brendon Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 Hi, im looking into buying a grey and im not sure if i should get 1 or 2... I own an eclectus and i was going to buy a pair of them but i found out that they become snobby to people if they have someone to hang out with i guess. She is actually really really placid towards me and everyone else. Just wondering if this is the case with african greys... Would it be wise to get 2 can i get some input from people with either a pair or just the 1 bird in the house. Cheers Kind Regards Brendon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyGreys Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 Hi Brendon & Welcome. When i first considered getting a Grey I only intended to get one.I knew of a friend who had two from the same clutch & it was something i thought long & hard about.I decided to get two from the same clutch.My greys were hand reared & extremely tame.As they have been together since they hatched they have a close bond,they preen each other, play with each other etc..They are very tame with my family & are handled daily.Many people are of the opinion that two greys will not interact with you as they have each other but i find this not to be true.They in my opinion have the best of both worlds they have each other as a flock/company & they have human attention & love.I know of many people that start with a single grey & then want another & introducing another grey along the line can have problems.My personal advice is if you have the time & space for two then buy them together from an early age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brendon Posted November 21, 2007 Author Share Posted November 21, 2007 That sounds great, but wouldn't 2 birds from the same clutch cause problems down the line if they breed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyGreys Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 Brendon i have two boys from the same clutch so no worries there my friend has a male & female she discussed this in length with an avian vet & was assured that it was extremely rare kept as pets they would.Greys need the correct environment to breed,nest box aviary etc..& even then they are not guaranteed to have off spring. i also have a female grey who lives with my two boys but the environment that they live in is not correct for them to breed.My breeder has 8 greys living as pets in her home a mix of male & female & has never had them breed in over 15 years.She has one breeding pair that are housed seperately.Im sure other members will share their experiences later, but from my view i dont see any problems.If you have an avian vet near you perhaps have a chat or chat to a local breeder. im off to work now but any questions just ask & ill reply later.<br><br>Post edited by: lovemyGreys, at: 2007/11/21 09:16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tari Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 If you are wanting a pet grey I would only get one. IMO your risking the bird not bonding to you get more then one. If you do get two I recomend that they have their own cages. Once again you are risking them not bonding to you if housed together. If however you plan to breed at a later date then by all means get two. Just not two from the same clutch and have them DNA'd before you buy them. Good Luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMustee Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 LMG has one of the few success stories of two birds. My guess would be that she is VERY dutiful over all her birds and they probably have a great personality to match. From all my research into breeds of parrot there are only a handful that are known to keep a close bond with people and other birds...the hyacinth macaw is one of the best in that scenario. Greys are not known for this behavior and more times then not they bond with the other bird and want nothing to do with the owner. I would think long and hard before buying two...would you still love and care for these birds if they don't like you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 Brendon, I agree with LMG, if you want two then get two from the same clutch, if not from the same clutch then go with one. Hers do get along but a lot of times two from different clutches do not so be prepared for that possibility. She is also right on the possibility of them breeding together later, they need the proper conditions for that and as pets in all likelihood that would not happen. Why don't you introduce yourself in the welcome room and tell us a little more about yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dumfatnhappy Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 I agree with what Judy said, we got our first bird @ 4 months old over a year ago, I left the country for 3 months and lost the "bond" with goofball as my wife became primery caregiver (no shock there). We just aquired another female grey that is 4 yrs old and fortunatly came from a home she shared with another (male) bird. She has bonded with me which makes things all good. they live in seperate cages (next to each other). The younger bird (goofball) has taken some issue with the new addition, things I have noticed are diminished diet, and she no longer sleeps in her tent. We're working thru thos issues but other than that, the birds seem to get along as well as you can expect. I think we got really lucky with 2 different aged birds getting 'thrown' together like this (but we're always learning right?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 Hi Brendon and welcome!! I actually thought the same as you and initially we brought 2 Greys from the same clutch home. :-) Both were attracted to us as we visited them every week from the time they were 6 weeks old and let the Greys pick us. There were 2 clutchs born at the same time with 6 total. When it came to time actually choose the "One" Grey to come home with us, we could not leave without both of them as they begged to come! But, after 24 hours, one was not eating and actually lost 50 grams in 24 hours, so we took it back to the breeder to finish weaning. During the next week with our one Grey named "Dayo", we realized how much time just he alone was requiring in feeding and interacting with. It was at that point that we decided to just have one Grey instead of two. It did not have anything to do with being worried about them not becoming as loving or bonded to us as some think could happen. Both were VERY loving to us and both begged to be the one held :-) So we would both hold and interact with one Grey and then switch up after an hour or two so they both received equal time with us. As it turned out, the other Grey fell in love with another family and they purchased it 2 weeks later. So destiny seems to take care of things :-) My long point is, go with your heart and how well the 2 Greys are getting along with you. If they BOTH have chosen you and you have the time and $$$ to take care of them, go for it!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 danmcq wrote: My long point is, go with your heart and how well the 2 Greys are getting along with you. If they BOTH have chosen you and you have the time and $$$ to take care of them, go for it!!! Sounds like good advice from a man who knows his stuff, he has been there done that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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