When I got Lentil in January of last year having a bird in my life seemed completely reasonable. Although I was a full time student and working, I rarely did work outside of school and I had a boyfriend who was home all of the time to play and take care of him. Now, school has become my number one priority, I spend all of my free time working on assignments, and that boyfriend is no longer in my life. I am able to give Lentil adequate care; I feed him dinner every night, talk to him every day, and he spends time out of his cage whenever I am home. However, I feel that he could be living a much better life. I rarely have time to play with him. He is often confined to his cage. I don't have time to train him or teach him new tricks. I travel a lot, and there is only one person left in my life willing to take care of him who he doesn't dislike (and I don't have time to socialize him). I am also concerned about what behavioral issues might arise as he reaches maturity, and whether I will have the time to help him through that stage of his life.
He seems happy enough. He still plays, talks, etc. But I don't know what the future will bring.

I am not requiring a rehoming fee but I have a very specific idea about the home I want Lentil in. I want to make sure that he is living with someone who is able to give him one on one attention at least an hour every day, and time outside of his cage at least three hours every day. That may seem unreasonable to some but I know there are many of you out there who would gladly give him more. His new parents need to understand that Lentil has been raised in a very specific way and I want my rules and methods to be continued. I will not allow him to live in a home where teflon, candles, etc. are used. I would prefer that he be fed the same type of food I am giving him now (Beak Appetit, Avian Maintenance, and other fresh treats). I will also want to interview and meet the entire family, and if I cannot visit the home then I want pictures of the space he will be living in. It was also ingrained in me by his vet that Lentil must not be too physical with his family members as this can lead to sexual frustration, depression, and behavioral issues. Limited shoulder time, and absolutely no petting anywhere besides the head and neck. Lentil should also be allowed to fly because that is one of his favorite things to do and is excellent exercise (another reason why I need to see where he will be living and make sure there are no dangers). If there are dogs or cats in the home he absolutely cannot be in the same room with them; I just can't trust an animal to always play it safe. If you have other birds, you must have them checked out by your avian vet before I will let Lentil in to your home. I would also like to talk to your vet and make sure their practices match Lentil's current vet's. After Lentil is rehomed I want constant updates and pictures, but it would probably be best for him if he doesn't see me any more.

Lentil was hatched in November of 2007. He is fully flighted. He loves to play hide-and-seek, give kisses, dance (his favorite song is Stayin' Alive by the Beegees), play tug-of-war, talk, wave, fly, shred things, and has shown signs that he might want to start nest building. His vocabulary isn't enormous but he can say lots of things and tries to say a lot more. His flock calls can get loud, but I live in an apartment and have never had any problems with them. He knows "step-up" and will do it about 85% of the time. He also knows "Go in your cage" and also obeys that. I have been working on getting him to fly to his cage to poop, but because my time with him is so limited he hasn't quite gotten it down (though he has done it by himself on several occasions! and he does know to fly to his cage when i say "Go poop!"). He likes broccoli but isn't too familiar with other foods. I give him pieces of millet as a treat and a reward for good behavior/successful tricks and training. He will try to grab your glasses, but he knows what "no glasses" means.
Every now and then he will bite and he has bitten me fairly hard, but you can generally tell when he's in a bitey mood. He also knows when he has been bad (thus knowing to respond to "go in your cage" and "step-up"). Other than that he behaves extremely well. A friend of mine who has been around parrots for years told me that Lentil was the best behaved bird he has ever met.

He has a smallish cage (about 18x20 I believe) that sits on a stand with wheels with several toys, perches, stainless steel water and food dishes. I also have some toys that I haven't given to him yet. He has a tabletop play area that I recently got him so he is not used to it yet, but the right parent will teach him to play on it.


Right now Lentil and I are living in midtown Kansas City, MO. I am willing to travel to take him to his new home but due to my limited funds I would ask that my travel expenses be paid. Since there is no other rehoming fee I think that is reasonable.

If you are interested you can respond to me here or email me (rev.boehr@gmail.com) or call me (816 695 1757). I am hoping I can find him a good home here. Thank you for reading this and I hope one of you would like to bring my little featherball in to your life!



oh, also, Lentil is DNA male. He hasn't been to the vet for a year, and if you would like me to have him checked out by my vet here I would ask for compensation again due to my limited funds. My vet has very reasonable prices ($90 for his original checkup, blood test, DNA test... $20 when I thought he was sick).

I am sorry to hear this. I wish you best of luck......

awww Im sorry to hear this but sometimes we all must do as we need to.
I will miss your posting! You will be missed!
It sounds like Lentils lovely, and that he will get a good home with your good expectations!
Keep us posted Lydia! x

Thank you guys!

Do you know of any other websites where I could post this information? I'm not a member of any parrot sites except this one.

Hey LK I dont know of any others but people have had wonderful results on this one...I would say...that someone will contact you!
xx

lydia, i'm so sorry you have to rehome lentil. i remember when you joined the forum. i thought lentil was such a unique name! everyone here understands the reasons of having to rehome him and i'm sure it's breaking your heart.

i think it's great that you have a "list of demands". hopefully that will ensure a great new home for lentil. i don't know of any other sites to post on but maybe i'm not sure i'd post on craigslist or kijiji.

if you can wait a bit, hopefully someone from here will be able to help!

Good luck and sorry you have to find him a new home.
I would offer my home to him..but free-flight is a dangerous thing for a small bird here We tried Dodger fully flighted but he kept landing on the macaw cages..not a good idea
Wishing you and Lentil the best in your search......

Looks like there is someone in YOUR state looking for a quaker. I hope you two can hook up....

Yes, Jennifer and I have talked and may be able to work something out! I've gotten several responses from facebook marketplace as well. I'm sending questionnaires to all the hopefuls.

Oh be careful with Facebook, it's ranks up there with craigslist and kijijii when it comes to scammers.

I know, that's why I'm sending the questionnaires. And also asking for photographs of the home if I can't visit it. And of course I willmeet the people.

Best of luck and please keep us posted.

Jennifer and I have been corresponding and I think she may be the perfect match I'll let you all know how it turns out

That is good that you might have found someone. Please keep us posted...

How far are you from north carolina? or maybe michigan? I would love to help you out. I always have room in my home and heart for a qp.

Jennifer from Missouri and I are working on setting a date to meet and exchange Lentil. I think she will be the perfect new mommy for my little bird.

I am so glad that you have found a good match

I am meeting with Jennifer tomorrow to exchange Lentil. You all will probably be hearing from her soon!

I am glad that you found a home for Lentil.

Lentil is now in Jennifer's care. I'm excited for him, I think she will be a great mom!

Thanks for keeping us updated, Lydia.

As this bird has found a wonderful home, I'll close the thread.