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Same as everyone else- blank newspaper sheets here too. So easy to swap out.

I'm always slightly envious of those with the really talkative greys. Alfie is not a big talker- and I fully accept that. He chooses what he wants to say and when and words/phrases often go in and out of favour. And he still is often able to add comedic value to any conversations going on- even with his limited vocabulary. I know he understands a lot more than he lets on too. You could be right about Sukei learning from Kasey. Either way- having your flesh intact is still a major win!

Well, you know how you get brave after a few beers on a Friday night? LOL ? This time while he was on the perch whilst I was cleaning the cage, I said “Good Boy” and the head went down. Moment of truth, no bars. Head went down, I proceeded to scratch him on the head, and he just took it, not a flinch. He went back after cleaning and down went the head again for more scratches. I have a theory. I think he is learning from Kasey (My German Shepherd). I scratch her head and say good girl when we play ball. Might be wrong, but I still have all my flesh intact LOL

Back when I was nursing him back to health in the Middle East, he used to ride on my shoulder, I could pick him up. Feed him. AND DEN. it went down hill. Folks that have been around probably remember the infomus eye picture I posted. Still have a small scar on my eye lid, along with the hands and fingers. I don't think Ill risk an eyeball again LOL. Kinda makes you wonder why we do it. I saved him from a dumpster at an open air market. You would think they would show a little appreciation. You mentioned stages. I think its age, hormone levels start falling off, maybe thats it. With him though, he got bagged right out of a tree in Africa, stuffed in a box and sent for a boat ride that one would not consider a Carnival Cruise., so I can imagine that would screw anyone up . I do however attrribute him having come from a large gene pool with being really smart, I think were around a 1K vocabulary at this point Maybe more, I havent really kept track, but he will conversate. I did learn very early on when you get the stink eye from them, best to walk away LOL.

I have used various Liberta and more recently Rainforest cages over the years and Alfie has been fine in all of them. Kings cages look good but they are definitely out of budget for me. I have a kings travel cage which I mentioned in another post a short while ago and I have had it for about 10 years now and I've been really impressed with it. Just can't afford the larger counterparts! You need to make sure the bar spacing is right, as others have mentioned. But also allow enough space so the bird can fully open their wings to stretch out and so that they have space to move around, climb about and have space for lots of toys.

Others have already commented but I think the general rule of thumb is that if there is any noticeable change in behaviour/personality then a vet trip is a sensible idea. As others have said, African Greys are prey animals and therefore they are very good at hiding or masking illness. So when they start to show it, then it's definitely time for some assistance. In regards to carriers, I have a travel cage that I use whenever I take Alfie anywhere. It's similar to this: King`s Cages Parrot Travel Cage Medium (premierparrots.co.uk) (You can get much cheaper versions nowadays too). I have space for a couple of perches, food and water bowls plus a small toy in there for him. I used to use a cat carrier but it was such a pain trying to get him in there and I never found a workable solution that didn't leave his feet covered in his own mess if he was going to be in there for a while. (I'm rubbish at DIY so adding a perch wasn't an option for me). So I splashed out on a kings travel cage (as that was the only make available to me all those years ago) and haven't looked back since. But I also use this for taking him to visit my parents regularly so it suits for much longer trips than just a vet visit.

Running them to a vet is a good idea.

Well that was an uneducated guess on my part. My parrots have no problem climbing & taking treats thru the bars. I will have to measure them when I get home I guess. Macaw size bar spacing on my 3 cages works well for me

I use blank newsprint sheets, size 20x30 that I get from a local packaging company.

Newspapers here as well.

I like newspaper also for lining bird cages. But since you asked about "best product" - did you mean what product to use to clean a bottom grate? You can dry scrape caked on poop with a flatware knife (purchase one from a thrift store bin -- don't use your own good flatware!) and then wipe grate with paper towels (I always keep a spray bottle of water to dampen my grate as needed). You can also layer damp paper towels on grate for 10 minutes or so to 'soak' the poop crud for easier removal. But the best way to clean a grate is to use a steamer to soften poop crud to remove it. I always avoided regular all purpose cleaners because parrots beak everything and I wanted to avoid any chemical residue. If germs are your main concern, use steam or white vinegar to clean your grate. Obviously these methods also work on cage sides/top bars as well. I never worried about germs, I just wanted to get the poop off. My black cage always looked awful -- poop and dust showed horribly! My white cages always looked the best between cleanings.

What is the best product to use on the bottom of a bird cage?

The wife is off today, and he is a moms bird, but I wanted to clean and put him up for another test, and again, no fight. Maybe age is mellowing him. Best as we can figure, he turned 8 last month. im still not convinced to let my guard down, but it is unusual.