Giannine

I understand your reasoning behind this. It's not because you believe you are the only capable person to handle them, but your fear of the unknown...the what if they are not taken care of or abused, or rehomed repeatedly. I get it. I think it would be very wise to look into a sanctuary they might be able to go to...something along those lines. That would be more inline with their natural habitat

Thank you for this insight! It actually helps me see the brighter side of a rehomed bird. Not that I think of them as negative, just more challenging.

Thank you very much for sharing. I will definitely consider a bird needing a new home. I see how much everyone here cares about these birds and help in any way they can so I know regardless, I will have support here when I have questions and concerns. I love your avatar, by the way:-)

Thank you, Dee! I have to tell you, I was up until 3am a few nights ago reading your thread on Gilbert. Reading all of your stories, struggles, and successes about "him" turned "her" really solidified my want to keep one of these birds. Absolutely fascinating. I just got finished telling my 17-year-old son some of the Gilbert stories and he said, "Wow, they sound really interesting". I have been talking to the kids about African Greys for awhile now and the little kids (ages 7, 8, and 11) have been the most on-board and enthusiastic about one joining our family. Anthony's response to hearing about Gilbert was the first real enthusiasm I have seen from one of the older kids. I did think of rehoming a Grey but my fear of being a first time owner kind of stands in the way. I have my heart set on a Timneh. Congos are very easy to find my the Timnehs are not at all. I am on two waiting lists now but would be interested in hearing your input (and others') as to whether or not a first time Grey owner would be suitable for a rehomed bird. Thank you for sharing your experiences over the years...they are quite insightful and entertaining!

It is interesting that you raised this question and admittedly, I did not read any of the replies before hitting "reply" myself so I'm not sure if anyone else mentioned this but Jean Pattison wrote an article about her entire flock (hundreds) having to go an entire year feeding 60% pellets, 40% seed due to spending that time with her terminally ill mother. Her husband took over the care of the birds and she worried greatly about the health of her birds not being fed vegetables. To her and her vets surprise, the birds thrived better than they ever had eating vegetables. They did better! One species was always vitamin A deficient eating vegetables and their regular diet but when they stopped eating vegetables and went on that pellet and seed diet, they were no longer vitamin A deficient. A friend of hers had to do the same thing due to a surgery he had and he told her, "Jean, you were right. I never believed they could do better without veggies, but now I know first hand." http://www.africanqueenaviaries.com/noveggies.htm

I just read this informative piece off of Jean Pattison's website regarding Timnehs: The Timneh Grey doesn't have nearly such a confusing background as the African Grey. When studying the range of the Timneh Grey, we start in the same country as we did with the African Grey, but we start at the western edge of the Ivory Coast and go in an arch north-west, ending up in southern Guinea. In following Forshaw's "Parrots of The World," this shows that the range of the Timneh Grey and the African Grey do not overlap. Some people speculate that perhaps they do. Timneh greys inhabit a very small area as compared to the African Grey. It is a shame we use the African grey as a comparison when trying to describe the Timneh Grey. This is, no doubt, due to the overwhelming abundance of the African Grey as a companion bird, as opposed to the infrequency of available baby Timnehs. Actually, they are quite a bit different in looks and temperament. The Timneh grey weighs about 250-350 grams and is a deep charcoal grey, with a maroon tail. The scalloping on the feathers is very delicate and breathtaking, due to the contrast of white against charcoal. The tail, can be almost red, through every shade of maroon to browns and even almost black. The Timneh Grey doesn't seem to carry the same regal air, or dignity, the African Grey projects. Because of this, Timnehs seem to be more capable of being silly and more apt to go to extremes to get your attention, and join in the fun. Timneh Greys are family oriented, and will interact with strangers more readily than a lot of pet parrots. Timnehs should also have a spacious cage, with a multitude of toys. Most parrots like to hang, and swing on toys that hang from the ceiling in their cage, and the Timneh is no exception. They enjoy, fighting with their toys. Toys for chewing is a must, so provide plenty of soft wood, especially for that recreation. Timnehs are excellent talkers, some with hundred word vocabularies. They too, can mimic many different voices and sounds. It seems, a natural sound that some seem to find, is a short "smoke detector" beep. The average cost of the Timneh Grey is about $800.00 to $1,000.00.

