Questions about rehoming a bird from craigslist

[Theresa]

That's hilarious! I don't think avian and ovarian even sound enough for that to be a spelling mistake. And he actually had great spelling, just the wrong words!

The thing is, his email was very informative and he even linked me videos to his set up in the "ovarian room" but I have not been able to respond yet, because I can't get past the giggles

A man has a ovarian doctor?

Latino cocktails?

and an ovarian groomer, I don't think mine have ever been groomed
He sings in Spanish, and tweets with an accent

 

[April]

Any updates?

 

[jeanna]

Not yet! I feel all anxious now having waited almost 12 hours for another response.

But I did tell my family that we might be having a new addition! I'm now willing to pay the full rehoming fee even if there isn't a cage after talking about it with my dad. He only asked what I was going to do with all these birds. I said, "grow old with them!"

 

[jeanna]

Update!

So the girl who supposedly has the 1 year old macaw never responded to me. I know she's a real person from my online investigation (the amount of info you can find with just an email address! it's unbelievable!), but it just doesn't seem right that the only response I ever got was about money and then nothing.

Well after getting all excited about the prospect of adding a second dream bird to my little flock, I was disappointed. So I looked around to see if any other B&G macaws were being rehomed and found an 8 year old male named Sammy! I called the number and we talked about Sammy for half an hour before making plans for me to go over on Saturday to meet him!

The owner got Sammy when he was a baby. Some years back he ended up starting a family (not planned) and when the kids started crawling and getting old enough to stick their fingers into the cage, he decided to rehome Sammy. I guess Sammy went to some people with other birds with the promise of being returned if they couldn't keep him for some reason. So after a year or two of being at that home, he is back with the original owner because they couldn't afford to take care of him any longer or something like that. So now the owner is trying to find a great home for Sammy as his kids are growing up and they're busy with work, soccer games, and family life in general. It sounds like the owner definitely loves this bird and has his best interest in mind. We talked about what Sammy eats (the other home got him on seeds, he has been trying to get him back on zupreem pellets), what his favorite treats are, his awesome avian vet, his hormonal times, the boundaries that were set for him, etc. He comes with a cage, play stand, and swing. It was refreshing to talk to someone who does really care about his bird!

I only have a couple of concerns. The first is that his cage might be a little small. I had him measure it for me and I guess it's a dome top about 68" tall, but like 3'x2'. But since that's the cage he has been in his whole life, I'm thinking it'd be best to just bring him home with his current cage so that he's not dealing with a million changes at once, then upgrade to something larger after he has settled in completely. The other is that I'm not sure if Sammy has been around very many women (gay couple) and I hope he doesn't have a big preference for men because of that!

The rehoming fee is $950. We didn't talk about the fee at all, just if I was financially capable of taking care of the bird at all costs. Does that sound reasonable for the bird, cage, play stand, and a hanging swing? He did talk about another person who did go to see the bird, but kept giving excuses on how they couldn't pay the fee. He was saying how if they couldn't afford that much for the bird, that they couldn't afford to take care of the bird. Since I've discovered that I'm super stingy about these so-called rehoming fees as I'd much rather spend that money on the bird itself, $950 seems a lot to me! I wonder if I can convince him to let me pay less and then spend that difference ordering a bunch of stuff for the bird right in front of him?

Anyway, sorry about the long update. I have a hard time keeping things concise, I do like to ramble on! I'm super excited to meet Sammy on saturday though! Hope he likes me so that I can give him a new home!

Sidenote: Before we named my grey Jasper, one of the names being considered was Sammy! That was actually what my parents wanted to name him. It was meant to be!

 

[April]

Aww,Sammy is such a handsome boy! I hope that you are able to get him

 

[jeanna]

I emailed the owner yesterday with some questions that we didn't talk about on the phone. I don't have too much time to go see him on Saturday and thought it'd be easier to just get a lot of it out of the way by email before. He requested that I also send him pics of my current bird's setup so I decided that I might as well tell him more about myself, my home, and then about my bird's life with pictures. It was detailed and thoughtful because I really did cover everything. I thought that would show what kind of bird owner I am and what a great home his macaw would have. Also, at the end I said I wanted to discuss the rehoming fee which is $950. This is what I said:

One other thing I'd like to discuss with you is the rehoming fee. I know how expensive birds are to care for properly and I can assure you that I'm financially able to get the best of everything my bird(s) will ever need or want. So it's really not that I can't afford $950 for a rehoming fee. However, the way I see it is that that's $950 I can spend on Sammy, you know? If there's a way that we can negotiate the rehoming fee and you can see me spend the difference shopping for Sammy, that would be amazing! I'll most likely take his current cage since he has been in it his whole life and I don't want to introduce too many changes at once, but eventually I'd like to move him into something like this: Amazon.com: Huge Double Macaw Cage In Surgical Grade Stainless Steel: Kitchen & Dining: Reviews, Prices & more But we can talk about this during my visit after I see everything.

