Advice please?

[Gav]

I was originally looking for a new nice cage and I came across this posting for one and the poor macaw caught my eyes so I messaged about them to see what their status is. They're apparently selling the parrot it it, who looks either absolutely plucked or positively ill and has little to no information being offered to me... they want $900 dollars for them and they have not seen a vet. They also sent me a picture of the bird, which wasn't even the same bird as in the picture... Do I try to buy the bird? Do I try going about my life pretending I didn't see this bird? 900 is a lot to plop down on a bird I may or may not be able to afford the medical expenses I think he needs straight away...

 

[Mizzely]

If it's not the same bird, aren't you worried about a scam?

 

[Gav]

If it's not the same bird, aren't you worried about a scam?

Completely. It's obvious that's what they're attempting. I'm angry that the bird in the cage needs serious help right now and they're trying to scam me with pictures of a different bird as if their bird isn't plucked and living in squalor. She lowered down to $750 but that's still a hefty sum for me

Edit: Can't edit my original post so here's the second picture that was sent to me. They're two different types of macaw... I'm trying desperately to get her to lower her price.

 

[faislaq]

It's possible the bird is just a plucker. He has several toys & perches so I'm hoping that means it's just an unfortunate photo. If you did decide to buy the cage you'd have to pick it up anyway, so would you be able to see the bird in person then? You could bring enough money to buy both and make your decision at that time. Admittedly, you sound like a softie like most of us & it would be pretty hard to leave him there if he is in a bad state (again, he might be perfectly fine & happy). Would you have a safe area to quarantine him away from your other birds? It would be heartbreaking to lose someone when trying to save this one.

If you do decide to buy they cage, I'd disinfect the heck out of it to be safe. Like more disinfecting than normal.

And if you are considering the bird, too, you could always look into Care Credit and see if your vet or any vets in your area accept it. That way you could get him the help he needs & make payments instead of all the $ up front.

 

[Mizzely]

Yeah that's not even the same species. I would be worried that the bird doesn't exist.

 

[Gav]

It's possible the bird is just a plucker. He has several toys & perches so I'm hoping that means it's just an unfortunate photo. If you did decide to buy the cage you'd have to pick it up anyway, so would you be able to see the bird in person then? You could bring enough money to buy both and make your decision at that time. Admittedly, you sound like a softie like most of us & it would be pretty hard to leave him there if he is in a bad state (again, he might be perfectly fine & happy). Would you have a safe area to quarantine him away from your other birds? It would be heartbreaking to lose someone when trying to save this one.

If you do decide to buy they cage, I'd disinfect the heck out of it to be safe. Like more disinfecting than normal.

And if you are considering the bird, too, you could always look into Care Credit and see if your vet or any vets in your area accept it. That way you could get him the help he needs & make payments instead of all the $ up front.

It isn't the type of cage of I was looking for, but I definitely have room for him since all of my birds are outdoors. I have two lovebirds I'm fostering but I'd just move them to another room. The fact that she's giving me very little info and is trying to scam me with photos of a different breed suggest this bird isn't doing good at all... if the poor thing is even still alive. Apparently her post is 5 weeks old.

 

[camelotshadow]

If they were selling just the cage so the bird inside that cage in the photo might not be the bird they have for sale.
They sent you a photo of a bird they have for sale which could be another bird. Why they have 2 Macaws & are selling a cage is the question. Of course you need to determine if something is not right with the situation.

They could have the cage for sale & have more than bird. Did they say the bird in the cage & the photo they sent were the same? They don't look the same? Is the bird now plucked or losing feathers? Could be sick too.

I just saw the photo & yes different species but they still could have 2 birds & the one in the photo is the one they are selling. Maybe they already sold the bird in the cage or are keeping it or they dont even have the birds?

Question is whether you want to deal with this person. It may not be a scam or it could be just questionable.

You would have to ask questions to see if its for real & to get an idea why this person is doing selling birds & cages.

You should also be prepared to take any new bird to a vet.

Do you have money for cages & toys for a macaw. Have you any idea of owning a macaw.
These are questions you should answer for yourself.

