madisimmons Posted May 10, 2008 Share Posted May 10, 2008 Hi everyone, I'm planning on adopting an African Grey in two weeks. She is suppose to about a year and a half old and her owner died about a month ago. I have never owned an African Grey before but have been reading like crazy. I decide to join the forum to get ready for the new addition to the forum and learn as much more as I can before she comes home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyGreys Posted May 10, 2008 Share Posted May 10, 2008 Hi madisimmons & Welcome to the forum.There is many topics for you to read through, if you are unable to find answers to a certain question then just post a new topic & are members will endeavour to help as much as we can Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted May 10, 2008 Share Posted May 10, 2008 Hello Madisimmons and welcome to the family, so glad you have decided to join us and we look forward to hearing more about you and this new grey you plan to get. If you have never owned a parrot much less a grey then you need to do as much reading as you possible can. We have a couple of threads with some wonderful books on greys that would make for some good reading material. Please read thru the many threads for lots of useful and helpful information and do ask questions you may have and we will do our best to get you some answers and help you in any way we can. When you do bring this grey home or whenever you can if you would share some pictures with us we would love to see her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 10, 2008 Share Posted May 10, 2008 Hi Madisimmons welcome here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted May 10, 2008 Share Posted May 10, 2008 Welcome madisimmons !!! It's great to have you here. You have come to the right place for tons of information on Greys and also many members more than willing to help with any questions you may have. Looking forward to hearing more from you. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandra902 Posted May 10, 2008 Share Posted May 10, 2008 hello and welcome aboard! thank you for taking in your little sweetie. i too am am adoptive parront and it has its joys and sorrows. there is a lot of really good info here on the boards and lots of helpful people who can walk you through the steps your birdy will be making in adjusting to her new home and mamma. merlin has been home since october and progress is s-l-o-w-w-w but every day brings a new little treat of some sort from him. we certainly have had to change our thinking from kat and dog time over to parrot time which is more eternal than immediate. do you get to visit your birdy right now? tell us more about your family - pets? children? our children are grown and we have 2 katz and one dog. even though merlin was meant to be my birdy, he has taken a real liking to big daddy. that does not disappoint me at all in fact i am relieved that he likes somebody. he treats me like i'm the devil's daughter mostly but it is not all bad. he likes to interact with me fron a distance. we have our little games that we play together and he supervises toy-making time. but enough about me! we really want to hear all about you and your big day fast approaching! whereabouts do you live? i am in the midwest between milwaukee and chicago. merlin says 'oodle' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madisimmons Posted May 10, 2008 Author Share Posted May 10, 2008 Hi, and thanks for the welcome. I have two kids 10 and 12 and a 10 month old boxer named Tuffy. Tuffy is the sweetest dog I have ever met, I think if someone was attacking he would probably be licking thier feet while they were doing it. Not a mean bone is his body. I have been researching African Greys online for about a month or so, I am just intrigued with them, they are so beautiful and smart. The kids and I went to a pet store Yesterday to just mess around and kill some time. I had no idea they had exotic birds much less African Grey's. While we were there I talked to the man who cared for them, and he told me about one he got about a month ago. She is 1 1/2, her owner died about a month ago (a female). The guy who is taking care of her said she hasn't talked much. He said the lady may have not worked with her very much. Do all African Grey's talk a lot? From what I've read I haven't heard of any not talking. I thought this may be because she is depressed or maybe she didn't want to talk around other people, or she wasn't worked with very much. She has a few tail feathers missing, the care taker said he thinks the cage she was in was to small and the bird would hit her tail feathers on the cage. My first thought was feather picking but it doesn't look to bad. You know you really can't trust someone who is trying to sell birds in a pet store, I can't anyway. He also told me the bird has never bitten him which to me is a good sign. She stepped up for me from inside her cage and stepped up for my nephew, but got a little nippy with me after about 30 minutes. She let me pet her on the head, but a little weary of course, at the end I thought she was going to get me. I'm sure it has something to do with people coming in all day long poking at them through the cages. The man told me he thinks once she is back in a good home that she will be just fine. I have a really nice cage and toys, etc already to make a bird a wonderful home. How much is too much to pay for 'adopting' an African Grey? Should I get a guarantee with it? It is a pet store???? Should it be vet checked first? She cost $600, and I am just leary about paying so much money and not getting a guarantee that she is at least well. I would be heart broke to get attached and have something seriously wrong with her. I just lost a quaker, tragically, not long ago. The African Grey is a little on the thin side, or weighs less than the 8 month old babies they have. I assume she is fine or the man wouldn't have her right there with all his other birds. I figure it has something to do with her owner dying and being in a different environment. If I sound like I am rambling, so sorry, I am thinking as I type. If she is still there in two weeks I will get her, if not, it must not have been meant to be. Post edited by: madisimmons, at: 2008/05/10 17:56<br><br>Post edited by: madisimmons, at: 2008/05/10 17:59 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyric Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 Hi Madisimmons- Don't worry about your rambling, sounds like you have lots of questions, well-founded and need some good advice. You are right to be wary and question the intentions of the pet store owner. I don't think $600 sounds bad for an adoption fee for the bird but that is if she is in good health. I would definitely take her to a vet right off after you get her. I would think the store would give some kind of guarantee but I guess it really depends on what the stores policies are. It sounds like you were able to handle her with no problems and this is definitely a good step in the right direction. She has been through a lot in the last few months and will need some time to adjust to all the changes. She is probably mourning the loss of her previous owner and wonders what is happening in her life. Not all greys talk and not all talk a lot. Mine is more vocal when happy and relaxed- I'm sure she will warm up to you if you decide to give her a good home. Also, I wouldn't worry too much about the missing tail feathers, they can be easily broken off if the bird gets scared and thrashes around in their cage. Best of luck in your decision! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madisimmons Posted May 17, 2008 Author Share Posted May 17, 2008 Thanks Lyric, I adopted her "sammie" last weekend. She is doing good except for the misting she absolutely hates. Took her to the vet and they said she was fine. She is down to two tail feathers. The vet said the same thing you did.. If they get damaged they will pull them out, and her tail feathers did have stress lines across them. Cant wait for them to grow back in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted May 17, 2008 Share Posted May 17, 2008 Kim, I just bet in time she will adjust to her new home and regrow those feathers and everything will be just fine. So glad to hear she had a clean bill of health from the vet, that is always reassuring when adopting. If you have some pictures of her you would like to share with us we would love to see her and is her name Sammie? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted May 17, 2008 Share Posted May 17, 2008 It's great to hear you purchased the Grey and now have him/her in a loving home that will watch over him as a child of their own. Congratulations on having your first Grey and the beginning of a wonderful life long relationship. Looking forward to hearing more and seeing photos when you get a chance. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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