Meet the Residents of Home Sweet Home Animal Rescue of
Tampa Bay

This is a brief biography of our HSHAR Residents.
Please visit the "Featured Animal of the Month" column on our Home Page for a detailed Biography.


Please note that all of these animals are available to be sponsored in the "Sponsor An Animal" section of our website.

Alexander

Alex arrived on Jan.16, 2011 along with his herd mate Dawn. I was both horrified and furious at the condition of these two starving goats. Alex was in a little better shape (not much) than Dawn. Alex would have eaten what little food was found simply because he is the dominant animal.
Their bloodwork left us wondering how they were alive. But they were and it was our job to see that they remained that way. These two little goats proved that they are a force to reckon with.
They lived in the house for 7 weeks. We knew that cold or wet weather would be their demise. I was able to monitor them very carefully while they lived inside.
Alex and Dawn are doing very well and are now in a rehabilitation enclosure outside getting stronger each day. The next step is for them so go into a larger enclosure and eventually in with our herd.

Davis

Davis, is an elderly Nanday Conure, who has suffered greatly in his life. He was plucked out of the wild in South America in the late 80's and shipped to the United States. He remained in quarantine for months and was later sold and used as a breeder bird.
Davis was kept in a small free flight aviary that housed many different breeding pairs of  birds. As Davis got older he could not compete with the younger more dominant birds and survival became increasingly more difficult. In the bird world the more dominant birds perch on the higher branches leaving the less dominant more vulnerable to predators. Such was the case with Davis, he was forced to perch low causing him a great deal of stress and he wasn't allowed time at the feeding stations. He suffered a cracked beak, fractured toe, eye and leg injury as a result of bird attacks and vitamin deficiencies from lack of food.
Life was horrible for this bird until a local animal rescuer found him and brought him home. Physically he was improving, however, the rescuer did not have any birds and felt that Davis needed the companionship of other birds, from a distance of course.
HSHARtampa was selected to become HOME for Davis by his rescuer. Davis will spend the rest of his life here with us. He is able to enjoy the companionship of our birds, especially, Braveheart our Quaker Parrot without fear of being attacked. There are no demands or expectations put on him (he does not like people). It is important to us that we provide a safe, healthy and happy environment for this little conure.

Dawn

Dawn, is a Spanish Meat Goat and Tennessee Fainting Goat mix. When Dawn arrived along with her mate, Alexander, she was nothing but skin and bones, unable to stand without help and suffering from too many medical problems to mention as a result of severe starvation. Our veterinarian estimated that she hadn't eaten anything substantial in at least a month.
Dawn and Alex were found by a Good Samaritan in a very unlikely subdivision. Our guess is that they were dropped off there, which is all too common these days.
There prognosis was bleak at best but these two strong willed goats had different ideas. Dawn's health continues to improve. Her rehabilitation process will be a long one but quite honestly it is inspiring to watch her progress. Our vet told us that this was the worse case she had ever seen that lived. Dawn is AMAZING!

Ghings

A passerby noticed this striking blue parakeet standing on the side of the road. As this good samaritan approached the bird, it just stood there. The passerby knew that the bird was in danger since it did not try to get away and picked the bird up. HSHARtampa was called and we agreed to take him/her to our rescue.
We determined that Ghings is a very young bird, recently fledged. Most likely Ghings was tired and didn't have the energy to fly away when approached. After some good food and some rest this little parakeet is as good as new.

The Keet Family

This parakeet family flock consisting of both parents and two offspring arrived at HSHARtampa in December 2010. Unfortunately, the death of their owner left them homeless with no place to go.
These little ones provide hours of entertainment for each other as well as for us. They have great personalities and are always on the go. They are currently available for adoption to a great home only.


  

Lilly Goat

Lilly Goat, was surrendered to HSHAR on September 10, 2010 after she was attacked by the family dog. Her previous owner was looking for a qualified person's to care for her injuries, he knew he was no able to monitor her condition and HSHAR met his requirements. Dog attacks on goats are more common than people think. We have three animals that came to HSHAR as a result of dog attacks.

Lilly's injuries were life threatening but she is a trooper and pulled through. Lilly spent 3 weeks in the house while we cared for her wounds, she had 12 puncture wounds on her neck. Lil has however been introduced to our herd and is doing very well.

