Grey parrot - new member of our family

[kofola]

Hi, I´m the new one. At first sorry for my english and mistakes in text. I´m from Slovakia, central Europe. At this time I have pet rats and in the future I want grey parrot (two or three years). I read a lot of articles and forum topics, but I want to be prepared for this longlife duty as perfect as possible. Rats have teached me to be patient, understanding and that I have to accept my animals as they are. I´m not able to change their natural behavior and relationships among the group. And one important thing - I know that when rat bites me - it´s my fault. I did something wrong or I did not accept his actually feelings about my person. Or I did not accept his warnings. No screaming, no punishing. Just tell him that he is not allowed to bite me and give him back to the cage. I think I have a great relationship with all my rats.

Rats are amazing animals. But they use to live for very short time - two or three years. And almost in all cases the cause of death is tumor or another bad illness. It´s very sad. I love rats, but I need the animal which will live for longer time.

Grey parrot seems to me to be the best choice. I know that it wouldn´t be easy and maybe we would have problems. But I know that I´m as responsible and understanding as needed and that the parrot will be happy with my and my partner Jan. Why I´m so sure? Because having rats is like having two years old children. They are big destroyers, they love to gnaw and destroy furniture, PCs, notebooks, cables, books - everything they can reach ))). If they find something new - they use to run away with the new thing and hide it in some safe place (best - in the cage). And then - the thing is theirs. The parrots are the same, aren´t they?

So, please, can you help me with my first steps? My questions might seem to be stupid, be patient please. I´m the whole beginer.

I know that parrots need daily shower. I´m not sure why. If it is only because of their fluff and the humans or because they like wather and taking bath. Many people use to bath the rats - because they think that rat stinks - but the rat don´t like wather and it stinks only when it hasn´t clean environment. Is it the same? Or parrots really like bath?

what about their cage? We want to buy this one http://www.rajprepapagaje.sk/rajprepapagaje/eshop/1-1-Klietky-pre-papagaje/68-2-Klietky-GALLIZZI/5/977-Bakersfield - is it good? I don´t know if they like high and narrow cage or maybe little lower but wide.

At first days - what´s the best for them? Leave them to adapt without trying to take them from the cage and make contact? Do they need the box to hide in the cage? Do they need the external perchre or the perche on the top of the cage would be enought?

I think this is enought for this message. Thanks for you time and answers.

[MarcusCAG]

I kept a number of fancy rats as pets when I was younger, myself. I'll admit it was a shock to me when I first realized how intelligent and loving they can be. My first one would respond like a dog and come running to me when I called him by name. I worked with him everyday, but it didn't seem like work, really we were just playing and spending time together. I was so devastated when I came home one day and he was dead in his cage. My time with him was so short, but after I grieved for him my newfound love of rats pushed me to invite many more into my life. Because of having all of our parrots now, and our dog and cats, my husband and I think it is best not to have anymore rats right now (because he learned to love them, too). But someday I would like to have another little furry rat-friend in my life.

 

I don't know if I would compare rats to Greys quite like you have, however, despite their intellect and their capacity for love and affection. Greys are long-lived, complicated creatures; they require a lot of care and patience and, most importantly, love and respect. Just like with rats or any other animal, each Grey is different with a different personality. There are a number of threads in the Health room that cover issues such as showering your parrot, and another room in these forums is dedicated to Cages and et cetera. Peruse them and read all you can and ask all the questions you want, and you will get a better idea how to best interact with your possible Grey of the future.

[judygram]

Its good you are doing the research before you plunge into grey ownership, wish everyone would do that before making that impulse purchase and I commend you for it.

I have never much cared for rats as pets but I guess they can make good ones but one of the drawbacks I can see would be the short lifespan for by the time you have grown close to one they die. I tend to view them as pests as I used to live in a house that had them and they chewed their way thru walls and such and the only ones I care to see now are dead ones but enough of that.

Marcus is right on a lot of points he made about greys but keep on reading, reading and more reading.

