What to look for in a rescue amazon?

[baserock love]

Hi! I'm in the process of looking for an amazon to rescue. I'm looking at both shelters and craigslist but this thread will mostly apply to craigslist or any other internet rehome since shelters can generally provide you with vet evaluations and papers and such whereas craigslist rehomes more often than not don't.

While i can afford vet care for a bird and will be getting it an initial checkup and blood panel a week or so after I bring it home I probably won't have the luxury of doing that ifirst f I get a rehome off craigslist as most of these people claim to love their bird so much but the only criteria you have to meet for them to part with their precious baby is 750 bucks cash and it's half a days round trip to even get out to the birds. I'm talking to a couple owners and I'll be going out to check on two parrots this weekend unless their owners back out, see if we make a connection and if I think we're a good fit for each other. I can afford vet care in the future but for obvious reasons i don't want to get a parrot that's fraught with health problems from neglect.

I have little reason to believe either of these birds have been well taken care of. One appears to be housed in a small ferret cage and the owner claims he's only a year old and didn't answer me what he feeds him or where he got him and the other the owner says he stopped taking it to the vet many years ago and doesn't even get his beak or nails trimmed going on 5 years, he says the bird doesn't mind but it's totally healthy he assures me lol. Says he feeds it a good diet of chop and pellets but "(His) last blue front died of some liver disease after only 10 years because (he) didn't know you weren't supposed to feed it nothing but wild bird seed!". Basically the guy strikes me as a total idiot. He did talk at length about how much he loves pizza and cheetos and other stuff you should basically not be giving a parrot. His male BFA is about 10 years old he says. Neither can provide me with hatch papers or vet info and want around 700 dollars for their birds. Both claim they're rehoming because they don't have the time to play with them.

Basically are there any visual or behavioral red flags I should look for that would clue me on on major health issues? I know amazons aren't pluckers and both these guys are in fairly full feather. Could be fluffed but the BFA looks a little fat in the blurry craigslist photos. I'm sure neither will let me just take their birds to go take em to my vet. Any tips would be appreciated.

 

[Begone]

I can afford vet care in the future

If you cant afford vet care from day 1, don't get a bird. Save money first and then get a bird.

Red flags for me is look at the breathing. Let the bird do some exercise and see if is still breath normal with no sounds. Are perhaps the owner a indoor smoker? Using Teflon? Feeding the bird bad quality seed with peanuts?
And look at the feathers condition. Abnormal color in the feathers can also be a red flag. The feathers tells a lot of how the bird is doing.
If you know that the birds come from an unhealthy environment, and you decided to get it anyway, you should take it to the vet for a check up, and perhaps doing a beak and nail trim if it's needed at same time.

And the best way to get all information is always to pretend that your not think what the seller says is bad. That is how I do it.

 

[baserock love]

If you cant afford vet care from day 1, don't get a bird. Save money first and then get a bird.

Red flags for me is look at the breathing. Let the bird do some exercise and see if is still breath normal with no sounds. Are perhaps the owner a indoor smoker? Using Teflon? Feeding the bird bad quality seed with peanuts?
And look at the feathers condition. Abnormal color in the feathers can also be a red flag. The feathers tells a lot of how the bird is doing.
If you know that the birds come from an unhealthy environment, and you decided to get it anyway, you should take it to the vet for a check up, and perhaps doing a beak and nail trim if it's needed at same time.

And the best way to get all information is always to pretend that your not think what the seller says is bad. That is how I do it.

Thanks for the post, let me clarify. I will be able to afford vet care day one. What i don't want is to get a terrified bird uncomfortable in a new place around a new person who wants to gain their trust, probably grieving the disappearance of their bonded human and have them immediately go from that to having needles stuck in them and being wrapped in a towel and restrained and having their beak and claws ground down by loud machinery. I'm going to get a seemingly healthy and energetic bird and let him decompress and get comfortable for a week before i take him in to his first visit with his new vet.

Good call on the breathing stuff, if i can get it to exercise i'll do that. What about the feathers though? i had heard if a parrot has dull feathers it can be a sign of poor health, that a healthy parrots feathers have a bit of iridescence to them which goes away when they're not well. What color changes should i look for beyond that?

