About 800 unwaned parrots have been handed into the National Parrot Sanctuary since JanuaryHundreds of pet owners are being forced to give up their birds because they can no longer afford to keep them.
About 800 unwaned parrots, budgies, cockatiels and macaws have been handed into the National Parrot Sanctuary since January.
Parrots cost about £10 a week to look after, but owners hit by the credit crisis are struggling to pay for rising vets bills and bird feed.
Steve Nichols, founder of the National Parrot Sanctuary, said they are building new aviaries at the site in Friskney, Lancs, to cope with the growing demand.
He said: "Some owners said they can't afford the vet fees or food costs. It's a shame. We've been given birds worth £3,500 but when times are hard they're the first to go."
Earlier this week, 1.6 million Britons admitted they have had to put down at least one pet dog or cat in the past five years as the bills have risen dramatically.
In total, the research showed that 927,000 dogs and 822,000 cats were put down because of rising bills since 2003.
More than half of the UK's vets say that they put down a pet dog or cat because the owners could not afford to treat them.
The report by Sainsbury's Finance suggested the credit crisis could make things worse as owners are likely to scrap their pet insurance policies.