Tamara Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 ok, ive heard that timneh's are better to get if you have young children around. is this true? any congo owners out there have young kids around, how does your congo like them? is this a myth or real? just trying to get some experienced peoples opinion. thanks everyone! i absolutely love this site!! lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boom Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 no matter timneh or congo i wouldnt expect to let them near a child. we as adults have 2 responsibilities. one is to the child to make sure they stay safe and keep all their fingers eyes and avoid being bitten the second is to our pets to make sure they do not incurr the extra stress of being poked and prodded by children that annoy them enough to want to bite them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reggieroo Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Well we have had Murphy our 1 year old CAG along with our 1 year old daughter & they get on just fine. They seem to respect one another & leave each other alone. Murphy doesn't bother Ella-rose & Ella-Rose doesn't bother Murphy. We also have two cats & a German shepherd dog & we have taught Ella-Rose to respect the animals & she understands they are not toys, she strokes the cats very gently & the same with the dog. The other day she was crawling around & went up to Murphy's cage who at the time was sat at the bottom outside the cage on the seed catcher tray, she wanted to tickle him as she has seen me do it. She reached out cautiously to give tickles & he put his head down for one but I didn't trust him enough to let her. Her little fingers are just to small & easy to damage. That was the first time they have ever had any proper interaction & Ella-Rose seemed to understand not to just lunge at him which is good. As long as your little ones respect the animals around them then & you supervise at all times, you shouldn't have too many problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Whether a Tag or a Cag it depends more on their individual personality but in my opinion you need to keep a certain distance between your bird and young children and supervise constantly for children are curious creatures who want to put their fingers in cages, as the children get older you can instruct them on the proper behavior around your grey so they can appreciate what special friends birds can be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamara Posted January 16, 2011 Author Share Posted January 16, 2011 Thank you all for your replies I wasnt planing on letting my children ride with the cag on their backs LMAO hahahha, I am planning on getting a 12 week old CAG, seems to be the only near me that are availiable, i planned on getting a Timneh, but no breeders close, and i want to have my future son/daughter Pick me. The people that breed the CAG's live in my town and they have quite a few babies. So i was wondering about their temperment, my children listen, to a certian extent LOL But im not too woried about them with fingers and stuff. My main concern was that the Congo's health, and the "Myth" said that Congos get more stressed out with kids around than a Timneh. I just wanted to see if this were true or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Getting your CAG as a baby and socializing it with your while while teaching them what is and is not acceptable is the best way to go. Most very young child are so active with fast jerky motions that your new grey will learn quickly to stay away from them when they are all fired up. Hopefully if you keep your grey flighted, he or she will just fly away when those high engergy moments take place, other wise a growl, scream and possibly a bite will take place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffy Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Hi Tamara! Like you when I started researching Greys I too, decided to go with a Timneh after reading all the negative stuff about Congos. However, the breeder I was most impressed with only had Congos. Here I am now with 2 congos. I have not had any of the negative experiences I've read about with Congos. Socialize your baby bird early and teach bird and child to have a respect of each others space, and I think you will be very pleased with your Congo. good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamara Posted January 16, 2011 Author Share Posted January 16, 2011 Thank you I am so excited!!! And hoping that i can pick one out this week and bring him/her home!!! Just wanted to check with you all first and see what your opinions were I greatly apreciate it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 I have a TAG and she is the sweetest little darling I could ever want. Ana Grey is a very patient and observant grey when my year-old grandson is over she seems to know that he is off limits and will quietly sit on her perch or the back of my chair when I am tending to Dino. Ana Grey seems to know he is a baby and much more delicate then her. I am looking for a Congo now to round out my flock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave007 Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 (edited) Well, basically you want a breakdown of each grey's personality in general into adulthood. CAGs---very leery, very nervous, will try to avoid confrontation, will bite when provoked, don't care for small children who are erractic around them ( usually applies to playful young children darting around who are too quick and aren't aware of that type of personality), won't take to new things very quickly, will remain nervous for a longer period of time if children or adults make them leery, will definitely bite children and adults who are constantly acting erractic around them. They're very well known for their nervousness. TAGs----less leery, less nervous, will try to avoid confrontation, will bite when easily provoked. Being less leery and less nervous and more brazzen allows them to confront something with gusto. They will try to bite after having an initial run in with a child. They'll continue to try and bite at a later date when that child is around but not provoking the bird OR they'll stay as close as possible to the person who irritated them in the first place with the idea of biting. This also applies to inaminate objects such as loud vacuums, wiping down cages etc. TAGs will try to bite at objects whether they're on or off. CAGs will go out of their way to avoid these types of things. CAGs get very frightened and nervous and go on the defensive. TAGs get very annoyed and go on the offensive. That's their general personality. Compare the 2 birds to boxers CAGs--One who likes to use all types of defense and the whole 18 ft boxing ring until some good jabs and upper cuts can be landed. TAGs--would much rather go forward and quickly confront the opponent in the corner of the ring and likes to throw round house knockout punches. The TAG doesn't need an 18 ft boxing ring. He's much more content in an 6 ft boxing ring. The CAG is the boxer--------------------MUHAMMUD ALI The TAG is the puncher -----------------JOE FRASIER I only say these things because someone said that TAGs are better to have around children. Both are okay around children as long as that person knows the individual makeup of a CAG and TAG. Buying a bird because someone says that they're better with children doesn't guarantee that it'll be that way. That's what socializing a bird into a family is all about. Love for the whole family and visa versa. Edited January 17, 2011 by Dave007 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara2 Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 We got our TAG as a baby. Our 2 year old granddaughter was over the next day and they interacted just fine. He let her pet him and she was very gentle. That didn't last long. She didn't do anything at all to change things but he became upset at the loud and "lighting up" toys that the little ones have and preferred to fly to the "safety" of the two big dogs. He doesn't like the little ones but they are not here every day. I'm sure you can make it work with children living in the home but I don't think that TAG or CAG is going to matter in that department. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 The CAG is the boxer--------------------MUHAMMUD ALI The TAG is the puncher -----------------JOE FRASIER Thanks Dave for the description, no one but you could have come up with that explanation! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamara Posted January 17, 2011 Author Share Posted January 17, 2011 Thank you for the great advice!! Muhammud, thats great!! It really does put it in perspective!! THank you!! The CAGs i am wanting to look at are only 24 weeks old, waiting to hear back from the breeder!!! So hopefully sometime this week, ill be the one posting a pic of my new baby!! TOTALLY EXCITED AND NERVOUS!!!! LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 I hope you do get that new baby! Dave - I think you got them backwards.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chezron Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 You can make broad generalizations but I think it is also important to look at the personality of the specific bird you are thinking of adding to your home. CAGs can be sensitive, or you could have a CAG like mine who thinks everything new needs to be checked out, whether it is people, vacuum cleaners, toys, boxes, suitcases---you get the idea. I think it depends on the birds' unique personality. Just like people, every bird has a unique temperament. I do agree, however, that small children make quick movements that are confusing to a grey. Any interactions between children and birds must be mediated by a knowledgeable adult. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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