Would a grey be right for me??

[SKW]

So I have been really considering getting a congo grey for a while now but I am a little hesitant/nervous..

 

Right now, I have quite a lot of time on my hands, I only work weekends and a couple days during the week as of now. I am a freelance makeup artist, so I have no set work schedule... Would this be an issue for keeping a grey? I am nervous about it starting to pluck its feathers because of my sporadic schedule, I would feel horrible if this started to happen... But I'm also wondering if my free time would help make up for it??

 

I know how demanding parrots are (I used to have a sun conure that constantly wanted to be out of the cage and with me) But I feel like I could be using all my free time right now to care for a grey.. It's a sticky situation for me..

 

Also, how good are greys with moving? I am not moving anytime soon but just want to know for future reference...

 

I truly love parrots and my life just doesn't feel complete without one but I don't want to make any wrong choices.. Thanks for your guys' advice! I still have lots more questions too

[Codys Mom]

my grey Cody is a great bird but he is very independant and only wants cuddles on his time lol some days he is very sweet and other days he can be very bitey , he turned a year old July 7th so he is still young and would I get another grey probably not , we have added a Amazon to our flock and I would definitly get another amazon before I would get another grey , I love my Cody but I love Rocky our amazons personality and temperment much better

[Doug]

It is my understanding that a grey can be very good with a variable schedule as long as that is introduced early on. (Creatures of habit?)

 

If you keep things mixed up (in a non-stressful way), your grey will handle change fairly well.

 

If you have a very rigid schedule, then the bird will fall in lock-step and not handle change well.

 

Luckily for Ellie, nothing is the same from day to day in our household!

 

Hopefully when my wife and I are ready to move down to the Dominican Republic for a portion of each year, Ellie will be comfortable with new environments. I'm concerned about that, of course. (Since each trip includes the stress of air travel...)

[Zoom]

I was unemployed when I got all my birds, so they got used to having me around most of the time. I started working about six weeks ago, and they've all adjusted to the new schedule. I think they prefer the weekends, when I'm home with them and they can spend more time out of their houses, but they're okay the rest of the time too.

 

In a perfect world, I'd be independently wealthy and could stay home with my birds all the time, and I'd have staff to clean the cages. But my birds seem willing and able to adjust to a less than perfect world.

 

Just bear in mind that a lot of people end up giving up their greys because their circumstances change and they don't have time for them anymore. If you can foresee a time in your future where you won't have enough time for your grey, then you probably shouldn't get one yet.

[birdhouse]

Just the fact that you're asking the question gets 2 points from me. But breeds have a reputation & critters have personalities. So no matter what the critter is that's really going to be the deciding factor.

 

I can see pro's & cons to getting a youngster & raising it to be accustomed to your lifestyle. I can also see pro's & cons to getting a rehomed bird who's accustomed to living w/an unstructured schedule. But a lot of happy greys don't "live in a perfect world" to quote Zoom & it certainly sounds doable from what you've said so far.

[SKW]

Great! thanks everyone for the input. I guess it really all depends on the personality of the bird but I'm hoping if I get one young, like Doug said, I can get them accustomed to my sporadic schedule with minimum stress. I just hate not knowing what the future may bring...