Oscar

  Oscar
Oscar’s previous owner was desperately searching for a good home for him. This 18 year old African Grey parrot was getting his physical needs met but his previous owner was very concerned about the lack of attention and affection that he was craving but not receiving. Oscar’s previous owner “inherited” the bird, admittedly she is not a bird person and is afraid of him. Consequently he was not handled. This is one of the problems that face parrots, you see all birds bite at some point. When this happens their owners tend to shy away from them, giving them less and less hands on time. This only compounds the problem as they become less social with their human caretakers who are their flock.

Amazingly, Oscar is very sweet and affectionate. He is also very adventurous, eager to explore his new surroundings. We applaud Oscar’s former owner for having the foresight to place him in an environment in which he can thrive. We are excited about working with him to bring out his full potential.



Roopert

Roopert

Roopert is a magnificent looking Ameraucana rooster. Roopert’s owner could no longer keep him or his flock, so on November 7, 2010 in they came. Ameraucana chickens are quite large and he has a crow to match.

Roopert spurs me every chance he gets. This is done to show dominance. This is also the way that he protects his hens as well as himself, while establishing his territory. Since roosters are very territorial, great caution is used in introducing Roopert to our other rooster WOW.

Roosters can be very aggressive towards each other, so it is imperative that they are not kept together in a small area. 


Xena

Xena

Xena arrived at HSHAR on November 7, 2010 along with her flock mates. She is Roopert the rooster’s right hand hen so to speak. It was amazing to watch her try and spur (she does not have spurs-but she tried) the already established HSHAR rooster, Wilbur Orville Wright aka WOW. She was named Xena for obvious reasons.

Xena is the highest ranking hen in the new flock pecking order. This is a great opportunity for us to watch and learn as the two flocks, our established flock and our new flock, establish a new pecking order.

Chickens are incredibly interesting animals with a great social hierarchy. There is so much we can learn from animals, all animals if we just take the time.

Annie


Annie
On November 7, 2010, HSHAR took ownership of a Ameraucana chicken flock, consisting of one rooster and three hens. Annie is one of those hens. She has a fascination with cameras so it seemed appropriate to name her after photographer, Annie Lieberwitz.

Annie exhibits great confidence as she interacts with the other members of the flock. She is less dependant on Roopert the rooster than some of the others.

Ameraucana chickens tend to be more laid back than some of the smaller breeds. Annie certainly exhibits that quality.  

Georgette
Georgette is a Ameraucana chicken. Her full name is Curious Georgette, so named because of her willingness to explore new things. Georgette arrived at HSHAR on November 7, 2010 along with her flock, consisting of 2 other hens and a rooster.

Georgette is the lowest ranking member in the flock pecking order. She is also the smallest of the hens.  Hhhhhmmmm, does her size have to do with her rank? These chickens were all raised together, which makes the size and rank question interesting.

Ameraucana hens lay large green eggs. How cool is that? 

Macushi

Macushi
Macushi is a gorgeous Scarlet Macaw. She was hatched on February 16, 2006. The first two years of her life she went everywhere with her previous owner. Unfortunately, her former owner moved out of the place where they were living and left the bird behind. I am sure the last two years have been difficult for Macushi, although her physical needs have been met her social interactions were very limited. These are large, powerful birds that can easily intimidate their owner.

Macushi lacks confidence and strikes out when scared. We are confident that with time and patience we will be able to handle her with relative ease. We are very happy to welcome her to our rescue family. 

Harriet

Harriet
Harriet is a bantam hen. Harriet came from the same owner as WOW and Echo. The previous owner was very concerned that Echo have a hen more his size. I am not sure that is possible since he is so small. Harriet arrived with WOW on March 7, 2010 knowing Echo was soon to follow. Harriet, WOW and Echo have all settled in with our established hens Layla and Chabo.

The dynamics in our flock are great to observe and as always very inspiring.

Wilbur Orville Wright
aka
WOW

Wilbur Orville Wright
Wilbur Orville Wright arrived at HSHAR on March 7, 2010. His former owner was unable to keep this handsome rooster. He arrived with a bantam hen named Harriet. Another rooster, Echo, soon to followed. WOW got his name when he proceeded to fly to a height of 6 feet after we trimmed his wings. It seemed only fitting to name him after the Wright brothers.

**Roosters are very territorial and will fight to the death to protect their territory and hens. There is ample room in this enclosure for them to keep their distance from each other when they choose.  

