NORTH SMITHFIELD — Thanks to donations from people from throughout the state, the homeless parakeets at the town’s animal shelter will be eating well for the foreseeable future, Animal Control Officer Scott Goodwin said Monday.

Three dozen parakeets were seized Oct. 22 as part of a state Department of Environmental Management investigation of the Creatures, Creatures, Creatures pet shop at 1435 Victory Hwy. The birds, which had been at the store, lacked identifying metal bands on their legs as required by state law.

They were impounded by the DEM as part of its investigation into the store and its owner, James Regan.

Goodwin said after first taking them in for the DEM, he was a little overwhelmed by the avians’ appetite. They were going through $7.70 worth of bird seed every three days. In a town where the 2009-10 school budget was literally four dollar more than last year’s, Goodwin said finding the funds for the food was a problem.

But after a public plea last week, Goodwin said enough people donated seed so that the birds are sure to be well-fed in their stay at the shelter.

“We’ve got enough for a year,” he said.

Regan is being cited for violating a state law requiring all psittacine (parrot and parrot-like) birds that are bought or sold in the state have a metal band identifying their breeder. That information is important if the birds come down with a contagious disease.

Regan said he bred some of the birds himself and bought others from breeders. The birds had bands at one time, he said, but they pecked them off.

State Veterinarian Scott Marshall said Regan will get a hearing in about two weeks, adding the birds will probably remain at the animal shelter at least until then. Marshall said the birds could be returned to Regan or disbursed to someone else, depending on the outcome of that proceeding.

Until their status is resolved, the birds are not available for purchase or adoption. But Town Administrator Paulette D. Hamilton said the shelter does have an array of other animals that are.

“I’d like to remind everyone that we have many animals looking for a new forever home, and hope they will stop by the shelter to consider adopting one,” she said.

jhill@projo.com