Also there's no real way to tell the age of a parrot is there?

 

[jmfleish]

We got Iris for a trade in toys of $300 and she didn't even need the toys right away. Maybe we lucked out. I guess, now that I think about it, Iris was advertised on AA. You just have to keep looking and know that sooner or later the right bird is going to come along. I would seriously let the bird dictate it though. You'll know when the bird chooses you!

 

[jh81]

Look for a bird that bonds with you.. seek for that connection

 

[baserock love]

Look for a bird that bonds with you.. seek for that connection

Yup! Looks like i might be meeting 3 birds this weekend. A 4 year old DYH as well now. Very shy, needs a little work but i just talked to the owner and she seems like a good fit.

 

[CrazyBirdChick]

Maybe another small clue would be to look at the bird's poop.

 

[alshgs]

Check their nostrils as well. I was looking at adopting a green cheek that was a plucker, but then found out that one of the nares was completely closed and the lady refused to take him to a vet, so I said no. Check the bottom of their feet, if you can, for signs of bumblefoot or sores

 

[baserock love]

Thanks guys! I'll look up what on earth bumblefoot is. Also it looks like when it comes to poop the urates are the biggest clue to health issues that the feces itself changes color depending on the diet. Good info.

 

[Clueless]

Thanks guys! I'll look up what on earth bumblefoot is. Also it looks like when it comes to poop the urates are the biggest clue to health issues that the feces itself changes color depending on the diet. Good info.

I think poo can also change colors for eating something different colored.......

 

[iamwhoiam]

Let us know what happens with the birds you visit this weekend. Hope things go well.

 

[Tyrion]

You want to check the nostrils make sure there are no wetness to them no sneezing or blockage...check the vent make sure there is no droppings stuck to it no redness or swelling ..check the feet make sure there are no sores or cracking ...check beak make sure its healthy and not to long or to short ..check feathers bright and healthy looking no barbering ect..check eyes make sure they are bright and there is no discharge from them or swelling ... make sure the bird is bright and moving around and is interested in you and what is going on ...it would be nice if the bird made a connection to you but not really needed a bond can be made over time ...what you want is a bird that is outwardly healthy and active ..best of luck

 

[baserock love]

Yeah, i'm not expecting it to fall in love with me right away but when i volunteered at this rescue i was able to make astonishing progress in trust building with two very frightened birds in just 20 minutes using positive reinforcement and taking things in baby steps to get them to trust me. What i would consider "not making a connection" is if a bird the owner says is generally friendly tries to tear my face off no matter what i do for some unknown reason.

Looks like 1 bird got "flipped" and the other was possibly a scam. He doesn't seem too keen on meeting me. That leaves Oliver the BFA who i will definitely checking for signs of health issues and neglect. The owner doesn't instill me with much confidence.

 

[baserock love]

So this is fishy. The lady who had the DYH that got snapped up in like an hour this morning recommended i check out a nearbye parrot rescue on facebook. She said her dyh was friendly but very scared of people and needed somebody to work with him.

I contact the rescue and mention i'm looking for an amazon. Wouldn't ya know it but a DYH JUST came in and they're not advertising her and she's 150 dollars more to rehome than the earlier ladie's bird and she describes him as very scared of people but not aggressive. This seems like a very unusual coincidence...

 

[aooratrix]

Most parrots of medium size or larger are not free or cheap. Since you have a cage, you should have about $1200 bucks set aside to purchase a bird, toys, and a vet check: chem panel, blood work, gram stain, and choanal swab. I only mention this as you have referenced adoption costs in several threads.

You should get the bird that causes you butterflies: you'll tolerate and work with behavioral rough patches, which WILL happen, when you are connected to the bird. If you adopt a male BFA or DYH, you're going to have a bird that will probably not be safe to handle for several months a year, if not longer. My beloved female DYH, Morgan, has been with me for 21 years with only 2 bites that were my fault. This spring, she started acting in a manner I can only describe as hormonal and bit me 2 more times. She is getting ambient attention until such time as she returns to her "normal" self.

In addition to the physical signs of illness, I'd observe the bird's behavior. Will it make eye contact with you? Will it accept a treat from you? Amazons are very clear about who they like or don't and what mood they're in. You will find the bird that will thrill you. Don't settle for anything less.

