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Hundreds of budgies helped in charity's first year

Sally Johnson
BBC CWR
Listen on BBC Sounds: Siân Owen runs the charity from a mid-terraced house

Hundreds of budgerigars have been helped in the first year of a charity after it was set up in a mid-terraced house.

Charlie's Place UK was created by Siân Owen in Rugby, Warwickshire, 12 months ago and was named after her first budgie Charlie.

Claimed to be the country's only registered budgie rescue charity, as it marks its first birthday, she said they have helped more than 200 birds already.

Ms Owen said as soon as the charity was set up, they started getting requests for help and support.

A budgie with no feathers grips onto the side bars of a bird cage. Another budgie, who has feathers which are blue and white is underneath the naked budgie.
Many of the budgies the charity looks after have a disease which can cause loss of feathers

What would usually be the box spare room has been converted to house what she called her "flight-challenged flock".

Birds within this room include Button, who recently had a wing amputated because of a feather cyst and the operation was funded through donations.

Many of the budgies the charity looks after have Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease, which causes feather deformities, loss and has a negative impact on the bird's immune system.

A large bird cage covers the right wall of a small room. In it are multiple budgies along with enrichment activities for birds. There is a wooden structure on top of the bird cage that budgies can walk, rest and play on. There is a shelf on the left wall with multiple bird cages on. A window is on the far wall.
A spare room has been turned into a space for the budgies

Currently the rescue is home to 62 birds and Ms Owen, who chairs the charity with three trustees, says they come to her through a variety of ways.

Some from owners who cannot care for them while others are rescued from poor living conditions.

In November, Charlie's Place UK was part of a team which rescued 112 budgies from a single home.

The room where the birds were kept was in a squalid condition.

"There were some birds that had passed away. There were also a lot of maggots and insects in there," Ms Owen said.

A key mission for her is education as she said owners need to better understand their budgies.

"It's been about trying to help people to get access to the right and credible information about how to care properly for birds," she added.

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