So many macaws on Craigslist right now..

[Kiwibird]

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?!

I haven't been offered one yet, but plenty of people come up when I have Kiwi with me and launch into a story- "oh, I used to have (insert large parrot species here) once and boy was that bird mean. You could have NEVER brought it out in public" or even just "Oh, I had a parrot once, they are SO difficult to take care of". I rarely meet someone who STILL HAS their parrot:31:

 

[henpecked]

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?!

If that's happened to me once it 's happened a hundred times. Usually it's useless to try and explain it to them. it's always about them and never about the bird. You'll never get more out of the relationship than your willing to put in.
I sometimes cave in and take the bird. How i'm looking to hire someone to help me help adopt out more. it's a lot of work socializing older , neglected zons. never mind the emotional rollercoaster you put yourself though. hell, it's a lot of work keeping my pet zons happy. I feel guilty when they beg for me and i'm working with a rehome, especially one that hates my guts.

 

[henpecked]

BTW some one contacted me this last weekend wanting unweaned zons, a bird broker from "up north". Baby zons are worth the same as most macaws now. The price of baby macaws is really cheap. the price of zons is rising. i think as the economy improves the want for "luxury" items will increase. That's not good for many species of parrots. The macaw breeders seem to have over prepared for better times.

 

[SilverSage]

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?!

I haven't been offered one yet, but plenty of people come up when I have Kiwi with me and launch into a story- "oh, I used to have (insert large parrot species here) once and boy was that bird mean. You could have NEVER brought it out in public" or even just "Oh, I had a parrot once, they are SO difficult to take care of". I rarely meet someone who STILL HAS their parrot:31:

Right? I don't get offered birds on my walks, but I get tagged in every local Facebook rehoming posts for birds, because that's what people know about me; I like birds.

I have soooooo many people tell me things like "I hate birds, my aunt had a cockatiel, cockatiels are so mean!" "We bought a cockatoo but it never quit screaming so we gave it away." Or "My bird died of a heart attack, he was 3." Or, my favorite, "I have had all kinds of parrots! I have had a grey, an Amazon, two macaws, a cockatoo, some Quakers, and a lorikeet! Now we raise cockatiels, yeah, our cockatiels just won't stop laying." Those are the ones who really make me mad, who can't keep a bird for more than a few years at a time, but never stop buying them, and have no idea what they are doing but they GIVE ADVICE to people based on their cereal rehoming practices."

 

[Doublete]

Searched cl again... Found a lady a little over an hour away who is selling several play stands. Emailing back and forth she has a lot of birds. Two congos and a timneh. And too much stuff.
Hoping I can get one o the stands.


But saw a new bird advertised which made me sad again.

I raised four kittens from a bottle and my mom offered to take 3 of them as her oldest cat is on her last year(s) (we got her when I was a sophomore in hs back in 1999 so she's 16), and the other cat cries all the time for attention so my mom is thinking kittens will keep her company. The kittens are almost a year old. I can't even give them up yet (keep putting off the drive).
I cannot imagine rehoming animals all the time. I train race horses and can't keep most of them as pets so frequently have to sell. Man is that hard.

Someone that constantly gets and gives up a parrot must be heartless. I can understand getting one you think will be a good fit and it is just miserable so you find it a better situation, but repeatedly doing that.... No.

 

[Birdman666]

I took in five macaws and three Amazon's as a result of my evening walks.

To this day, I just don't get that. Mine were so bonded and just impossible to part with. The birds I was given were angry, neglected sensory deprived creatures, many of which didn't even know how to be birds...

Most of them hadn't been out of their cages in years, much less bathed!

So, needless to say, a huge play stand with a bunch of toys, in a flock setting, after a nice long bath went a long way toward turning them around.

 

[Christinenc2000]

This is heart breaking. Being new to the Parrot world i have been totally ignorant to most of this. I am really shocked a lot of this goes on. Only having BB for 6 months I could not imagine just giving him away.

