babygirl

[babygirl]

Hello, i am Linnea and i am contemplating adopting an African Gray from a bird shelter. I have never owned a parrot before but i used have parakeets and now i feel i am ready for a parrot but i want to here from other parrot owners before going through with an adoption. i dont want to traumatize a bird by getting one and then turn around and return her.

[judygram]

Hello Linnea and welcome to our family, we are so glad you could join us and we look forward to hearing more about you and whether you get a grey or not.

 

You really need to do a lot of reading and researching to find out if a grey is a good fit for you because getting one is making a lifetime committment since these birds can live for 50+ years. You can start by reading thru the many threads here for lots of useful information.

 

You need to make a decision on whether you can provide the right home for a grey, they need a big cage, healthy food, an abundance of toys to keep them busy and occupied, they need quality time out of the cage every day for they want to be with their family and they aren't cheap.

 

We like for any prospective parronts to be sure they really want a grey and know they can provide for their needs before they commit to getting one for we don't like to see them have to be rehomed.

 

I encourage you to ask all kinds of questions, no matter how silly they may seem, we have heard all kinds before and we will try our best to get you some answers and help you make that decision.

[Luvparrots]

Hi Linnea!!! It's always nice to hear that a person is doing some research before they jump right in to parrot ownership. They are much different than parakeets. Their companionship should last a lifetime and they need much more attention but they are so worth it. Ask any questions you have and read all the many threads here about greys. Welcome to the Grey Family!!!

[danmcq]

Welcome Linnea!

 

It's GreYt having you here. :-)

 

It is a big step, to take on a bird from a rescue or any other critter for that matter. You've come to a good place for a start. Depending on the type of Parrot you may be considering, you should check other sites as well for those other species.

 

Most rescues will require you to take some classes on Parrots and their care. The can also give you all the background information on the Parrot(s) you may be interested in, how old they are etc.

 

It's good to hear you are thinking this through and considering the facts such as if it didn't work out, you would return the Parrot. If you do not have the commitment from the get go to help the Parrot no matter what and be it's last home for the rest of it's life, please do not adopt.

 

I will be honest, like all pets, parrots have traits that are just a parrot and no matter what, you can not stop them from being a parrot.

 

Looking forward to hearing more from you. :-)

[lovethatgrey]

Hi Linnea and nice to have you aboard. It's great to know that you're doing your research and homework on african greys in order to determine whether they would fit in your lifestyle. I applaud you for considering a parrot from a rescue shelter too. Please don't hesitate to ask ALOT and all types of questions on here.{Feel-good-00020114}

[she]

Well done for realising parrots are a massive responsability and putting the needs of the parrot first.Please do lots of reading and ask any questions you have.

[babygirl]

thanks every body for the greyt welcome

 

this is a super great site. i am gathering information like crazy. (i thinks my brain is fixing to burst)!!!! i hope to soon join the ranks of happy gray owners. i am trying to narrow my search and am pretty set on getting a pre-pared pare. :laugh:

[judygram]

Its best to get as much information as possible before you actually get that grey, it will help you so much to know what you are getting yourself into.

[babygirl]

the more i expand my search the more i know i want to have a set of retired breeder greys. i think it is always better to have two birds if possible but i know when they are not compatible it does more harm than good so i want two that are already a pare. i am not looking to handle them much if at all. i would never get any pet for that reason. that to me seems selfish, weird, and needy.<br><br>Post edited by: babygirl, at: 2009/08/11 06:37

[JillyBeanz]

From the new owner of one baby grey I took the jump from a cockatiel - I have an expanse of knowledge about cockatiels, but had none on greys. It's commendable you are researching, I did too - but knowning how much work just ONE baby grey is I don't think personally I'd advise anyone to take on two if they don't have the experience.

 

Harvey is great, don't get me wrong, but they do need as much time spent with them as you would a small child (non-parrot people will smirk at this).

 

I'm just wondering why you don't want to handle your grey? I understand that some DON'T want to be handled (rescued, non-hand reared), but to set out with that ideology already? I'm afraid I'm one of those selfish, weird and needy - I love giving Harvey cuddles and playing with him and would be devastated not to handle him.

[babygirl]

that is great when birds are affectionate like that but i wouldnt want to have one under the covers with me at night because i might roll over on her and squish her to death so i will stick with my dogs for that.

 

it wouldnt break my heart to have a noncuddly bird but it does make me sad to see animals neglected by being treated as disposalbe so a breeder pare is what i want.

[judygram]

I can understand where you are coming from Linnea, you already know that getting a former breeding pair that you won't be handling them much if at all, you just want to give them a good home and everything they need to spend the rest of their life in peace. A lot of the older pairs end up in some kind of rescue place which in itself is not such a bad idea, it just depends on where it is and who is running it. I just recently visited a rescue place that has a fantastic facility for housing greys that are retired from breeding. They have a somewhat natural like environment with places to perch and plenty of room to move around and even fly for short distances.

 

I hope it works out for you Linnea and keep us informed of what develops for you.

[Dave007]

""""it wouldn't break my heart to have a noncuddly bird but it does make me sad to see animals neglected by being treated as disposalbe so a breeder pare is what I want.""""

 

I commend you for wanting to take in a neglected bird that hasn't been treated very well. But the birds you're referring to and looking for are located in bird shelters/adoption/rescue centers. They don't adopt out breeders. Most parrots cuddly or uncuddly won't crawl into bed with you unless you train it to do that. Most parrots who are older and aren't affecionate are usually the types of birds that were caged too much, not given proper attention, were not given some freedom from a cage, had small amounts of human contact.

 

There is a major difference between breeders and neglected birds. Neglected birds are located in bird shelters/adoption/rescue centers and pairs of breeders aren't.

With breeders, you'll not only get uncuddly types of birds, you'll get extremely aggressive birds who don't want human contact and won't hesitate to seriously bite to let you know very quickly but even those birds need some freedom. People who own breeders also provide areas where they have freedom during the year. They don't breed all year long.

Breeders are sold in different catagories--

1--bonded ( no chicks--but have totally accepted each other.)

2--proven ( had clutches but eggs were infertile)

3--bonded and proven ( had successful clutches, will sit, will feed.)

 

There is no advertising that says that breeder pairs are affectionate, except to each other.

There's different prices for each catagory.

 

In another post you wanna know where the retired breeders go. Many of the owners who retire their birds simply keep them. They also go to aviaries that take in wild and semi-wild birds. Certain breeders go to zoo reserves.

Most breeders aren't disposable.

 

One other thing--if this is your first experience with medium sized parrots who may or may not be neglected ( meaning an older parrot with ingrained habits), you'll also need to look at shelter policies. They're extremely careful and scrutinize people who may eventually adopt their birds.

[babygirl]

I am thinking about getting a retired breeding pare from off of kijiji.com. There are a bunch of breeding pares for sale. i will treat them as pets without handling unless they want to be handled.

 

i will keep checking with rescuethebirds.org to see if they have any retired breeders up for adoption as sometimes they get pares of them.

[JillyBeanz]

Babygirl - Harvey has never been in my bedroom, let alone my bed! He sleeps in his cage with his "nightie" on (it's a parrot cage cover!).

 

I absolutely commend you for wanting to "rescue" a grey, and you are obviously a very caring person wanting to do so - but to categorise people as weird and needy for wanting to cuddle their parrots is a little strong!

 

Had I wanted a pet that I couldn't handle I would have bought an alligator!!

 

Good luck in your search ~ I'm sure that you will give a grey a very caring home.

[Char]

JillyBeanz wrote:

 

 

Had I wanted a pet that I couldn't handle I would have bought an alligator!!