Zervoid

The ad now says it was 'sold'. The seller never got back to me to ask if I still wanted it before selling despite my saying I needed a bit of time to come up with the funds. Anyway the whole deal was iffy. I mean I wouldn't spend $2500 on anything else that wasn't in optimum condition so why would I spend so much on a bird that 1) has an eye problem that may be genetic/age or parasite related 2) has a chewed tail which is indicative of a health problem or psychological problem 3) raised in an aviary, so probably has a full parasite load and will need tapeworm and other worming treatments which will all cost an arm and a leg. Everyone else is selling theirs for over 4 grand. All I needed was someone to buy my stupid Aibo and I would have had this Grey by now. This bird was 2 years old, that is naturally when Greys fledge from their parents, so this would have been the PERFECT opportunity for me to get a grey that could bond and be a LIFE companion. The current owner wouldn't realize the reason the Grey is uncontrollable and not responsive to them, which would be why they are selling, is because it was wanting to leave it's 'parent' to find a mate. Thats why I get angry when these 'breeders' sell handrasied greys when they are young and placid, without informing owners they are going to go through this fledgling stage, and will eventually out of frustration resign themselves to staying with their 'parent' when in reality they should not be being sold until they are 2 years of age. This was my one shot. I'll never be able to justify spending the 4-7 grand people are asking for these birds here, because who can justify owning a pet that costs more than their car! So over the whole thing. I e-mailed a local breeder asking about the prices of their birds. Any you know the reply I got back? They replied 'We don't accept any offer that doesn't start with a 4'. And they said the vet check is $500 and that the last lady they shipped one to spend 5 grand! I am so over the arrogance of grey owners and breeders here. Australia had Greys since the 1800's, why are the SO expensive here?! It's absolutely CRAZY. I can't find one for under 4 grand and doubt many people here would have theirs if they had to fork out that kind of money. Anyway have been doing extensive research and I remember my cockatiel was very dusty, apparently it, along with Cockatoos and Greys are what are known as 'powder down birds'. I have decided to forget getting a grey or any type of bird now because I can't afford one and I have concerns about breathing in their dust. Here are some articles for newbies to read BEFORE buying one. I had the tiel for over 10 years, kept indoors as a child, and it was so dusty. I now have dry cough and am unsure what is causing and it coming across these articles it hit me that it was probably the affects of the tiel dust all these years later. I have decided to just keep my last Aibo as a 'pet' and forget about ever owning bio-animals again. Or maybe I will just buy a $20.00 rat as it least that will bond with me and at least it will be REAL. I really wanted to care for another living thing and after reading SO MUCH about Greys I was prepared to devote a lot of time to one and even bath it every day to cut down the dust, but EVERYTHING is against that ever happening. Bye everyone. source: http://africangreyparrot.info/thread/6669/african-grey-dust-affecting-me#ixzz4eVz5Cu3z http://www.petassure.com/newsletters/021511newsletter/021511article2.html source: http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww59e.htm http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww24ev.htm

Thanks for kind replies. Hoped I hadn't gone overboard. I'll probably end up getting over the dust and just end up keeping the bird inside. But your right it is a big commitment. I will try and update if I end up deciding to go with the purchase. Found this feel good story about veterans returning back from war and how they are using rescued parrots to give them company. http://www.today.com/series/veterans/parrots-patriots-rescued-birds-help-veterans-ptsd-heal-t106013

