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Thread: Unknown Origins - Dangers Of Craigslist

 
  1. #1
    Banned



    Unknown Origins - Dangers Of Craigslist

    I didn't know quite what to title this thread, and it hit me... "Unknown Origins - Dangers Of Craigslist". Why do I title this thread with "Unknown Origins"? Well the majority of all animals sadly purchased from Craigslist have unknown origins, I mean after all how can one prove if they have been abused? One can also not prove until it's too late whether the bird is sick, has a disease, been mistreated, and so forth! Sometimes Craigslisters even lie about the breed and the sex of the bird or animals to make a profit! As for "Dangers Of Craigslist" well that goes hand in hand with the animals coming from unknown origins. Let me use my story to warn you all of the dangers of buying from Craigslist and what you can do to perhaps make sure that the bird or animal you are getting is the right choice for you.

    My story, or shall I say my Amazons' story;

    February the 7th, it was a windy and quite a chilly day... I had seen a Zon I had liked quite well at a store 45 minutes from my house, I enquired about the Zon but they said it was their store mascot so the Zon was not for sale. I was heartbroken but I moved on, I kind of figured with 6 Budgies my husband wouldn't be too thrilled at the thought of me getting a Zon. This particular Zon was one of the bigger ones, I do believe it was Yellow Naped Amazon, Either way it was pretty big! I felt so intimidated by the Zon, yet I felt a strong mysterious attraction to the bird, just being around such an exotic bird made me shiver with anticipation. I hanged on that Zons every move and noise, the Zon would even cry like a baby when I had to leave. I knew I had to leave, it was better for the Zon, after all he/she was the store mascot I didn't want either of us to get too attached.

    February 8th, I was doing my regular Craigslist browsing, I am quite the Craigslist junky. I don't do a whole lot of shopping on there, considering you never know who you will meet, who might scam you, or how about all those creepy robberies or murders that stem from the dangers of buying on Craigslist? So yea, I didn't really expect much from searching around, I was just browsing the community pets section and that is when I stumbled upon "Carlos". The add said that Carlos was a Red-Lored Amazon, he spoke words, he was trained, yada yada yada, pretty much all the good things one could ever want from a bird! The add also said he was not loud, nor was he a screamer. My eyes broadened as I read the add, needless to say after reading it I tried to close off the add and push it to the back of my mind, I didn't think my husband would be keen on the idea. I mean come on, we have 6 Budgies and that's a first for us? Right? What would I do with a Amazon? What about the cage? The Feed? Do I even know how to raise one? Thoughts were racing through my mind at such a fast speed, it was like a drag race in my brain I felt burnt out.
    I waited for quite sometime but I couldn't hold it all in, I just had to show my husband and oddly to my surprise my husband smiled and said we could meet the little guy! Or shall I say big guy? chuckles. So I contacted the lady with some questions, she kept asking me if I was interested and I said I was and that I was sorry for asking so many questions I just wanted to make sure he was right for me. We set up a time and we went to go meet the fella, I pulled up with money in hand and she offered me inside. I don't want to go into too much details about the home, but I admit I did notice a particular smell but that is besides the point. My eyes were shifting around the room, I was wondering where is Carlos? She probably noticed my curiosity as she said "he's right behind you", Carlos was in a cage behind us in a dark corner. She then proceeded to drag the cage out for us to see him. I noticed he was in a small cage, the cage appeared dirty, and there was just room for him and a toy. The cage seemed quite small, so small his food dish from what I could remember was on top as the cage had one of those play top things on it.
    Now it was time for her to get the fella out for us to see him, I noticed he seemed really scared. She had to force him out he was so scared, she placed him on her arm and he slid off! It was all in slow motion I saw the poor bird fall on his side, he never even broke his fall with a swift glide! I was worried, she saw my worried look on my face and she said "he is just scared this doesn't normally happen". Her approximately 5 year old daughter went on to say that when he falls she picks him up, I remember thinking wow that is so strange...
    Long story short she proceeded to place him in the carrier after I said I would take him, I gave her the money, she gave us his food and his toy. She told me that she couldn't keep him due to monetary issues, she also told me that she had a large cage for him and she had to sell it for money and buy him that small cage. She then informed me that she had friends who would come over, tease, taunt, and even poke poor Carlos, that really touched me on a deep level and to be quite honest angered me that someone could be so cruel to an animal.
    The lady seemed nice, I have no qualms with that... it's just what happened after that to this day makes me wonder.

