Adoption Information & Application

From time to time, I have birds available for adoption.  These are either extra birds I have bred or post-quarantine birds that I have acquired via rescue or private fostering.

Society finches have adoption fees of $5 for normals and $15 for cresteds.  Colors generally include chocolate pied (dark brown with white markings) and fawn pied (tan with white markings).

Adoption fees do not include cages.  You'll need to provide your own, however, I do occasionally have a spare cage you can purchase for a small extra charge (please inquire about availability).

All birds come with a few days' worth of food and an information sheet.

Sorry, but I'm unable to ship birds, nor do I allow resellers, hoarders, snake feeders, or "breeding farms" to adopt them. They are available only to private individuals and families, and are to be kept as cherished pets. :-)

I highly prefer that my birds go to non-smoking homes, as cigarette smoke is very harmful to birds (and to you, too).  I also recommend that they go to homes without very young or very rowdy children, and that they be kept in a separate room from "predators" such as cats.

Should an adoption not work out for any reason, I will gladly take the bird(s) back, however, I cannot refund the adoption fees, as this money will have already been spent toward the care of the birds (food, vitamins, medications, cages, tray liners, cuttlebones, nests, nesting materials, etc.).  This isn't a profit-making venture by ANY means.  In fact, I'm so far "in the hole" it's not even funny! ;-)  Space pending, I will also accept any fully-weaned offspring that may result, should you not wish to keep them.

Please note that I don't breed my birds on a constant basis. They're selectively bred once or twice a year, and then only if I have plenty of space for the offspring. Once those offspring are adopted out, and the parents given a rest period, only then do I consider breeding them again. Careful records are kept so that I have a history of each bird and to also prevent accidental inbreeding. :-)

If you see some particular birds that you like, please click here to e-mail me and let me know ASAP, because I can't guarantee when (or even *if*) I'll have any similar to them in the future.

Below is the Adoption Application, which you may print out or copy-and-paste into an e-mail.  The Adoption Agreement must be filled out completely, and approved, before the adoption can occur.

~*~*~*~ ADOPTION APPLICATION ~*~*~*~

Taking care of a bird is a serious responsibility. This adoption application is designed to help you decide if a bird is the right companion for you, and to ensure that you are properly informed about the needs of captive birds. Before completing this application, please read the provided information. You must be at least 18 years of age to adopt a bird from this aviary. This application is confidential.

Your Name: _____________________________________________________________
Your Address: __________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip: _________________________________________________________
Phone Number: (_____) _____-_______
E-mail Address: ________________________________________________________

Type of Pet Desired: _______________________
Gender Desired: M / F / MM Pair / FF Pair / MF Pair / No Preference

1) Do you Rent ___ Own ___ your residence?
If you rent, do you have the landlord's consent to have a bird? Yes ____ No ____
May we contact him/her? Name __________________________ Phone (_____) _____-_______

2) Are all parties in your household aware and agreeable to adopting a bird? Yes ____ No ____

3) Does anyone in the household have allergies or asthma? Yes ____ No ____

4) Who will be the primary adult caretaker of the bird? ___________________________________

5) Who will care for the bird if/when the primary caretaker is away, ill, or otherwise unable?
__________________________________________________________________________

6) Why are you interested in adopting a bird?___________________________________________________________________________

7) Do you have any experience in keeping birds? Yes ____ No ____ If so, what kind(s)?_________________________________________________________________

8) Please list all animals presently in your household. If you need more space, please use a separate page.
Species ~~~~~~ Sex ~~ Age ~ How long owned ~~~~ Where Kept
_____________ _____ _____ _________________ _________________________
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_____________ _____ _____ _________________ _________________________
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_____________ _____ _____ _________________ _________________________
_____________ _____ _____ _________________ _________________________
_____________ _____ _____ _________________ _________________________

9) Please list animals owned previously in the last 5 years. If you need more space, please use a separate page.
Species ~~~~~~ Sex ~~ Age ~ How long owned ~~~~ What Happened To Pet
_____________ _____ _____ _________________ _________________________
_____________ _____ _____ _________________ _________________________
_____________ _____ _____ _________________ _________________________
_____________ _____ _____ _________________ _________________________
_____________ _____ _____ _________________ _________________________
_____________ _____ _____ _________________ _________________________
_____________ _____ _____ _________________ _________________________
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_____________ _____ _____ _________________ _________________________

