Hello from Colorado!

[CrowCall]

Hi there! I'm Trinity, a teen with an interest in Greys. I'm really excited to be here, as, although I'm currently petless, I've been toying with the idea of getting another parrot for nearly three years now. At first I really wanted a Grey, but looked into other species, too. After several years of researching and cycling through several species, I have decided that a Grey really just fits the bill for what I would like in a parrot.

In the past, I have owned five fish, four dogs, and a budgie. (Not all at the same time, of course!) I went through the process of rehoming my last dog for a long time a while ago. It was really hard, as I had raised him from eight weeks, but he was a sporting dog to the heart, needed a lot of exercise and a job to do, and we just didn't have a safe area for him to run around in. Mostly for him, I made the difficult choice to give him to a family who had the space and the dedication for a smart, active dog like him. This decision was not made lightly, as I hold a deep love and respect for animals, and am strongly against rehoming unless there is a very good reason, but it would not have been fair to him, me, or any of my family when we did not have the space to keep him active and happy. He was a shelter mix puppy, so it's not like I went out and bought a border collie on impulse, we actually had no idea what the heck he was until he was about four months old. Anyways, I ramble.

I think I am finally ready for another pet, in the next few months, and I figured I may as well join a Grey specific forum if I want to know everything possible about African Greys and their behavior in particular. I'm planning to rescue from Craigslist or a similar site (Very carefully, of course!) instead of purchasing a baby, as I want an adult with an already developed personality, likes, and dislikes, a bird that I know will keep a bond with me. We have a large house with no other pets, and no one in my family is allergic to bird dust. At this point I think they are ready to have a pet in the house again as well. I am still working out the details of what it would take to live with a Grey. I am homeschooled and plan to be up until college, and even with college there are several excellent ones near enough to not require boarding. I'm at home for, on average, 10-12 of the 14 hours a day I'm awake, and, although I have a rather demanding school schedule, I am home for all of it, and a companion to not necessarily be constantly cuddling and petting, but a friend to hang around and talk with, maybe not necessarily with words, during those long hours, would be great.

I do know that Greys tend to be one-person birds, and I'm fine with that. One of the reasons I'm adopting an older bird is to ensure that once I feel a "click", the Grey wouldn't pass me up for one of my family members at adolescence. I wouldn't trust my younger sisters to handle a large parrot without very close supervision, and I doubt my parents will want to do much with it after the first few weeks. Greys appeal to me a lot due to being:

-Smart. I would like an intelligent, interactive companion that would keep surprising me and keep me on my toes.

-Relatively Quiet. My family would never be able to handle the calls of a macaw or cockatoo, but our house is rather quiet, with no noises the bird would be able to learn above our tolerance levels.

-Not Needy. I do know that Greys need a lot of companionship and enrichment, but they aren't needy in terms of being "on you" like a 'Too would. I can't devote hours a day to cuddling with a bird, but I can spend time with the bird, talking with it, just being in the same room as company.

-Talkative. While talking isn't a must, and I would love the Grey nonetheless, I would love to have a bird I can speak with, and even noise mimicking is really cool and entertaining. (I'll probably change my mind the 5,000th time I hear the "doorbell"!)

-Trainable. I love to teach animals, and push the limits of what I can do with positive reinforcement. All of my dogs I trained myself, and even our budgie knew a few tricks! I believe strongly in positive reinforcement, and no animal of mine has ever been hit, yelled at, or even spoken to in a loud voice during training. Although I'm not afraid to break out the "stern but calm mom" voice if I need to grab their attention!

 

It's so nice to meet you all, and I hope to have a companion of my own soon!

[SRSeedBurners]

My only problem with teens getting a Grey is the fact that your life will be a whirlwind of change for the next 10-15 years.   You've probably seen the meme that says stuff like "I'm not a until you go to college bird, I'm not a until you have a kid bird...".   These birds are at the mercy of those who take them in.  So many end up in barns, cages with nothing to do, stuck in garages etc.   

I lost a Grey, that I got as a teen, to a divorce and I'm very lucky that my ex-wife re-homed the Grey to my aunt that still has her.  Greys are a huge commitment, similar to having a child.  I've had both, I put more effort into my Greys, as kids kind of learn to take care of themselves for the most part - and they move out!

 

On the flip side, I have seen several posts on the FB Grey pages of people who have had their Greys since they were teens and even kids when it was their parents bird.   Those are kind of special.  Maybe that could be you.   Think strongly about it.  You have no idea where you're headed at this point....not many of us do at that age.

