Dawn was part of a large seizure of budgies from the Okanagan and is waiting to be adopted out from the Maple Ridge branch of the BC SPCA. (BC SPCA/Special to The News)

Dawn was part of a large seizure of budgies from the Okanagan and is waiting to be adopted out from the Maple Ridge branch of the BC SPCA. (BC SPCA/Special to The News)

Mozart-loving budgies waiting for forever home at BC SPCA in Maple Ridge

Budgies were part of a large seizure in the Okanagan

Budgies with a penchant for classical music are up for adoption at the Maple Ridge branch of the BC SPCA.

The branch is trying to find forever homes for six budgies that were a part of a large seizure from the Okanagan.

About 100 birds were seized by the animal welfare agency – in September – and were split up and given to various SPCA locations across the Lower Mainland to adopt out.

In Maple Ridge, they initially received 18 of the birds and staff are hoping the last six will go to good homes. Two of the birds are currently in the shelter and four are in foster care.

“They were pretty stressed when they came in,” said branch manager Kahlee Demers, noting that they were scared and nervous around people, and staff at the animal shelter had to spend a lot of time trying to figure out which birds got along together so they could be paired for adoption.

Budgies are social creatures and do well with other budgies.

“However, when you have that many budgies in one particular spot, they can get quite stressed,” she said.

A lot of the birds were not only underweight when they arrived in Maple Ridge, but they were also quite young and staff had a hard time telling which ones were male and which were female because their beaks hadn’t yet changed colour.

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Demers said they are adopting the birds in pairs because a single bird can get pretty depressed and budgies form strong bonds with their partners.

If people are thinking about applying to adopt the birds, Demers noted, budgies are tropical birds and sensitive to temperature. They can’t be by an open window, a drafty area, or right underneath a vent.

“Nice and toasty,” she said.

The birds are very affectionate and very social – and, she said, these particular birds absolutely love music by 18th-century composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and will actually start singing along to it.

“It’s pretty adorable.”

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Demers also noted that the birds really like to be talked to, sung to, and interacted with.

They are fine to keep in a cage, but there are specific requirements to make sure the cage is big enough for the birds.

And, added Demers, when two birds are adopted out it is buy one, get one half off.

Anyone wanting to adopt a pair of budgies can contact the Maple Ridge BC SPCA branch at 604-463-9511 or go to adopt.spca.bc.ca to fill out an online application.


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