RescueBirdRita

Dealt with this for months. What finally worked was changing the food brand and just being really patient. They come around eventually.

Every bird owner's worst nightmare. If it happens, act FAST. Here's the step-by-step:

FIRST 30 MINUTES:

1. Put the cage outside with door open, food visible
2. Play your bird's favorite sounds LOUD (YouTube on a speaker)
3. Stay in the area and call their name
4. Birds usually don't fly far initially — check nearby trees, rooftops, balconies

FIRST HOUR: 5. Post on these Facebook groups:

• Toronto Lost & Found Pets
• GTA Lost Parrots & Birds
• Ontario Parrot Rescue Network

6. Post on this forum (Lost & Found Toronto category)
7. Call Toronto Animal Services: 416-338-7297
8. Alert your neighbours — give them a photo

FIRST 24 HOURS: 9. Make flyers with a clear photo, species, name, area lost, your phone number 10. Post flyers within 2 km radius — focus on community boards, pet stores, vet clinics 11. Post on Kijiji lost & found, Craigslist, Nextdoor 12. Contact local bird rescues (they sometimes get found birds turned in) 13. Call PetSmart/Pet Valu stores nearby — people bring found birds there 14. Post on 911 Parrot Alert (911parrotalert.com)

ONGOING: 15. Keep the cage outside during daylight hours 16. Check regularly — lost birds often return to the area at dawn/dusk 17. Don't give up — birds have been found weeks later 18. In winter: birds seek warmth — check garages, porches, sheds

PREVENTION:

• Wing clips (controversial but effective)
• Flight harness training
• Screen all windows and doors
• Practice recall training
• Microchip your bird (some avian vets offer this)
• Take clear photos for identification

If you FIND a bird:

• Approach slowly, offer seeds
• Contain in a box/cage
• Post here + Facebook groups + call 311
• Take to an avian vet to scan for microchip

Bookmark this page. Share it with every bird owner you know in Toronto. One day it might save someone's bird.

BST Community Forum — forum.birdsittingtoronto.ca

This is super helpful, thanks for putting this together! Saving this thread. We need more posts like this on the forum.

Just wanted to give a shoutout to Bird Sitting Toronto. Left my Quaker parrot with them for 10 days while we visited family and Buddy came home happy and healthy. They sent daily photo updates. Honestly the best experience. Highly recommend for anyone in Richmond Hill!

Dealt with this for months. What finally worked was changing the type of water dish and just being really patient. They come around eventually.

Need to drive my sun conure from Mississauga to a vet appointment downtown. They've never been in a car before and I'm nervous. What travel cage do you recommend? Any tips to keep them calm?

Every bird owner's worst nightmare. If it happens, act FAST. Here's the step-by-step:

FIRST 30 MINUTES:

1. Put the cage outside with door open, food visible
2. Play your bird's favorite sounds LOUD (YouTube on a speaker)
3. Stay in the area and call their name
4. Birds usually don't fly far initially — check nearby trees, rooftops, balconies

FIRST HOUR: 5. Post on these Facebook groups:

• Toronto Lost & Found Pets
• GTA Lost Parrots & Birds
• Ontario Parrot Rescue Network

6. Post on this forum (Lost & Found Toronto category)
7. Call Toronto Animal Services: 416-338-7297
8. Alert your neighbours — give them a photo

FIRST 24 HOURS: 9. Make flyers with a clear photo, species, name, area lost, your phone number 10. Post flyers within 2 km radius — focus on community boards, pet stores, vet clinics 11. Post on Kijiji lost & found, Craigslist, Nextdoor 12. Contact local bird rescues (they sometimes get found birds turned in) 13. Call PetSmart/Pet Valu stores nearby — people bring found birds there 14. Post on 911 Parrot Alert (911parrotalert.com)

ONGOING: 15. Keep the cage outside during daylight hours 16. Check regularly — lost birds often return to the area at dawn/dusk 17. Don't give up — birds have been found weeks later 18. In winter: birds seek warmth — check garages, porches, sheds

PREVENTION:

• Wing clips (controversial but effective)
• Flight harness training
• Screen all windows and doors
• Practice recall training
• Microchip your bird (some avian vets offer this)
• Take clear photos for identification

If you FIND a bird:

• Approach slowly, offer seeds
• Contain in a box/cage
• Post here + Facebook groups + call 311
• Take to an avian vet to scan for microchip

Bookmark this page. Share it with every bird owner you know in Toronto. One day it might save someone's bird.

BST Community Forum — forum.birdsittingtoronto.ca

You're clearly a caring bird owner — the fact you're asking for help shows that. Your bird is lucky to have you.

The Toronto Humane Society sometimes has birds available for adoption too. Worth checking if you're in the downtown area.

My Amazon parrot is OBSESSED with watching nature documentaries on TV. Specifically the ones with other birds. Anyone else's bird watch TV? What shows do they like? My Fig also loves cooking shows for some reason.