You should get more info on the birds health & sociability etc & have them be prepared to show you the bird.

There are plenty of birds waiting to be rehomed so don't rush into anything or get scammed.

 

[Hermesbird]

Im not a macaw expert but if you look at the head of the red one the first picture it looks off. I cant tell where the poor birds beak is or what is what. I agree with the other members be very careful incase of a scam.

 

[Gav]

If they were selling just the cage so the bird inside that cage in the photo might not be the bird they have for sale.
They sent you a photo of a bird they have for sale which could be another bird. Why they have 2 Macaws & are selling a cage is the question. Of course you need to determine if something is not right with the situation.

They could have the cage for sale & have more than bird. Did they say the bird in the cage & the photo they sent were the same? They don't look the same? Is the bird now plucked or losing feathers? Could be sick too.

I just saw the photo & yes different species but they still could have 2 birds & the one in the photo is the one they are selling. Maybe they already sold the bird in the cage or are keeping it or they dont even have the birds?

Question is whether you want to deal with this person. It may not be a scam or it could be just questionable.

You would have to ask questions to see if its for real & to get an idea why this person is doing selling birds & cages.

You should also be prepared to take any new bird to a vet.

Do you have money for cages & toys for a macaw. Have you any idea of owning a macaw.
These are questions you should answer for yourself.

You should get more info on the birds health & sociability etc & have them be prepared to show you the bird.

There are plenty of birds waiting to be rehomed so don't rush into anything or get scammed.

I have a lot of experience with larger birds, and nothing at all in our messages implies they were sending a picture of a different bird. I was specifically asking about the one in the cage, so either they skipped some details/cut some corners or they are rather daft (which I could forgive...) If I can pull together the funds I'll go out on a limb and meet this person. If they show up with the second bird I'll ask some questions about the first. The reason I'm not asking for clarification from them is because if it is a scam, then I don't want them to know that I've already caught on in case they block me. Some people cut and run the moment they're called out and I don't want to lose my chance at possibly helping this bird.

 

[Feather]

Trying to determine if the photos were taken by the same camera... unfortunately, facebook strips the metadata from images upon upload, but I was able to check the dimensions for both photos and they do match. The greenwing is 720x960 while the B&G is 750x1000, but aspect ratio is identical. I also ran a reverse image search on the B&G and got nothing, so my bet is that they were taken by the same person and they really do/did have both birds in question.

The ad says "I had mine in there I have no use for it."

I'm guessing the greenwing sadly isn't around anymore, and the B&G is an unrelated bird they just also happen to be selling.

 

[Hankmacaw]

Gav - The only advice I can give you is to stay away from this mess. They are scammers and the only thing I would have to do with them is get them arrested or kick the stuffing out of them. All three of my Greenwings were adopted and all three were in very bad condition - expensive isn't even a start to the cost. You may rip your heart out too.

 

[Gav]

Trying to determine if the photos were taken by the same camera... unfortunately, facebook strips the metadata from images upon upload, but I was able to check the dimensions for both photos and they do match. The greenwing is 720x960 while the B&G is 750x1000, but aspect ratio is identical. I also ran a reverse image search on the B&G and got nothing, so my bet is that they were taken by the same person and they really do/did have both birds in question.

The ad says "I had mine in there I have no use for it."

I'm guessing the greenwing sadly isn't around anymore, and the B&G is an unrelated bird they just also happen to be selling.

Oh true, I forgot about the past tense they used. Poor baby, I can't tell which scenario is better... I originally assumed it meant they might have moved it to another cage.

 

[camelotshadow]

Trying to determine if the photos were taken by the same camera... unfortunately, facebook strips the metadata from images upon upload, but I was able to check the dimensions for both photos and they do match. The greenwing is 720x960 while the B&G is 750x1000, but aspect ratio is identical. I also ran a reverse image search on the B&G and got nothing, so my bet is that they were taken by the same person and they really do/did have both birds in question.

The ad says "I had mine in there I have no use for it."

I'm guessing the greenwing sadly isn't around anymore, and the B&G is an unrelated bird they just also happen to be selling.