Luxury Item . Trophy ... Never in my life have I thought of any Pet as a Luxury item or trophy . That is insane if they think that. I might be going about it wrong but both my Dogs and BB are a lot of work. Last night I would have LOVED to just sit and soak in a hot bath and relax but to be honest I enjoyed it more sitting on the floor both dogs playing catch and BB next to us on his play stand whistling for them every time they headed back with it. Or Yelling at them to shut up if they barked.

Then again maybe these people realize it can't all be about them after they get a addition to the family.

 

[henpecked]

hey doublete, i'll be driving up to Cumberland this weekend. want me to throw some dragonwood in the truck for you.i think i'll be there from the 12th thru the 23rd.

 

[Birdman666]

This is heart breaking. Being new to the Parrot world i have been totally ignorant to most of this. I am really shocked a lot of this goes on. Only having BB for 6 months I could not imagine just giving him away.

AND YOU GOT BB FROM... ?! Are you the second, or the third home for that bird? AND HE HADN'T REALLY BEEN HANDLED MUCH WHEN YOU GOT HIM, HAD HE?! HE WASN'T ESPECIALLY TAME ANYMORE?! I'm just saying...

The average macaw or large too gets rehomed FIVE TO SEVEN TIMES in it's lifetime. So, people who want to get rid of one, that has behavior problems, and they see someone with happy well behaved birds... PLEASE! TAKE MINE. GET "THIS THING" OUT OF MY HOUSE... (Yeah. Twice. The bird was referred to as "THIS THING!" Am I gonna say no, even if I have to rehome it myself later?!) Pecker was being left (to die!) by the grocery store dumpster, with a "free parrot" sign on her cage... 35 years old, and living in a green cheek conure cage! And she was the sweetest BFA you could ever meet!

There is a reason for it, of course:

An angry macaw really is a force to be reckoned with... they will go after the person who did this to them... (and then it's the bird who's aggressive.) He also got that way for a reason...

An unhappy too is a disruptive force... You've seen those kids that throw fits in the stores?! You should see the kind of tantrum an unhappy U2 throws...!
They sometimes just get that way... but usually it's about lack of structure.

Amazons are next on the list... during breeding season, the rescues are overflowing with them. Simply because people don't understand what they are dealing with, and can't deal with the hormonal behaviors and biting.

That's the big 1, 2, 3...

And then the little birds, end up being "disposable" pets. 'Tiels and conures particularly. The kids lose interest. Conures scream, overbond and bite. They're messy... Just get rid of it.

It happens.

 

[Christinenc2000]

Yeah I guess it does. Yes I am the 3rd owner. First owner died and I am told she loved BB but he never came out of the cage after her death her husband in his 70's could not handle him so they gave it to the "nice lady " who lost it to animal control .

He is SO SWEET now. well except for the pinching but that is another thread. We are getting close to being able to post in the buzzsaw thread.

 

[Birdman666]

BTW some one contacted me this last weekend wanting unweaned zons, a bird broker from "up north". Baby zons are worth the same as most macaws now. The price of baby macaws is really cheap. the price of zons is rising. i think as the economy improves the want for "luxury" items will increase. That's not good for many species of parrots. The macaw breeders seem to have over prepared for better times.

One of the saddest rescues I ever did was a back yard breeding operation in California. The owner lost his home to foreclosure. He had all these birds he couldn't sell, and couldn't even give away...

So he just walked away, and left them there (to die!) in their flights...

We managed to save about 12 of them. The rest died of malnutrition...

"SOMETIMES I JUST HATE PEOPLE!" I don't actually hate people... but you do find yourself saying that, when you see stuff like this.

And no, they didn't prosecute. He left the State, and was never found.

And I did TWO of those... !!!

 

[Birdman666]

The "get this thing out of my house" bird?!

