BlackOpal

Thank you, I just wanted to know if it was safe! Since it's not, I definitely will not be giving him any. In the meantime I'm still waiting for him to eat his veggies...

As some of you might know I got my first African Grey a week ago. I have been looking into natural oils I can add to his food so he can get the vitamins he needs. I read that carrot seed oil is rich in Carotene and Vitamin A (like red palm oil, which is sadly not available in my country). Would it be safe to give my grey some essential carrot seed oil? I wanted to make sure it's completely safe before I purchase it. Thanks!

Thanks Judy, we do call him Chicken but I think of it more as a nickname because I feel bad calling a rather majestic animal something goofy LOL. So I secretly named him Onyx, but continue to call him Chicken... I will keep trying different veggies prepared in different ways and hope he ends up liking something!! Thank you for all your advice and tips <3

Interesting, I didn't know they weren't supposed to have a lot of fruit! I gave him some carrots yesterday but he didn't eat them either (surprise, surprise) will keep trying with different veggies... Or maybe he's like Sophie in this case. Nancy, how long did it take for you two to bond?

This is great advice Acappella, thank you SO much! I will definitely do those things. Speaking of food, he doesn't go near any of the fruits we give him... He only eats seeds My goal is to get him to like healthy stuff but I'm not too sure how to go about it. I've tried apples (red and green), oranges and bananas. Nothing. I've tried taking his seeds away for a while, then he just doesn't eat so I cave in and give them back. Ugh.

Thank you guys, as a new African grey owner so far I have been able to observe that Chicken has moods he goes through throughout the day. I don't know if this is typical Grey behavior but he is really cheery in the morning when he first wakes up, then gets really quiet for several hours, then cheers up again when the sun is setting, then gets quiet again, and finally gets REALLY cheery just before he goes to sleep. He has followed this exact pattern two days in a row. He is happiest when we are out of the room, that's when he makes all sorts of sounds. Sometimes he will chirp and flap his wings when I'm in the room, but if I walk past him this causes him to quiet down up to an hour or so. He was really active this morning until I pulled out his tray to clean it (with vinegar, lemon and water) and put it back in. He was completely silent and still after that, for almost half a day. Hopefully he warms up to us soon because we already love him so much!

I got Chicken 48 hours ago, and although he growls when we come near him, he appears to be quite happy with his new environment. Here is a video of him taken yesterday (sorry about the vertical video): [video=youtube_share;oeXTxSuw9Ng]http://youtu.be/oeXTxSuw9Ng Bonus picture (this was the closest I could get without scaring him): He's already such a good bird, we just need to gain his trust...

As a soon to be Grey owner, I don't want my Grey's wings to be clipped, I want him to fly freely and explore the house. But I also don't want him to fly out of an accidentally left open window, or worse, fly into a pot of boiling water. So I'm torn...

Thanks for the heads up! I know my cats won't bother Chicken, they have been around ducklings and baby sparrows before, but if Greys aren't good with cats that's a whole different story. I'll have to keep an eye on them! Here's Heidi with our foster duckling from a couple years ago

That's good to hear that they don't swallow small parts. I have so many more questions but perhaps I will write them all down and post them in a new thread... I see from your avatar that you have a dog and cat too. How do they all get along with your Grey? I have a small dog (papillon), two cats and a free range tortoise. Our furry kids are great and love and accept other animals, but I'm worried about the safety of Shelly, our Mediterranean tortoise. She is small and I'm concerned that our Grey will try to hurt her? Do Greys prey on tortoises in the wild?? If it's going to be an issue I will have to put Shelly in the big balcony and let her stay there from now on... That would be a shame though, she loves exploring the house.

Thank you so much Nancy!!! That means a lot. You made my day

Thank you so much for the warning!!! As a first time Grey owner I need guys like you in my life!! Potential disaster averted thanks to you! I have a question... I also got a plastic abacus, thinking he might enjoy playing with the beads and rearranging them and such... But when I got home I thought what if it could be dangerous? Do they tend to swallow small parts like babies do? Lol silly question but better safe than sorry.

Thanks Timbersmom, I can't wait! I keep glancing over at the cage and seeing it empty makes me sad I want to bring him home ASAP.

