# Advice on rehoming a bird



## pop pop (Nov 4, 2010)

Hi, a friend of mine is trying to rehome her african grey, are there any sites that are better than others to advertise on? can anyone recomend what steps she should take when rehoming to try to ensure she goes to a good home, thanks


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## mydog (Nov 16, 2011)

hi this is always a difficult one ,people will have it if its going free,then sell it on,there are parrot sanctuaries you can ring for advice etc.good luck tim


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## Cleo38 (Jan 22, 2010)

You should try Birdline Parrot Rescue they may be able to help your friend

Do you know anything about the bird? What his likes/dislikes are, etc? Just wondered as we will be looking for a friend for our amazon soon


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## AlexArt (Apr 25, 2010)

Agree with the above - the birdline lot are really good, avoid the National Parrot zoo like the plague they are scammers and in it for the money only!!!! Just be very careful when you re-home them - there are loads of idiots out there looking for a free bird to either sell on or just because it is free and they think it will be cute not realising the huuuuuuge commitment they are, or to try and breed them to make money! 
There are tons of parrots in rescues at the mo because of major over breeding and the lack of people willing to commit 80 odd years of their and their childrens life to one bird. Also african greys are also the easiest to breed it seems judging by how many tons of them there are on for sale sites all hand reared and advertised as silly tame giving the illusion they make great pets - when they hit sexual maturity that is when they are dumped by the bucket load, many do not end up in good homes, so please tell your friend to choose very carefully and if they are going to do it privately to do a home check first as it could mean the difference of a long and happy life or years of misery and an early death for a very intelligent animal.


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## poohdog (May 16, 2010)

Agree with the above...there are a lot of evil gits about posing as rescue centres...be careful.


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## pop pop (Nov 4, 2010)

Thanks for the advice, my friend has decided to try to find her a home her self, shes asking £350 for the bird to try and scare off the people who are just after a cheap bird and to ensure a good home, if polly doesnt find a home ive advised her to contact a rescue, but think she wants the bird to go straight into a home rather than rescue so as not to stress her out more than needed x


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## AlexArt (Apr 25, 2010)

So she's not trying to re-home her pet she just wants to make money out of it!!! At that price she will attract all the dealers and scummy people who should not have a parrot - if she did care about her pet she would get it to a rescue!!


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## Shrap (Nov 22, 2010)

AlexArt said:


> So she's not trying to re-home her pet she just wants to make money out of it!!! At that price she will attract all the dealers and scummy people who should not have a parrot - if she did care about her pet she would get it to a rescue!!


Unfortunately it's true, every African Grey I've seen advertised has been for 600/700+

Her best bet is honestly through rescue, I understand not wanting to stress the bird out but dealers can pose as really lovely knowledgable families - and then you don't hear back or see the bird on another site for double the price.


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## Cleo38 (Jan 22, 2010)

pop pop said:


> Thanks for the advice, my friend has decided to try to find her a home her self, shes asking £350 for the bird to try and scare off the people who are just after a cheap bird and to ensure a good home, if polly doesnt find a home ive advised her to contact a rescue, but think she wants the bird to go straight into a home rather than rescue so as not to stress her out more than needed x


But if she went to a reputable rescue they would find a foster home until a forever home was found. At least that way potential new hopmes could be properly assessed


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## swatton42 (Oct 29, 2011)

I can't really advise too much on the actual bird side of it (scared of them). I do volunteer for a rescue though so just wanted to second what the others have said.

A rescue should have a house checking or owner vetting procedure in place and suitable care equipment and experience. I can understand where they are coming from not wanting to re-home to a rescue for minimal stress. Surely that depends on personal decision and how desperate the need is to re-home the bird asap.

If they are to re-home the bird themselves insist on a home-check and don't let the bird go untill they are happy that the new owner know's exactly what caring for the bird is about. Also make sure they are completely honest about any faults the bird may have - health-wise, age, temperament etc. If the new owner is told what the bird is like as an individual then they are less likely to sell birdy on again at a later date.


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## pop pop (Nov 4, 2010)

AlexArt said:


> So she's not trying to re-home her pet she just wants to make money out of it!!! At that price she will attract all the dealers and scummy people who should not have a parrot - if she did care about her pet she would get it to a rescue!!


excuse me but how can you say she just wants to make money out of it!!! if that was the case she would have just stuck it on an internet site for the £600/£700 its worth dont you think? the bird is hand reared,silly tame and comes with a very expensive cage, she is losing loads by selling her cheap however a good home is the most important thing to her and so she didnt see the point in putting a silly high price on the bird! so wind your neck back in accusing her of wanting to make cash!!
as for the other comments yes i agree a rescue would be best and i know shes been incontact with parrot life rescue today, her worry was african greys get very stressed by change, and can end up plucking or sort of going into shut down from the smallest thing, this bird has been in the same home since she was 14 weeks old and shes now 8 years old, my friend was worried by moving her to a rescuers house and then moving her on again to an adoptive house, that was her concern, not how much cash she can make, hopefully its been sorted now anyway x


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## AlexArt (Apr 25, 2010)

Umm she's SELLING it ie. asking money for it, by the sounds of it to try and re-coup the costs - that is not the same thing as re-homing it, re-homing would mean you find a suitable home for FREE regardless of how much her cage etc cost - that is irrelavent if you are worried about just finding a good home - in fact most rescues ask for a donation to help cover the cost to keep the bird and do home checks etc!! And at such a cheap price, as you state, compared to the 6 or 7 hundred as is usual makes it sound like she wants rid asap! - at least that is how I and the vast majority of the public would read an add for something that was priced so cheaply compared to all the rest of similar items - or I would be asking what is wrong with it!

And hand reared = lots of issues so a specialist home is a must, hence the reason a rescue is better as they will have a network of kind volunteer folks who home check and who can find the most suitable person for that bird, not just the first that turns up with cash! They also retain ownership of the bird so it can never be sold on and is at least guarenteed to be safe for the rest of its life, not a sob story from the first dealer who turns up and states they are a forever home etc.

If your friend is worried about stressing the bird then unless she is in a hurry to ditch it she can keep hold of the bird until a suitable home is found - just the same amount of stress for it if it were to go to a new home anyway!!


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## mydog (Nov 16, 2011)

i agree,if your selling ,your selling,rehoming is totaly different ,you give the bird for free to a vetted home etc,


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