Methuen animal shelter gets 83 parakeets

By Martin Finucane and Brian Ballou, Globe Staff

The drab cardboard boxes in a pickup truck that arrived at an MSPCA facility in Methuen earlier this week contained a bright-tinted, chirping surprise: 83 parakeets.

The parakeets were voluntarily surrendered Wednesday by a Peabody man who had been keeping them in his basement, said Mike Keiley, manager of the Noble Family Animal Care and Adoption Center.

Eight to 19 birds were contained in each box. The truck also contained some nesting boxes with live chicks -- and some dead ones, Keiley said.

The birds are mostly in good shape, though some show signs that other birds have been pecking them. The MSPCA plans to return to the man’s house to make sure all the animals are gone, he said.

Peabody health inspector Bill Pasquale said birds were flying free in the basement of the three-family home when he arrived at the property last week. Officials ordered the man, Ramon Medrano, to get rid of the birds, clean up, and repair damage to electrical wiring that the birds had apparently stripped of insulation.

Sharon Cameron, the town’s public health director, said the Eliot Place resident had cleaned up the basement and informed town building officials that he planned to do the electrical work.

“Typically, if people comply in a good-faith way, that’s usually what we’re looking for,” she said.

Medrano couldn't be reached for comment.

Now, said Keiley, the MSPCA is looking for people who want to adopt the birds.

He said he’s hoping the incident will raise awareness among people that they can adopt more types of animals than just dogs and cats at a shelter. Shelters often have gerbils, hamsters, rats, mice, and birds available for adoption, he said.

“We’re hoping that people walk away with the understanding they can get any type of smaller animal at their animal shelter instead of having to buy one,” he said.

(Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff)
Some of the parakeets that are looking for a home.

• Comment
• Permalink
• Email