The majority of birds that are relinquished to ABFR are entered into our adoption program. We adopt out all species of exotic birds with a few exceptions where conservation is of primary concern.

To be eligible to apply to adopt you must:

Live within reasonable driving distance of the Eugene or where another rescue that has networked with ABFR can conduct a home inspection.

Be over 18 years of age to adopt.
Be willing to complete the adoption procedures.
Agree to adoption policies.
Be prepared to study and read all materials you can on the type of bird you wish to adopt. A person can never study and learn too much on how to live and take care of these birds. Remember, they are still wild and have different actions during breeding season. Your nice cuddly bird can seem to become a monster so study and be aware of this and then this will give the adoption more chances of succeeding for you and the bird. But, good news breeding seasons pass and then you and the bird will find some peace. So READ as much as you can and ask questions to prepare yourself for this event. Also, remember that some of these birds can live up to 50-100 years and you will possibly not be the only owner in your birds life.

For every good bird remember there are no “Bad” birds, just owners who neglected the bird’s training on how to interact with its human family.

Visit the bird you wish to adopt at least 3-4 times at the foster home so that you can see for yourself if this is the new family member that you really want.

Submit an adoption application.

Submit to a home inspection by one of the volunteers.

Foster the bird of choice in your home for a minimum of 30 days to 120 days depending on each bird and the foster home experience to see how the bird reacts with the whole family and to see if this is what you really want to do. These beautiful creatures depend on us.

Smaller birds are lower cost while larger birds cost more in their adoption fees.

After fostering you will then have an adoption interview to speak your feelings and you will be asked questions by the board on how things went in the home. We do ask that you keep a log so that you can jot down any problems or traits that you see and we can go over these at the adoption interview. If you feel you still wish to adopt the bird the fee will be due and paid at this time. An receipt will be given and ABFR cannot offer guarantees on any birds. We will take them at our cost to get well bird checks when they first come to us in intake and if any other medical needs arise it is our responsibility, but once the adoption is final all other medical expenses are the new owners. We do have lists of fine avian vets for the area.
Follow up phone calls after the adoption is expected for up to a year to make sure there are no problems.

We do ask that if at anytime for whatever reason you can no longer deal with or have the bird please return it to us. However there cannot be a refund of the adoption fee.

We do not adopt birds out to anyone under 18 years of age. Parents are solely responsible for the care and well-being of the bird.

We do not adopt birds out to persons who wish to house the bird somewhere other than their home as a pet.
We do not adopt to persons who have prior convictions of animal abuse or neglect.

We understand that with some species of exotic birds that during the breeding season in all probability your bird will become more aggressive and this does not mean the bird “Hates” you but the hormones are raging. And do not take it so
personal as it is the law of survival and sometimes it is stronger than the love we have for our bird or vice versa. Sometimes a different person can turn an aggressive bird around and all we want is to protect the humans and other birds. This does not mean “You” are a failure but sometimes more often than not the bird chooses its human and perhaps will have a more positive reaction with a different setting.

We do not place noisy species of birds in apartments and condos.

We do require a signed letter from the landlord or co-op association, if the potential adopter lives in one of the above mentioned types of housing stating that this bird is allowed in that residence.

Do you know that some parrots, macaws, and cockatoos can get very, very loud at sounding off in the morning and at night as this will definitely upset you neighbors. So please, take this into consideration when choosing a bird.
If in doubt ask one of our members and we can steer you in the right choice for both you and your new family member.

We will be available to be called or emailed if and when some issues arise with the bird and if we don’t know the answer will work with you to find an answer. We have a bird resources and other link from the internet that perhaps will help you out.

Once the adoption is final the bird is yours and all we ask is for the one year for phone calls on how the bird and the new family are doing. Send pictures we would love to post them so other potential adoptee see our success stories. The only time someone can enter your home from ABFR

And try to reclaim the bird is only with valid abuse and or neglect issues and we have to have legal paperwork supporting the claims. If it is determined by animal control that these allegations and proof are true then we will need to determine what the next step might need to be done.

We do not ransom birds and hope we can get someone who really is having hardships to voluntarily relinquish their bird to ABFR.

Part of the goal of our rescue is to provide a safe haven for birds to stay until they can be adopted into a new family. Turning a domesticated bird free is a death sentence. They will face predators, other humans who think torturing a bird is fun and some have actually starved as being fed by humans is all they have ever known.

We chose to have these birds in foster homes instead of all in a building. These birds need to maintain their one on one status with humans and how else to see if there are any behavioral issues?

Also by having these birds in our foster homes the donations that would go for overhead of a building instead goes for the birds themselves.

Donations of these birds is considered a charitable contribution and as with all 501c non-profits receipts will be given on every item for your tax papers.

Any cages or supplies donated are also considered a charitable donation and receipts are given.
We do not charge someone to relinquish their bird however a donation to help defray expenses is always welcome.

When placing a bird with ABFR you can expect the following steps:

1. Contact the board by phone. This is to see if there are just issues you need help with or if you really are ready to give up your bird up.
2. We take all exotic birds regardless of size, medical condition, or behavioral issues.
3. The owner will bring the bird to the board member with cages and all supplies. A release form with all known information of the bird will be filled out and then the actual signing of the bird over to Always Birds First Rescue will be finalized and a receipt given for the bird and items donated for tax purposes.

After your bird is left with the rescue:

1. The bird will spend 2-7 days with a board member so that he or she can get a preliminary idea of the behavioral and medical condition of the bird.
2. There will also be a well-bird check with an avian vet and fecal gramstain will be done and any other further treatment deemed necessary by the avian vet.
3. Once a foster home is selected the bird is transferred with all necessary supplies and the foster home will enforce a 30 day quarantine during which the bird is not available for adoption.
4. The foster home will keep a log of any issues