So many macaws on Craigslist right now..

[Doublete]

Saw a couple severes, a red wing, and three that they don't identify (and I know so little about macaws- one looks very rainbow colored but like its molting and still rainbow colored on its chest).

It always makes me sad to see birds on Craigslist, because I usually figure they're misunderstood but I have to wonder why so many macaws right now.
All in the maryland and Delaware mid Atlantic area.

 

[Allee]

I hate seeing parrots on CL too, I know a lot of them are living in sad circumstances. It is curious that so many are listed at the same time in the same area.

 

[SilverSage]

I saw a scarlet listed this week as "female red Amazon parrot" and I wanted to go and save her and tell her "I know what you are" but I do not have a macaw sized hole in my flock, or an extra $1500just for the bird, nor the $3000 im sure would go into bringing her home on top of the actual "rehoming fee."

 

[Doublete]

Most of the listings I'm seeing are 800. A couple 1200. Most of them look so ragged though.

I don't even know why I look because I have NO room-
But I keep hoping I'll find a java tree stand

 

[hsb_birds]

I see them all the time but all of the ones I've seen are scams it's like they know I want a bird sooooo bad I'd do anything for it! BUT I am not however stupid (oh I just moved but if you send me money I'll ship him to you ) No I'll travel Across Texas and pay cash for a bird but I am not sending money to something I may or probably wont see ......the nerve of people these days who just want some money is sad to me cause I really really want a bird and everytime Mandy shows me one from CL its a scam and it hurts my heart

 

[Dopey]

Most of the listings I'm seeing are 800. A couple 1200. Most of them look so ragged though.

I don't even know why I look because I have NO room-
But I keep hoping I'll find a java tree stand

I have a Java tree table top (fairly cheap) if you go get one of those Macaws.

 

[labell]

It is heartbreaking.. I think with macaws many people view them as the real McCoy and think that having one is some kind of status symbol of really having parrots. The problem is macaws are NOT the bird for everyone. They require a constant loving discipline and rules and NO FEAR on the part of their person. I think they sense fear more than other species and respond negatively toward it every time!

A long time ago I bred and raised Dobermans, they will always be a breed of dog that I adore however like macaws they must understand you are pack/flock leader always and without fail. They are loyal and loving and ridiculously smart but they will test your position occasionally and you had better be up to the task! While I understand we are talking totally different species this is how I often compared it to prospective owners because people can wrap their brains around dog mentality sometimes easier than parrots.

Mac babies were always my FAVORITE to raise and feed for someone else. I have done it many many times. (Truth is I would more than likely do it again if I was asked.) Mac babies practically bounce off the counter being fed and oh my goodness the baby HONK they make is the most adorable sound ever! However they are not the parrot for me and I know it, just too big, I am a fairly small woman. Amazon's are about the largest I like. I did think about a RFM for quite some time due to the smaller size but decided against it due to the whole I will take my cage apart thing which as I understand is fairly common with them.

 

[Solo]

Labell..the dog comparison is a good one for some people, but many don't even understand actually having a dog. I have GSDs, and my dominate male is my baby boy. He is my competitive obedience dog, but he is high drive. About once a year he decides to test me and make sure I can still handle the pack. I normally walk away from that bleeding, but my role is secured. If he doesn't get enough exercise he will also turn. I always have people telling me "I wish I had a dog JUST like that", and I tell them..no you don't. Just because they don't understand the work involved. Its not something for everyone, but the few people that are suited for it become hooked [emoji6]. CL pet classifieds just depress me, so I don't know why I still look. Many are scams and it is infuriating, but the right Mac will come around. I'm in no hurry, but if I find the right one, then GREAT. I've seen a lot lately too. Could it be due to spring time, and possible behavior issues associated with it?

 

[Birdman666]

It is heartbreaking.. I think with macaws many people view them as the real McCoy and think that having one is some kind of status symbol of really having parrots. The problem is macaws are NOT the bird for everyone. They require a constant loving discipline and rules and NO FEAR on the part of their person. I think they sense fear more than other species and respond negatively toward it every time!