Thank you. I have recently had the extreme displeasure of finding out about the massacring of African Greys in the wild for luxury purposes. It was a video on youtube, I didn't watch it nor do I want to, but if they really kill these majestic creatures for fun, I think stealing them from the wild is not the worst thing that could happen to them. By no means do I condone it, but if it helps some of them not get killed instead, that's a good thing in my book. I hope ya'll can at least agree with that. Anyone that hurts/kills an innocent, defenseless creature that is highly intelligent with cognitive skills is... a monster. They should not be considered a human being.

I've been doing some reading on the different subspecies of Congo Greys and apparently there are 3 types of Congos: Cameroon, Congo and Ghana. Cameroons are the largest in size and lightest in color, the Congo is a bit darker and smaller, and the Ghana is the darkest and smallest of the three. All three subspecies are generelized as Congos. In this case I think Chicken is a Ghana Grey. I would say he's a bit bigger than and as dark as a Timneh. Good news, I'm going to put a deposit on him soon! As soon as he comes home I will see if I can get a better picture.

Thanks for your response, I will upload a picture later on today. I know about the toxic foods (I have made a list and stuck it on my fridge!) I just wanted to make sure kiwi, strawberry, cucumbers and other things that have tiny seeds in them were safe, just in case. Thanks!

My SO and I want to make a perch out of a natural tree branch and have found a tree near our home that has a nice big branch that is already falling off. Problem is we don't know what kind of tree it is; there is no telling since it has no leaves or anything of the sort on it. It's just a bare tree. Is there any sort of precaution we should take before we place it in the cage? I read about someone baking the branch beforehand - would that help at all? I'm a soon to be first time Grey owner so while I have your attention I had another question. I know fruit seeds and pits are toxic to Greys, what about kiwis and other fruits or veggies that have tiny seeds in them? Are they safe? Thanks in advance!

If you have a picture I would love to see it! I'm curious about this much lighter Grey you have

I would love to see pictures of all of your African Greys (especially Sophie, the darker one because she might look like Chicken!). Is her tail a darker shade of red too? I think Chicken's is a little darker than the typical bright red tail Congos tend to have, but I'm not sure; he might just need a shower...

Thank you so much, I hope so too!

I thought I could get him much sooner because my husband was going to apply for a credit card for this sole purpose, but he was denied because of his zero credit here in Turkey, so now we have to wait a couple weeks. The wait is killing me! You have a very darling bird by the way. I love her cute baby face!

Thanks! Umm well, I just pretty much drained my bank account by purchasing an expensive cage plus toys and supplies, so I have to wait till I get paid again He's kind of reserved for me, but if someone walks in with cash ready at hand, he might get sold before I can get him. I'm trying not to worry too much about it though, if he's meant to be mine then he will be mine. I trust the universe!

Oops, I forgot to answer the last question. I'm naming him Chicken

Thank you all for your kind words. I moved to Turkey from the States a few years ago. It is an absolutely beautiful country and I would not ever consider going back, but most people are highly uneducated when it comes to African Greys. They think it's just another bird like a parakeet. In fact, the pet store owner tried to sell me a cage way too small (24'' wide) and insisted that that's all the bird needed. When I asked for toys, he said "You don't need toys; if you get toys, the animal will pay attention to them instead of you and it will never bond with you. They end up destroying them anyway so it's a waste of money." I was too speechless to stand there and argue with that logic... I went out and got more toys than I could carry home. I also went hunting for some tools that I could use for foraging, a bunch of material from hardware stores to make my own toys, etc. Oh and I ordered a very large cage, which should be delivered by tomorrow! I can't wait. I'm totally ready for my Grey. I can't stand that he's in a pet store right now, probably bored out of his mind. I just want to bring him home and make him happy.

I absolutely do not condone people stealing them from their homes and families in the wild, and if I had the option to buy one from a breeder, believe me I would opt for that. But I have wanted an African Grey all my life and I'm finally at a place where I can financially afford one (including the care of course). So I want so badly to be able to bring one of these majestic beauties home and give it all the love and care it deserves. I already got the cage and everything, there is no going back