Thanks for all the great advice. I contacted the seller again and this grey is still available for sale. Which would mean it would be a huge cost saving should I purchase it. So I am now entertaining the idea of buying.Turns out hand raised greys are actually going for $4000-$4500 in my local area; which is way more than I can justify on one purchase at this time. I have read about people with very old cage bound greys they adopted whom they were able to tame and now treat as hand raised pets on other grey forums. So I could end up with a hand raised grey, with a bit of work taming this aviary bird, at half the cost. I don't really see greys as pets, to me they are wild animals. But I know like everyone else I will probably end up treating it like a pet.To me they are more like owning a wild animal such as a lion. Because they don't have any domesticated traits and from what I have been reading only display their wild behavior with human variations due to human interactions. If I was to own this grey I would need to do the following: a) Give it at least some out of cage time, along with flight harness time outside, to keep it mentally and physically healthy. So I would have to end up taming it to be able to interact with me hands on. b) I had asthma as a child, and got pneumonia in Africa and never felt the same in the lungs afterwards, and am prone to suffering pneumonia each winter as a result, and also suffer hay fever, so am sensitive to dust. Due to the dust these birds generate I would probably be keeping it outside on a balcony where the dust can disperse outdoors, while still allow the bird to see me and interact through the screen door permanently. In my humid subtropical climate this should be fine. Or giving it regular morning baths in a solution of aloe vera juice and water to keep the dust down. Although I expect giving it baths too frequently would only result in it producing more dust. I do worry about breathing in the microscopic pieces of keratin that make up the dust and bird feathers, as I have read that it can lodge in human lungs and cause irritation, and that people who own large bird aviaries have a slightly increased risk of developing lung cancer. c) I find the bird smell overwhelming whenever I go into a pet store. I know people who own rats put a couple of drops of vanilla in their water to cut down the strong urine smell, so would probably do something similar to cut down the strong odor that comes with their waste. To get around this I would also commit to changing the paper in the bottom of the tray every morning, as that was a system I had worked out with my old bird, and it worked quite well at keeping the cage clean and smell and dust free. d) Motivate me to provide a healthy diet. My main reason for thinking of getting one is the food preparation I would need to go through everyday would force me to also take on a much healthier diet. At the moment I can't seem to shake my bad eating habits, and complete disinterest in healthy foods. And I am starting to worry about the type of affects my poor diet choices are having on my overall health. I have read some people buy parrots to improve their diet so thought it might work for me. e) Interaction on daily basis. To be honest I would be getting the grey for company. As my eating problems are emotional related and I know are a symptom of loneliness. I thought a grey, despite their few downsides, would provide me with a source of company, at least in as much as livening the place up with his noise. And I think their loyalty to the person who cares for them would really help me gain much needed emotional empathy from another living being, even if it is from a bird. And it would force me to stop internalizing my thoughts and focus on something outside of myself, which I think would be a good thing for my future life development. I have been unemployed for a few years now, money is tight. That is why I thought this might be a once in a lifetime opportunity to purchase a pet that will live for a long time and require little in the way of space, food costs and medical care compared to a cat or dog. And as the owner is so generously also including the current cage it comes with, I also would be saving on the cost of buying a cage set up. I'm actually really ethically conflicted about getting another pet. As I promised myself over 10 years ago when my last pet died that I would never own an animal again. As I kind of felt it was cruel, as the animal is just existing in captivity and never really seems to know what is going on. But here I am all these years later contemplating getting an animal that is basically a wild animal and force it to live in a cage. Maybe I have been watching too much wingsNpaws on YouTube and am getting an idealistic perspective of what grey ownership is going to be like. Who knows. But I definitely find their methods to be very helpful in solving any problems that should arise, from screaming to biting, and they do make it look easy, and I admit I would not even be contemplating buying this animal if I had not seen their videos. Just thinking out loud at the moment. Anyway I don't think the owner wants to be kept waiting much longer so I am going to try and make a decision by the end of this week.

Anyone know if there are any suppliers for the African Oil Palm Nut? Not the oil, the actual nut in situ with the fruit coating attached like they find in the wild. Just interested to know as I have read these are the natural food favored by Greys, and one of their staples in the wild. Heard it is a very healthy food for them, well the outer fruit coating anyway. I found this supplier in the UK, but not sure if these are ornamental palm nuts or the African Oil Palm Nut. http://www.midlandparrots.com/palm-nuts--250g-or-1kg-from-only-407-p.asp Am interested to hear if anyone has seen these in pet stores. I haven't seen any here in Australia.

