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Hi guys. I was at Walmart the other day looking at the baby toys. Wow! There are some great toys that would provide hours of entertainment for a fraction of the price of actual "bird toys" sold in pet stores or online websites. I do think they would be safe for my baby grey but I just wanted to double check with you guys. One is a dangling monkey that jingles when it is moved- it has a velcro attachment that I could use to attach it to the cage. Next is a flat, colorful giraffe with hard plastic feet and is crinkle-y to the touch..no attachments but I could probably make something to attach it to the cage. Last is a small hard plastic piano with three buttons that play various tunes when pressed, a plastic wheel that spins on top of the piano with colorful beads inside, and a plastic bar running around along the top with- you guessed it, more plastic like blocks that can be pushed around the bar. No clue how I would attach this besides maybe a zip lock tie. Do these toys sound safe for a baby grey? Any suggestions on how to better attach them to the cage? Sorry for the length of this post and thanks in advance!

Thank you, I definitely will!

Thanks everyone. I went to the breeder last Wednesday to see how everything was progressing (also because I can't stand the wait!) He is three weeks old today and still with his parents, he may not be pulled from the nest for handfeeding for another week or so. I am anxiously awaiting the phone call to see him for the first time. I have a list of names to choose from..I have a feeling that I will know which one fits when I hold him the first time. I was thinking, if it ends up being Kayote I could call him "Kayo" for short..or let him make up his own nickname for his name. Can't wait!

I have a few names in mind that I can not decide between now. I think I'll wait until I see him to decide.

Wow, this is unbelievable..I can't even imagine. I find it strange that the police would do such a thing when it is pretty much just his word versus yours. Where is Archie being kept? Has there been any progress with proving to the police you did pay? Please update as soon as possible!

The test will be done on all the babies and I will pick from the males. Waiting to name the baby by personality is a wonderful idea, but since the baby is such a hot topic with my friends and family we all find it a little tedious to keep calling him "the baby". Haha.

Congrats on your new baby and welcome to the forum.

I have been looking around the internet at different names for my one week old male CAG. I found a name that originates from Africa. It is a boy name that means, "he is a gift". Kayode (pronounced Kay-Oh-Day) I think it is beautiful but my boyfriend is not much of a fan. Thoughts? Any other name suggestions?

I have contacted Nova's breeder and the cockatiel breeder that sells to the pet store to make them aware of the situation. I hope they care enough about their birds to sell to another pet store that has more respect for their animals and customers. I have told all my friends and family and asked them to spread the word. I told my story on their public Facebook page for their loyal customers to see, and wrote a negative review online. As much as I want to go in there and give them a piece of my mind, it would not change anything and only serve to make myself even more upset. I just hope what I have done will help other people know what they are getting into when dealing with this pet store. Now that I know Nova is safe, I am ready to put all of this behind me. I will focus my energy on the new baby from now on.

Thank you all. It is so comforting to have so many great, like-minded people to back me up! I will post pictures of the new baby and siblings within a few weeks. I do believe things happened this way for a reason and everything will work out fine. Again, thank you all for the support.

I agree. I would have preferred for them to just tell me he was sold. Instead of having me searching for him, worried sick about his safety. But then, they wouldn't be able to trick me into purchasing another bird through them. I got my deposit back and ran! Jerks!

Hello everyone. I have been doing some detective work on finding my "stolen" baby CAG, Nova. I started with checking Craigslist to see if the person who took him was trying to resell him for profit, after no leads on that I started calling pet stores and breeders in the surrounding area to see if they had heard anything or if anyone had recently tried selling them a baby. To my surprise, none of them had even heard that there was a African Grey that was stolen from the pet store Nova was from ( one of the steps they told me they would take was to contact other pet stores/breeders to attempt to find Nova) and a few people I spoke to told me they DID have many security cameras and it would be difficult to steal any pet from there. I became very suspicious. I called the police station and found that there was no report filed about a stolen bird the day Nova was "stolen". I also had a friend of mine that the pet store workers had never seen before go in and casually ask when the African Grey was sold. They told her that he had gone home with a nice family the same day he was "stolen". Needless to say, Nova was obviously sold to someone who must have had the money to buy him in full even though I had already reserved him. I am relieved in a way that Nova was not stolen and is safe in a home somewhere but I am disgusted with the pet store workers and their lies and fake sincerity for my loss. On a brighter note, while I was searching for Nova, a very reputable breeder in the area informed me that they just had some CAG babies hatch, (on April 7th, the same day Nova was taken from me) after much consideration I have decided to reserve another baby and will get to see them in about two weeks. I am still mourning my loss of Nova but I will not let this terrible situation push me away from sharing my life with one of these wonderful birds. I apologize for the length of this post and thank you for taking the time to read.

