300 birds, trash removed from hoarder's Illinois home

Authorities in a Chicago suburb took wing Friday and began removing an estimated 300 birds, junk and waste from a hoarder's townhouse.

Workers wearing bio-hazard suits entered the rented two-story home in the western suburb of Aurora after the owner, 57-year-old David Skeberdis, failed to meet a morning deadline to clean up his dwelling, which the city had declared a health hazard and unfit for habitation. Fire officials said Wednesday they had found several dead birds among the trash, mold and droppings.

By late afternoon, more than 250 birds had been safely collected and turned over to a local cage-bird club, which helped with the cleanup, the Chicago Tribune says. The birds -- mostly parakeets, the Chicago Sun-Times reports -- will be held in quarantine for 30 to 60 days before being put up for adoption.

Skeberdis, a computer technician who lives alone, told the Sun-Times he began his unintended menagerie April 15, 2005, when he "rescued" a parakeet he named "Doc." "I saved his life, and he saved mine," he said.

He then added to his flock by adopting and buying more birds, including a Chinese quail.

"I did let the birds multiply. I admit, I was obsessed," he told the Sun-Times. "But I'm a regular person."

He told the Tribune he intends a life change and become "Mr. Cleanup" once his aviary is emptied.

"The place is like a barn right now, but I want to make it livable again," he said.

"I probably will feel bad after they are gone, but the crying is over, and thinking of what the best for them is," Skeberdis told CBS affiliate WBBM-TV. "I felt really bad last week, but I've had a lot of time to come to grips with this. I mean, this has been unacceptable living conditions. It's unacceptable for birds."

He objected, however, to the city's estimated bill for having private contractors remove his feathered friends: $13,000, which doesn't include cleaning.

"That's a little steep, I think."