Leaderboard

My wife watched it and said it's not the Grey that dysfunctional.

I did ask my housemate if we could do video calls so Alfie could see and hear him whilst we're on lockdown. After that my housemate will likely visit every so often as we're close friends.

I'm sure Alfie will be confused and upset for awhile, but he will adapt. They are creatures of habit if nothing else!

Don`t sell Alfie short when it comes to change. Two years ago I lost my wife of 47 years and Corky went through her grief with us. She has adjusted to life the same as she would have to in the wild. When you share life with a grey they become more like you and vise a versa.

I just can't figure out why my Greys are so dysfunctional... 20200406_191637.mp4

Looks like a well rounded grey to me.

I think this is true of any animal- how many hamsters, gerbils, rabbits, guinea pigs, fish, cats, dogs, parrots, reptiles etc etc are bought on a whim and then abandoned because they're too much work? Some will buy them for children and then wonder why the child loses interest or stops cleaning up after the pet. Others will see a pet in a film, a book, in a pet store or at a friend/relatives house and think that they want one themselves, without doing research or putting the effort in to learn about their care. My first job was in a pet store and I sold animals to people knowing that the child would probably lose interest or the adult hadn't done enough research. We had leaflets we handed out which was a basic care guide but all too often people would buy the smallest cage, stuff the leaflet in their pocket and think they knew better. Or maybe even went in with the attitude "it's just a hamster" or "it's just a budgie" as opposed to "this is a living breathing animal that deserves the best care and attention". I've seen posts where people will allow their small animal or bird to suffer and die of illness because they see it as a throw away or starter pet. They have the attitude that 'a new one will cost me £10 whereas the vet will be expensive'. I will be the first to admit that for a time I was failing to provide enough attention for Alfie. I got him when I was 17 years old. I fell in love with parrots whilst working at that same pet store. I did loads of research and reading and spent all my savings on Alfie. I thought I knew best and I thought I could provide a good environment for him for the rest of his life. I thought I had life all mapped out as you do when you're 17. But life is tougher than that and it's guaranteed to change. I started a career in IT and worked my arse off, which meant I was putting longer hours in the more I progressed. I was trying to study for a degree at the same time. I lived with housemates who didn't like Alfie and the layout of the house didn't work either. I spent less and less time with Alfie to the point I considered rehoming him. But I couldn't do it to him. He didn't ask for any of this. So I figured I would try and re-prioritize everything. My housemates moved out and I shuffled things around. The house still didn't work so when I moved into my own house I made sure the layout worked and he was the centre of attention. I have spent years working on and rebuilding our relationship and trust and I don't always get it right- but I'm trying as hard as I can to provide him with the life he deserves. And I'm glad I made that choice because I don't think I could have forgiven myself if I had rehomed him.

I always down-play the fun of having a bird. They are a ton of constant work if you take care of them properly and most people are too lazy to keep it up for years on end. I always wonder how I'm going to keep it up if I make it into my elderly years but my Dad is 80 and still takes care of cattle and horses and works outside daily. If he can do it, so can I.