SRSeedBurners Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 Went to look at a baby Grey this weekend. I'm very picky about the breeder and just happened to find one of the best located within a couple hours drive of my house. Inquired about her flegding method, she seemed to adhere to the 'abundance weaning/fledging' principles I've read about recently. She does not clip and lets them fly free to gain confidence while growing. Feeds seed sprouts, etc - i.e. no red flags, lots of green flags. The one that is available (a female) was apparently the first to do everything: fly, eat solid food, etc. She seems to be a very inquisitive, curious bird. Her sister however is the sweetest bird I've seen - but has already been spoken for - damn. I went ahead and put a deposit down with the stipulation that I reserve the right to wait for the next hatch. The problem is, her birds are amazing, but I'm after a cuddly Grey. My previous Grey was a cuddly girl and I'm afraid of getting hold of a monster that I keep reading about. The one that is available was of course, the first one to fly to us and get all 'in your face'. She really appeared to be trying to talk already, making some serious vocalizations. Unusual for such a young bird (hatched sometime in Nov). She even did the impatient grunting that I remember mine use to do when she got over-excited. But after a few minutes, she was gone. Off to explore while the sweet one sat in my hand and loved on my for over half an hour. We kept bringing the other back to look at her but she was definitely interested in exploring rather than cuddling. What would you do? I know their personalities will change somewhat as they mature but those traits are there for life. I feel like I may be passing up an gifted scholarly Grey just because I want a cuddler. As the breeder mentioned, the cuddly sister is a very needy bird and I may get tired of that after a while. I've got two weeks to decide. Hrrrmmmmmm......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paleale Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 Sterling, this is the same decision I battled with for weeks and weeks. Fortunately, I found the breeder we chose not long after the babies hatched (11/22/12) and being that I was the first to put a deposit down, she left the choice up to me. The breeder did not put any pressure on us to choose until she had another interested buyer. About three weeks ago, a buyer came along and she needed me to make the decision. Initially I thought we'd go with the male because he was the more playful (although at that time we didn't know he was a male) of the two, but when it came down to it, we chose the female. They are both really as sweet as can be, but she is just a little less... pushy. I went back and forth like you are thinking, "Will he be too aggressive? Will she be a big baby? Who will be better home alone while we're working? Him because he's more independent or her because she seems to keep herself occupied? Will he be the smarter? Will she change once she's away from her little brother?" Ugh, it's agonizing and SUCH a long term decision. I understand the pressure of choosing "the right one". When it came down to it, the breeder led us in the direction of the girl. We are close enough to the breeder that she's gotten to know our family a little bit and simply thinks the female will be a better fit. She is absolutely the best choice for us. I've noticed in just the last visit or two that she's becoming more brave. She sits with me and cuddles a while then parrot struts awat to explore and comes back. She really isn't overly needy, but I know she likes to be reassured. I guess I don't have a real suggestion for you, just throwing in my two cents. I have never owned a Grey so I have no past experiences to compare to. Maybe if you're already having flashbacks of "impatient grunting" you should try the other personality this time around? Cuddly and dependent baby sounds like she's already chosen you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayd Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 Hi, many traits stay with our Greys, general eating habits etc, but personality's, who they bond with, attention span etc all change with time. It is the human intervention that brings about the final Grey, and this changes over the years. What we always recommended was to pick for how active and inquesitive they were, molding is left to the way you raise them. Greys go through many stages, it is us humans who guide them through them, but in the end, it is their decision alone.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 (edited) Paleale and Jay gave good comments and thoughts. What would you do? I know their personalities will change somewhat as they mature but those traits are there for life. I feel like I may be passing up an gifted scholarly Grey just because I want a cuddler. As the breeder mentioned, the cuddly sister is a very needy bird and I may get tired of that after a while. I personally prefer a more outgoing and inquisitive creature of any kind. Just because the one baby you see at the breeder seems to be a cuddle muffin now, does not mean it will be in 5 years. The same is true of the baby that has a zest for life and wants to explore everything. It may well end up more independent than the other. But it will still certainly want time with you as well. As I am sure you know, they interact on different levels with different people based up on their preference for a male, female etc. I don't know what you mean about monster stories you have read, but most of those I would presume are rescues that had terrible owners and experiences that caused them to hate humans and rightly so. That is not the greys fault, it is the humans. Much like the anger and abused human child holds inside and distrust of others. As Jay said, you will be the one forming a baby greys view of humans and the world we provide them. Only you can make the decision of course on the grey. But, what you see at just a couple weeks old is not going to be what the grey is as an adult. Edited February 5, 2013 by danmcq Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aw64 Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 I haven't got loads of experience but can add I brought my Alfie home at 10 weeks Early I know but thats another