Well I was disappointed in the response. He answered most of my questions to some degree, but then said a couple things that bothered me:

I addressed my belief in keeping birds fully flighted. I asked if he was ever allowed to fledge or if he has always been clipped. He said:

His wings have always been trimmed and I would prefer they are kept that way. Its really unsafe for a bird of his size to be able to fly.

Unless he proves that he's a danger to himself when allowed flight, I'm not going to clip again. I mentioned in my email that I'd train him to use a harness when we go outside and that I have a big house that is flight friendly for birds. Do I have to respect the previous owner's wishes or can I just raise him the way I feel is best? Though I doubt he'll fly if he has never flown his whole life.

And finally, this last part about the rehoming fee really ticked me off. I hoped that through everything I said in my email, that his reason for having a high rehoming fee would not apply.

About the fee, I would be willing to take off $150 for a pet exam, but that's about all I am willing to do. I really think that its important not to give away animals as they fall into the hands of the wrong people. I am not saying that you would do anything wrong, but it happens. I don't want him to be at a price that he could be re-sold at a profit to someone.

I believe I mentioned that my grey came to me at 13 weeks as a gift from a breeder friend. Hey, I could have made $1200 by selling him! But no, I've spend thousands instead on my beautiful baby! Pretty sure I could get a free macaw baby if I wanted too. I know he didn't say I'd do anything wrong, but I felt like I said enough that would show how much I care and how Sammy would have a forever home with me and would never be rehomed unless something terrible happened to me. Then there are my personal beliefs about the pet trade and thew hole concept of buying/selling animals like merchandise. I'd rather pay a small rehoming fee as like a promise to take care of the bird and then buy his things at what they're worth now. Then spend the difference ON THE BIRD. If he needs the money, then fine I'll pay however much. But to say that the reason is so that I don't resell him is just not applicable here, so if it's really for the bird's best interest, why can't I spend all that money on the bird? I can definitely afford the asking price, but I just get sooo stingy about rehoming fees because I feel like it should go to the bird. Should I offer again to deposit the money at his vet's or to go shopping for bird things together? Or just pay him $800? I still feel like I'm buying the bird at that point, but I'd hate for him to go to someone else only to be returned or rehomed again.

All I wanted was to give a bird in need of a home a wonderful amazing forever home. Lately I've been really feeling like I should take in a rehome/rescue or two because I have room in my house and heart to do so. But again I feel like this is more about money than the bird. Well I guess I can't really assume anything until I meet them and talk to them in person, but it is so hard for me to not reply and say exactly what I think about these two issues. Or should I and try to be as diplomatic as possible?

 

[marian]

I would wait until you are face to face.See how it goes with Samy and see if there is any connections between you.Then if all goes well maybe you could try to negotiate a bit more.

 

[evsrin]

I agree that you should just go meet him and see if there's a connection. If there is and the owner sees that then they should be willing to negotiate alot more on that price.

I wouldn't show my full hand of cards at this point, don't argue about the clipping just drop that topic altogether. If you let him become flighted that's your business and not his. Just don't provoke an argument over that topic.

He probably cares about the bird, but from what you've told us about him, I highly doubt he cares what new cage you're going to buy or how much money you will spend on him in the future. He's displaying that the money is as much of a priority as "finding a good home" and I personally think that's terrible and that those 2 things do NOT go hand in hand. If a good home was the absolute first prioroty then he would be asking you all kinds of questions and would probably jump at the chance to see what you'd spend in preperation of bringing this new addition home.

All I can say is go meet him, because you'll get a much better feel. You and the bird may not even hit it off! The owner will show his true colors better in a visit then an email.

I'd sure like to know where he gets off charging anything when he already re-homed the bird and it came back after a couple years. Did he actually pay that much to get the bird back? Did he refund whatever they paid him, or did that family just give the bird back because they had an agreement. And how much did he "rehome" him for to that family to begin with?

I find it hard to believe that he refunded this family 2 years later, but I guess it's possible. If they just gave it back to him then he doesn't deserve a dime, UNLESS he recently had the bird at the Vet or bought him something new.

 

[jeanna]

I agree that you should just go meet him and see if there's a connection. If there is and the owner sees that then they should be willing to negotiate alot more on that price.

