HELP about choosing a parrot????

[sparky]

hi was looking at getting a 6 month old african grey but i was to late and got offered a 3 year old male african grey.i was wondering will a 3 year old parrot thats been kept in a avairy be hard to tame down and will it learn new words like a 6 month old parrot? new to this forum and new to keeping parrots any help would be appreciated,many thanks

[aerial.2000]

welcome sparky ... you have great questions I wish I could help you more but I am very new too and my baby is only 5 months old. Someone will definately have great answers for you and good advice to follow .... good luck.

[sparky]

welcome sparky ... you have great questions I wish I could help you more but I am very new too and my baby is only 5 months old. Someone will definately have great answers for you and good advice to follow .... good luck.

hi i hope so,thanks!

[JeffNOK]

There are several people on the forum who have rescued greys who are several years old. They will be able to offer the best assistance, but I will share a few thoughts. If the grey has not been hand raised or in much contact with humans, it will take more time to tame. Do you know the older birds history? Has it ever been a pet? Do people ever handle it? If it has never really connected with people it will require a lot of work and time and patience on your part to establish a bond. It may take months or even years. As far as talking, I don't think that would be affected much. I have read of adult wild caught greys leaning to talk very well. I am new to parrots myself, and I decided to get a young hand fed baby rather than an older bird because I feel it takes an experienced touch in most cases with untame birds. Getting a grey is a big decision. I was on this forum for a year before I got my grey. Are you considering this adult bird mainly because it is available now? If you really would prefer a younger tame bird, then one will become available in time. If you do decide on the older bird, then you will find support and information here. Just remember there is no rush. The more time you spend doing research before getting your bird the better for you and your companion grey.

[Acappella]

Like Jeff said, we need more info on the older birds background. Was it a breeder kept in a aviary? Does it interact with people? Does it know basic commands like step-up? How does it react when you get into its space? What is its body language around people? Re-habing a second hand' bird can be a very rewarding experience, but it can also be very frustrating. It can take years of slow progress before that bird is a comfortable companion animal. As far as talking goes, a grey talks when it feels comfortable and safe in its environment. Age isn't an impediment to talking and, after all, a 3 year old is still a very young bird. Give us some more info and do some reading in the rescue room on this forum. There are threads there that will give you a good picture of what the journey with a re-homed bird can be like.