New Members and Rehome/Rescue Section

[Merlee]

New members have been coming onto the forum and sometimes their 1st and only post is asking for help in acquiring a bird in the rehome/rescue section.

This disturbs Boysmom and I because the forum members do not know these people and if the newbies' intentions are truly in the best interests of the bird(s). Is the bird really for themselves or resale? From reading their posts, one gets the impression they are just looking for a free bird without any information about them being available. For the protection of the birds of our members or birds in general, could there be some posting requirements put into place for new members to fulfill before being able to post in that section? This also would encourage them to become more involved and possibly remain as active contributing members.

Some members have joined just to rehome their bird(s). What is there to protect us from members who are trying to rehome sick birds? I know there is a risk with any livestock, but let's take some proactive precautions with strangers.

New members cannot send out PMs unless having 20 or so posts, so why not require them to post in the intro section and x-amount of posts so the members get a feel for them before helping them acquire a bird? For the Christmas Exchange the member had to have 100 posts in order to participate to prove the person was trustworthy.

If I had to rehome one of my fids and a fellow member was interested, the first thing I would do is check out their profile and read all their posts to see if it would be a good fit.

We are all bird lovers so let's do something to protect them.

 

[Boysmom]

I second this motion ! This forum is not a bird exchange site, the rehome/ adoptions section should be for established members only.

 

[MikeyTN]

That section is provided for classifieds posting. It is up to each individual to check and observe the birds at their own discretion as I don't feel it's up to us to do so. They can always find ways to go by the post limits if they really wanted to. By posting weird stuffs and such, doing multi-post. It doesn't matter which classifieds you go to you must check regardless.

 

[Merlee]

That section is provided for classifieds posting.

First of all, I mean no disrespect from anything I say hereon.

What do you mean by "classified listing?" Maybe I am not comprehending correctly the intent of the adoption/rehome section. It says "no Craigslist, E-Bay Classified or bird breeders." Isn't the rehome/adoption in the Community part of the forum just for rehoming birds, not those members looking for a bird?

There is a section at the bottom of the forum page which has a classified section where members are free to post that they want a specific bird and that is called "Birds Wanted." All members should be posting in that section not the adoption/rehome section if they are looking for a particular bird like a macaw or amazon.

New members, with 1 post to their credit, who only post in the adoption/rehome section looking for a specific bird give the impression they are looking for a free bird and may be flippers. I agree that the members surrendering their birds should be diligent in interviewing potential owners of their fids, but it would make things easier to do so if the members are established.

Again, I mean no disrespect.

 

[JerseyWendy]

We (the mods) TRY and move inappropriate threads into the right section, like I did with the thread where a new member was looking for a B&G.

Sometimes we miss threads - this IS an active forum.

We don't want to clutter the forums with ebayclassifieds, CL and/or birdbreeder ads, meaning we generally do not allow members to post direct ads to such places in those forums. We do, however, encourage members looking for a new companion to check those places out. (I hope that made sense)

We cannot prevent new members from posting "Wanted Ads", but we can try out best to place them into the correct category.

 

[getwozzy]

I understand your point of view, but we can't force someone to become an established member before they can post certain things.

It's up to the persons involved to do their due diligence when rehoming/adopting their fids.

And like Wendy said, we do our best to move threads to the appropriate section as needed.

 

[MikeyTN]

Even the rehomes is somewhat like a classifieds section cause your posting to find a new home for your bird right? Like you've said it yourself it is up to the individual to be more diligent in checking their sources and the people they're rehoming them to. I know for one thing personally I'm not gonna jump through all the hoops to rehome or adopt a bird. I give my name, number, letting them have home visits, etc. But that's just me....Oh I know you don't mean disrespect.

 

[Merlee]

This is a prime example. At the time, she came straight to the adoption/rehome and did her intro there.

http://www.parrotforums.com/adoptions-re-homing/37299-looking-adopt.html

I hope the poster returns.

 

[getwozzy]

I remember reading that thread, and she probably didn't stick around because of the less than warm welcome she received.