I wouldn't show my full hand of cards at this point, don't argue about the clipping just drop that topic altogether. If you let him become flighted that's your business and not his. Just don't provoke an argument over that topic.

He probably cares about the bird, but from what you've told us about him, I highly doubt he cares what new cage you're going to buy or how much money you will spend on him in the future. He's displaying that the money is as much of a priority as "finding a good home" and I personally think that's terrible and that those 2 things do NOT go hand in hand. If a good home was the absolute first prioroty then he would be asking you all kinds of questions and would probably jump at the chance to see what you'd spend in preperation of bringing this new addition home.

All I can say is go meet him, because you'll get a much better feel. You and the bird may not even hit it off! The owner will show his true colors better in a visit then an email.

I'd sure like to know where he gets off charging anything when he already re-homed the bird and it came back after a couple years. Did he actually pay that much to get the bird back? Did he refund whatever they paid him, or did that family just give the bird back because they had an agreement. And how much did he "rehome" him for to that family to begin with?

I find it hard to believe that he refunded this family 2 years later, but I guess it's possible. If they just gave it back to him then he doesn't deserve a dime, UNLESS he recently had the bird at the Vet or bought him something new.

That's exactly how I feel! I spent like an hour writing a nice detailed email about what kind of life Sammy would have here and included pics that show how happy and spoiled my grey is. I touched on everything that I would want to know if I were to ever rehome my bird. He didn't comment at all on any of that though! Nothing about how I seem like I could be a great home. I explained how I feed my bird 99% organic, varied diet and prepare food for him on a daily basis. He replied with how Sammy likes seeds and cereal, that he doesn't give treats and sticks to a zupreem diet.

And I don't know about the situation with his other home. Obviously the bird came back as he asked and wasn't resold for profit with these people either, so I don't know where that reasoning comes in. I asked when Sammy's last vet exam was and he said it was last year and that he's "not a huge fan of the vet if the animal is showing no signs of illness."

But yes, I did decide not to reply further by email and to just visit on Saturday to take a look at what kind of situation the bird is in and if we hit it off.

 

[Big.Green.Chicken]

I perfectly understand his viewpoint on Sammy. You might not realize it, but there are people who make a business of getting animals on Craigslist and reselling them in a few weeks at a profit. It happened to one of my neighbors who had an AKC companion trained Golden retriever. She was going to sell him at a higher price so she knew he was going to a home that could afford his care. The people who went to adopt him said all the right things. They had vet references, other references, she did have pictures of their home. She dropped the price because they were "good people". She saw him 3 weeks later on Craigslist for a huge price because he was pureblood, obedience trained, and everything. It was horrifying for her. You could order stuff online and when you go home cancel the order. You could be planning on selling him later for 1000 on craigslist. I am not saying that you would do this, but he doesn't know that you wouldn't do it. I sold an antique grandfather clock on Craigslist and you wouldn't believe the people I had to deal with.

Personally I would never let anyone to my residence again. I would meet them somewhere to look over whatever I was reselling if I could. I completely understand your point of view about Sammy because you are an honest person. I can see his point of view as well though. Think of all the people he has probably been dealing with and the fact he wants the best possible home for Sammy.

 

[jeanna]

I perfectly understand his viewpoint on Sammy. You might not realize it, but there are people who make a business of getting animals on Craigslist and reselling them in a few weeks at a profit. It happened to one of my neighbors who had an AKC companion trained Golden retriever. She was going to sell him at a higher price so she knew he was going to a home that could afford his care. The people who went to adopt him said all the right things. They had vet references, other references, she did have pictures of their home. She dropped the price because they were "good people". She saw him 3 weeks later on Craigslist for a huge price because he was pureblood, obedience trained, and everything. It was horrifying for her. You could order stuff online and when you go home cancel the order. You could be planning on selling him later for 1000 on craigslist. I am not saying that you would do this, but he doesn't know that you wouldn't do it. I sold an antique grandfather clock on Craigslist and you wouldn't believe the people I had to deal with.

Personally I would never let anyone to my residence again. I would meet them somewhere to look over whatever I was reselling if I could. I completely understand your point of view about Sammy because you are an honest person. I can see his point of view as well though. Think of all the people he has probably been dealing with and the fact he wants the best possible home for Sammy.

Wow, that's absolutely awful about the dog. But I don't know how to convey to someone that I really am an honest person who really loves birds and would never do something like that. Not to mention that I have no need for money. I completely understand the caution, but if he just wants to prevent it from being resold, couldn't he just make me sign a legally binding document? For me it's not about the money, it's about the bird. I would pay whatever he wants if I feel a connection with the bird and feel that he would definitely be better off with me. I just wish that I wouldn't have to feel like I was buying him so that his previous owner can pocket the cash, that instead of feeling like I wasted my money, it could have gone to caring for the bird.