Every bird owner's worst nightmare. If it happens, act FAST. Here's the step-by-step:

FIRST 30 MINUTES:

1. Put the cage outside with door open, food visible
2. Play your bird's favorite sounds LOUD (YouTube on a speaker)
3. Stay in the area and call their name
4. Birds usually don't fly far initially — check nearby trees, rooftops, balconies

FIRST HOUR: 5. Post on these Facebook groups:

• Toronto Lost & Found Pets
• GTA Lost Parrots & Birds
• Ontario Parrot Rescue Network

6. Post on this forum (Lost & Found Toronto category)
7. Call Toronto Animal Services: 416-338-7297
8. Alert your neighbours — give them a photo

FIRST 24 HOURS: 9. Make flyers with a clear photo, species, name, area lost, your phone number 10. Post flyers within 2 km radius — focus on community boards, pet stores, vet clinics 11. Post on Kijiji lost & found, Craigslist, Nextdoor 12. Contact local bird rescues (they sometimes get found birds turned in) 13. Call PetSmart/Pet Valu stores nearby — people bring found birds there 14. Post on 911 Parrot Alert (911parrotalert.com)

ONGOING: 15. Keep the cage outside during daylight hours 16. Check regularly — lost birds often return to the area at dawn/dusk 17. Don't give up — birds have been found weeks later 18. In winter: birds seek warmth — check garages, porches, sheds

PREVENTION:

• Wing clips (controversial but effective)
• Flight harness training
• Screen all windows and doors
• Practice recall training
• Microchip your bird (some avian vets offer this)
• Take clear photos for identification

If you FIND a bird:

• Approach slowly, offer seeds
• Contain in a box/cage
• Post here + Facebook groups + call 311
• Take to an avian vet to scan for microchip

Bookmark this page. Share it with every bird owner you know in Toronto. One day it might save someone's bird.

BST Community Forum — forum.birdsittingtoronto.ca

My cockatiel goes CRAZY (good crazy) when I play reggae music. Full-on dancing and singing along. But puts on classical and they fall asleep instantly. What music do your birds enjoy? I want to make Tango a playlist!

I joined a bird owners meetup group in the GTA — great way to get in-person advice and let the birds socialize. Check Facebook groups!

Hang in there! It gets better. My Quaker parrot went through this too.

Exactly my thoughts. You said it better than I could have.

If you're near Barrie, PetSmart on Eglinton Ave actually has a decent bird section. Better than most locations.

If you're in Leslieville, check out the avian vet on Lawrence Ave. They're amazing with green cheek conure specifically.

Every bird owner's worst nightmare. If it happens, act FAST. Here's the step-by-step:

FIRST 30 MINUTES:

1. Put the cage outside with door open, food visible
2. Play your bird's favorite sounds LOUD (YouTube on a speaker)
3. Stay in the area and call their name
4. Birds usually don't fly far initially — check nearby trees, rooftops, balconies

FIRST HOUR: 5. Post on these Facebook groups:

• Toronto Lost & Found Pets
• GTA Lost Parrots & Birds
• Ontario Parrot Rescue Network

6. Post on this forum (Lost & Found Toronto category)
7. Call Toronto Animal Services: 416-338-7297
8. Alert your neighbours — give them a photo

FIRST 24 HOURS: 9. Make flyers with a clear photo, species, name, area lost, your phone number 10. Post flyers within 2 km radius — focus on community boards, pet stores, vet clinics 11. Post on Kijiji lost & found, Craigslist, Nextdoor 12. Contact local bird rescues (they sometimes get found birds turned in) 13. Call PetSmart/Pet Valu stores nearby — people bring found birds there 14. Post on 911 Parrot Alert (911parrotalert.com)

ONGOING: 15. Keep the cage outside during daylight hours 16. Check regularly — lost birds often return to the area at dawn/dusk 17. Don't give up — birds have been found weeks later 18. In winter: birds seek warmth — check garages, porches, sheds

PREVENTION:

• Wing clips (controversial but effective)
• Flight harness training
• Screen all windows and doors
• Practice recall training
• Microchip your bird (some avian vets offer this)
• Take clear photos for identification

If you FIND a bird:

• Approach slowly, offer seeds
• Contain in a box/cage
• Post here + Facebook groups + call 311
• Take to an avian vet to scan for microchip

Bookmark this page. Share it with every bird owner you know in Toronto. One day it might save someone's bird.

BST Community Forum — forum.birdsittingtoronto.ca

My Eclectus never touches the cuttlebone I put in the cage. What are other good calcium sources for birds? Especially important since mine just laid an unexpected egg...

My canary needs a nail trim but last time I took them to the vet it was so stressful for both of us. Anyone successfully trim nails at home? What technique do you use? I'm nervous about hitting the quick.