Mac babies were always my FAVORITE to raise and feed for someone else. I have done it many many times. (Truth is I would more than likely do it again if I was asked.) Mac babies practically bounce off the counter being fed and oh my goodness the baby HONK they make is the most adorable sound ever! However they are not the parrot for me and I know it, just too big, I am a fairly small woman. Amazon's are about the largest I like. I did think about a RFM for quite some time due to the smaller size but decided against it due to the whole I will take my cage apart thing which as I understand is fairly common with them.

Yep. RFM's and BTM's are both really good at that. Of course, so is my Greenwing!

Macaw exuberance... they pop out of the egg with it. That's why it's so sad to see that spark "neglected" out of them. And it's so satisfying to see it return once you get them outside, and out of that sort of environment...

You can tell when a mac is well loved because they just light up when they see you... My two macs won't even stay in a tree. They prefer my lap... and interaction.

Macs are probably my favorites as well... and you are absolutely right, most folks aren't any more cut out to have a large macaw in their home, than they are a large too...

Getting a big mac and NOT knowing how to train it, or not bothering to interact with it?! Happens all the friggin' time. Then they end up on Craig's List a few years later with some **** and bull story about how much the owner really loves the bird, but can't give the bird the attention it deserves...

Never mind that the bird hasn't been out of its cage or handled in half a decade... and the owner is terrified of it.

STOP ME IF YOU'VE HEARD THIS BEFORE!!!

It really pisses me off!!!

These are the most toddler-like of parrots. You raise them the same way you raise a human toddler. With loving guidance, discipline, and boundary setting.

 

[labell]

Labell..the dog comparison is a good one for some people, but many don't even understand actually having a dog. I have GSDs, and my dominate male is my baby boy. He is my competitive obedience dog, but he is high drive. About once a year he decides to test me and make sure I can still handle the pack. I normally walk away from that bleeding, but my role is secured. If he doesn't get enough exercise he will also turn. I always have people telling me "I wish I had a dog JUST like that", and I tell them..no you don't. Just because they don't understand the work involved. Its not something for everyone, but the few people that are suited for it become hooked [emoji6]. CL pet classifieds just depress me, so I don't know why I still look. Many are scams and it is infuriating, but the right Mac will come around. I'm in no hurry, but if I find the right one, then GREAT. I've seen a lot lately too. Could it be due to spring time, and possible behavior issues associated with it?

Yep, I had to weed through many people. Raising babies was always an honor and privilege to me. The breeder I worked for was a very kind, soft spoken older woman. There came a time when she fully let me take over checking people out. There is a big difference between ignorance but a willingness to learn and dense know it all folks, the latter DID NOT get babies from me. I was never embarrassed or too nice to say that a type of parrot wasn't right for a person and their lifestyle. The right home was always propriety number one. I once had a greenwing baby that I refused to force wean and because it was taking longer than the "books" say the family backed out after becoming snotty with me. I refunded their deposit and literally said GOOD RIDDANCE!

I always figured if a person couldn't wrap their mind around dog behavior than they were way in over their heads with wild animals (parrots) and said as much. I was not always liked by humans but the babies always loved me! LOL

 

[Birdman666]

There's an ignorant thing... A breeder TAKES THE EXTRA TIME TO ABUNDANCE WEAN... AND YOU GET MAD?!

Talk about not having a clue!!!

Yeah, when I was placing birds down at the rescue, they had to pass my sniff test. I didn't care as much about the AR stuff. I always looked for the interaction factor. If the bird wasn't going to get that, he wasn't going to be placed in that home.

I always got personally involved with the person who was adopting one of my fosters... CUZ by that point I was personally involved with the bird. And letting go is hard enough as it is, without having to second guess if this is not the right placement.

 

[Luna]

Hello, A WARNING !. Never reply to any offer of a parrot at 105 or below its reasonable price. These are frauds that will keep finding new reasons to ask for more deposits with no return. If you want to experiment, open a sandbox and reply to them. NEVER send money. D.D.

 

[veimar]

Most of the mac listing in our area are scams. I've seen some pretty nice ones ( I inquired and got replies - they were in our neighborhood), but those were expensive.
I rescued 6 birds for CL (3 were free), and not all of them came for bad owners. In Chicago area CL is pretty decent and self-censored (there are a few people who report scams and breeders).

