greys Q's

[AGreyBoy21]

why are greys considered wild animals if they were domesticated by egyptians 4000 years ago? is it possible a grey will never bite you? do all grey bites cause severe skin damage? last question is it true females don't change their favorite since males leave the flock in the wild? thanks alot

 

PS- you don't have to answer all of these maybe just 1 or 2 per person

[judygram]

Well I know you can take a wild animal out of the wild but they say you cannot take the wild out of the animal.

 

I guess it is possible you could never get bitten by your grey but that is highly unlikely, and most times it does not really break the skin that much but it can and it depends on where the bite occurs. Certainly they could put an eye out or take a chunk out of your lip.

 

Greys, male or female, can and do change their favorite sometimes and especially when they reach maturity.

[Hannah_Rae]

I can't remember who said it recently, but not being bit by a grey is like going through the toddler years with your child and never experiencing a tantrum.

Rockelle, my foster bird, bit me nearly everyday, but never broke the skin, and she soon stopped because I didn't let it stop me, which is what she wanted.

 

I have heard the same thing about males vs. females favorites and am trying to find out the answer myself since I will be getting a baby grey in a few months.

[lovemyGreys]

Greys kept as pets can change their mind to whom who is their favourite person,They may prefer one person purely because something like the tone of that persons voice etc..

African Greys in the wild enter into a lifelong monogamous bond when sexually mature. They pick their mates carefully.

[Dave007]

"""""African Greys in the wild enter into a lifelong monogamous bond when sexually mature. They pick their mates carefully."""""

 

I totally agree with lovemyGreys. That's one reason why there are so many breeder Greys, breeder TOOs, breeder ZONs, Breeder Macaws who've lost their mates in adoption/rescue centers. It takes an experienced bird person to adopt these types of birds because the life style and personality of many breeder birds is totally different than pet birds and that person needs to know that any relationship with that breeder bird is going to be much different than adopting a previously owned pet parrot and that's because in the past they've only bonded with their mates. The most successful breeder parrots are the ones that have very little tolerance for human beings and have a strong bond with their mates. Concerning the breeder parrot's personality..put a breeder bird in with a pet parrot and many times, the breeder bird will seriously maim or kill the pet bird. As far as skin damage, yes a grey's bite can cause that. So will a bite from a lovebird, a conure, a rosella, a TOO, an Zon,a macaw,an indian ringneck parakeet and any other parrot that uses it's mouth to make a point. A macaw can go one step further and break a finger which I've also seen.

 

As far as egyptians domesticating them, well, if they were domesticated way back when, they would be domesticated today. Now a days, if that statement was true it would be an important subject to constantly discuss on many boards and not on just grey boards Greys and other parrots are considered *wild birds* now as well as being *wild* back then.

I don't know who started the rumor that male or female birds will leave after losing a mate. Parrots are flock animals. There are many male and female parrots in a flock that don't even have mates and they also stay in the flock. The closest thing to leaving a group belongs to the chimpaneze and they don't actually leave. The dominant male fights with other males that want to take over the position and the right to the females and if the alpha male loses he accepts the fact that he has to step down in rank or the winner will kill him. Sometimes, the fighting is so severe that the losing male will take off in order to not get killed.

Dave

 

Post edited by: MrSpock, at: 2007/09/29 18:05

 

Post edited by: MrSpock, at: 2007/09/29 18:43<br><br>Post edited by: MrSpock, at: 2007/09/29 18:46

[judygram]

I always look forward to your informative posts Dave, you always have the answers and put it in its proper perspective and it makes perfect sense.

Thanks Dave, for another fine post.

[lovemyGreys]

Great post Dave, you have a vast knowledge & i love reading it.

[danmcq]

GreYt post Dave...VERY informative. :-)

[kiwibarb12]

regarding the biting question - I went for a year and a half with scabs on my hands from Beckette biting me. It never occured to me to withdraw from her because it for the most part was my fault for not seeing and respecting her boundries. At the moment I am scab free, and loving it:) , but if I do something dippy, I expect to get bitten and probably will:woohoo: .

 

I'm not sure if your question was asked from fear of bites, but I think that humans don't speak grey well enough to never get bitten. Just my (very) :blush: humble opinion. Of course Beck came with some issues from her previous home- such as lack of contact, so I think I may have acquired some of the bites from sheer persistance. Which in the long run , has been good for both of us.

[judygram]

kiwibarb12 wrote:

Of course Beck came with some issues from her previous home- such as lack of contact, so I think I may have acquired some of the bites from sheer persistance. Which in the long run , has been good for both of us.

 

Yes it has since your bird came with baggage but since you are scab free now you know she was using the only means of communication she had to let you know she didn't like it. You have built some trust with her and that makes a difference.