All potential adopters must go through the following steps to even be considered for adopting a bird from The Tiki Room. Failure to comply with any of the listed requirements will disqualify a potential adopter outright. (Those numbers that are starred (*) apply to homes wishing to adopt LARGE parrots only.)

1. Fill our a detailed pre-adoption questionnaire. You can obtain a copy by calling us at (608)207-9994, or emailing us at the_tiki.room@yahoo.com to request one. To be considered, the form must be printed, completed, and mailed back to us. List which bird, or birds you are interested in.

*2. Background check is preformed on those wishing to adopt a large bird. (We check for any animal related abuse or neglect issues. If you were convicted of ANY animal related abuse or neglect, you will not be considered for adoption.)

3. Potential adopters must live within a reasonable driving distance. We will NOT ever ship a bird.

4. Potential adopters are required to visit the sanctuary a MINIMUM of THREE times to visit with, bond, and learn about the bird they are interested in adopting. Basic bird care classes are taught on these visits to ensure a bird is placed into a knowledgeable home. No shelter visits=No bird.

5. If there are any other pets in the home, proof of their routine (at least yearly) veterinarian visits must be provided, and any disease, illness, injury, surgery, etc. they have ever had or have currently must be documented. If no other pets are in the home, proof of finding a local avian vet is required.

6. No breed specific or age specific requests, no color requests, no certain sex requests will be honored. All will be seen as an attempt to breed the adopted bird for monetary purposes and will disqualify the potential adopter. No breeders, or other backyard parrot scams. Adopters will be investigated, and PURSUED if found! However, we occasionally receive breeding bonded pairs that can not be seperated and must be adopted together. Additional training will be provided before the pair leaves The Tiki Room, in the case that they should breed, the adopter will be educated as to what to expect, or how to prevent them from breeding in the future. If breeding is successful and the adopter ends up with live, healthy babies, the babies are to be brought to The Tiki Room for one on one human socialization, proper care, and permanent home placement when they are weaned and of age (with the exceptions of finches or doves which will continue to breed no matter the intervention taken). An adopter found to be selling the babies for monetary purposes (without written permission from the Director) can and will have their adoption revoked (birds will be seized by the Director, accompanied by a law enforcement officer) with no refund of the adoption fee, or in some major cases, be prosecuted in a court of law (depending upon the severity of the offence, species of bird, etc). Under NO circumstances is the Adopter allowed to keep, breed, or sell any babies from a successful breeding. If the Adopter wants to keep a certain baby due to an attachment they've formed, they will be required to follow the normal adoption procedures listed here, just as anyone else would.

7. No adoption within 5 years of surrendering a previous parrot (depending upon the reason behind the surrender, at the director's sole discretion.) or within 3 years of the surrender of any other pet (dog, cat, etc.) If you withold information about a previous surrender in order to obtain a bird and we find out through our own sources, your adoption will be revoked, the bird will be seized, and you will be banned from every adopting from The Tiki Room again. Permanently.

*8. A Tiki Room representative will visit the potential adopters home PRIOR to and FOLLOWING any bird adoption. We will not meet you at any outside location under ANY circumstance. If you own your home, you must provide a copy of your deed as proof. If you rent, you must have landlord permission, both written and by phone (we will call them). If you rent an apartment in a complex, it is suggested that you consider a smaller parrot, as large birds make loud noise that will irritate many apartment dwellers. Many birds have been turned over to us when a previously forgiving landlord suddenly realized just how messy and noisy these birds are! And again, No home visit=No bird.

*9. When considering adopting a large bird (macaw, cockatoo, etc.), or special needs bird (either a particularly needy/attention hungry, or disabled), the potential adopter must have previous large/special needs bird experience, other large birds in the home, or be willing to complete a 4 week course (one day a week, at one to two hours in length each time, for a total of 4 classes, or 4-8 hours in specific training.) on the proper care, feeding, handling, and housing of large/special needs birds. If adopting a special needs bird, you will be educated on any special feeding, handling, or care that particular bird requires. If you are unable to meet these requirements, please consider a smaller, or less demanding bird, such as a parakeet, cockateil, or parrotlette, or consider a different pet all together. Parrots, in general, are loud, attention hungry, and demanding pets that require constant care equivalent to a human toddler. They do poorly when left alone for periods of time, and can not simply be content to live quietly in a cage as a decoration. You will end up with a loud, attention needy, and most likely, bald or self mutilated bird. If you can not easily provide this kind of round the clock care, a parrot is not the pet for you.