LOL Do you put cartoons on for her when you are gone? Does she have any favorites?

Yes, now my patience will be key lol. I am grateful for the several months (or more) that I will have to prepare. I read about one member on here who reads Dr. Seuss books and "Where the Sidewalk Ends" to her bird and was telling my 7-year-old last night so we decided to order books so we can read to ours. Are there any birds on here named Poppy? We have that name picked out for ours but will be spelled Papi if it's a boy and Poppy if a girl.

Absolutely...I agree 100%. How they are treated and handled is key. I know trust is a huge thing and so is stability, and spending a lot of time with them. I am home every day and it is for the reason that it is like adding another child to the family that was the determining factor for me to get one:)

Jean just emailed and said her Timnehs have bred once this season and she keeps looking for eggs as they should be producing more about this time, but none yet. She is putting my name on a waiting list.

A lovely breeder named Joyce Baum (the Ringneck Lady) cc'd Jean Pattison into an email to me (not knowing I already emailed her yesterday) so I am hoping to get a response soon from Jean. In the meantime, Joyce has offered to help me with any advise along the way. She is a very nice lady and will be retiring soon as she is 81-years-old. She used to breed Greys and I saw some articles she wrote. The community seems to be quite supportive of one another, I am finding.

Thank you. I feel a bit discouraged. Congos are in abundance, it seems:)

Hello everyone, I gave a short little introduction of myself and family earlier and in it, explained why I have decided on getting a TAG rather than a CAG. Boy, the Timnehs are absolutely far more difficult to find than the Congos. I see a few members on here have TAG, including one of the mods...does anyone have any good breeder recommendations? African Queen (Jean Pattison) seems to be the most reputable. I emailed her yesterday but have not heard back. A breeder willing to ship is ideal. Thank you in advance

Thank you for sharing your experience. I found this article to be very interesting (I hope it's ok to post the link. If not, I will remove): http://www.africangreys.com/articles/greys/species.htm Jane Hallander did a very small study on the two. One thing she found is that it is quite common for Congos to switch human bonds (63% did, I believe) while Timnehs did not at all (again, this is a small study). Also it is said Timnehs are far less likely to pluck. This was based on her interactions with owners of both at a Pet Bird Report Convention panel discussion. Though I do love the bright red tails of the Congos and find them to be a bit more aesthetically pleasing, I really do want a bird that is best suited for our family. I am thinking ahead to the changes it will experience, as well, with family members leaving and the household becoming less active.

Thank you. According to my research, a Timneh seems to be the better fit for my family. There definitely seems to be a very large difference in popularity between the two. Timnehs are not nearly as easy to find as the Congos. I have read from several different sources that Timnehs are better suited for families and have more "stable" dispositions as far as being able to handle stress and change better. I would be very interested in hearing from members here about their experiences with both.

Hello everyone, I am a single mom of 7 kids, a Boxer, Shih-Tzu, and a tank full of ocean critters. We live in the Seattle area. I recently made the decision to add a Timneh African Grey to our family. Crazy? Maybe. Two of my kids are adults and a 3rd will be 18-years-old this year so my household is thinning some. My 19-year-old son is on the Autism spectrum and still lives at home and probably will for several years to come, if not permanently. My youngest is 7-years-old. When I began researching these fascinating creatures (Greys), their long lifespan initially scared me into committing to one. But then after thinking about my future more, I came to the realization that their long lifespan is exactly what is going to help me deal with empty nest syndrome when my last child leaves home. I dread that day. It will be nice to have company here that will hopefully be here well into my old age. I am still in the process of researching breeders but in the meantime, the little ones have started a "Parrot fund" where all spare change goes. So far, there is $72 in it. They put any and all money they receive there to help with the cost of our future family member which I think is great. I was up until nearly 3am last night reading Dee's thread about Gilbert. That thread solidly confirmed to me how awesome and fascinating these birds really are. We cannot wait to add one to our family and I look forward to learning more from you all here. Thanks for reading and God bless!