rbpittman Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 I'm sure we all have a great story about how we picked our fids, but why a Grey as opposed to a Macaw or Parrotlet, or anything in between. I'll start: I wanted an Umbrella Cockatoo. You know like Fred in Baretta. Well making sure I was doing the right thing, I made sure to research cockatoos. That research convinced me not to get one. So I looked at smaller and went with a suggestion from a friend, a sun conure. I did my research, made the appropriate plans, and had my heart set on a sun, until I saw Dixie. Three weeks of research and changing plans resulted in my getting a grey. I can't explain it - she didn't even speak to me in words so I can't say it was her ability to talk. There were three other greys in the shop - I had no interest in them. By the way - there were at least 5 sun's in the shop that day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 I grew up on a farm so loving animals was well just always there. I grew up with peacocks, chickens, parakeets and pigeons round and always wanted to have birds in my life. I'm sure I was fascinated with parrots because they talk. I always wanted a cockatoo like Fred in Baretta too. Didn't we all???? And I won't lie, I wanted a parrot like Alex because he was so darn smart. But I also want to get a male canary because they sing so beautifully and I love the sound of birds singing in the morning and a sun conure also and some day I will have them too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janfromboone Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 I had cockateils for a very long time - two generations worth. I was not as informed as I am now with the internet and the forums. I didn't know that female cockateils don't talk. I tried and tried to teach the poor bird ( my first cockateil) to say "I love you". I bribed her with fruits and goodies and beleive me or not she learned to say "I love you" but no one knew what she was trying to say but me. I wanted a parrot because I wanted a bird that would talk to me. When I bought Tobie, I hadn't yet seen the you tube videos and really didn't know what to expect. I thought if I repeated "hello" a hundred times or so Tobie might say "Hello" back to me. What a joy he has been and how he has exceeded all my expectations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamsDad Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 I chose a grey for their intelligence and talking ability. Even after 20+ years of owning one I'm still amazed and greatly entertained by what these little birds can do with their little peanut sized brain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katana600 Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 I chose a grey for its sense of humor. Years ago in a pet store in Tulsa Oklahoma, all the birds were freely roaming, except for one "mean" grey in a cage. I was stunned to realize they had a cat wandering around the store with these precious birds. Only when odd noise came from the back did I go to discover, it wasn't a cat at all, but a handsome grey bird meowing. I laughed and said "You tricked me, you goofy bird". He hissed like a cat, then made the sound of cats fighting. I wish I could bo back in time and apologize for calling him goofy. Since then, I have been fascinated with African greys, reading more and getting more interested. They have just the right temperment for me to fit into the flock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JillyBeanz Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 As a lot of you know, I had Spiky my cockatiel for 17 years (me aged 17 - 34 years). He was with me through my "adult years", through breaks up of relationships, meeting of my then to be future husband and he was my "baby". I would never have brought home another bird when Spiky was alive - he'd always been the only one and that' just how it was. I had always wanted a larger bird, but always said that I would never have a "caged bird" and would happily let a parrot roam, but never really looked into it further than this. When I had to do the unspeakable in January and let Spiky go over the Rainbow Bridge I hated the sound of the house when I came home from work - silent. I NEEDED another pet. I discussed this with my husband (who, up until Harvey came) wasn't really a bird person and he (sneakily) had been researching greys (on my behalf, behind my back). The rest is history - I researched as a lurker here and you still didn't put me off. So I guess Harvey would like to say thank you to you all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiesmum Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 Ive always wanted an African Grey for years. They just amaze me with how intelligent they are and good companions but as I lived In a smallish house I din't think It was fair to keep one. I decided to get my little sun conure Louie instead. I love the affection birds give you and how funny silly they can be :laugh: I always knew one day I would get an African Grey and when we bought our bigger house I knew what was next on the list Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joolesgreyuk Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 This is a great thread. I've always been a "bird person" and although I like dogs I'm not really into them enough to keep one. I've always wanted an AG because to me they are the king of pet birds for their talking abilities and the way their antics make you smile or laugh. I never actually thought I'd own an AG because of how expensive they are, however I had a "big birthday" this year and hubby came into a little money and decided to get me my longed for grey. Incidently, I like macaws too but my house isn't big enough for one of those ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecodweeb Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 The first one came as a package deal with the newly found boyfriend. Fast forward 5 years. The second one was adopted in part to keep the first in good company, and also because I felt for the poor little girl. She needed people to love her and give her the attention she deserved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raleej337 Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 Choose a grey over rose breasted cockatoo, indian ringneck and conure...their ability to talk (tho there is no 100% assurance they will talk), not that loud (i live in an apartment), intillegence and size. Honestly even before I've learned that they are considered the best talker of all parrots, I have been so interested with a grey since I saw my landlords greys 5 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhorje Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 AG was never in my list. My dream was a Macaw or a Sulfur Cockatoo. When I decided to get a parrot, I was shortlisting an Amazon or an Eclectus. We ended up owning an AG because my wife said its colors are unique unlike others colorful parrots which are so common. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimaysmommy Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 Deciding on a grey seemed to be a bit of an instinctual choice for us...My mom had a TAG for several years while I was in high school, so I was familiar with them and wanted to stick with what I knew. It definitely helped knowing that I could go to my mom for quick advice (this was before my discovery of this wonderful forum). A grey seemed to be a perfect fit all around...cage size was a great fit for the apartment we live in, and from what I'd understood they don't usually reach the decibel level that birds like macaws and cockatoos do...don't think our neighbors would have liked it. Still after all of that consideration, we really didn't set our decision in stone until we found our breeder. She was WONDERFUL with us!! As far as Chimay goes, it was love at first picture (breeder is out of state so we didn't get to meet him before he came home to us)!!<br><br>Post edited by: chimaysmommy, at: 2009/10/31 05:09 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jessdecutie18 Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 When I was younger I had both a Parrakeet and a Quaker Parrot, and I had so much fun with them. Secretly though I always wanted a bigger bird that could talk better When I finally got settled in my own place with my husband, I decided to finally get my dream bird, and was all set to get a CAG... I hadn't even thought of getting the smaller Timneh, as I wanted a big bold bird. But Yoshi the Timneh melted my heart with her cuteness Not only is she a Timneh, she is also the smallest in that batch of babies :blink: She hadn't started making sounds or words yet, when we knew a couple CAGs in another store her age that did... Yet we went to see her every weekend for a few weeks, and my husband even seemed to have fallen in love with her. We got to hand feed her whenever we visited the store, and we knew she was ours already... So she was soon brought to our forever home, and is an awesome pet, and even though she is small and very quiet, we couldn't have a better bird Plus, she still has a long life ahead of her, and plenty of time to learn to talk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jules1962 Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 When i was small my dad always wanted a cag and a monkey, he was facinated by cags which rubbed off on me. Unfortunatley he never got to own one or a monkey, as money was tight. The facination with cags always stayed with me. They are beautiful intelligent birds, they make the best companions ever, even though they don't all talk, which didn't really bother me, they just seem to understand everything. Anyway, in 2007 i had some money left over from the sale of my house so i knew what i had to do. I was very lucky as the breeder had been let down by the person who Casper was supposed to be going to. I ended up with my dream bird who not only talks, he never shuts up. I also got Nelson a year later, he is still in the learning process. I am happy and so are my boys. I could never imagine my life without them now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jamalbirdbiz Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 Cuz i have some crazy luv 4 Marvin Grey and Molly. B) They were luv @ 1st site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now