10) Have you ever owned the kind of bird you wish to adopt? Yes ____ No ____ If yes, how long ago? ________
Do you still have the pet? Yes ____ No ____ If no, what happened to the pet? _____________________________
Did the pet ever have offspring? Yes ____ No ____ If yes, what did you do with the young? ____________________

11) Do you agree that the bird(s) will be have constant access to fresh food, clean water, a cuttlebone for calcium, and veterinary/medical care as needed? Yes ____ No ____

12) Who is your veterinarian? Name _______________________ City, State __________________________

13) Environment: I understand that the bird(s) should be housed in a quiet area, away from drafts, out of direct sunlight, away from any chemicals or fumes (including cigarette smoke), away from potential dangers such as cats, and away from very young children who may not understand that birds are delicate creatures? Your initials: _______

14) Do you agree that the bird(s) are to be kept as cherished pets, and are not to be food for another animal, subjected to medical experiments, sold for profit, or used in a breeding farm situation? Yes____ No____

15) In the event you're unable to keep the bird(s) for any reason, do you agree that you will return the bird(s) to MoonRise Aviary, and that rehoming fees (if any) are generally not refundable? Yes ____ No ____

16) If adopting zebra finches, please initial here ______ after you've read the following paragraph:

Some zebra finches can be territorial, especially when introducing them to new birds. They may squabble over a favorite perch or other area in the cage. Normally any squabbles will settle down after a day or two, especially if the perches and other cage accessories are changed around to 'reset' their territories. However, in the unlikely event that the particular bird(s) that is causing the fussing should try to physically harm another bird, it is important that that a spare cage be kept onhand so that the quarrelsome bird can be removed for a couple of days to 'cool off'. In rare cases, the troublesome bird may have to permanently kept in a separate cage.

17) Do you understand that all new birds, regardless of where they were obtained, should be quarantined for 4-6 weeks prior to introducing them to your existing birds? Yes ____ No ____ Although MoonRise Aviary would *never* knowingly rehome a bird that's ill, it's always remotely possible that any bird (regardless of source) could be carrying an illness but not yet showing symptoms. Quarantining newcomers helps prevent the potential spread of contagious illnesses and parasites. If you don't have other birds, you can disregard this paragraph, but please do keep it in mind if you adopt additional birds in the future.

18) Are you willing to schedule a home visit before the adoption is finalized? Yes ____ No ____

19) Have you ever:
Bred a pet in order to sell the offspring for a profit? Yes ____ No ____
Sold a pet for profit? Yes ____ No ____
Used a pet as food for another animal such as a snake? Yes ____ No ____
Used a pet for medical research? Yes ____ No ____
Used an animal for fighting or as bait? Yes ____ No ____

I have completed the above application and have read the provided information. I understand that MoonRise Aviary will review my application and that the aviary reserves the right to refuse adoption to any applicant for any reason.  This application can either be printed out or sent via e-mail to Moonrise Aviary.

Signature ________________________________________________
Date ____/____/________

**Note: Your responses to any of the above questions will not necessarily result in your qualification/disqualification as an adopter. In other words, there is no one question that will instantly disqualify an applicant. All applications are considered in their entirety. If there is any additional information you'd like to provide, please feel free to use a separate page. Please don't feel like you're being judged. We just want our birds to go to the best possible forever homes. :-)


For office use only:

Approval Date ____/____/________ Contacted To Set Up Adoption ____/____/________

Declined Date ____/____/________ Contacted (If Applicable) ____/____/________ Reasons:

Applicant owns an excessive number of pets
Unusual number of previous pets surrendered/rehomed
No veterinary care for current/previous pets
Unusual circumstances surrounding deaths of past pets
Severe pet allergies or asthma
Lack of definite adult primary caretaker and/or no backup caretaker
Landlord disapproval
Not a good fit with current household
Medical researcher / for-profit breeder / snake feeder / flipper
Incomplete application
Provided false information
Other (explain below)