Have a Baby Parrot in Belize? Please Let Us Help

If you have one of the many baby parrots in Belize that has been taken from the wild this year, please let us help.

As usual at this time of year, we are seeing young parrots coming into our care in very poor condition - sick, malnourished, with damaged feathers and even permanent developmental issues caused by poor diet and care.

It is heartbreaking, because these are wild birds who should be growing up in the forest, not in someone's home.

There has been a great deal of information this year about the legal protection of Belize's wild parrots and the importance of leaving young birds in the wild. Despite this, we continue to receive enquiries from people who have acquired baby parrots and are now asking about permits, looking for help because the bird is sick, or surrendering birds that have already suffered as a result of being kept in captivity.

We know that some people may have acquired a parrot without fully understanding that they were breaking the law, or maybe they simply don't know what to do now that their bird is sick or becoming difficult to manage.

Whatever the circumstances, please don't wait!

A baby parrot needs the right food, space, social interaction, exercise and opportunities to develop normal behaviours. Growing up without enough opportunity to fly can affect the development of muscles, coordination and flight skills. An inappropriate diet can cause serious nutritional and physical problems and even sickness and death.

Young parrots need to learn from other parrots. They need to fly, forage, communicate, develop social skills and eventually become part of a flock. These are things that a human home simply cannot provide. The earlier a bird comes into rehabilitation, the sooner they can begin returning to life as a wild bird.

If you have a young parrot, please surrender him.

You will be giving him a chance to have the life he was meant to have.

And if the bird is already sick, please don't wait and hope that he will get better. Contact Belize Bird Rescue. The sooner we know about a problem, the more we can do to help.

Wild parrots belong in the wild. Let's give them every chance to get there.