Selling Quaker

Question
I've recently become the owner of a baby quaker parrot due to a family member's lack of responsibilty to their pets...
But the thing is, I'm leaving in about a month to go to college, and I can't take the little guy with me. My dad, who I live with, said I couldn't leave him at home, and I've got nowhere else I can put him, so I've decided to sell him. Any advice on how I should go about doing this? He's a real sweetie, and I'm sad to see him go, but I can use the money, and I just want to see him taken care of. Any advice would be great.

Answer
Quakers aren't legal everywhere, so you need to be careful.

Also, with a lifetime of more than 20 years (up to about 30), handing this little, trusting soul off to someone with the money, but not the heart, could mean a lifetime of abuse, abandonment, neglect and pain.

Please try to find someone who not only has bird experience, but intends wholeheartedly to make this bird a lifetime companion.

We spent a year interviewing families for a wonderful, big macaw we had. We'd have people offer us twice the adoption fee we were hoping for, but if it didn't feel right, we just said we changed our mind and were keeping him or that honestly, we just didn't feel it would be a good match.

Here are some questions you need to ask potential companions:
1. How long do plan on having her out of cage every day?
(the correct answer is at least 2 hours; we rejected a potential home that said they'd have him out at least a few hours a WEEK)

2. Will she have a nighttime cage?
(Ideally, a bird should have a quiet, nighttime cage to go to every night for 10-12 hours; this helps discourage mating behavior, aggression and egg laying in females. If a nighttime cage cannot be supplied, provisions for partially covering a daytime cage and assuring the area is kept quiet with subdued light for 10-12 hours every night is important for the bird's overall health)

3. Will the noise be ok with you?
(Parrots like this are rarely good apartment dwellers. Once the complaints start coming in, the bird usually ends up going out)

4. We check references, so who is your avian vet (or who do you have lined up?). Don't even compromise a little bit on this one. By the time a bird looks sick, it's pretty advanced - and that's not the time to be looking for a doctor.

5. Children and/or other pets? (What makes them think a bird with a beak like this is the right idea?)

We end up with too many problem birds who were ushered through various homes that decided after a while, that it wasn't a great idea. Ideally, once a bird is weaned and ready to go to a home, it's the one and only home they'll ever know.  Our older folks are actually providing for the bird in their wills, which is remarkably responsible and guarentees that the next place the bird goes will probably be the place it happily lives out its life.

Take a look at this site for more information about Quakers
http://www.quakerparrots.com/quakerfaq.htm#III

(cut and paste the link to use it)

Finally, Quakers aren't very costly birds. They can be found for as low as $50 and up to $200 for the usual colorings.  So since it's not really an issue of money and from what I can gather from you, it's mostly an issue of doing the right thing - please make sure you find the most perfect, most permanent home.

If you get back to me and let me know your city/county, I'll try to help further.