KyleA

haha yeah, they do get messy! i have the in-home vacuuming system installed into my house, plus I am getting a portable vacuum for quick jobs!

Yeah, I've been wanting a grey for 7 years now and have always been researching diets, toys, cages, diseases, behavioral means. I just want to get insider info from the pros on what I need to do. thanks! those are good ideas!

Alright thanks everyone! I just want to be fully prepared! I'm already ordering the cage!

What do I do in preparation for a baby african grey prior to bringing it home? obviously I would need to get food, a cage, toys, other play stands, etc. What else do I need? Do I need to go and talk to a vet about anything? ANYTHING that ANYONE thinks I need to do or any personal stories on what you do/did when you got your first grey would be great! I just want to be fully prepared. I haven't quite reserved one yet, but I'm talking to a breeder right now and I will be visiting them when the birds have hatched and then I can decide if I want to reserve mine! All help on what I should do to prepare would be awesome! Thanks!

Yes,I have found a few local breeders and I am talking to them now! They have eggs that are about to hatch and I am going to pay for half when they are hatched and reserve one for myself! :) sooooo excited

well, I know he has a breeder he buys them from because he enjoys weaning the babies, he's a really cool guy. But I also like k&kparrots. if you go to their site they seem very great! They're prices are just a little more expensive, which i'm willing to pay, but im not sure how i feel about shipping a bird all the way out here to AZ! :blink:

wow! you have a really good bird! you really are lucky! well, his birds for one are QUIET, even his macaws. I also found out that he buys his birds directly from other breeders as BABIES and then HE weans them himself and interacts with all the birds. I just like how he acts towards the birds and tells them to not bite and to step up and all that. He just really enjoys what he does and enjoys raising the babies and helping people out with their parrots

Thank you acappella! I appreciate your support! I am definitely going to make the bird my priority! I just can't wait until I get it in the summer so that I can spend AS MUCH TIME WITH IT AS POSSIBLE when I first bring it home. I've already been talking to a breeder that I really like because i like how he socializes and interacts with his birds. all of his birds site on open perches next to each other all around his store and they NEVER move and HARDLY even make noise. Which brings up a question. would it ever be safe to leave an african grey on an open perch basically unattended? I know the breeder at the store I go to always leaves his birds on open perches even when he isnt there! and they never do anything! ordinarily I would even say that it's not a good idea to leave ANY bird unattended but I'm curious if anyone out there does this with any positive outcome. Thanks again everyone! I cannot WAIT to be a "Parront"! :)

That's exactly what I want! You're very lucky! I can't wait to get mine! Thanks for the story!

Yeah, I don't want to harm a cockatoo with not being able to give it as much attention as it craves! I'm probably going to stick with my one true desire! a CAG I can not WAIT to be apart of the CAG owners and be able to say that my grey is my child! They are so fun! for the short 2 months I had the one, which wasnt even mine, I LOVED it. It was always with me!

I do believe I have enough time for a CAG, I don't believe I have enough time for a TOO, that's why I wanted to do my research. They gorgeous birds toos are, They're super sweet when seeing them in stores, but I don't think it'll be as fun when I make it mine. I think a CAG would be better for me.

Well would there be any difference if I got maybe a 2 year old cockatoo instead? One that it's previous owner just had to give up? My parents would always be around if I wasn't, and it would be with me 24 7. So I'm still trying to decide. I love how sweet cockatoos are and how gorgeous they are

And when I say they, I mean cockatoos!

I know this is a forum for grey, but I went to a bird store and I love their personalities! Very sweet and cuddly. Very gorgeous too. So I want to know what everyone thinks! Please!

I really love cockatoos also and am just curious about the differences! Thanks again

Another quick question, does a cockatoo need more attention than a CAG?

Thank you Lisa! greatly appreciate it! More encouragement is always good! and yes! my bird would always be entertained! id probably call home every hour just to make sure he/she is entertained and doing ok! I'd buy it toys ALLLLL the time! I already know a cage that I'm going to buy it, it's about 400 dollars and meant for a blue and gold! I want the biggest and best for this bird! seriously! no short cuts for me! i'll buy it multiple perches that hang from the ceilings, and standing perches for the kitchen and probably another cage/playstand for outside! Thanks again! :) Kyle

birdgirl, karma to you! thank you for actually being in my situation and telling me your story of experience! I am very aware of all the things needed to own a grey! I am prepared for it to trash anything in my room! even if i THINK it is protected! I watched a grey for about 2 months and "bird sat" it and man, it was a tricky little guy!! even though it ruined a few things, I laughed seeing them ruined. the things you listed: getting ready together, eating together, those things make me smile just THINKING about it! I know that It's totally not all fun and games, a grey is like a 2 year old, it needs love, attention, nutrition, and maybe even a little discipline from time to time :lol: I do not underestimate the genius of these animals, from the 2 months I had the one, I found that it tricked me because I underestimated its capabilities. basically, I know a little bit about what I am getting into. last time I went into my local bird place,(not petco, an actual exotic bird store) I couldn't stop smiling from all the entertainment I was getting from the greys there. the Hyacinth was also VERY awesome! biggest bird I have ever held! I get so excited thinking that it is VERY possible for me to own a grey very soon! Thank you EVERYONE!

