Fifi28

Thank you Timbersom. Have a good one.xx

I can't thank you all enough for your impartial friendly advice. I have decided so stick with my lovely cockatiels for now. I lost my tiel 2 months ago and I only had him 3 months. It broke my heart. I adored him and he adored me. So I am going to go back to the breeder in the summer and see if I can get another chick from Jo's parents. I loved taming him and training him and he came everywhere with me. He would even follow me up the stairs to my bedroom. Only this time, I will get getting the new baby harness trained. Harnesses have not yet kicked off here in England yet, for the smaller bird, I think! I have never seen anyone out with a bird in a harness, but I will certainly be using one!

Thanks for all of your input folks - it's been a great help. I will get my Grey one day, but now is not the time. It's been great chatting to you all.

I completely agree Talon. I am looking at a nice wee parrot now. I am thinking Green Cheeked Conure. They seem ideal for my situation at the mo.

Yeah Katana600, I am going to wait a but till the kids are much older. So did your Grey fill the gap? lol

Thank you AW 64. I think I have. I want to enrich my kid and my pets life, and this is just not going to work for us. Would anyone have any experience of Alexanrines?

Yeah Timbersom, it just would not be fair on any of us and 2 kids under the age of 5 is hard work, I do not think I could be bothered with the stress it would cause. I would be terrified if I turned my back for one minute, the bird got a fright and one of my kids lost a finger. I would never be able to relax and it would take the enjoyment out of it. I think I will get my grey when my kids fly the nest and I need another baby to replace them. Hahaha.

Thank you so much for your advice. I read some posts on here to relating to having kids and greys and I need to look for a more suitable animal while the kids are so young. It would not be fair on the kids and it would not be fair on the bird, and like you say, it just ends up being rehomed, with potential behavior problems. I initially started with getting advice from breeders and specifically pointed out that I have kids. They never seem to mention what it's like to realistically own a grey. They just want their £700. So I am glad that I came on here where people will be honest and have nothing to gain so thank you. So I am thinking along the lines of conures, senegals or quakers. Or might just stick to the humble cockatiel. Many thanks, Fiona

Hi Everyone, I am just new and do not own a Grey yet. I have loved these bird my whole life and really want one, however my kids safety comes first. And of course the welfare of the bird. There is a great breeder I have found who has babies, handreard and around kids. I have a 1 year and 4 year old and have been reading a lot about the cautions of having grey's with kids due to their nervous nature. I am just asking about your experiences with your Grey and your kids and how they get on. My kids will obviously taught how to respect the bird and to be calm around it, but I still want my kids to be kids and run around and have fun, but if this proves to stressful for the bird then I will think again about getting one. My other concern is "one person bonding". While this is not really a massive issue if it was this alone, if the bird was to become aggressive towards other family members, then this would cause problems and have to be re-homed. Again, any advice on this matter to would be great. Any advice would be wonderful. Thanks, Fiona