[kofola]

Thank you for reply. Yes, I know that I have to read a lot of information here in this forum. Probably I will find all answers for my questions. Thank for alignment to some topics.

Why I compared Grey to rats? Because I think that in some ways they are really similar. They depend on you - whole their life is in your hands. Rats need people atention, they want to play with their Humans, they want to observe them and they want to reply to all your activities. As Greys. If you are ignoring rat - you would have problems. Their behavior is the mirror to your behavior. As Greys.

You have to love them - without exceptions. You have to accept their own personalities. It is not a toy, each animal has its own nature and moods and sometimes it makes trubles.

I know that to have a Grey is big duty and it will last for the rest of my life. I think that a few years with rats prepared me for my own Grey. But at first I have to wait. I don´t want to have the rats and the Gray too. I think it would me dangerous for rats.

Marcus if you want, you can take a look to my photogallery. Here you can find the photos of my actual Boys http://www.squeek-rat.info/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=37448 and here are the photos of all my rats (death or alive) together http://www.squeek-rat.info/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=1558

[Luvparrots]

Hi Kofola, welcome to the family! I grow up with a big white rat that belonged to my uncle Elmer. Sanford was his name and he was a joy to watch and play with. There are oodles of threads here at the forum and if you can't find an answer, just ask.

[katana600]

Welcome to the forum. Your insight and compassion for your rats is going to make your journey with a grey that much more of a joy to you. There is a lot to learn from our animals of every kind. You will be a good companion for any creature with four legs, two legs, feathers or fur. Thanks for joining us and sharing your views.

[Dave007]

Deciding to purchase a parrot ( any parrot) because of a good relationship and long experiences with rats isn't the right thing to do here. Parrots depend on a person and if that's not done, a parrot will suffer and other people can correct the problem but the difference between parrots and rats is totally different. A rat or rats depend upon a person because that's where it gets it's food, bedding and possibly toys but if those rats escape from their confined areas, they would definitely go back to their natural ways and would proceed to slowly destroy things in your house and would breed easily and the new rats would never be seen. They can easily find substitutes for your food and water and there isn't anything that can be done because the rat/rats are doing things that they're born to do.

The same type of behavior can be applied to people who hoard cats ( 15--20). The cats are loose, can find hiding spots, will easily breed and the new cats will stay feral and proceed to destroy things in a house because they can't be tracked down. They can even die and the owners of these cats won't even know it because the cats are in areas where they can't be seen and they have no desire to make human contact. They too will find things to eat. Those types of cats can eventually spread illness. Rats will do the same thing when they escape from their confined areas and then go back to their natural ways.

 

***They depend on you - whole their life is in your hands. Rats need people atention,****

 

That only applies to rats who are confined. The owner is the one that sets up that situation. That can apply to mice too. Rats don't need baths. It's the people who own them that are displeased with their odor.

 

98% of people who intend to get greys but know nothing about them are usually told to buy other parrots ( smaller ones) to learn about the world of parrots

 

****If they find something new - they use to run away with the new thing and hide it in some safe place (best - in the cage). And then - the thing is theirs. The parrots are the same, aren´t they?*****

No they don't do things like that because a rat and a parrot are totally different species of animals. They have nothing in common with each other so spend time investigating birds and don't let any relationship with rats influence your decision. Start fresh and pretend that you've never had any rats and you;ll make a better decision.

[kofola]

Dave thanks for your post. I appreciate it. I think I know what´s on your mind. My answer will be looooong 

Of course, I know that rats are not parrots. The only reason why I´m comparing these animals is that I have rats and I know what does it mean – to have a rat. It is not as easy as someone might thinks. It´s not only the matter of cleaning the cage, giving food and giving fresh wather. Rats need human´s attention. If you leave the rat alone and you take care only about food and wather - your rat will be unhappy and it will develops sick behavior (bitting, aggresion, monotonous movements etc). My rats are out of the cage throught whole day – I´m working from home. 90% of my free time take my rats. 50% of my working time take rats.  (Don´t tell it to my boss :D ) So from my point of view – I see many commons in having the rat and having the grey. But I know that if you never had rats – you probably wouldn´t see these common things.

