is a Belmattron?
OH NO!
Hhahhahhaaaa :)
Please help, my sun conure is lost !
He is a very loud parrot but I don't hear him at all. His wings are clipped but he did manage to escape [he can fly really good] and since I live in the highest floor of a tall building he probably can't come back [that is if he wants to :S].
I put up posters and stuff but nothing! I'm so sad I love him please help me T_T
We lost Our Parrot Its an Alexandrine looks like a ring neck pareequet .He has a lightly black ring in the neck.It’s Green With red spots in the wings
He whistles and its very loud sometimes, sometimes it’s quiet, he make monkey noises and barks like a puppy and mews like a cat and screams lots. He copy sounds from other birds and other sounds. He is really nice and likes to be around people but at the same time can bite.
If you have seen it or know someone that find it Please contact Maria 0403926622 or
Daniel 041724372.
We love him very much and we’ll like to have it back again. Thank You. We miss it so much!
Great post! Good idea about the poster on car.
I lost my African grey yesterday and am running through the whole gamut of ways to find him.
Thanks for the information and the refreshing tips!
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