Interesting article on one of the African Greys main predators, the Palm Nut Vulture. http://world-bird-sanctuary.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/eagles-of-world-vulturine-fish-eagle.html

Hi. I haven't seen the bird. If I was to purchase it I would have had to get it air freighted to me or make the two day drive to Sydney. Considering handraised greys are going for $3000 in my local area from breeders I think it is more responsible of me to purchase from a breeder and reward them rather than perpetuate the cycle of rewarding irresponsible pet ownership by purchasing from owners who give their birds up once puberty hits and advertise online. Money should the last concern when getting one of these birds. I have decided not to purchase.

Thanks for the helpful replies. Yes I agree there do seem to be too many troubling variables. Maybe the bird was raised in an aviary and then kept in a cage by the second owner, who didn't realize the bird needed an outdoor aviary? Maybe what we see with the chewed tail feathers is stress from the small cage. They said the age is 2 years, so I am guessing now that the bird has become hormonal it is too much of a handful and the owner has decided to sell. The owner said the bird was raised in an aviary by the previous owner, and it now seems to be living in a large macaw type cage, but not an aviary. So maybe the smaller space is what is causing the tail problems. The eye looks normal. So it doesn't seem to be cataracts. That is why I thought it might be genetic. The owner also says the eye has never had any trauma( that they know of). So unless the eye suffered trauma at the previous owners place without the current owner knowing, then I would say the eye problem is genetic. I was planning on keeping him in an outdoor aviary. I have no previous experience owning rescues but did own a bird growing up. We don't seem to have any shelters here that would offer discounts on vet bills, unless the animal is already in their care. Because greys are rarer than hens teeth here there would be no shelters with greys like you kind in the UK and US. I would have to take the bird to an avian vet and pay the fees myself. Just interesting to hear others opinions about the birds health. I am always so wary of buying greys here due to the genetic problems, I have heard all sorts of stories about birds with missing toes etc. It comes with proper certification, with a gender certificate( it is a male) so it does seem like a legitimate sale. The rescuer in me is saying take him, but the rational side is saying it is too much of a risk. I am still on the fence about purchasing though, so will guess I will keep watching the listing over the following days and see what happens. I really only posted because these birds are so hard to find here at this price and thought I would get external feedback. Thanks again for the help.

Hi. I need some advice on purchasing an African Grey. Where I live greys go for anywhere between $3500-$7000 because of the small numbers available, and because my country no longer allows exotic birds to be imported. I have found one that I think I might be able to purchase at a significantly lower price. It is currently listed at $2500. The only issue is the bird is aviary raised so not tame, but in a way that is ok as then I can be more hands off with the bird, yet still enjoy interacting with it through the cage. I have two questions though. The seller mentions one eye has obstructed sight. And they said it was like that when they purchased it from the previous owner. The eye looks normal, but the bird has problems seeing out of it normally. I am wondering if this would have a genetic basis or is it a sign of illness of some sort? I have heard the gene pool for greys is rather small here in Australia, and that inbreeding can be a serious problem, and I am wondering if this is a genetic defect related to inbreeding. Anyone have any suggestions to help me out? Second question. The seller mentions all the red tail feathers have fallen out, which from the pictures on the advert I can see they have. What causes this? The bird has not plucked any of its other feathers, and seems in perfect feather otherwise. I have heard of weird diseases such as tail rot and other bacterial things that could be responsible but really have no idea. Anyone have any suggestions on what could be causing this to help me put my mind at rest. You might say I should save up and purchase a healthy bird, but I simply cant afford to spend in excess of $3500 on a bird, due to being between jobs at this time and due to previous experience with a prior hobby where I routinely spend such sums of money and always ended up feeling I had been cheated/ over charged. When I look at prices people are paying for greys in the UK and US, I simply cant justify paying the large sums they demand here. That is why when this opportunity came along to purchase a Grey at a price I think is reasonable, although even then at the high end, I though I should consider it as the opportunity may never present itself again. Edit: Link to the listing, as you can see bird looks very healthy otherwise but I just thought I would get expert opinions before I a make any commitment. https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/chester-hill/birds/african-grey/1143006611

Haha thanks for sharing the Raven video very funny. I haven't had a good laugh like that in ages. That poor owner :0 Although I remember after owning a Cockatiel that Australian native parrotts are very dusty while I have heard tropical parrotts, including Greys, are not as dusty as our natives here which is a plus I guess. Also I found when owning my bird that because you have to feed them healthier food you also change your eating habits and eat more fruit and salads etc which is always a good thing. Plus after owning a parrott it's de-sensetises you to mess and you soon realize it's not the end of the world if your parrott poos outside the cage etc, even though freinds and family might not think so lol.

