african greys with children

[rayyan]

hi everyone i am due to collect my new baby boy tomorrow and i have seen numerous comments on the net about small children and african greys and that they dont mix well.

 

i used to have a male CAG and he LOVED children it seemed the closer they were to him and they were very loud i have 3 of my own and my sis in law has 5 and another little boy all round his cage and he loved it he came up to them was singing to them and talking, he never once growled, and he didnt come from a home with children.

 

he was also very relaxed around them stealing their toys and coming right onto the living room floor with a family of 5.

 

do you think that maybe greys are just like most other animals and if they are used to children they will be fine but if they r used to a very quite house they wiill be skittish? i find all animals are like this.

 

its just a thought. im not saying trust kids and parrots to play together etc obviously supervise them like you would any animal it just seems that some people seem to make a big deal that greys and children dont mix,

 

my sister has a guina pig she has no children and when it sees my children it gets scared does this mean guinna pigs and children dont mix. my children are quite well behaved and i have taught them how to deal with animals.

 

and you have to teach children to be quiet and gentle around any animal not just african greys.

 

it would be nice to have other opinions.

maybe we made our own stereotype about the birds.

 

everyone also says birds like to be in the busiest room and are very social then they seem to contradict themselves by saying they r not family pets? a single person or couple would have a quieter household than a family.

 

this is just a general discussion and just an idea it will be great to hear other opinions.

[danmcq]

rayyan wrote:

do you think that maybe greys are just like most other animals and if they are used to children they will be fine but if they r used to a very quite house they will be skittish?

 

Yes.

 

My Grey and all my critters are introduced right from the get-go to lots of different people from Adults to Children. All of them I have now, Parrots and Dogs, are outgoing and about the house during all family occasions here like Xmas, Thanksgiving, Birthday parties and just normal get togethers.

 

All the animals do stay clear of rowdy, arm waving kids and just watch those from a distance, but are not alarmed by them unless they run right up to a critter and get in their face. Then Papa Dan gets in the kids face and lets them know it is not acceptable and unless they wish to lose a digit or get their face ripped off, to never do it again.....

 

However, critters of any kind not socialized and used to lots of different people and especially small, noisy and energetic children should never be out amongst them. It is just too much mental overload for a critter that is used to a quite well organised home.

 

A Dog will bite and a Parrot will flee, scream and maybe even attack if felt threatened.

 

Thats why most rescues of any type of critter is never recommended to a home with children unless they are proven safe to be with them.

 

We rescue Dobermans and the children are never allowed around them freely until they and the dogs have been properly acquainted and around each other small amounts of time for a long time, sometimes upto a year before full trust is established.

 

However, there are cases the Dog and child will never be around each each due to the Dog being unreliable and skittish. The same holds true with Parrots. Some will never be allowed around children and sometimes not even around strange adults.<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2009/07/04 23:37

[judygram]

The male grey you had was one that did get along with children and other greys can too, they need to be socialized with them at an early age.

 

Some greys are more skittish than others as they all have their own personality but in any case they need to be supervised when out with the children, especially small children for they are unpredictable.

 

A lot of greys tend to be more skittish and get easily stressed and most do not take to change and loud and boisterious kids then others are more laid back and take everything in stride.

 

A grey is a social animal which means they like to be with the rest of the flock and if that means there are no other pets or birds then you and your family are their flock. They do need to be in the room where the family spends most of their time, they really do not want to be left alone. But that doesn't necessarily mean they want to be in the middle of a busy happening, they want to be near the family but not necessarily on each and every member of the family, they usually will choose one or two favorites that they will allow more interaction with than the other members of the family.'

 

This new bird may not be like the other one you had, this one may take longer to get to know the members of your family and may get along good with them and maybe not but you won't know this until the new one comes in and the settling in process takes place.

 

Greys are and can be family pets, some will want to be right there in the middle of everyone and others will like being more of watching from a few feet away, you just have to respect your grey's wishes if he/she doesn't want as close a relationship as your previous one did.

 

You will determine if your new grey can be handled by the children in your family, observing him when he/she is around them will help you with this but I would include them in with interaction as soon as possible and take it from there.

[rayyan]

i agree 100%

 

i think its the same for all animals, its what they're used to not what species they r.

 

if u train the kids and socialize the animal from a young age i think they could live together.

 

i agree about rescues as well.

 

thanks for your input

[rayyan]

judygram i know what u mean and i dont expect them to want to be in the middle of everything, my new baby will have his own cage and his own corner of the living room, i will not expect anything of him and i will not push him. the kids are at school in the day and sleep about 7 at night so he shouldnt get to overwhelmed,

but i feel its the same with any pet u have,no animal likes to be crowded and they r unpredictable.

 

thanks for ur opinion