Rio
 
Rio
Rio is a 5 year old Blue & Gold Macaw. He was removed from his previous home where he had suffered from severe neglect. His beak is overgrown and his feathers are dull and tattered. He has had very little socialization. He was housed in a very small cage and had no toys to play with. Rio came to HSHAR on July 13, 2009. He is currently undergoing treatment for his overgrown beak and receiving lots of socialization and interaction. Rio now has in a large cage with lots of toys and is allowed time out of his cage with supervision.

Arnold

Arnold
Arnold is a Vietnamese pot bellied pig crossbreed. He was 4 months old when he came into HSHAR in August 2009. He was surrendered because his owners no longer wanted him, most likely because he was a boar (un-neutered male). A boar is very "amorous" with anything or anyone they come in contact with. He now is a barrow (neutered male) and is cute as can be with one blue eye and one dark colored eye. Arnold comes when you call his name and is housebroken. He is very sweet and very smart (pigs are said to be the fourth smartest animal).

Batwa

Batwa
Batwa, is an African Grey Parrot. Batwa was walking down the street when a passerby picked him up and brought him to a local animal shelter. He had previously broken his left leg. He had not received medical attention for this injury. This left him with a severe disability.

Braveheart

Braveheart
Braveheart, a Quaker Parrot, was about four days old when she and her nest mate came to live at HSHAR. The tree that housed their nest was chopped down, leaving them homeless. When they were old enough her nest mate was adopted. Braveheart, however had sustained an injury to her right front toe that required ongoing medical treatments. The decision was made to care for her here. Braveheart is doing well now. She is a typical feisty Quaker.

Sampson

Sampson
Sampson, is an African Pygmy mix. He was about six months old when he took up residence here. His sister drown in a swimming pool. After that Sampson’s family no longer wanted him.

Darby

Darby
Darby, is an Alpine goat. She was disbudded (horns were removed) prior to her arrival. She is the only dehorned goat that we have.
Darby’s owner’s Homeowner’s Association doesn’t allow farm animals. Darby’s owners surrendered her to the local animal shelter. She was too young to go in with the shelter’s herd, so she came to us.

Chloe

Chloe
Chloe, is a African Pygmy doe. At three weeks old we were her fourth and final home. She was taken from her mother at one week old and sold. Chloe was suffering from coccidiosis  (parasitic disease). After she received the medical care that she needed, she was very cautiously introduced into the herd.

Effie

Effie
Effie, is a Spanish Meat goat. Effie was left at the local animal control one cold night in February. She was suffering from coccidiosis, upper respiratory infection, conjunctivitis, anemia and giardia. Effie was about seven weeks old at the time. HSHAR decided to take her since we were able to provide the medical attention that was required to nurse her back to health.  She had to be quarantined from all other goats. We had to use caution when we handled her since giardia is a zoonotic disease (transmittable to humans).

Cali

Cali
Cali, is a Nubian crossbreed. She was hours away from death when SPCA Tampa Bay called us. Cali was about four weeks old and at the low end of newborn weight, 6.2 pounds. She had no desire to eat or drink. She had all but given up, but we wouldn’t give up. Ten days after the initial vet visit she weighed in at 9.3 pounds. Cali had increased her weight by 50%. It took several months but Cali has recovered from her rough start in life.

Noel

Noel
Noel, is a Tennessee Fainting goat mix. Noel’s herd was attacked by the family dog, only Noel survived. She had sustained some injuries and required medical attention. Noel’s owner was unable to keep her and asked if we would take her, and we did. Noel, has recovered from her wounds. She is the dominant doe in the herd.  

Layla

Layla
Layla, is an Orphington hen. We believe that she is part New Hampshire Red. Layla  and her sister Amelia came to live here at HSHAR after their owner gave them to the local animal shelter. Layla was very people shy. We would try and feed her treats from our hand to encourage her to come to us. Eventually this paid off. Layla, comes when she is called. She thinks nothing of walking up to us and getting a treat.

Chabo

Chabo
Chabo, is a Japanese Bantam hen. She was with Rudy searching for food at a farm near the Withlachoochee State Forest. They had been there for several days. Wildlife from the Forest tends to prey on such animals. This was the case for the other two of the hens in Rudy’s flock. We were able to rescue Rudy and Chabo.

It is more common than you think for people to release their unwanted animals in the Forest. The animal's chance for survival is slim to none.