We are doing everything we can but still no sign of Nova or whoever took him. I really appreciate all of the kind words and advice. I will let you all know if anything comes up.

Wow, what an amazing grey! I enjoyed listening to Dayo. Thanks for the smile.

Yes, the owner has already made calls to get a security system installed. I am thankful that no one else will have to go through this. I feel sorry for everyone involved..it is a very close knit, family owned pet store and everyone was attached to Nova (how could they not be!) He was kept in a large acrylic cage that anyone could freely open to handle him. I personally liked this..I thought it would be good socialization for Nova to be handled by many different people at such a young age. Of course now I wish he would have been kept "off limits" to anyone besides the staff, my boyfriend, and myself. Never in my wildest dreams would I think another person would do such a cruel thing! I wish I could look into a crystal ball and at the very least know he was safe and happy. It's a terrible feeling not knowing where he is or who is caring for him. He could be hurt, hungry, or scared and I can't do anything to protect him.

Thank you. I am happy the owner stood his ground against the man demanding to purchase your baby. I just don't understand people sometimes.

Last night after work I was going to visit Nova, my baby CAG. When I arrived the pet store manager told me someone had walked out with Nova twenty minutes prior. They had already searched the store in hopes he had just escaped his cage or a customer had set him down on a shelf somewhere. There are no security cameras so we have no way of tracking down who did this! The breeder contacted me saying he has other (very young) babies and if it was of any consolation, I could have the pick of them but, I can not stop thinking about my Nova. We have been scouring Craigslist to see if maybe the person who took him would be trying to resell him. I just hope they will do the right thing and return him and if not that, I hope whoever has him is knowledgable about his needs and treats him with all the love and respect he deserves. I am heartbroken but trying not to lose hope.

Here are some updated pictures of my baby. I have decided on the name Nova. It will work for a male or female. He (I think) is now about 13 weeks old.

My boyfriend and I are owned by a 4 year old Pug named Syren, a 6 year old Rottie/Chow mix named Brownie, a 2 month old cockatiel named Kupo, a black bear hamster named Aura, and 5 fish (yes, they all have names but I will spare you all! Ha ha.) This is my first grey. I've wanted one of my own for a few years now..I think I am still in shock. I cannot wait to bring the baby home! A week from today we are closing on our first house and moving out of our small apartment. Everything seems to be happening all at once! Update: The DNA results are still not in. But he feels more like a boy to me so I'll call him a "he" until I know otherwise. He has grown a lot in just a week. He is starting to step up but is still unsteady and needs to be cradled. He finally comes to me when I open up the cage door and I practically have to pry him off of me and close the cage quickly before he clings onto my hand. Is it possible for them to get attached/bond with you at such a young age? Here are some updated pictures.

Thank you everyone for such a warm welcome. I see a noticable difference in the baby everyday that I see him/her. I am already in love.

Thank you.

The specs of the cage seem bigger than what they are because of the playstand on top of the cage. The dimensions inside the actual cage are 23-3/5"W x21-1/2"D x35-4/5"H. I am not sure how much detail my link is showing you which is my reason for this post. Is that too small?

Please take a look and let me know if the dimensions and bar spacing would be good for a Congo African Grey. I work full-time and want to make sure my grey will be comfortable while I am away. I plan on having him/her out of the cage while I am home. Thanks in advance. http://item.mobileweb.ebay.com/viewitem;PdsSession=2c5165b41360a5abe612bc32ffe6da43?itemId=230761941282&cmd=VIDESC

Hello everyone! I have recently reserved a Congo African Grey baby! He/she (the DNA results will be in soon) hatched on 12-29-2011. Here are a few pictures.

I have reserved a ten week old Congo African Grey! I will post pictures soon!