[Timbersmom]

I agree totally with what SRSeedBurners said. My first thought when I was reading your post was "college dorm rooms and greys probably don't mix." As stated, in my experience an African Grey is similar in commitment level to a child. They are attention hounds. Cost is another thought, since greys are expensive to feed correctly and avian vets are like specialists for people, more costly than a regular vet. When I was a teen, I would not have had the time or the money for a grey.

That said, not everyone is the same, and you have to make your own choices. Good luck!

[neoow]

I got Alfie when I was 17 years old and whilst I don't regret having him at all, I do now think it would have been sensible for me to wait. Life took over as it sometimes does and I found it hard to juggle everything including Alfie at times. I feel like I let him down a lot as my life changed over the years. With the benefit of hindsight, I could have done a lot of things differently and I probably should have waited until I had my own place before getting a bird. I was still living at home when I got Alfie and my family weren't as keen on parrots as I was. However I was home often enough that he got a lot of time out and about. When I moved out I house shared with people who weren't keen on birds either and the layout wasn't suitable. His cage was in the hallway and he didn't get enough attention. I was also limited to when I could have Alfie out at that point due to the housemates being scared of him.

I even went through the agonizing decision about whether or not I was the best person to care for Alfie and whether I should rehome him. However, my housemates decided to move out and that meant I could rearrange the house to better suit Alfie. I got him a bigger cage and spent much more time with him, rebuilding the relationship that had broken down a bit. A few years later I bought my own house and made sure the layout suited Alfie and his needs first. Ever since I have been trying my best to make sure Alfie is cared for properly.

Looking through the points you mentioned in your posts, you should probably be aware of the following:

Whatever age the bird is, it won't necessarily bond to you. Even if your family aren't as involved as you in the day to day care of the bird, he/she may still favour someone else over you. That's not to say you can't have a relationship with the bird- but they may favour a famliy member over you. Alfie has taken a shine to my housemate, despite the fact he's lived with me all his life and my housemate doesn't have a massive amount to do with him. Alfie still follows my housemate everywhere to see what he's doing. I get totally ignored when my housemate enters the room.

Not all grey's talk. Alfie doesn't really talk. He prefers noises and whistles to words. Grey's have a reputation for being the 'best talkers' but that doesn't mean all of them will use words and be able to communicate effectively. Do not assume your bird will be a talker otherwise you may be disappointed.

They can be loud. Yeah sure, maybe not as loud as cockatoo or macaw... but believe me when I say they will pick up the loudest most obnoxious noises and use them with gusto at every available opportunity. 😂 You'll only need to burn toast and set the smoke alarm off once for a grey to learn that it's great way to get a human's attention and use it accordingly. If you want a quiet pet- get a hamster.

Parrots are the equivalent to living with a toddler. Whilst the toddler phase in humans only lasts a few years, the toddler phase in parrots lasts a lifetime. Birds are sensitive, emotional, intelligent and needy. They are fantastic companions but require a lot of work and understanding to give them the best available life.

I'm not saying don't do it or trying to say it's not a good idea (even though some of my post probably comes off as a bit negative). But you have to know what you're getting yourself into before making that decision. Parrots are a commitment for a lifetime, just like a child would be.

[CrowCall]

Thank you all for your input! I do plan to think on it for at least a few more months while I learn and scour rescues, and y'all have given me that much more food for thought. I have a good friend who owns a Grey, although I've never been to her house to meet him, maybe I should see what I could do to visit him and/or pet-sit before I make up my mind about getting one. Most of my Grey experience so far has been babies at my local bird shop, as well as articles and YouTube videos, (Mostly the pro/con ones such as "Are you ready for a parrot?") so it would probably be good to get more "hands on" experience with adults.

My friend would probably also be able to care for the bird for a few weeks, months, or years if something happened, so I could sort my life out. Even at this, I would still try to visit my Grey at least weekly. Overall I have a good network of support, between parents and friends, if something were to happen. My parents are on board with the idea, and are willing to help care-wise and financially.

Again, thank you for all your help and suggestions, and I hope to become an active part of the community here!

 

[neoow]

Someone elsewhere made a good suggestion- see if you can volunteer at some bird rescue centres. This will give you some insight into bird care and what's involved- particularly if you intend to take on a rescue bird yourself. Plus you'll be helping them out which will always be appreciated. They also had the argument of - if you can help clean all of the rescue bird cages then cleaning one cage in your own home regularly will be a dream. 😂

[TheHangryParrot]

Along these lines, I wish I had been more educated before I took in my Ruby. I went to community college living at home to keep her with me. I had my own apartment at university so my parrot could live with me. There can be successes with getting a parrot as a teen, but it's not ideal. 

 

Adam and Ruby