story, up until xmas just gone when he was 9 months old he was so friendly and loving he is flighted, eats well ect but the last 6 weeks have become harder as he seems to have found his independence and stubbon side, the honey moon period was over and he now decides when its cuddle time, I have to plan when he can be out when before he was out most of the time but as he got older I was getting bites when trying to do things that could not involve him, I have had lots of good advice and support from the guys on this site and we are working very hard at getting to some sort of understanding and thats me understanding Alfie! I really think that the sweet baby we visit will change as time goes by they are so smart at out witting us, please dont be put off by this as Alfie has some great points he is smart (to smart at times) he will wave, turn round, shake hands, barks like the dog love tickle tickle during the evening, I went through a stage of questioning wing clip as I have great problems getting him back into cage but again we are over coming this thanks to advice on here we dim the lights and its sooooo easy, go with your gut feeling we all know life with a grey is not ment to be a walk in the park you will love him/her just takes time and lots of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 I prefer, a bird to pick you. We have done so... for all our birds. I know it sounds crazy, but ALL of our birds, picked us. STOP... LISTEN... let your bird pick you. Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelseaB Posted February 6, 2013 Share Posted February 6, 2013 As many of the others have said, the bird you are seeing right now may be a different bird in a few months/years. My grey chose me, there were 2 in his clutch & at first I was leaning toward the other- she seemed more outgoing & inquisitive at the time. But after they were about 6 weeks old, every time I went to visit them the other grey ( my Biscotti ) would come and hang with me the whole time. He was active & inquisitive but really wanted to be near me. So I chose him, he chose me. For about the first year, he was a sweet cuddle bug. Then as he got older & became more independent his cuddleness slowly disappeared. He is still awesome & amazing and I love him to pieces, but he prefers to just be near me and asks for occasional head rubs, when he feels like it. Just saying the baby personalities you are seeing now will probably change, so go with your heart and choose one you really love, if it 's personality changes down the road- you will still love it. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRSeedBurners Posted February 12, 2013 Author Share Posted February 12, 2013 Choice just got harder :confused: The breeder sent me photos last night wanting to know if I was still picking up this Sunday. Looked at the pics and thought...oh my gosh...she looks so SWEET (read on, there's more to the story) Then a while later, I get another email...oops, wrong bird. This is the only one available that we looked at: Now you see my dilema. You can just see the sweetness dripping off the first bird. She's as cuddly and sweet as she looks in those photos. Unfortunately she's taken ): What to do... what to do..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aw64 Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 They both look sooooo cute, but if she only has one left his either yours or you have to start the long serch for another and to be honest what ever either of the birds are like now does not mean it is what they will be like in 12 months time, its the time and love that goes into these wondeful greys that gets the results, my Alfie is not the sweet baby I first brought home but he can be check out my photos from this week ' Alfie being loving', I'v had to learn to duck and dive, I'v had to learn to bear the pain of a bite when I push my luck, learn to except he can out wit me, enjoy the rewards when progress is made and except my failings when we go back a step, I have and still am spending more time with Alfie and our bonding/trust ect than I ever had to with our two dogs, good luck with your dilema cant wait to hear what you decide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murfchck Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 Lol, i don't see where you have a choice! They are both cute and actually to me the second one looks just as sweet, just more curious than the first. In my opinion, with the second you will get the best of both grey worlds, the sweetheart and the nosey booger! I like the more active ones. I have one of each, the fearless, nosey into everything and the sweet, calm, does nothing wrong. With the active one, i never worry about her being bored, the calm one i am always questioning myself if there is something i am missing to make his life better. Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbersmom Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 That's exactly what I thought ^^ The second one looks more curious and engaged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aerial.2000 Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 i dont think for one minute getting the 2nd one is going to be ANY kind of let down whatsoever for you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 A still photo taken at a few moments in time really does not tell you anything about a greys personality. One may be camera shy and the other not. It makes no difference and doesn't not tell you anything about how any grey will be after you get them home and spend then next years/decades interacting with them. In my opinion, 90 percent of behavior is based on the owner that interacted with them from say 16 weeks on to years. The other 10 percent is the instinctual and intelligence portions of the grey building knowledge of the human world based upon experience in it. Just be happy you have a baby grey coming soon. Feel the parental pressure yet??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 I love the pictures of the second grey how sweet and curious. Such a curious poser. