UT2

Thank you all for the information, it very nice to get responses from real people. I will keep you posted, and continue doing more research.

Hello All, First off my apologizes for making my first post a question one. I feel it is very selfish. As you will read I am need of some advice. Situation: My dad got the impulse to buy a grey about 3 weeks ago, he has handled birds when he was young but nothing on the level of large ones. So he wants to live his childhood dream of having a talking bird. I did the research and obviously found out that Greys are the best. If all goes well we will be booking a grey in two weeks (semi-local parrot ship), wait for it to be weaned and pick it up in about 3.5 months. Problem 1: As of right now there is no cooperation on my pleas to get rid of air-freshers (Glade plug-ins, sprays, etc...), and teflon cookware. One of the reasons for this is that the shop owners we have visited have said that its OK to have air freshers AND cleaning products (Pine-sol, 401, Fabreeze etc..) as long as the bird is kept away from the area, and it is ok to cook on teflon as long you don't "burn it". During my research on many sites, even this one I have seen numerous responses to no teflon or it's ok as long as it does not burn. Problem 2: Location of the bird cage. We live in Ohio, the winters here can be very cold. Right now we are thinking of placing him in the corridor area. This area has the front door in it and is directly connected to the kitchen. Smoke regardless it be from oil from cooking in a stainless steel pot, or margarine/butter being heated on teflon gets into the corridor where the bird will be located. I wanted to know how sensitive are birds to one, the cold draft that could be coming from the front door during winter or general smoke from cooking using oil (vegetable/corn) and margarine. We do have windows and exhaust we use when it gets too smokey in the house, but still. We will probably place a mat to cover the bottom of the door. This is location is the best since he/she will see a lot of people (center of the house). Sadly the kitchen connects to all the rooms on the first floor where the most activity is. Problem 3: Cost. Let be very simple here, my dad is very old school and does not like spending money period. It is very reluctant that he is willing to shell out big bucks $1300 (total for bird with taxes) and about $200 dollars for a cage, we are still looking online for cages. I am very very scared that my dad may not possibly provide for this bird when it comes to the mix type of food they need, avian vet visits (don't know how often we should or when), and toys. What would be the average cost of caring for a grey after you have bought it per year, with food, vet visits, and toys (though I don't think you have to buy toys yearly). Thank You very much for reading this, even just part of it. ANY ADVICE IS APPRECIATED. The more I read about this bird and the responsibility involved the more scared I get. I know we can do it cause we are a family of 6, but the problems mentioned above concern me. I really want to get this bird, they seem very lovable and loyal, just worried about killing or harming it. P.S. If there is anything else you think I should know as a heads up, please let me know. I will continue doing more research! And my dad does not wanna start off with a small bird, he is hooked on a talking African Grey Congo.