 

[Merlee]

Yes, that was unfortunate, but it could have been avoided. She had one post and that was to look for a rehome among our members if I remember correctly. If she had gone to the intro section and did a post about her intent as well as actively participate in our community, then it is possible that things would have turned out more positive, but she didn't.

New members are always welcome, but to start right off the bat looking for a rehome from our members is starting off on the wrong foot IMO. I understand why and would not want to jump through hoops with a rescue either. She should have stuck around so people could get to know her.

 

[MikeyTN]

It's hard when right off the bat you get criticised about what your posting. If I was being snobbed when I just joined without knowing much I would of go somewhere else as well. Unless they post something crazy.....

 

[mtdoramike]

It's not the responsibility of this forum to vet and decide who are appropriate pet owners or not. That is up to each and every individual who owns a pet and wants or needs to rehome them. We have a post count limit for security reasons and I think 20 posts are more than fair.

The best way to protect a bird or pet that you are rehoming is WORK AT IT! Like checking any references that they can give you like vet references, neighbors, do a thorough phone interview and one of the last things someone should do is a home inspection, which will allow you to check a couple of things, how are these people living, can they afford to care for a pet or are they living hand to mouth, see for yourself where they intend to keep your pet and bring your pet with you so you can see if they get along with your pet. Sadly, most people who rehome a pet want to ask a fee like they are trying to re-coop their investment under the pretense that "well if they can pay for the bird than they will take better care of it, REALLY" The rescues are full of parrot owners who felt that way. You can't ask someone to jump threw a bunch of hoop when you are asking them to shell out money. But you can if you are wanting the best for your bird and you are willing to do the work. Lastly, I would draft up a contract, it can be on a piece of toilet paper doesn't have to be fancy and just state the level of care you expect for your pet, what you expect from the new owners and so on as well as what the penalty would be if the contract is violated. Then you do like most rescues do and do periodic checks on your pet for a period of time until you are comfortable with the situation.

So my position is, it's the responsibility of the current owner to do their due diligence to ensure they find the best home for their pet(s) not this boards.

 

[Merlee]

I see you are misunderstanding my motive for the suggestion and this thread has gone in a totally different direction than I anticipated. My initial intent was to keep brand new members from going straight into the rehome/adoption section and posting that they wanted to rescue or adopt a bird rather than going to the Birds Wanted section in the classified section.
In other words, that being their very first post.

I must have worded my suggestion incorrectly. My apologies.

I would like to mention that I looked at my own profile page yesterday and it's interesting to see who has visited to check me out even though I have nothing in common with them.

 

[Merlee]

We (the mods) TRY and move inappropriate threads into the right section, like I did with the thread where a new member was looking for a B&G.

Sometimes we miss threads - this IS an active forum.

We don't want to clutter the forums with ebayclassifieds, CL and/or birdbreeder ads, meaning we generally do not allow members to post direct ads to such places in those forums. We do, however, encourage members looking for a new companion to check those places out. (I hope that made sense)

We cannot prevent new members from posting "Wanted Ads", but we can try out best to place them into the correct category.

You understood what I was trying to say. Thank you.:10:

 

[henpecked]

In the situation Merlee suggested, i usually post a comment to the effect,,, If you would join the forum and participate, it would make finding a rehome bird much easier. Sometimes it's enough that the folks who truely want to learn and rehome a bird will stick around and the flippers don't. I understand where Merlee is coming from but you have to trust the owners to research new members and their motives. That being said there's many longtime members i would rehome to and many i would not. Being a long time member is not a guarantee of a good home.

 

[Betrisher]

We can't look into everyone's heart and know their intentions, no matter how often they post or how long they've owned a parrot. Less than a year ago, I was in the same situation as many new posters here. I had a handful of lovebirds and was looking to get something a bit larger and more challenging. I posted to a number of places asking about rehoming because I was VERY enthusiastic about finding the right bird very quickly. Well, since rehoming isn't very common where I live, I got zero responses. I wound up finding my Beaks on Gumtree and then, very shortly thereafter, I found this forum. What a godsend that was!

