Greater Chicago Cage Bird Rescue and Adoption

06/01/2026

05/31/2026

HAPPY WORLD PARROT DAY 2026! 🦜

World Parrot Day is held every year on May 31st to raise awareness of the threats facing wild and captive parrots worldwide.

Today - we have chosen to tackle the age-old controversial question: PARROT BREEDING FOR THE PET TRADE

WHY 'RESPONSIBLE' PARROT BREEDING IS A MYTH

Many people believe that buying from a reputable breeder is a valid alternative to adoption and, while this may apply to domesticated animals like dogs or cats, it does not apply to parrots.

Parrots are wild, magnificent, and highly complex creatures. They do not belong in human homes. Because millions are already here, we must do right by them - but we must stop creating more.

THE REALITY OF THE EXOTIC PET CRISIS

**Not Domesticated: Parrots are leagues apart from dogs and cats. Treating them like traditional pets creates deeply traumatised birds.

**The Cycle of Misconception: People buy chicks from breeders, underestimate the reality of their intense care needs, and eventually abandon them.

**Overflowing Rescues: Profit-driven breeding never stops, leaving rescue centres completely overwhelmed with unwanted birds.

**The Puberty Myth: Birds from breeders are not 'easier'. They can't guarantee a 'perfect pet'. Hand-reared chicks can still grow into hormone-driven, aggressive adolescents.

THE TRUTH ABOUT RESCUE BIRDS

**Blameless Victims: Many parrots end up in rescues simply because their owners' circumstances changed - maybe they fell ill, passed away, or developed severe allergies.

**Traumatised, Not Mean: These birds are sometimes fearful, but never malicious. They can react like a child abruptly torn from their home. They require immense love and patience.

**No Guarantees: A breeder cannot guarantee a perfect pet - no matter what they promise. This myth actively stops people from considering adoption as an alternative.

WE NEED A SHIFT IN MINDSET

Parrots are sentient, emotional beings, not consumer commodities. No human is inherently entitled to a 'perfect' pet. We must keep parrots for THEIR benefit, not our personal entertainment.

Adopting a parrot, rather than buying from a pet shop or breeder, saves a life, prevents money from fuelling the highly lucrative commercial pet trade, and helps curb the cycle of abandonment of these highly intelligent, long-lived birds.

If you truly love parrots, please don't fuel the industry that cages them.
DON’T SHOP – ADOPT!

05/31/2026

We are at Kitties, Canines, and Cruisers in Lemont at The Forge. Stop by and say hello! We will be here until 5pm.

05/28/2026

REMINDER - Kitties Canines and Cruisers is Sunday May 31st.
We will have a booth at the The Forge in Lemont from 1pm to 5pm.

05/27/2026

🩶

05/26/2026

Need a reminder of why enrichment is so important for birds? Watch this quick video from World Parrot Trust that provides a summary of enrichment types and many quick (and often free) ideas for enrichment. When using natural items, ensure the items are bird-safe, not treated with pesticides, and free of pests.

Learn more: https://vimeo.com/820648109?fl=pl&fe=sh

05/26/2026

Learn why toy placement, rotation, and enrichment value matters.

New Article:
https://pdsparrotshop.com/blogs/pds-parrot-blog/toys-for-birds-cage

____

05/26/2026

UPDATE:
Pepe has been found and is back home with his family.
----------------------
LOST BIRD
Lost on Friday 5/22 in Villa Park, IL

05/26/2026

The recent Rolling Stone article on African grey parrots examines how viral social media content can unintentionally fuel demand for the illegal wildlife trade…

Silly, sweet, talking parrots that dance and snuggle. Millions of views. But behind many of these videos is a more difficult reality: wild birds are still being trapped, trafficked, and sold to meet the demand created by exotic pet fascination online and the romanticized idea of living with parrots rather than the challenging reality of their lifelong care. 💔

There *has* been progress. Stronger international protections and trade restrictions for African greys have helped bring more attention and regulation to the species, making legal importation and trafficking more difficult than they once were. That matters. But enforcement is still complicated, illegal trade still exists, and social media can drive demand faster than education can keep up.

As a shelter and sanctuary, this creates a moral dilemma that we here at The Gabriel Foundation think about often when posting videos and social media content of our own birds. We love sharing their extraordinarily unique personalities, educating the public about them, and helping parrots that come into our care find incredible adopters and lifelong homes. But we also sometimes worry about contributing to the romanticized image of parrot ownership that social media can create easily…

A short clip can immortalize a funny or affectionate moment that many people naturally want to experience for themselves. What it *cannot* capture is the full reality: the decades of commitment, emotional complexity, noise, destruction, behavioral challenges, and specialized care these highly intelligent animals require.

We hope sharing both the joy and the reality helps create more informed, compassionate relationships with parrots, while reminding people these birds are far more than entertainment or “content.”

Behind every viral parrot video is a real animal with real needs, and often, a species paying the price for our fascination.

⬇️⬇️⬇️Full article in comments.

05/25/2026

ADOPTED!
Bertie parakeet has been adopted! Here he is in his carrier with his new family. He has a parakeet friend waiting to meet him when he gets to his new home.