thank you Nychsa! Your scenario helps me greatly! I would actually be able to, on average, give my future grey more than 5 hours a day out of the cage. so this is very encouraging! I REALLY appreciate your post and you have inspired me and encouraged me more to get one! I would LOVE to have an active bird they flew to me and was always with me and curious about new things! -Kyle

haha not quite YET. I will probably be getting one in the summer when school is over so I can have a lot more time with it! Thanks for the name ideas! I like ziggy too!

even though I don't have a CAG YET, I am still on the look-out for good names, I particularly like Greek or Latin names. My favorite name so far is Iggy! everyone post the names of your birds or any other names you can think of that I might like for my future grey! particularly for a male! but any good female names will also be considered! thanks everyone! -Kyle

And Thanks again everyone! Karma to everyone that has replied! I have also been told by a local bird store owner, that with my situation I would do fine. So IDK! looks very tempting and good right now!:lol:

Thanks very much again everyone! you're advice fills me with hope! I would definitely be the one holding it 24/7 feeding it, cleaning it, etc. My parents would only talk to it from a distance, maybe hold it for a little while during the day, etc. but not as much as I would interact with it. Also, I know this sounds crazy but really... I have no Social life either, except my Girlfriend, and all we ever do is watch movies! After high school, I decided to stop playing around, start college, obviously, and just work! LOL. My girlfriend LOVES birds she actually likes greys and loves greater sulphur crested cockatoos, I just have to try my hardest to make sure the bird likes her as well. We actually plan (If we get married later) to have a Hyacinth as our "baby" this may ALSO sound weird and you're all probably going to think "this kid is a freak!" haha but to be honest, me and her do not plan on having kids. We are not pet crazy and do not want just a bunch of pets as our kids, but we don't plan on having kids, at least not in the next 10 years. I also understand everyone's point of view - that i need to make sure it's 100% for me! I wish I could "rent" a bird for a month! That would be awesome! but I know it's not a choice.. I would almost always get up early - about 2 hours before I would normally get up to go to work, just so I could spend time with it (especially in the "honeymoon" stage) My love for the bird wouldn't die off after the "Newness" wore off though I would still get up early for it and go STRAIGHT home. My girlfriend and I have been together, as I said, for 3 years! and I still love her just as much as the first time I saw her. Finally, I LOVE the thought of having the bird the rest of my life as my long time friend! I would love to be able to say when I'm 40, "I've had this little guy since I was 18!" What else in life, besides your spouse, could you ever HOPE to say that about and be proud of it? a car? NO! You'd be embarrassed to have a 20 year old car, even though mine is actually almost that old..:whistle: If I do get one I will need to some how find a breeder around AZ that has some weaned babies available, which is hard to find. If I got one now I would most likely dip into the savings account (That I already have SPECIFICALLY for a CAG! :lol: ) and I would probably get it at the beginning of the summer after school so that the first few months I have it (which in my opinion are most important) I can spend as MUCH TIME AS POSSIBLE with it! This would be my plan if I decide in a couple months to get it! Thanks again everyone! hope to hear from you soon! -Kyle

You're seriously so lucky to have such a beautiful ad amazing bird! I can't wait until I can have my own!!

Thank you BaxtersMom! I'm glad you can "feel" how much I want one! I have actually suggested that to them. My parents (more so my dad actually) had a blue and gold SURPRISINGLY! they also had a blue fronted amazon. So my dad does like birds. However, his passion is for his yellow lab. He has the love and affection towards that dog like I would towards my future grey. My parents do LIKE greys, but I don't think AS MUCH as I do. If it was tolerant and didn't bite (which i KNOW there is no guarantee on) then my mom would hold it. My mom loves birds, she had a cockatiel for years and LOVED it. She is very intimidated by any bird that is the size of a CAG or larger. My dad, however, is a little braver about getting bitten, probably because he has been bitten by their past two birds. They only got rid of these birds because the first bird, the blue and gold, couldn't be around when my oldest sister was born 23 years ago. and the blue fronted amazon died from a stomach tumor about 21 years ago . So, I'm sure they would interact with it and enjoy it, just not as much as me, and of course i would be the primary cleaner-upper after the bird because they would still make it MY bird and MY responsibility. Not sure if this gives any more insight on my situation... thanks very much again BaxtersMom! -Kyle