 

[Puck]

Yeah, I LOVE B&G macaws but would want PLENTY of bird experience before I got anywhere near that! I have a friend who bought a scarlet out of nowhere for the status of being a "bird person," and now the bird is miserable. HATE that! You are a "bird person" if you love birds! You do NOT need to have a macaw to be a "bird person"! Bird people can have budgies. Bird people can have tiels. Bird people can just LOVE birds and know it's not the right time in their life to have them. Status buys make me grumble--I honestly wanted to smack my friend upside the head when she got that macaw. I just hope she will get a clue and find him a good home someday since he spends all day exactly like Mark said: Sitting in his cage rotting away.

 

[Doublete]

I've reported a few scams... But they were not removed.

I know 80% of the ones I'm seeing are not scams right now. Although two weeks ago the opposite was true.

 

[SilverSage]

It happens from budgies to cockatoos. "I got it for my kid but he isn't taking care of it/is bored with it/is scared of it/doesn't like the noise/plays too rough/I'm punishing him by selling it" I would say is the excuse I get more often than not, with "he needs lots of time an attention that we can't give him, he needs a forever home" is second and "I want $80 for this one or two year old budgie (adjust the scale for different species) because we really want him to go to a good home" usually follows. The truth would be "we are trying to squeeze every penny we put into this impulse buy back out of him after two years of neglect." Makes me so mad! I see them all over Facebook on the buy-sell-trade and local pet pages as well. Make a commitment or don't, but don't give me some line about how you "love" the animal you never touch, or charge me an arm and a leg for. "Used" bird who now needs to be rehabbed when I could buy a "new" properly raised baby for less. People make me sick.

 

[Birdman666]

That same "red wings" add is on our Craig's list... which leads me to suspect a scam.

Not to mention that the Red Wings are a Hockey Team, and the actual birds they are trying to sell are Greenwings...

Here's a clue! :32:

 

[Birdman666]

Yeah, I LOVE B&G macaws but would want PLENTY of bird experience before I got anywhere near that! I have a friend who bought a scarlet out of nowhere for the status of being a "bird person," and now the bird is miserable. HATE that! You are a "bird person" if you love birds! You do NOT need to have a macaw to be a "bird person"! Bird people can have budgies. Bird people can have tiels. Bird people can just LOVE birds and know it's not the right time in their life to have them. Status buys make me grumble--I honestly wanted to smack my friend upside the head when she got that macaw. I just hope she will get a clue and find him a good home someday since he spends all day exactly like Mark said: Sitting in his cage rotting away.

Scarlet's tend to be the beakiest of the bunch. If you don't know what you're doing, you can easily get in over your head with a Scarlet. They simply won't let you...

 

[Birdman666]

I've told this story before.

I take my birds out all the time. Especially my macs...

When you take a dog out for a walk, no one comes up to you and says "I have a dog like that too, YOU WANT HIM?!"

WHEN YOU TAKE A BIRD FOR A WALK..

Oh, I have a macaw, too, wish I could do that with him. Do you want him?!

 

[Kiwibird]

Many people (sadly) view parrots (especially the great big ones with beautiful plumage) as flashy decorations. I mean, haven't you heard "he who has the biggest wins"? But unlike your 82" flatscreen mega-super TV and ultra iPhone luxury edition (you get the point), a large parrot is NOT something to show off to your friends and look at in awe as you admire how "awesome" of a person you are for being able to afford to own one.

Those "types" of people tend to buy very large parrots (i.e. big macs and big too's) as a luxury item and once the novelty wears off, the bird has to go. They don't care one iota about the bird, it's no different than any other "outdated" material possession to them. That's why you see so many big birds up for sale, adoption, "free to good home" ect... This time of year is a good time to offload an unwanted bird before you jet off to your favorite tropical locale for summer vacation (and you might score some extra vacation cash getting rid of that "thing). You see a lot around the holidays too, people getting rid of them for Christmas cash. It's a sad, but true reality for many of these sensitive, special creatures and (if you can't tell) it pisses me off to no end!