As far as I'm concerned, all new members should be welcomed with open arms and trusted at face value until they prove themselves otherwise. The support I got as a new member cemented the way I take care of my birds and gave me insights I'd never have had otherwise. For example, I'd never even heard of pellets before coming here! Or clicker training or touch training either!

I think the likelikhood of someone being conned by a bird flipper is much less than we might think. I would hope that a member looking to rehome a bird would first meet the potential rehomer and use a lot more than words on a screen to judge their situation and that of the potential new home for the bird. I also think that if people are guilty until proven innocent, that smacks of a sad distrust that I'd really rather not take part in.

The bottom line is that we're all about the well-being of birds. If a new poster reads even a few threads here, then they've given themselves access to great information. What they do after that is their own business and it's not up to me to judge. If we put limits on the way we allow people to post here, then we'll be wrong 50% of the time. For me, I'd rather err on the side of trust and and be right 50% of the time. Y'know?

One last point: no matter how many times I might post, you'll never 'know' me until we meet in the flesh. In the same way we can't know if a first-time poster is genuine, neither can we know if they're not. I'd rather err on the side of trust and leave the due diligence to the rehomers as situations arise.

My 2c. I've just trodden on another dead frog with my bare foot. Perhaps I'm not in the best mood this morning...?

 

[Merlee]

You are right, long time members are not a guarantee who would make a good owner, but it's one way to weed out the undesireables. It's just a tool.

It's just so irritating to see a brand new member, with zero posts, coming on board and asking to adopt a bird. I understand what you all are saying. Believe me, my intentions were good. I have had bad experiences with people over the internet and no longer give them the benefit of the doubt. Too many people are out for themselves and many people have had bad experiences with ads on CL. I also understand why people go to bird forums because if I was looking for a bird, that is where I would go as well. I guess what bothers me the most is how people are going about it.

 

[MikeyTN]

We get what you mean Merlee but when you deal with public this is the way to deal with it.

 

[Mayden]

I'm sorry, but I can't help but feel that this is just wrong. Just because someone isn't an active member of THIS forum, doesn't mean they're necessarily not a bird person, etc. This is my "main" forum, and I'm an infrequent member of another forum, however most are US heavy users and so if I were to jump on another forum and look for a bird - I'd have to find a UK one, and then be a brand new user.

Doesn't make me a bird flipper, doesn't mean I want to commit to THAT forum, just that those people might be able to help me find a bird, lead me in the right direction, or maybe someone is eager to rehome to someone who felt right, just hadn't posted about it just yet.

All the people who post asking for a rehome who haven't been super active members get an awfully (in my opinion, disgustingly so) frosty welcome. Instead of the encouraging "tell us more about yourself, your home, your family, etc" we get paragraphs of why they are deemed unsuitable, which all boils down to the fact they have 1/2 posts and that must mean they're a bird flipper. I will refer people back to my "lets be nice" thread, because it really is that.

You = anyone.

If YOU don't want to rehome YOUR bird to THEM. Don't. But do not call someone out for being something they are not and 'punish' them for not being an active forum member.

What if it's someone who has very limited access to internet? and so all they can post is wanted advertisements etc.

Every owner is responsible for vetting their babies 'new owner'. Noone should be discouraged from asking to rehome a bird just because they don't have a high enough post count.

*grumpy*

 

[mtdoramike]

In the situation Merlee suggested, i usually post a comment to the effect,,, If you would join the forum and participate, it would make finding a rehome bird much easier. Sometimes it's enough that the folks who truely want to learn and rehome a bird will stick around and the flippers don't. I understand where Merlee is coming from but you have to trust the owners to research new members and their motives. That being said there's many longtime members i would rehome to and many i would not. Being a long time member is not a guarantee of a good home.

Richard is quite correct on this issue and often posts the above on threads where newbies are looking to adopt a bird and his efforts are greatly appreciated by me. He puts it very well worded as not to offend but more to educate.