CongoMongo Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 Our family is considering adopting an AG. A local breeder has some younglings, which hatched in 2008. I'm assuming they are about a year old, or so. Would it be easier to socialize a Grey if we waited for the 2009 clutch and got one as a weaned baby? Or would a "kid" from the 2008 season be just as good? Thanks, CongoMongo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codys Mom Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 my opinion would be a one year old is still a baby , I would say it would be pretty easy to socialize a one year old , but get more opinions am sure someone will be on in a little while unless u really want to wait on a baby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ranaz Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 Babies are a beauty to have, they love cuddles and get attached easily and learn very quickly. On the other hand they are clingy, and want lots of attention. hey are more demanding and they need a dedicated time for feeding and caring. They are also more prone to diseases and bacteria. On the other hand, a one year old kid has developed a better imune system, and more character. he would still love to cuddle and play especially that his muscles are wel developed. I would say if you can dedicate enough time, get a baby, otherwise, a 1 year old is easier to handle and less demanding in terms of feeding habits, especially if the breeder is good and has taken good care in his upbringing Good Luck {Nature-00020095} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
she Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 I got Charlie when he was 7 months old(he may have been a little older)I still thought of him as a very young bird .I think I got him at an ideal age,not such a baby to need feeding and pampering but young enough to adapt very easy to me.I had no problems with bonding,he is very much my bird and loves an evening head scritch when he wishes.He is 6-7 years old now and a fantastic companion.I would not let the age of this bird put you off if you get along with it.<br><br>Post edited by: she, at: 2009/07/31 13:09 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 I agree with the others comments. A one year old Grey is still a baby and VERY adaptable, pliable and not set too much in their ways like a 5+ year old fully adult bird. They are just learning that they have a will of their own and start trying to use it. All owners go through this whether they have had the bird from 16 weeks old or not. It is a natural growing process of how they are to deal with the world and people around them, just like human children mature. Go and see which Grey picks you at the breeders. Watch all their personalities, check out all their physical attributes, like having all toes, good feathers, nares clear etc.<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2009/07/31 16:15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovethatgrey Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 One year old is NOT old at all. The parrot is still VERY MUCH a baby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CongoMongo Posted July 31, 2009 Author Share Posted July 31, 2009 Thanks a lot to those of you who have responded so far. Very useful information. The consensus seems to be that a one-year-old AG is still a baby, or at least young enough to bond with us, which is great. Plus a very young baby would require more attention, but has its own merits. I'm going to find out their exact ages, mostly out of curiosity - they have a few of them, we are considering adopting only one of course-. Most importantly, I think I need to come in and spend some time with the birds, to see how we feel about each other (as suggested by dancq). Maybe one will pick me. Based on the research that I’ve done so far and a visit to their location, the breeder seems to be quite good. I’d still like to get to know the breeder better though. A little background: I asked this question because our Green Cheek had just turned 1 when we got it from a pet store. There were minor issues at first, but he-she is very much a member of the family now, and a very happy bird it seems. He-she is more business than play, but that could just be his particular personality. However, the personality theory doesn’t stop me from thinking that we might have missed out on the baby stage (which he-she spent at the pet store), and maybe that’s why he is not all that playful with us. Something that just occurred to me is that due to their different lifespan expectancies, a Green Cheek and an AG may be at very different stages in life at one years of age. E.g. a 1-y-o Green Cheek = adolescent, a 1-y-o AG = baby. Can’t compare apple to oranges Thanks again, CongoMongo<br><br>Post edited by: CongoMongo, at: 2009/07/31 17:03 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tycos_mom Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 I would check out last years Baby's I'm sure as long as the breeder has continued spending time and socialized them well you may very well find the perfect bird for your family. I would not hesitate buying a 1 yr old Grey. I'm in the process of buying a 2 yr old Macaw and I consider him/her still a baby and expect the bonding process to be no problem at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 I agree a year old grey is still very much a baby. Let us know if you find the right grey for you when you go to visit the local breeder. Good luck CongoMongo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 I think getting a one year old grey will be just fine, at that age they technically are still a baby and have not had time to get set in their ways and bonding to you will go a lot easier than if it was two or three years old. But the decision is yours to make but if you choose not to take the one year old then you will have a wait on your hands versus taking this one right now, are you ready? While I am at it, why don't you introduce yourself in the welcome room and tell us some about you so we can get to know you a little better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CongoMongo Posted August 1, 2009 Author Share Posted August 1, 2009 I called the breeder to setup a time to come and see the AGs. I mention that we have kids (the