Birds Rescued From Hoarder's Home Ready For Adoption
VILLA PARK, Ill. (CBS) – The hundreds of birds removed from a hoarder's Aurora home earlier this year are ready for new homes, their rescuers say.
CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot introduces us to some of the feathered friends.
Meet Sweetheart. The vibrantly colored conure is one of 358 birds rescued from the Aurora home of bird hoarder David Skeberdis. The Greater Chicago Cage Bird Club helped remove the birds, and now the not-for-profit group is putting all of the birds up for adoption beginning Dec. 4.
"We're trying to find good homes for all these guys," the club's Diana Federl says.
It's been no small undertaking to prepare the birds for their new homes.
"First, we had to bathe them for several days, because they smelled. They were very dirty," the club's Diana Federl says.
"A couple of them had broken wings. A couple of them looked like they had colds, runny noses," she adds.
There are several conures and parakeets from Skeberdis' home, along with a stunning Macau and rose-breasted Cockatoo from a McHenry County hoarder's home. Adoption fees range from $10 to $300, depending on the breed.
Larger birds require a veterinarian reference and home visit before adoption.
"They're like having a toddler in your house for the rest of your life. So, if you can't stand toddlers, you should not have a bird that's a large bird, or a medium-size bird," Federl cautions.
The Villa Park adoption location, 15 E. Park Blvd. Suite 3, will be open every day except Mondays and Thursdays starting Tuesday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For details, including information about donating to the Greater Chicago Cage Bird Club, click here.