10. A small monetary adoption fee will be applied, and is based on the individual bird on a case by case basis. You can generally expect an adoption fee of about 30%-50% of what it would cost you to 'buy' that particular bird from a breeder, or pet shop. Adoption fees are used to help cover some of the costs we've encountered while the bird was in our care. ALL of the adoption fee goes back into the rescue. No staff or management wages are paid. We are all volunteers, and as such, any and all monies that come in (either in adoption fees, or donations) go directly back to the birds. Potential adopters may even chose to offer their time as a volunteer, in order to a) get better acquainted with their chosen bird, and b) lower the adoption fee for the particular bird, at a rate of $10 per hour volunteered. This "wage" is not paid, but rather, taken off the adoption fee of the bird in question. Volunteers must complete a basic bird care course, as well as onsite training with the director. Adoption fee will be paid in full BEFORE the bird leaves our shelter, and BEFORE potential adopter is even considered for adoption. This is to ensure the sencerity, and overall seriousness of the adoption because we do not check employment status of potential adopters. Parrots are expensive pets, and if you can not afford the adoption fee, then you should consider another type of pet. If the adoption doesn't work out, or if you change your mind for whatever reason, the adoption fee may be refunded (depending upon the circumstances, time passed, and at the sole discretion of the Director.) upon the return of the bird to our care.

11. Once the adoption has been approved, the bird will be placed in the home as a foster situation. The adopter can expect routine phone calls to check on the adjustment of the bird. If any problems have arisen within the first 30 days, the adopter can return the bird to The Tiki Room for a full refund of their adoption fee, or they can put the adoption fee towards another bird. The adopter is expected to keep the director apprised (informed) of any new behavioral or medical concerns. In some cases, if a medical concern arises within a reasonable amount of time from the approval of the adoption, The Tiki Room may be able to help defray some of the medical costs to the adopter, at the sole discretion of the director. Even though an adoption is approved, the contract can be made null and void by either the adopter or the director if all is not going well, or the safety of the bird is in question. Birds can be seized and returned to the possession of The Tiki Room if their safety is in jeopardy. The bird's permanent placement in a home is not guaranteed until all parties sign the Certificate of Adoption.

12. A home visit will take place roughly 4-6 weeks (or longer if the bird is particularly slow to adjust) following a successful adoption. We will check on the birds overall behavior (have any new problems arisen? Has the birds temperament changed, either for the good or bad?), attitude (does the bird seem happy with his new home? Does he interact well with all members of the household?), health and condition (has the bird lost weight or feathers from stress or other concerns since leaving The Tiki Room? Is he being well cared for? Has the adopter provider a suitable and nurturing environment for the bird? Does it appear they will continue to do so?). Our birds remember us, and most birds that are extremely happy in their new home will not welcome us in their territory, because they fear they are going to be taken away from their new home. Many new adopters are often shocked by the bird's behavior (they might yell, scream, squawk, bite, lunge, or chase the Tiki Room representative or Director), and comment that the bird never behaves this way. Please rest assured that this is normal bird behavior, and it makes us happy to know that the bird is so happy in his new home. If all seems well, and all parties are happy with the adoption, the adopter and director will fill out and finalize the Certificate of Adoption, and the adoption will be made permanent. This is always a bitter sweet day for us, but a very happy day for you, and of course, for the bird who has finally found a forever family of his own! You can expect much squawking, screaming, hugging, and crying. Large birds might even chase us right out the door! We deeply love all our birds so it makes us sad when they are really leaving us, but we are happy in knowing they finally have the home they always deserved.

Adoption Fees, and Other Adoption Information

Due to the number of birds we receive, and adoption requests that are always pending, and the fact that we operate solely on volunteer help, we can not keep a listing of ALL our available adoptables on this website. To receive a more detailed and current listing, you can email us at the.tiki_room@yahoo.com

On our Adoptable Birds page, you will find the photos and stories of a handful of currently available birds. If you think you are intested in learning more about a particular bird, please email us, using the birds name as your subject. Keep checking back if you don't see someone you're looking for. New birds arrive almost daily!