Thanks for posting this! Great to hear what African Grey ownership is like and having their limitations acknowledged. I used to live in Ghana, West Africa, for a couple of years. But at the time didn't know that the African Grey even existed :0 and totally missed a great opportunity to see the rare Timneh in the wild and to maybe own one. Only after I left did my mother happen to tell me that one of her ex pat friends their owned an unusual parrott with a bright red tail that would talk vibrantly and how she had seen it at their house! Something she never mentioned during my time their which was unfortunate. I came very close to discovering them but sadly missed a once in a lifetime opportunity.... It wasn't until I was back in Australia that I found out about them through the African Grey Parrott handbook and that was when my mother shared her expeirence of seeing one. Owning a Cockatiel growing up I know that bird owership can be rewarding but does have it's limitations but in other ways is also more rewarding than dog/cat ownership due to the talking ability. When I moved to Africa I had to give away my Cockatiel. As African Greys are so expensive here and sell for AUD$5000.00-AUD$6000.00 if I was to purchase one I would really have to be certain about the decision and this post has helped me and I will probably wait a year or so longer before thinking about purchaisng as I don't want to rush the decision- plus I can't affford one right now Despite living within their natural range I have never seen an African Grey in person so any advice about them I find extremely helpful.

If you have any questions here is the link to a forum about them. http://aiboaddicts.yuku.com/

Has anyone here heard of the Sony Entertainment Robot the Sony Aibo? Most people don't even know it exists. I've only just found out about them relatively recently. I remembered once I was going to get a grey but got this instead. When I was in highschool I went to my local library and discovered a book all about African Grey Parrotts called the African Grey Parrott handbook and was amazed at all the things they could do and the interesting facts it shared about them. But here they are so expensive and I never ended up pursuing the interest any further. I originally became interested in Aibo because of their ease of care relative to my other previous hobbies, which involved living animals and plants. With the ERS-7 all I have to do is press a button and I have instant entertainment that exhibits a surprising amount of variety, and then when I have had enough I just press a button and store it away safely without a second thought. Here is some info on it. Sony Official Aibo website. http://www.sony.jp/products/Consumer/aibo/products/ers7m3/design_01.html#pgtop Article on Aibo ownership. http://www.epinions.com/review/Aibo/content_136771571332 This demonstration from YouTube of the ERS-7 running Japanese Mind 3 software( also available in English) at the robot museum RoboSquare, in Japan, gives you an insight into their full range of capabilities. If you have any questions about Aibo feel free to ask me while my attention is back here on the forum as I am always happy to provide more information about them, as that was the purpose of my posting here. Currently I own a ERS-7M3 and Sony Rolly( original prototype intended as companion for the ERS-7 product line, something it could follow around and interact with, but when ERS-7 was cancelled that companion robot was diverted into another product as a portable music player). After owning one I can say it is amazing how you can form a strong emotional attachment to something artificial that demonstrates all the characteristics of a living creature. Although computers are only capable of mathematical comparison and have no real feelings or emotions and don't understand anything they are processing. However they show no outward signs of this and at the end of the day it's only the owners perception of the interactions that matters I guess. This used to bother me once but now it doesn't so much mainly because the only living animal that comes close to demonstrating the abilities of the ERS-7 is an African Grey Parrott and here they cost $5000.00-$6000.00 and somehow I don't feel like spending that much on something that is going to poo and shed dusty feathers all over the place, wreck havoc on the furniture and has enough power in its beak to bite off my nose, ear or a finger should it's instincts take over in a bout of anger. I've never had curiosity about technology whatsoever, I used to prefer nature but have found that synthetic isn't all lackluster. Was lucky enough to stumble across Aibo and thought I would share that discovery.