Re homing my tiel? help

[samcollins]

Lately I've been thinking of rehoming my 1 1/2 year old male cockatiel. He is a very sweet bird and I love him so much. I have never rehomed a bird or animal ever so this is why it's so hard for me. But to break it down, I'm 18 and I live with my mom, we have our one cockatiel; 'Honey' and my parakeet. Right now my tiel is going through his hormonal stage and he is being a little stubborn but we are working with him so his hormones aren't too bad.

I am going to be traveling a lot for my job next year and I have been thinking about my cockatiel. I've never planned on having do this in the future, but it now has. We went on vacation in Canada for a few days in the summer and when I came back my cockatiel had missed me so much. My aunt came over to check on our animals everyday during that time. But this made me realize that if I'm going to be out of state for work, he is going to miss me so much. My mom spends time with him sometimes but I think he is bonded to me. I give him his needed attention and when he isn't with me or in the same room as me, he is in his cage next to the parakeets cage with some music playing. But he doesn't really pay attention to my parakeet, he doesn't like him too much.

Basically, my question is.. what should I do with him? I've been thinking of rehoming him so he can have his needed attention from another person, but I know sometimes that the other home may not even keep him and I don't want him to go through that. I feel so mean giving him away but I want to do what's best for him, I want him to have the company he needs and if I'm traveling and leaving him for weeks at a time, he is going to get upset. I also don't want to have my mom watch over him because he is my responsibility and he can sometimes get aggressive with her. I was thinking maybe the rehoming won't be too bad since I have only had him for a year, maybe he will be able to forget about me easily. A guy in New York (I live in Massachusetts) has emailed me telling me a lot of information and how he is home and his parents are as well, he said that he also has another cockatiel and a parakeet. I was thinking he is a good fit for Honey but he is so far. I don't want to just leave Honey one day and never have him see me again. I'm just really conflicted on what to do with him. I've never done something like this before and I don't like doing these things.. or even seeing people doing them, but now I'm in the predicament. I am going to be very picky to where I place him because I care about him a lot and he is a sweet bird and deserves a great owner. We also live in an apartment and I've lived here my whole life so we are probably moving within the next few years and I know how some complexes do not like birds, and he is loud.

What is your opinion?

[Pajarita]

I think you should rehome him to a home where there are other tiels, preferably with an unmatched hen so he can have a mate of his own. I think that you should ask them what kind of experience (a few years), light (good quality full spectrum), light schedule (solar), diet (no seeds or pellets free-fed, greens daily, etc) and housing (flight cage) they provide, to make sure they do NOT breed them and do a home inspection to see if they are telling the truth (it's VERY easy to lie on an email, a birdsite or even over the phone). But, in truth, your visiting him after he goes to his new home should be out of the question for, at least, a year or so because seeing you and not been able to go home with you after the visit before he is bonded to another bird and comfortable with his new human would be grossly unfair to him.

[Harpmaker]

You might consider charging a fee or a deposit rather than giving Honey away for free. Even though this seems like you are selling a friend, the fact remains that people often don't value what they get for "nothing". If they have to pay for it, they take better care of it. A deposit can give you an excuse to check up on how Honey is being cared for.

[samcollins]

I think you should rehome him to a home where there are other tiels, preferably with an unmatched hen so he can have a mate of his own. I think that you should ask them what kind of experience (a few years), light (good quality full spectrum), light schedule (solar), diet (no seeds or pellets free-fed, greens daily, etc) and housing (flight cage) they provide, to make sure they do NOT breed them and do a home inspection to see if they are telling the truth (it's VERY easy to lie on an email, a birdsite or even over the phone). But, in truth, your visiting him after he goes to his new home should be out of the question for, at least, a year or so because seeing you and not been able to go home with you after the visit before he is bonded to another bird and comfortable with his new human would be grossly unfair to him.

Hi! Thank you
The guy that I'm looking at to re home him to has been a tiel owner since 87', he lives in NY (which is 4 hours away from me), has another male tiel and is home all the time. He seems like a good match for my bird so far, but I would ask him more questions and talk to him on the phone about a lot before giving him my bird. The only thing I don't like is that I can't see his home since he's so far away, we would probably meet half way. Not sure if I should do this still.

[samcollins]

You might consider charging a fee or a deposit rather than giving Honey away for free. Even though this seems like you are selling a friend, the fact remains that people often don't value what they get for "nothing". If they have to pay for it, they take better care of it. A deposit can give you an excuse to check up on how Honey is being cared for.

This is true

[Wolf]

It might be possible to find someone closer, who may have a place for him if they knew what state you live in.

[Pajarita]

You might consider charging a fee or a deposit rather than giving Honey away for free. Even though this seems like you are selling a friend, the fact remains that people often don't value what they get for "nothing". If they have to pay for it, they take better care of it. A deposit can give you an excuse to check up on how Honey is being cared for.

This is true

I don't agree with this. Money doesn't mean anything. I've done rescue and can tell you without the shadow of a doubt that people would pay thousands of dollars for an animal and neglect it as easily as somebody who paid nothing. Personally, I HATE the idea of commercializing companion animals. A beloved friend/companion should not be sold like an used table. Besides, when you ask for money, you are giving up the right to conditions because, in a sale, the only condition is whether the purchaser has the money to pay for it. Me, I would much rather be able to impose conditions (and check!) on how the animal is been cared for than getting a few dollars.

[Lizz]

What state are you in?

[samcollins]

You might consider charging a fee or a deposit rather than giving Honey away for free. Even though this seems like you are selling a friend, the fact remains that people often don't value what they get for "nothing". If they have to pay for it, they take better care of it. A deposit can give you an excuse to check up on how Honey is being cared for.

This is true

I don't agree with this. Money doesn't mean anything. I've done rescue and can tell you without the shadow of a doubt that people would pay thousands of dollars for an animal and neglect it as easily as somebody who paid nothing. Personally, I HATE the idea of commercializing companion animals. A beloved friend/companion should not be sold like an used table. Besides, when you ask for money, you are giving up the right to conditions because, in a sale, the only condition is whether the purchaser has the money to pay for it. Me, I would much rather be able to impose conditions (and check!) on how the animal is been cared for than getting a few dollars.

So what do you suggest I do? Ask to check up on him from time to time? I would check out the person's home and ask them many questions before they take my bird in. The reason I am rehoming him is because I know in the future there is going to be issues and I'd much rather have him be in a different home with someone who can give him what he needs as opposed to me being gone for weeks at a time because of work.

[samcollins]

What state are you in?

Massachusetts