i went to see two african greys a couple of hours ago and one of them is going to be mine... excited just a question is there any major pitfuls to be wary of? there so cute lol

I just think you should read up on them thats all. I know they are great birds!

Congratulations! I know nothing about Greys......Today might be slow because of it being Mother's Day......but someone will answer pretty soon...

Congratulations!

Well .. I don't think there are major pitfalls .. but if you are prepared to raise an 8 year old child who will never grow up .. then a grey is for you!

I suggest you get as much information as possible while waiting the arrival of your new addition. They are complex fellows but once you understand the commitment and patience required to have a grey as a flock member then they make wonderful companions!

Feel free to come and visit us at An African Grey ...

Awww..congrats!!! Lucky You!!

Well greys are so smart~! I love having a grey. Pita my african grey kept getting off of her cage and wanted to go into the bathroom and we could not figure out why she wanted to go in the bathroom. She would get mad and hit the door with her beak as hard as she could and sometimes when we shut the door she would get mad and try to chase us. But we figure out today what she wanted. You'll never guess??? She wanted a shower and after Ray gave her a shower she went back to her cage and has not gotten off of it the rest of the day. I think that is so amazing that she had been trying to tell us for awhile now she wanted a shower and she knew where the shower was .She is such a smart little girl. She really had a blast in the shower and it made her a happy little girl.

wooow what a cool story, and a clever bird p.s. i have researched, and when i say research, i mean researched , its really edging on obession now, pretty much all day, most of the time reading things over again that i already now lol , but hay it cant hurt, i just wish more people would read up before getting such a complex animal! there so much more to them than a 'pretty bird' thanks for the replies!

How exciting for you! We are in the same boat as you-- we have a QP and have put a deposit on a baby grey. We're very excited although our baby won't be ready to come home for several months still. We have been researching like crazy as well! We'll be learning together I suppose! Congrats!

congrats to you too.

our grey baby is 6 weeks now so wont be ready for another six but i dont mind the wait were going to see him again in 2 weeks to see how he getting on yay How old is your grey at the moment?

Congrats on getting a Grey!

They really are the most enchanting companions you can imagine. But as Dee (the eminent Administratrix of AnAfricanGrey) has pointed out, they are just like kids – kids that never grow up! Could you handle having a six-year-old hanging around, pestering you and being naughty 24/7 for the next 50 years!?

Of the three Greys that currently add daily delight to our lives, only Ndhlovu has been with us all her life.



She's 18 years old now, was bred here in the UK, and is the sweetest girl you could possibly hope to meet – trusting, outgoing, never bites. But it has taken 18 years of hard work, love attention and discipline to get her like this.

It's not just good upbringing in the sense of discipline that is necessary, though. You need to spend quality time with them – making them feel that they are loved and valued members of the family.

Greys, just like human kids, need to be well brought up, or you will have a delinquent on your hands! I work in parrot rescue here in the UK and all too often, sadly, I see the consequences of people who think "Cool pet – I want one" without finding out what is involved and being prepared for the awesome responsibility that it entails.

Our second Grey is Induna.



This poor guy had a rough start in life as he's wild-caught. He was sold out of the back of a van for £100 to a fmaily with small kids who thought "Cool pet..." but who hadn't given it any thought. He was neglected and badly abused. When he came to us, his repertoire of sounds included screaming terrified macaws and something that sounded for all the world like a puppy being beaten!

Our third Grey, who is a Birdline bird, is Inenekazi.



It's not very clear from this pic, but her left foot is crippled. She can just about manage to sit on a perch, as long as it is the right diameter, so to help her get around, we have constructed rope walkways all around the house. She also has suspected cancer of the third eyelid of her left eye.

While we don't think she had been abused, as such, she has been neglected. She is also wild-caught and has spent most of her 35 or so years in an old people's home. The attitude of the staff was "We're here for the people, not the f***ing parrot!.

An African Grey is not a bird that sists in the corner of the room in a cage, waiting for the owner to chuck a few sunflower seeds at it!

Don't get the impression that I'm saying "don't get a Grey". I would be going against everything I believe in if I were to say so, as they really are the most wonderful companions you could imagine. But I do urge you to think hard about whether or not you can make the very real commitment and then to do lots of homework to find out as much as you can about how best to care for them, both physically and emotionally.

I wish you lots of luck and years of happiness with your new Grey friend!