This is what I also think if its not a scam. They had the bird in the cage & either got a new cage for it or they sold it or it died etc. Asked about the bird in the cage which they either no longer have or don't want to sell they offered you one they do have for sale if they in fact have that bird too. I see the bird on someones shoulder so it seems to be a friendly bird in that photo.

It could be on the up & up. Birds pluck even with the best of care.

If they no longer have the bird in the cage then they should have just taken a current photo of an empty cage.
There seems to be many overlooked short cuts but maybe there is a language barrier or whatever.

You were interested in the cage so you can go look at the cage & see whats up with the birds in the house.

Just because they showed you another bird & did not go into where the bird in the cage is may be for emotional reasons but they should have just said that the bird in the cage is not for sale & they have another but maybe they are just not that good with English or did not want to get into what happened to the other bird.

Then again it all could be a scame but its hard to scam a cage for sale as it has to be picked up so if they have the cage then they could have another macaw. Just don't know. You have to protect yourself & if they are for real then there is nothing to be worried about them blocking you. If they do then something is wrong anyway.

Your asking for advice & while there is something not perfect about it it does not have to be a scam.

 

[Gav]

This is what I also think if its not a scam. They had the bird in the cage & either got a new cage for it or they sold it or it died etc. Asked about the bird in the cage which they either no longer have or don't want to sell they offered you one they do have for sale if they in fact have that bird too. I see the bird on someones shoulder so it seems to be a friendly bird in that photo.

It could be on the up & up. Birds pluck even with the best of care.

If they no longer have the bird in the cage then they should have just taken a current photo of an empty cage.
There seems to be many overlooked short cuts but maybe there is a language barrier or whatever.

You were interested in the cage so you can go look at the cage & see whats up with the birds in the house.

Just because they showed you another bird & did not go into where the bird in the cage is may be for emotional reasons but they should have just said that the bird in the cage is not for sale & they have another but maybe they are just not that good with English or did not want to get into what happened to the other bird.

Then again it all could be a scame but its hard to scam a cage for sale as it has to be picked up so if they have the cage then they could have another macaw. Just don't know. You have to protect yourself & if they are for real then there is nothing to be worried about them blocking you. If they do then something is wrong anyway.

Your asking for advice & while there is something not perfect about it it does not have to be a scam.

Scam is less so my concern as my goal wasn't to buy/adopt a bird originally, but how to go about handling the situation, because if the bird does indeed need help then I want to get it out of their hands. There is indeed a chance it's just failure of communication, but here's the whole conversation (name omitted in case of rules) so others can see the exact details of what I've gotten so far. I want to see how much information is given willingly before I really start cracking down on some things, and this is all I've gotten so far. My friend actually wants me to call the Human Society immediately, but I won't jump to those conclusions so fast.

 

[Lady Jane]

Can you afford to lose the amount you may pay for this bird that may not or may be for sale? You may or may not ever see the bird in question. Any time one feels something is not right about buying a large or small bird from someone else I think its best to stay away.

 

[Feather]

Scam is less so my concern as my goal wasn't to buy/adopt a bird originally, but how to go about handling the situation, because if the bird does indeed need help then I want to get it out of their hands. There is indeed a chance it's just failure of communication, but here's the whole conversation (name omitted in case of rules) so others can see the exact details of what I've gotten so far. I want to see how much information is given willingly before I really start cracking down on some things, and this is all I've gotten so far. My friend actually wants me to call the Human Society immediately, but I won't jump to those conclusions so fast.

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They might just have another ad up somewhere for the B&G and just didn't realize you meant the one in the cage at all.

 

[aooratrix]

You're going to talk yourself into losing some money. Ask them to Facetime/Skype with you or allow them to visit the bird. If they make any excuse, there is NO BIRD. They are scammers trying to sink the hook, IMO.

 

[Gav]

You're going to talk yourself into losing some money. Ask them to Facetime/Skype with you or allow them to visit the bird. If they make any excuse, there is NO BIRD. They are scammers trying to sink the hook, IMO.

The facetiming idea is smart, I hadn't considered it. If they ever get back to me I'll bring it up with them