    Fast forward we purchased his cage, bought him some new food, new toys, everything a bird could want! His own little bird paradise! We brought him home, and we set up his cage. Carlos appeared skiddish which I just figured hey it's probably normal, after all he just met us and he is making such a big move to a new home it had to be quite scary and tough for the poor guy. Not long after acquiring him I posted a topic about him on a couple forums saying "Meet Carlos - The Red Lored Amazon", quickly folks peaked in, even commented! To my surprise people were saying that Carlos did not appear to be a Red Lored, but instead a Red Headed Mexican Amazon, I thought a red headed whatta?! I looked it up and thought WOW they're right! Quickly after things began to unravel as the days went by. I started to notice odd things about Carlos, he wasn't quite speaking like the add had said, I did hear him say whats up maybe three times? I noticed he would also go to bite me anytime I would come near his cage. I also noticed he had a strong odor about him like urine, that odor was vaguely familiar... It wasn't long after purchasing him that he fell in the cage, I thought it was quite strange that he would land on his side and not try to glide, it reminded me of the time a few days prior when he slid off the ladies arm. I was worried, worried to the point that I made a topic asking if it was normal for Amazons to fall from their perches. I was so worried I felt sick to my stomach, I had just bought him not too long ago and I didn't want him to get hurt.

    As for his smell, I wanted to remedy that so I waited a couple days or so so he could adjust then I gave him a light shower in our bath tub. Carlos shimmied and shaked, he was partly afraid yet he loved it! I noticed with each sprits of the shower his colors went from dull to neon green and quite vibrant! His smell began to diminish and he seemed a lot healthier! but then I noticed something quite odd... Carlos began to lean to one side, I thought what in the world. I lifted Carlos up and realized HEY his wing don't match! I quickly showed my hubby, I thought this couldn't have just happened here, after all the lady and daughter did say that him falling was a natural occurrence.

    We updated our topics on the other forums about the fact that we noticed something was up with his wing, was it fractured? Perhaps broke? We didn't know! After conversing on different forums I realized I needed to ultimately make a vet appointment to figure out what in the world was up with poor Carlos! The next morning we rushed to call the vet as soon as it was open, they said they had room later that day around 4pm? We headed over early and waited. They took Carlos in, I almost cried seeing him shriek as the doctor wrapped him up like a Mexican Burrito. The doctor poked and prodded poor Carlos over, and the doctor made his assessment... To our dismay the doctor said that Carlos was missing his arm! My jaw dropped, I just remember looking over at my husband in utter shock, I quickly looked over to the doctor and said how did this happen?! The doctor said he doesn't know, but that Carlos was not born that way, and that he did not just hatch out of the egg that way. The doctor said he hopes it was surgical and not something else. He then quickly proceeded to tell me that Carlos would never ever fly again. We ended up paying a hefty vet bill, it was quite possibly the only time poor Carlos has ever been to the vet in a long time if ever! We also made sure to get him dna sexed, get some blood panels done, the whole 9 yards! If the lady wasn't forthcoming about knowing that his arm was missing, how would I know if she really knew his sex or anything else like his overall health!

    On our way home I was so sad, I knew buying him was the best decision I ever made. Since Carlos went through all of that, I bought him even more toys! I bought him a rope and so forth to make things easier for him to traverse his cage. I went ahead and lowered all of his perches, me and my husband did all we could to accommodate him in this predicament. I can't help but to wonder if he was abused, did someone purposefully remove his arm so he could never fly again in an effort to save time and money? After all just remove the poor arm, and never have to pay a vet to clip his wings!? How cruel!