 

[JLcribber]

This seems like a very unusual coincidence...

Coincidence or not it doesn't make much difference. You're going to commit to taking in a rescue. Think of the extra $150 as going to help other birds in their care. It's what is all about

That amount shouldn't be a deal breaker because it's going cost money from this day forward anyway.

 

[baserock love]

Most parrots of medium size or larger are not free or cheap. Since you have a cage, you should have about $1200 bucks set aside to purchase a bird, toys, and a vet check: chem panel, blood work, gram stain, and choanal swab. I only mention this as you have referenced adoption costs in several threads.

You should get the bird that causes you butterflies: you'll tolerate and work with behavioral rough patches, which WILL happen, when you are connected to the bird. If you adopt a male BFA or DYH, you're going to have a bird that will probably not be safe to handle for several months a year, if not longer. My beloved female DYH, Morgan, has been with me for 21 years with only 2 bites that were my fault. This spring, she started acting in a manner I can only describe as hormonal and bit me 2 more times. She is getting ambient attention until such time as she returns to her "normal" self.

In addition to the physical signs of illness, I'd observe the bird's behavior. Will it make eye contact with you? Will it accept a treat from you? Amazons are very clear about who they like or don't and what mood they're in. You will find the bird that will thrill you. Don't settle for anything less.

Oh i'm aware of all this. I'm just trying to navigate through the shadiness of the internet parrot trade. Honestly this is just all a bit grotesque to me. I've been in a few animal communities, exotics too and i've never seen people flipping their supposed beloved companions like this for big money with such little regard to where they end up or whether they're resold. It didn't rub me quite the wrong way when the other rehomes that i was looking at come with a 500 dollar cage and another 300 dollars worth of play gyms and toys and food and such.

 

[JLcribber]

Greed is everywhere. Sadly.

 

[baserock love]

Coincidence or not it doesn't make much difference. You're going to commit to taking in a rescue. Think of the extra $150 as going to help other birds in their care. It's what is all about

That amount shouldn't be a deal breaker because it's going cost money from this day forward anyway.

It's not. I'm going to meet the bird this weekend if they get back to me. It just irks me to see this going on. Flipping pets like they're run down cars or fixer upper houses.

I'm happy to pay a steep rehome fee to a person including everything their parrot had and everything you need to get started.

I'm happy to pay it to an actual rescue who's going to spend that money on saving animals and keeping them fed and housed and well cared for, paying the rent on their facilities etc.

But paying it so somebody can turn around and pretend to be a forever home just so they can try to flip somebody's pet bird on criagslist THE SAME DAY for a quick 150 bucks. It's just gross to me. I might have to start screening the flippers and just wait for a genuine rehome or one from a genuine rescue that I have to apply for with non profit status etc. I really am not sure i want to have anything to do with that.

 

[rocky'smom]

hello, flipping birds is like flipping pancakes, it happens all over the world. it's a part of the reason that AA, this website, has changed it's policy in Rehoming section. Craig's list is famous for all the flippers to run to like herd of elephants running to the waterhole, after a good rain.
I volunteer at my cousin's vet clinic, it got to the point that she had to post signs around the entire clinic and put up video cameras all the way around the building. people were abandoning birds (all animals not just birds)) all day, all night 365 days a year. sometimes I would go look on to Craig's List and find the same bird (or other animal) (picture included) days/ weeks prior for some joke price ( I mean unreasonable price either way too high or way too high). and when nobody bought the said bird, it was left outside of the doors to her clinic. sometimes by the time somebody from the clinic got there, the bird was sick, wet and cold, had no food or water for who knows how long. after while the cost of rehabbing all these birds was putting a huge dent in her bottom line. at the front door now there is a list of rescues for birds, plus cats, dogs, rodents and reptiles.
John is right about the cost paid at rescue, caring for the birds at the clinic has shown me that.

Pictures - Welcome Home Sweet Pea | Page 11 | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

read this from #202 to #305, the cost for rescuing these 6 birds was pretty close to $9,000.00 and that was only the first 2 weeks. my only suggestion is this let the bird come to you, if it's meant to be it will happen, if not you keep looking for your new feathered friend.