JeffNOK

Can't wait to see it!

Talon, Rikki is being safety conscious. He doesn't want to you to slip or fall or anything while showering.

I was thinking about downloading another one of her books--the Parrot Problem Solver. Have you read it? Any other thoughts from members about the author's methods of training?

Great pictures! Your grey looks happy out there in the wild. So what warm wonderful place is that anyway? I'm in Oklahoma buried in snow. Very jealous here!

It's interesting how sweet at civil Rebel becomes when she is face to face with Shepherd rather than in the safety of her cage!

Shanlung, Thanks for that. You're not the first person to say that to me about my "Grey Education Project". I definately live in my head a lot. Deep down I must have some illusion that if I learn "all there is to know", then I can control the situation and everything will be perrrrrfect! Ha ha...thank goodness life isn't really like that. I will certainly follow your advice and let my heart in on the game a lot more.

Ana Grey seems like a real character! What a greyt help with the pistachios. Have you told her that you are getting a Congo soon? I am curious to get your thoughts on having one of each. I am still not sure if I will get a CAG or TAG yet. When I read your posts about Ana Grey, I think--"Oh I want a TAG"--Then I read about Dayo's antics and I think--"Hmmm maybe a CAG?" I may end up like many here and have one of each....We'll see. It's been so good being part of this forum. Before coming here I kept reading websites that all seemed clearly cautionary. "Are you sure you want a grey?" "Can you handle a grey?" "Greys aren't for most people." It was almost like the writers want to discourage people from getting a grey. From what I've seen here, however, the vast majority of parronts to greys are very happy and have wonderful relationships with their birds. I feel much better about my decision to get a grey.

Thanks for sharing the update. Sounds like you are building a relationship with Timmy based on respect. He seems to be happy and making his way in the "flock". I look forward to hearing more about him in the weeks and months to come.

Wow! You are an adventurous person! I'm so glad you came here. I know there will be lots of good advice. I don't have my grey yet--but am here to learn as much as possible, and these folks are wonderful. Did the breeder teach you how to hand feed? I heard it can be tricky and dangerous to the bird if done incorrectly. Also, I want to urge you to change the newspaper daily. A woman at the local parrot rescue mentioned that many people use shredded paper or even wood shavings in the bird cages so they wouldn't have to change it as often. She said that this can lead to mold growth and potentially dangerous (to humans and birds) lung disease. Your grey looks beautiful and I hope you have a wonderful adventure together.

Love the video. What a sweet bird Emma is. I love her voice--very cute. Thanks for sharing with us.

Rubi is adorable! I'm new to the bird world myself--so I can't comment much on the eating behavior. I do have a dog who chewed his feet due to allergies. If it continues you might want to consult a vet to see if there might be a cause of irritation. Hopefully others will offer more sage wisdom. You have a precious bird. I wish you the best.

That's certainly a good point. I will check with students before I bring the bird in. He would be in a cage during the class time, so hopefully no one would feel threatened. We had a young woman student some years ago that was deathly afraid of frogs. Even a picture of a frog made her freak out and become ill--so you never know. I guess I just wanted to expose my bird to as many people and places as possible while young. I teach from 9am to 3Pm every day with an hour for lunch (I live a mile from work, so could go home at lunch) and I thought being with me and around people would be good for socialization and prevent boredom.

I teach English to adult international students at a small language institute. When I get my grey, I was thinking about taking it to class with me. The classes are small (4-12 students) and the learners are adults (hopefully they would not be too distracted by the bird). Since I will be a new grey parront, I wondered what you more experienced people thought of this. Also, since I will be getting a young bird (4-5 months old), about how long should I wait before introducing him to a school environment if I do indeed decide to do this.

I think its great that you are trying to do some research. Feather plucking seems to be such a heartbreak for so many grey owners. It would be wonderful to begin to understand factors that may contribute to it. I'm just curious what questions you are asking and what things you are looking for. Is there a document you can post listing your survey questions? Keep us updated on what you find. I'm a newbie with all this. I haven't even gotten my grey yet, but when I did research about the species all the websites kept mentioning plucking as common behavior--as high as 50% with Congos (most seem to say Timnehs are less prone). I'd be curious to know what percentage of parronts in this forum have birds who feather pick. Just in casual reading, I haven't seen as much here about plucking as I expected. Most examples seem to be rescues. You think the phenomenon has been overstated?

There's nothing intrinsically good or bad about craigslist per se. As luvparrots' experience attests, many enriching experiences can come from it--like finding Ana Grey. Unfortunately, you can't read the pet section too long before finding something that breaks your heart, too.

Two fine young men!

Love the pics. He looks like a happy bird.

I think I actually ran across that same ad. I had the same reaction. Sadly, some people just don't connect with non-human creatures emotionally like most of us here do. It's like a peice of their hearts just lacks the ability to open in that way.

I'm will be getting a grey soon and the cage I have my eye on looks similar in size. It's 32X22X64 (46 interior). By the way, it doesn't look too messy to me.

It sounds like you will be a good dad. I'm in the process of choosing my first grey, too. Interestingly, I had considered a Jardine's as well. It's sad that he died just as you were starting to bond. I think your question about music was just fine, but sometimes I'm sure people show up in forums and immediately start asking questions about talking or singing or some kind of performance in greys. I think that raises a red flag for many devoted grey lovers. Sadly people are attracted to greys for their alleged abilities and then the bird gets ignored or abandoned if it doesn't live up to expectations. From your second post, I'm sure everyone here can see where your heart really is in getting a feathered companion. I wish you luck.

Well I'm excited and a bit jealous at the same time. I don't have my grey yet, but am starting the process now. That picture was adorable!

Thank you all for you warm welcome. I think I am going to leave the questions of TAG or CAG/ male or female wait for a while. I'm just going to take my time and meet lots of both sub-species and see who picks me. It seems the consensus is that differences are more about individuals than "breeds" or genders. I'm sure my clever little girl or guy is out there be it a TAG or a CAG.

This was a question I had as well. I read on some sites that during the first year of life for the Grey it was ill-advised to leave the bird. It seems that it if it is planned well things can still go smoothly. I probably will just take my bird with me if at all possible, but sometimes that just isnt an option. Has anyone here traveled with their Grey outside the US?

Thanks Judy. I am definately spending hours and hours reading through this forum. It's truly a wealth of information. It's also edifying to see so many people here that generously share their experiences. I look forward to being an active member, although as a true newbie I will be more of a sponge than a fountain for a while. Hopefully I will be able to "pay it forward" in the years to come.

Hi all. I've been reading through this forum for the last couple of weeks, so I thought I would join. I am new to the African Grey world, so I am doing my research now before finding the right Grey to share my life with. Right now I am starting to volunteer with a local parrot rescue and have joined the Oklahoma Aviary Society in order to learn as much as possible and be exposed to multiple birds and get the opportunity to talk to parrot owners. My goal is to welcome a Grey into my home in the next 5 months to a year. I want to learn as much as possible first and get my home "parrot-ready" (I already have a "wish list" of supplies that gets longer by the day!) I have so many questions. I live in a condo which shares a wall with a neighbor. Is a Timneh better in terms of noise since it is smaller? Are there any significant temperment differences between the Congos and Timnehs? Also, I have read that male birds prefer female owners and female birds prefer male owners. I am a single male. Is it preferable for me to get a female or is this just an enduring myth? I would love to hear from any of you who can speak to these issues. Anyway, I'm glad to be here. Looking forward to chatting with you all. Jeff