 

I´m not a teenage girl who decided to have a parrot and will buy it disregarding everything. My decisions are made with clear mind. For example - my mother is affraid of rats. I bought my first rat when I was 25 and I definitely moved from mother´s house (after university studies). Now, after six years I´m well known rat owner in Slovakia and Czech republic. I use to help other breeders and rat owners with health problems or behavior of the rats (I use to help even unknown people who write me about their problems with rats,not only to my friends). I cooperate with veterinary doctors when I´m writting special articles on my web interested in health, medications, anathomy etc. I know that you don´t understand Slovak language but believe me - my web potkan.net is the only one website where people from Slovakia and Czech republic (sometimes even people from Poland) can find broadspectrum informations about rats in the language they can easy understand (many people in Slovakia and Czech republic don´t understand English or German). It´s all my work and I´m proud of it. Many articles arised thanks to my rats and my experiences with rats. Last year I published also the manual for rat owners.

So, now we decided to have a grey. Not immediately. As I wrote – we want to wait. Not only because of rats, but in the future we will move from the flat in Bratislava to big house with big garden in the central part of Slovakia. It´s the matter of 2-5 years. It depends on us and Jan´s parents (it is their house and we are preparing our part of the house for living there). Jan´s parents also agreed to have a grey.

Before we bring our grey to our house, we want to know everything about these beautiful animals. We want to have as much information as possible. And that´s why I´m here – writting and reading. That´s why I have joined few parrot forums in Czech republic and Slovakia. It´s better then anonymous manuals and researches. Because on the forums I can meet people who have greys and who know what does it mean – to have a grey. These people can help me better understand to these amazing animals before I will buy my own one. And these people (include you) can learn me and prepare me for my life with the grey. Fortunatelly I know some people here in Bratislava who have greys – they invited me to their homes so I can see what´s the life with grey like.

My questions might to seem silly or crazy, I know. I want to be prepare – that´s why I´m asking and comparing. 

 

And there is one thing in your post which I need to correct. You wrote that if the rat run away from the owner´s house it will survive, because it will find other source of food and wather. This is not true. If the rat runs away -it will die. It doesn´t know where it can find food, it doesn´t know that some food might be poisoned because people don´t like wild rats. It doesn´t know that wild cats are dangerous....The life of my rats is in my hands and I´m responsible to make their lifes comfortable, happy and full of love, patient and accpetance.

[MarcusCAG]

Marcus if you want, you can take a look to my photogallery. Here you can find the photos of my actual Boys http://www.squeek-rat.info/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=37448 and here are the photos of all my rats (death or alive) together http://www.squeek-rat.info/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=1558

 

They are all very healthy-looking and lovely in the pictures I looked over. Was that a blue in the one corner? I used to have albino rats, agouti rats, and I had one rex rat once. Mostly males, but once I did have a female whom I named Portia, who ended up arriving at our home pregnant--and then she had a double-sized litter of kittens! They were quite a bit to care for... your pics make me miss my boys, but I'm glad all of your rat friends are able to give you so much joy right now.

[kofola]

Oh yes, they make me really happy Marcus. Rats are great animals, so smart and so inteligent. Aaaaand so cunning (I´m not sure if this is the right word I mean smart as paint). You can see there also blue - russian blue rat named Aragorn. It is my favourite colour in rats. I don´t know why, just like it. Other are wheaten burmese (Habacuc), russian blue agouti (Cucak alias Lancelot), mink (Richard) and black eyed siam (Jonasek). I have only males and only standart when we are talking about their coat. And Lancelot is dumbo. Jan likes dumbo rats, so that´s why we have also one dumbo male. They all use to kiss me and clean me when I´m playing with them (and at this moment Jonasek tryes to stole my computer mouse ). This weekend we are going to the ratshow in Czech republic so cross fingers