youngest one is 8). The person on the phone said that she didn’t recommend an AG in a household with kids that young. She said that sudden movements and too much noise tend to startle the Greys etc. All of which is true, based on my research. I was somewhat disappointed, but at the same time I appreciated her honesty. It shows that they really care for their birds. On the other hand, when the whole family paid them a visit last week and I asked about having an AG as a pet, that person didn’t seem to have an issue with our kids. Our kids do fine with our other birds (GC conure and a couple of parakeets) , but they can be energetic playing with each other at times (the parakeets get noisy as well sometimes) . In any case, we’ll have to give it some time, think things through and perhaps wait for our human kids to become a bit older before getting a Grey (talking about being ready for a long wait ). We really don’t want to have unhappy kids though (of any species). Thanks again for all your responses. I’ll be happy intro myself at some point. CongoMongo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 Was it the same person you talked to when you visited last week? As the 8 year old is the youngest I personally don't think that should be an issue, we have other members here who have even younger children and that child is old enough to be told to tone it down in the house around a grey besides that child will soon grow up and it won't be a problem anymore. Its not like you don't have any birds at all, you have a conure which is a parrot. Think about it some more before you make a final decision about getting a grey now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayyan Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 i have 3 kids the younges is nearly 3 and my grey is not phased buy them at all, hes not"jumpy" or shy and is sharing a tray of pomegranat seeds with my youngest as i type he doesnt mind being in the middle of all the "action". he has his cage to retreat to if needs be. i have heard lots on greys and children but i also used to have an 8yr od cag who wasnt phased by kids either and he was only semi tame. i has 11 kids at a birthday party and he was in his cage but seemd to enjoy it as he was going thru his vocab and enyoyed the attention. i think its up to you. how may kids do u have? 8 is not really that young. i think like ANY animal it depends on the household they r bought up in. one is still a baby for an african grey so depending on how the breeder has bought it up it might be ok, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ranaz Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 I would understand if the kids were around 3 or 4 and difficult to keep under control but at 8 years, I think both the grey and your son can have a great relationship {Nature-00020095}{Nature-00020095} Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CongoMongo Posted August 1, 2009 Author Share Posted August 1, 2009 judygram The person I talked to on the phone was different that the person I talked to when we came in. rayyan We have 2 kids, the other one is 11. Thanks for all of your support. I’m planning on going to the breered’s location in person soon. On the phone, I didn’t mention that we already have birds in the house, and that our kids are very respectful of them. The breerer had mentioned that it is very important to match a bird to the right person. We just have to prove that we'll be a good home for an AG. CongoMongo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 The breeder is right about matching the bird to the right person and if you tell him just what you have told us then you should have no problem in proving you will be a good fit, good luck to you and keep us informed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CongoMongo Posted August 2, 2009 Author Share Posted August 2, 2009 We paid a visit to the breeder. We told them about our other birds etc. and they were nice enough to bring out their CAGs to show us. One person there realized that I had been the one who called yesterday, but this time seemed a bit more open to us adopting one of their birds. The birds are a bit older that one year, around 14 or 15 months. They said that they weren’t planning on having any babies this year until they find homes for the ones from last year. This seems reasonable. AGs are beautiful birds, as you all would agree. Those we saw were no exception. They seemed like happy and healthy birds to me. However, I don’t think any of them “picked me†or my wife as their human. One was shaking, and another one was yawning and puffed its feathers (two extremes) when I had each on my hand. Another one’s attitude was in the middle, just a little nervous, but kept trying to go back to its perch. None of them would let me or my wife handle them directly, the person helping us had to pick up the bird and pass it over to us. When I tried to do it myself, all of them tried to bite me. One actually bit me very gently. Maybe we were handling them wrong or expecting too much too soon. However, I’ve read about people walking to a grey at a pet store etc. and the bird just warming up to them on the spot. That’s what I was hoping for with at least one of these kids. We may come back another time to see if the birds get used to us and start to like us. However, neither my wife nor I were particularly drawn to any of those Greys (due to their indifference towards us). The good news is that we are leaning towards adopting an AG. However, we need to look around for a bird that’s a good match. Thanks for all of your support. CongoMongo Post edited by: CongoMongo, at: 2009/08/02 01:36<br><br>Post edited by: CongoMongo, at: 2009/08/02 05:11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CongoMongo Posted August 3, 2009 Author Share Posted August 3, 2009 Found a recently weaned four-month old at a parrot store. The location was not as clean and well kept as where th 14- month olds are, but the baby there was a little nicer to us, didn't bite us at least. The online ratings for that place are a bit lower. Oh yea, the 14-month olds are all talking, according the breeder helpers. I'll contacting 2 other locations to see if they have any AGs. CongoMongo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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