[TonyM]

I've been monitoring my local Craigslist's pet section with hopes of finding a bigger cage for Zuri (my 6 year old Scarlet Macaw). The other day, a young man posted an ad on there saying that he had a four year old, DNA tested male, African Grey that he wanted to rehome.

He stated that the recently got the bird and that it talks quite a bit, but that he felt like he had wasted his money because the bird, according to him, only liked women. He said in the ad that the bird would step up for him, but liked women more.

I e-mailed the poster with some questions. His responses were very short. He just seems very impatient to me in general. His responses, however, did verify that this was his first bird and that he hasn't had the bird for long (two weeks). He also said that he lives with his mom and that the bird has bonded more with the mom than with him and that seems to be the primary source of his frustration. (This makes me wonder if gender is the true issue or if the mom pays more attention to the bird.)

I encouraged him to try to give the bird more time, attention, and love. I told him that if he needed help or advice, he could contact me. I also gave him some websites (including this one) that he could turn to for help.

Despite my offer and encouragement, he still seems to want to get rid of the bird. As much as I hate to see a bird rehomed twice in less than a month, perhaps it may be for the best in this case.

He wants someone to pay him what he paid to get the bird. I have no intention of paying the full amount, but I'm considering offering to take the bird for him. Unfortunately, he seems more interested in recovering his costs than getting the bird into a good home.

This all brings me to my question and the point of my post... Is it a good idea to introduce another bird into the house at this point? What are the chances of Zuri and this African Grey getting along? What are the chances of them fighting? Any tips on introducing a new bird into the mix?

Also, I know that many of you have taken in birds before. In a case like this, would you offer full asking price? Try to talk him down? Offer to take the bird, but not pay him? I'd love to have an African Grey, but I'm more concerned about the bird getting a good home than anything.