 

[evsrin]

I do not dispute there are lots of bad people looking for deals, but I think this falls into one's instincts. I think some people have a more difficult time then others when sifting through potential adopters or purchers if it's an item... Idk, I've done lots of deals on CL and sold many things... I just make it hard for people to pull the wool over my eyes. No you can't always take people at their word, but in this case this owner should be trying harder to see if you are the right person for the bird and that should matter most. Even if you paid $800 or $950, NOTHING is stopping you from turning around and selling him for $1000. Sure, it may take awhile to get a buyer, but if all you're concerned about is money there's probably a sucker out there who will give it to you. It requires more effort on ones part to REALLY interview someone and cover all the bases, but that's how it should be done in my opinion... I don't think it's really all that easy to lie to someone who is REALLY determined to find the best home.

Let us know how the meeting goes. Good luck

 

[allison]

Unfortunately, people are good lyres. They say all the right things, and it's hard to know who to trust.
Even though you are a great person, there is no way for them to know that. I would go meet Sammy, and decide if you feel comfortable paying the fee. If not, you can pass and maybe someday you will come accross another macaw in need of a home.
Where are you located (city, state)? I could help you look if you want.

 

[jeanna]

Unfortunately, people are good lyres. They say all the right things, and it's hard to know who to trust.
Even though you are a great person, there is no way for them to know that. I would go meet Sammy, and decide if you feel comfortable paying the fee. If not, you can pass and maybe someday you will come accross another macaw in need of a home.
Where are you located (city, state)? I could help you look if you want.

I live in Mukilteo, WA. I've been looking around the past month for birds that I think could be a good fit with me that might have a harder time finding a proper home than say a cockatiel. There are actually two macaws in the area in need of a new home. A ruby and a scarlet. Though I'd love to take one of them in, I don't think I'm ready for a mature scarlet macaw or a scarlet hybrid with baggage.
Parrot
HI MY NAMES TILLY

 

[Bokkapooh]

Only taking $150 off the $900 rehoming fee for a vet exam? I think your getting ripped off you pay such a high price for an ADULT macaw with a small cage.

You'll have to upgrade his small 3x2 cage very quickly, I dont understand how any macaw can be happy in such a tiny cage, at the least kep the poor thing in a 40x30!(angry face is for the previous owner). Plus vet fees are more than $150, so it doesnt really make sense to only take ofF $150. Plus this bird is an ADULT! Geeze I have a friend who has a female 5 Month old baby green wing for $900 with a 40x30.

Also I would ignore the owner about keeping wings trimmed, I never listen to previous owners if I disagree about their clipping beliefs. But I also fully let them know my birds are and will remain flighted, and I explain why I keep them flight, how I keep them safe, why being flighted isnt that much safer than a clipped bird in captivity and how a clipped bird can still fly and so on and so forth.

 

[allison]

I honestly have no idea why Scarlets get such a bad rep. They are no more challenging than a mature B&G in my opinion. Any macaw is going to be a challenge.
Both of those birds have little to no toys.
Macaws just need a lot of stuff to do. I'm sure the Ruby would not pluck so much if it had enrichment.

 

[allison]

Not sure if these are close to you or not.
Macaw, Military Adult Male, Tame in Spokane, Washington
Greenwing Macaw For Sale in Kelso, Washington
Macaw, Catalina (Hybrid) Hand-tame Male in Spokane, Washington
Severe Macaw And Citron Cockatoo Plus Three Cages in Puyallup, Washington
Will keep looking.

 

[allison]

Macaw
Military Macaw
Macaw, Military | Cheney | eBay Classifieds (Kijiji) | 4258363
Macaw - Mac - Large - Adult - Male - Bird | Airway Heights | eBay Classifieds (Kijiji) | 3600146
Blue and Gold | Spokane | eBay Classifieds (Kijiji) | 330988
A rescue:
Pampered Parrots Avian Rescue

 

[jeanna]

Spokane is pretty far, all the way across the state. I think the Portland, OR area may actually be closer.

I found a double macaw cage on craigslist that was only used 6 months. I could always buy that since it's faster than ordering one and no store around here carries them. Do you think he'll come down on the fee if I take just the bird and he can sell the other stuff separately?

 

[April]

Its possible,I see that all the time on my CL. Bird is x amount with cage and x amount without. It just depends on the owner.