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRSeedBurners Posted February 12, 2013 Author Share Posted February 12, 2013 (edited) Just be happy you have a baby grey coming soon. Feel the parental pressure yet??? You say that tongue-in-cheek but, yeah...I have actually been losing sleep over the fact we're bringing another bird home and this one is a Grey. I've been accused of, and probably rightly so, of getting this bird (and the two rescues we just acquired) due to the impending empty nest problem I'm faced with. At least I won't have to put this one through college, that's a plus. (: It's a whole new world for my wife, she's never experienced parrots before. She's practically fallen in love with the Jardine's rescue we recently took in. That one and the rescued conure are both touch-me-nots and both act like they been beaten with brooms. She won't know what to think about this Grey. Btw...you all have pretty much convinced me to go with the one that's available. I think I saw a post on this forum about a Grey helping her 'daddy' build a gym. The one we're getting is an inquisitive little bird like that. That probably sealed the deal when I saw that post. Edited February 12, 2013 by SterlingSL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayd Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 It's a whole new world for my wife, she's never experienced parrots before. She's practically fallen in love with the Jardine's rescue we recently took in. That one and the rescued conure are both touch-me-nots and both act like they been beaten with brooms. She won't know what to think about this Grey. Please be aware and explain to your wife the possible bonding issues, there part of a happy home for a Grey. Thanks Jayd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbersmom Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 I'm with you there Sterling! I rehomed my TAG when my youngest son moved on-campus. I know I had empty next syndrome, but I don't care. I needed it, Timber needed it, and it's all good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheckTheBarn Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 Hello there. I have never posted on a forum before, so I hope I am doing this right. I am the person taking the male grey in the clutch you are referring to. I have been going many times a week to visit these three birds and absolutely adore all of them. The breeder is SO good with her birds and is very honest and forthcoming about anything you ever want to ask her about. That being said, I have spent hours upon hours upon hours with all three of these birds, and I can tell you this......the female that you are so smitten with is indeed a very sweet bird, but is incredibly pushy and demanding and although I know their personalities will change over time, I don't see her being as good about self entertaining when needed as the other two are. The female that is available though, was initially my choice....except for the fact that she is female and I was pretty set on a male. I have since bonded nicely with my lug headed boy and love him fiercely, but the little gal that is still available, I believe, is going to be an incredible bird. I'm not sure if it was the time of day that you went or what was going on that she just wasn't in a visiting mood, but she is normally right there on me while I am playing with and loving on my boy. She and he both are great about entertaining themselves if I put them up to do something else, but they are both lovers and very very attentive and pay attention to everything I do and say and we have a blast playing and cuddling when I am there. Anyhow, I know this is a hard decision, I just read this and knew from your post what birds and breeder you were referring to, and wanted to add my input as a person that knows the clutch very well. I don't know if this eases your mind any, but I thought it was worth the time to post the information I have about these incredible babies. If you would like to message me off the forum, you are more than welcome to. Kristen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 Kristen, nice post. Please join in on the forum. Would love to have you introduce yourself in the Welcome Room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRSeedBurners Posted February 13, 2013 Author Share Posted February 13, 2013 Hello there. I have never posted on a forum before, so I hope I am doing this right. I am the person taking the male grey in the clutch you are referring to. I have been going many times a week to visit these three birds and absolutely adore all of them. The breeder is SO good with her birds and is very honest and forthcoming about anything you ever want to ask her about. That being said, I have spent hours upon hours upon hours with all three of these birds, and I can tell you this......the female that you are so smitten with is indeed a very sweet bird, but is incredibly pushy and demanding and although I know their personalities will change over time, I don't see her being as good about self entertaining when needed as the other two are. The female that is available though, was initially my choice....except for the fact that she is female and I was pretty set on a male. I have since bonded nicely with my lug headed boy and love him fiercely, but the little gal that is still available, I believe, is going to be an incredible bird. I'm not sure if it was the time of day that you went or what was going on that she just wasn't in a visiting mood, but she is normally right there on me while I am playing with and loving on my boy. She and he both are great about entertaining themselves if I put them up to do something else, but they are both lovers and very very attentive and pay attention to everything I do and say and we have a blast playing and cuddling when I am there. Anyhow, I know this is a hard decision, I just read this and knew from your post what birds and breeder you were referring to, and wanted to add my input as a person that knows the clutch very well. I don't know if this eases your mind any, but I thought it was worth the time to post the information I have about these incredible babies. If you would like to message me off the forum, you are more than welcome to. Kristen This is awesome news. Makes me glad I posted this thread. Will definitely contact you offlist as I'm interested in hearing more and you obviously know the breeder and the birds more than I could assess in the less than an hour we spent at her place. - Sterling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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