Possible bird flip

[LesliesBabies]

I already love Sherman, my new WC Pionus but have reason to believe she may have been a flip. Living in a SMALL farming community without an animal shelter nearby, makes research difficult. (I drove 6+ hours to get her.) Additionally, this is a first for me.
I love and want Sherman but don't want to hurt someone that may already be hurting over her.
Sherman is so sweet but seems to trust me far to easily for an abused older bird. There are many other clues that cause me to question this.
Does anyone either know of this trend or can advise me RE my next step?
Had anyone sold or know someone who recently sold an older White-capped Pionus Parrot?

[Dragonlady2]

Here are some questions...
How did you find out about Sherman?
Who told you he was previously abused?
Where did you pick him up?

[LesliesBabies]

Okay, the reasons are and to answer your questions. She was advertised by a legitimate rescue organization as being rehomed by an ill owner who couldn't care for her 7 yo Pionus. I drove into TX to MEET Sherman. The person I bought her from obviously wasn't sickly. The seller told me of her history as an abused bird and Sherman has the marks to prove it. I question WHO abused her. That is quite believable. Also, the person that sold her to me insisted that I take her that night and seemed more interested in money for the cage. When I started to back out, the seller took off for my transportation costs. The cage is dented and scratched despite the declaration that it is new. Additionally, I wasn't asked to fill out adoption papers. I'm adopting two conures from southern Louisiana next month and had to do paperwork and go through Skype interviews as home visits because of the distance. Sherman's seller didn't know me, where or how I lived. I decided that Sherman was better off with me so took her.
Again, I want and already love Sherman but at what cost? I know the pain of losing beloved family members and don't wish that on anyone.

[Dragonlady2]

Well, this is how I would look at it. You can check with parrot alert to see if someone is missing a pionus. Call local vets around the area to see if one is reported missing. Check online social media to see if there is report. Contact the shelter for more info. After you have done your due diligence and no one is missing Sherman, keep him/her and do your best to provide the optimum care Sherman deserves.
There can be other reasons why Sherman was up for sale.
The "shelter" may have just been a referral source for someone needing to rehome Sherman.

[LesliesBabies]

Okay, will do. I want and adore my sweet Sherman! Hopefully, she'll live a long and happy life with me. At least there's no one hits her or yells at her here!
Thanks for the ideas! I've never dealt with this before and was unsure of the steps to take or if this was truly a possibility.

[EllenD]

Yes, please do a good search of the area that you got her from, SPECIFICALLY ON THEIR LOCAL CRAIGSLIST AND 200 MILES OUT, and see if anyone in that radius has lost a pionus, as most people first post on their local Craigslist when they lose a bird. You can go to the "pets" section of Craigslist local to the town you picked the bird up in, and then change the search radius to 200 miles, and type "lost bird" in the search bar. Then check on the Parrot911 site as well for that area. If the bird is that tame already, and the seller that shady, this was definitely either a bird that they just found outside and wanted to sell quickly, or they adopted the bird themselves from a rescue or Craigslist ad for little to no money, and are flipping the bird as you mentioned. I'd also call around to any rescues local to where you picked the bird up and ask them if they have recently re-home a pionus. This was not a rescue who sold you the bird, as you stated, they have a long process, all of them do. This was a private seller who either found the bird outside and sold him to the first person willing to buy him, or he is a flipper.

Someone may be missing their bird very, very much right now...

[EllenD]

Forgot to ask, is the bird Banded? And how old is the bird do you think?

There was a white capped pionus lost in Dallas, TX according to Parrot911...

[LesliesBabies]

The AV checked and Sherman is not microchipped or tattooed. It was obvious that she had no band.
Sherman has certain personality quirks that didn't develop overnight. If these don't match, forget it! As I said, Sherman answers to a different name and was obviously trained but, she's an adult bird. At least I know she is safe and loved and respected here.
I've looked on several websites and am currently texting with someone from Craigslist recommended by the AV but didn't check on parrot911.
I bought her in Texas which is a popular drop for flipped parrots that don't sell quickly enough. I didn't even know about this racket until the AV talked to me.
Thanks for the support and ideas.

[LesliesBabies]

The seller told me of her history as an abused bird and Sherman has the marks to prove it. That is quite . Also, the person that sold her to me insisted that I take her that night and seemed more interested in money for the cage. When I started to back out, the seller took off for my transportation costs

[plax]

The seller told me of her history as an abused bird and Sherman has the marks to prove it. That is quite . Also, the person that sold her to me insisted that I take her that night and seemed more interested in money for the cage. When I started to back out, the seller took off for my transportation costsYelena90: It appears that you may have created two member accounts with different personal credentials. Are you one and the same person as LesliesBabies? If so, I will need to merge one of the accounts into the other. Please decide which username you want to keep. You may private message me if you like. Thanks!

[LesliesBabies]

LesliesBabies has no reason to be called Yelena90. Because of my Yahoo affiliation, this account was set up for me. Is that possibly the cause of some confusion? LesliesBabies is from Arkansas with a parakeet named JoJo, a WC Pionus named Sherman and two conures, Sir Lancelot and Daytona, coming in June.