'We're crazy bird people': Meet the duo helping parrots find new homes

And that is especially true for best friends Cassy Hill and Lily-Rose Barnes.

They’ve taken their passion for pets and transformed it into a career - but their store isn’t just any pet shop.

Among the squawks and trills, when you enter its doors is a rehoming and rescue centre for parrots.

Feathers & Tails, which was launched in 2023, is also an exotic animal hotel providing a place of sanctuary for feathered friends and reptiles while their owners are on holiday.

Lily said: “We met a long time ago working in another pet shop and we both loved it so much.

“We’re crazy bird people so we wanted to start this venture together.”

Cassy added: “We just jumped into it and it all just happened so fast. We started looking at around Covid time but we decided it was the wrong time to open.

“After Covid all kind of blew over, we just jumped the bullet and started looking at properties and we found here.”

Feathers & Tails, in Wakefield, takes in parrots and other birds from animal shelters or from owners who can no longer take care of them. They provide them with care and a home while working to find a new owner where possible.

Some parrots will be able to be matched with beginner bird keepers while others require more experienced owners due to their specific needs.

The rehoming process itself begins with an extensive in store conversation to ensure an individual can provide the care the bird needs.

Cassy and Lily’s biggest advice for anyone interested in adopting a parrot is to look into what you’re signing up for.

Lily said: “(Do) as much research as possible. We like for people to come in prepared for what a parrot might entail and then we can go through the specifics of each species.”

Cassy added: “They’re fantastic pets but definitely not for everybody. You’ve got the noise, the destruction, the mess and the commitment.

“If you’re doing it right, they’re a massive commitment. They need simulation and they need time.”

Feathers & Tails also rescue reptiles which they rehabilitate in a similar process to their parrots.

And the site also has a private parrots and reptiles hotel where they look after these exotic pets while their owners are away.

For Cassy and Lily, it’s particularly exciting when they see animals they’ve rehomed return to stay at the hotel.

Lily said: “A lot of them come back for holiday boarding. Even birds that we’ve hand-reared from babies we see them really regularly.

“It’s really nice to see them all and you can always tell how well they’re doing when they come back.”

Last year, Feathers & Tails took in 64 parrots and 30 reptiles.

Cassy and Lily’s favourite part of their job is matching the right pet to the right owner.

Cassy said: “We keep in touch with people who rehome or buy our birds and reptiles.

“It is sad and it's heart-breaking when they come in because a lot of them do come in in a bad way but when you see them getting better and thriving, that’s really rewarding.”