    - Do I regret Carlos? Would I change a thing? How do I feel about all this? I absolutely do not regret Carlos! and if I had to do it over again I would not have changed a single thing. Carlos is safe, he is with me now, and I will do everything in my power to take care of my son. I feel saddened, hurt and distraught that he is missing his arm and a complete wing! On one side he has a long beautiful black and red wing, unfortunately on the left side that black and red wing is completely gone! He can't even fan out his left side because it has no arm to even extend the wing.

    My Advice; I can't say don't purchase from craigslist, but realize that people will do anything to make a buck! People will sell hurt birds, sick birds, and even half dead birds for profit! Do I think she harmed Carlos or sold him knowing his arm was whacked off? I don't know, all I know is, the lady could not properly care for him, she admitted that much. I do know she admitted he was mentally and emotionally abused, I also know that she had to downsize his cage to where he was cramped inside for profit. I can't fault her for not having money, the poor lady lived in a trailer park, I don't doubt she was poor and in need. I won't point fingers at her and assume, nor will I hold any grudges, instead I will just smile and be glad that Carlos is safe and with me now... this is his home, his permanent home.

    I would advise anyone looking around for birds on craigslist to ask questions, ask a lot of questions! If they get mad, tell em to get glad! If they feel bombarded and don't reply back, oh well move on! Ultimately I cannot tell a person what to do, if someone wants something bad enough they will go for it, but please take this post to heart. Just be alert and be prepared for the worse. Know that taking in any birds, especially big birds like parrots or any other animal for that matter requires more than just time and attention, but requires money! It takes money to buy the bird or animal, to buy the food, the toys, and the proper housing for that particular animal. Not only this, but please consider the cost of the vet bills! You could end up buying a sick animal that did not show any symptoms until you bring it home an the sickness passes on to all of the other animals, and it's too late and all of your animals get sick and quite possibly die! This is why it's vital to quarantine birds for at least 45 days! This is why again it's also vital to ask questions! Make sure you ask the seller if they have ever taken their pet to see a vet, ask them if the bird has ever been or is sick, also make sure that the seller is willing to let you see the animal and spend time with it before you rush in and make a purchase. If it's a bird look over the bird, check the beak and nose, is the nose runny? Check the eyes, does the eyes appear runny and or droopy? Does the bird appear lethargic? Ask about the birds diet, is it just a diet of seeds and treats, or does the diet contain pellets? These are things to know and look out for! Check the feathers, are some of the feathers missing? Check the birds personality, does it seem aloof? Intimidated, mean, again these are things to know.
    The birds personality can tell a whole lot about the birds overall health, just be aware of the decision you're about to make when meeting someone on craigslist to purchase any kind of animal.

    How Carlos is now fairing; Carlos Is doing absolutely fine now, he is getting along a lot better! He has made such remarkable progress in the last few days, I couldn't be any more proud of him! He went from barely wanting out of his cage to step up on my finger due to fear, to where now he just loves getting out of his cage! My hubby even made him his own perch so he can sit beside me while I am on the forums hehe.
    Carlos used to try and bite me when I would go near his cage to change his bedding, food, and water. Carlos still growls and opens his beak but he no longer tries to bite quite like he did. Poor guy even bites the cage just so he won't bite me, I think he is realizing that I love him and he is safe now with me where he belongs. Me and my husband absolutely love him! He is like a son to me now! I have a 2 year old daughter who he is intimidated by but I do not allow them around each other, he has nothing to fear here. He won't ever have to worry about being abused, poked, or prodded again.

    I hope Carlos realizes that he has helped me too, I had a very tough pregnancy with my daughter... I almost miscarried her many times, in fact the doctors said I would. Praise God she's here! I also had to have an emergency C-Section because she was suffocating in my womb the umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck at least twice! After bleeding heavily and going through such a tough pregnancy with my daughter we realized that having another baby may be too risky, so I really think that's when I began to lean even more on my pets to help me cope. Carlos among my other feathered friends, and furry friends have helped me through so much! I absolutely love and adore all of my pets! Pets truly are a blessing.