I took my macaw out for a walk. Ended up pushing home a second macaw cage and all... :32:

 

[Puck]

On CL in DFW right now there is someone trying to sell a Quaker in a too-small cage for $350 with the quote "NO I WILL NOT SEND PICTURES FROM HIM TALKING!" "the Quaker birds have the ability to talk Serious Buyers Only" Doesn't know age, doesn't know sex, owners purchased a second bird to be friends with him (right...) and he fights with the second bird so they are getting rid of him (the first bird.)

$350 in their dreams for a green Quaker of unknown origins. They should be offering the bird to any home who can show them that they are capable of giving the bird an amazing like, not trying to turn a profit because he "says a few words." As if 75% of Quakers don't "say a few words." I don't even know why I pain myself by typing "parrot" in that search bar. I really don't know if I could have handled the rescue work you did, Mark. So many lost birds... I'm pretty sure I'd break down.

 

[JerseyWendy]

hey doublete, i'll be driving up to Cumberland this weekend. want me to throw some dragonwood in the truck for you.i think i'll be there from the 12th thru the 23rd.

Will you be in my neck of the woods, toooooo??????? We have GOT to meet up already!

 

[Dopey]

hey doublete, i'll be driving up to Cumberland this weekend. want me to throw some dragonwood in the truck for you.i think i'll be there from the 12th thru the 23rd.

Hey - I can do that. Are you coming to see the birds - a lot of breeders - in Cumberland?

 

[Birdman666]

I really don't know if I could have handled the rescue work you did, Mark. So many lost birds... I'm pretty sure I'd break down.

I completely burned out after awhile...

Just wanted to be around happy birds, and people who loved and cared for him.

This stuff happened towards the end of that part of my life... There were like SIX just horrific things back to back, [two in particular], combined with petty politics of the people [lets face it, some of these volunteers are less than emotionally stable] running the rescue... and the demands of my profession. At the time I was exhausted, felt unappreciated, and I was just getting to the point where I was angry all the time!

So I just walked away, and focused on taking care of my birds, and my daughter. (And jumping out of airplanes, of course, which helps a lot! Take me up to 15,000 and open the door. THAT'S A GOOD DAY!)

Now, of course, I just don't have the room, or the time, or the finances to take on anymore than I have. That's a sure cure for MBS. And my guys are all trained up. They get along. There's no real "work" involved. Bringing in more would disrupt that. I don't want to... I like my flock the way it is!

 

[Christinenc2000]

I fight the urge to visit Henpeck and his Flock every time I see his name

 

[Doublete]

hey doublete, i'll be driving up to Cumberland this weekend. want me to throw some dragonwood in the truck for you.i think i'll be there from the 12th thru the 23rd.

Cumberland is over by wv right? It's a little ways fore
But if you are willing I would love some!!!!
I am heading to maine to pick up my new (to me) car but I'm only gone two nights (14-16).
How awesome are you! Why the trip up here?

 

[Birdman666]

Yeah I guess it does. Yes I am the 3rd owner. First owner died and I am told she loved BB but he never came out of the cage after her death her husband in his 70's could not handle him so they gave it to the "nice lady " who lost it to animal control .

He is SO SWEET now. well except for the pinching but that is another thread. We are getting close to being able to post in the buzzsaw thread.

That's the thing...

Their base nature is so completely opposite what they are like when they have been left to rot!!! IT'S AS CLEAR AS NIGHT AND DAY.

 

[Birdman666]

Yeah I guess it does. Yes I am the 3rd owner. First owner died and I am told she loved BB but he never came out of the cage after her death her husband in his 70's could not handle him so they gave it to the "nice lady " who lost it to animal control .

He is SO SWEET now. well except for the pinching but that is another thread. We are getting close to being able to post in the buzzsaw thread.

And if he hadn't found you, and you didn't have the patience to work with him? He'd be labelled "not friendly," "aggressive," and "a biter" and he'd still be in a cage, mad as hell, until that person got tired of it. And passed him on to the next person, with NO RETRAINING... And so it would go, until someone got him out and actually worked with him...

That is very much the "unfortunate macaw" pattern.

We can move BB to the "fortunate macaw" category.

He has you now!!!