Anyone interested in adopting one of our birds should be aware of the following requirements. Adoption fees vary on many factors including the species of bird, length of time at our facility, medical espences we've encurred, or housing requirements, and are generally considered 50% lower than the typical "market value price" of the particular bird. Adoption fees are as follows (with few exceptions):

*extra small birds (finches, parrotletts, etc.) vary from $5-$70.

*small birds (cockatiels, budgies, Indian Ringneck Parakeets, etc.) vary from $20-$150.

*medium sized birds (Amazons, African grays, etc.) range from $300-$500.

*large birds (severe, hahns, noble, and military macaws, and smaller cockatoos) range from $350-$550.

*extra large birds (macaws and large cockatoos) range from $500-$900.

*special needs/disabled birds (all sizes and species) range from $0-$500. There will be occasions where, sad as it is, we received terminally ill, or permenantly crippled birds. These birds need extra special care from extra special people, so we will often entirely waive their adoption fee, or extremely reduce it, to get them into loving homes for the remainder of their lives, even if their time may be short. (We currently have one special lady who adopts some of our terminally ill birds and cares for them until they pass on. She is very special to us, and to these birds, who get to know kindness and love during their last days on Earth. If only ALL animals were so lucky.)

*special exotics (hyacinth macaws, black palm cockatoos, rose-brested cockatoos, toucans, etc.) are available from time to time. They are available to experienced large bird handlers ONLY, and to qualified individuals, other sanctuaries, or zoos. Depending upon wether they are going to a single individual, or another sanctuary or zoo, adoption fees may be waived or reduced. Single individuals applying to adopt a special exotic can often expect a higher adoption fee, and a more rigorous adoption process to assure the bird goes to a loving home, and some exotics will not be available to single individuals.

We reserve the right to refuse ANY adoption on ANY bird.

The adoption fees are based upon the species of bird, length of time at our facility and any medical costs we've incurred while they were here. These fees also help us to defray the cost of caring for all of our rescued birds. The adoption fee on large parrots MAY include a used cage (appropriate size for the bird) and some supplies to get you started. Large cages in good repair are not always able to be spared, so aquiring one may be at the Adopter's expense. Please do not EXPECT a cage and everything you need for the bird to be included in the adoption fee. In the case that we simply do not have many cages available, we may be able to spare a cage for you, if you are able to spare a small donation for it.

Smaller birds do NOT always come with a cage, as their lower adoption fee is often LESS than the cost of a brand new cage, and we simply can not afford to send each small bird with a cage. If the bird was brought to us with a cage, then the cage goes with the bird. If it was not brought with a cage and we don't have a spare, then the bird goes without a cage, and providing one will be at the adopter's expense. If you would like a nicer cage, we often have brand new, donated large and small cages, accessories, food, and toys that are sold separately, at a reasonable cost (often less than 50% of the retail price!). All proceeds go directly back into the sanctuary.

We have not, do not, and will not EVER ship our birds, and anyone wishing to adopt a bird must meet all requirements on this page. This is important since the major reason birds wind up in rescue situations is because the owner was not aware of the care and personality of the parrot acquired. Also, this helps prepare you for any medical, or behavior issues that an abused bird may exhibit.

We do not BUY birds, even to rescue them from horrid situations, as much as it breaks our hearts to leave them. As a non profit organization, we simply could not afford to pay for surrendered birds. Please, when surrendering a bird, do not think that you are "giving us" a "free bird". This is not the case. You are "giving us" another beak to feed, another cage to make room for, another bill to pay, and another bird to take to the vet. We deeply love and enjoy each bird that comes here, but please at least have the respect to know that you are not doing US a favor, we are doing one for YOU. Please treat us as such.

Nothing bothers us more than someone thinking they are doing us a favor by bringing their plucked, biting, screaming, once-companion-now-forgotten bird to our shelter, for us to "sell". We do not SELL birds, we ADOPT them out. Yes, we charge a moderate adoption fee, but this is not to be confused with a sale. You can not barter with an adoption fee! No, we will not take another bird as "trade", nor will we accept any other animal or item towards an adoption fee of a Tiki Room bird. Please don't ask us to. It makes us feel bad, and makes you look bad. Adoption fees are final. If you can not afford the adoption fee for a particular bird (which are already more than 50% less than you'd pay for that particualr bird from a breeder or pet store) then please consider another bird, or another pet all together.