    PS. Feel free to ask me any questions about anything, my experience, how Carlos is, and so forth.

  2. The following 2 users like this post:

    kendrafitz (02-14-2016), Mare (02-14-2016)

  3. #2
    Banned



    May I also add that next week I find out the blood results from Carlos blood panel, his proteins, etc, and the results of his DNA sexing! I will also have a mini renaming ceremony next week haha. I am thinking about Carlisle if a male, or Carla if a female, who knows. :P

  4. #3
    Super Moderator
    Lady's Avatar


    Parrots

    Illiger Macaw (Primolius maracana)
    Wow, I'm so glad you have h/her now. S/he will have a better life filled with love from you and your family!

  5. #4
    Banned



    Quote Originally Posted by Lady View Post
    Wow, I'm so glad you have h/her now. S/he will have a better life filled with love from you and your family!
    Thank you so much, I know that was a long post but I just had to get that ordeal out. Phew. :P

  6. #5
    Nobility Member
    spiritbird's Avatar


    Parrots

    Lineated Parakeet named Kobe (M) and (F) named Tango Maine Coon Kitty named Christine
    I truly enjoyed reading your story. Must admit to shedding a few tears. Thank you so very much for the support of Carlos and I do understand he brought sunshine into your life.


  7. #6
    Banned



    Quote Originally Posted by spiritbird View Post
    I truly enjoyed reading your story. Must admit to shedding a few tears. Thank you so very much for the support of Carlos and I do understand he brought sunshine into your life.

    Thank you for being supportive on both this site and the other. I am truly glad I brought him here, I feel like I can be the one to give him a good permanent home.

  8. The following user likes this post:

    spiritbird (02-13-2016)

  9. #7
    Senior Member
    Casper's 2nd best friend's Avatar


    Parrots

    Casper, a blue fronted Amazon. Loves banana. Hates plastic bags and red coats.
    It is wonderful to hear that Carlos is responding well to your love and affection. I think maybe the previous owner was trying to do a good thing, knowing he was prone to falling, by getting him a smaller cage so that he wouldn't have so far to fall.
    We have never had Casper's sex checked. DNA testing in the UK is about seventy pounds sterling, that's over a hundred dollars. We are placing our faith in the fact that he is twenty eight years old and hasn't laid any eggs yet.
    "A busy beak is a happy beak" - David Strom

  10. The following user likes this post:

    spiritbird (02-13-2016)

  11. #8
    Banned



    Quote Originally Posted by Casper's 2nd best friend View Post
    It is wonderful to hear that Carlos is responding well to your love and affection. I think maybe the previous owner was trying to do a good thing, knowing he was prone to falling, by getting him a smaller cage so that he wouldn't have so far to fall.
    We have never had Casper's sex checked. DNA testing in the UK is about seventy pounds sterling, that's over a hundred dollars. We are placing our faith in the fact that he is twenty eight years old and hasn't laid any eggs yet.
    I wish that were true, but she never once told me his arm and wing was completely missing. She also made sure to tell me that she sold his large cage because she needed the money, and that's why she purchased the smaller cage. I wish she would have told me that he was missing his arm, if she would have been more forthcoming I would have been able to accommodate him sooner. I can't help but to wonder why she didn't give me all the details.

  12. #9
    Senior Member
    kendrafitz's Avatar


    Parrots

    Rosie, our Greenwing Macaw (Hatchday 4/1/12)
    Poor baby! I can't even imagine what he has been through. He is so very lucky you found him. I look forward to reading about his progress and seeing lots of pics of him. It sounds like he has come a long way in a short time already.
    Rosie & Kendra


  13. The following 2 users like this post:

    Casper's 2nd best friend (02-14-2016), spiritbird (02-14-2016)

  14. #10
    Banned



    Quote Originally Posted by kendrafitz View Post
    Poor baby! I can't even imagine what he has been through. He is so very lucky you found him. I look forward to reading about his progress and seeing lots of pics of him. It sounds like he has come a long way in a short time already.
    Thank you, your macaw is sooo cute. I will surely keep everyone posted.

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