Anxiously awaiting our Grey

[LaceyGrey]

I have wanted an African Grey for several years and am finally getting one as a b-day gift from my husband! Couldn't be more excited! We don't have any birds and this will be my only experience with a bird. Hope I'm not jumping off the deep end with a grey but I've been preparing with books, ect. This forum seems to be a wonderful resource! Any advice would be more than welcome. I will post pics when she arrives. Her name is Lacey Grey.

 

Erica

[Guest]

Hi Lacey Grey, welcome here

When is your birthday? Will she be coming home then?

[danmcq]

Welcome Erica!!!

 

Happy Birthday and congratulations on getting your first CAG. Looking forward to hearing more as this wonderful news progresses. :-)

[Talon]

Welcome Erica to our family! You will learn so much here. Just read as much as you can in the various rooms. It will help you prepare for that wonderfully exciting day coming soon. I look forward to hearing more from you!

[slmclean]

welcome erica.

[judygram]

Hello Erica and welcome to the family, so glad you could join us and we look forward to hearing more about you and this new grey.

 

What a wonderful birthday gift, your husband is so sweet to give you what you have been wanting for so long. Now you need to do some researching and reading to find out all you can before you bring this grey home especially since this is your first bird, and you came to the right place for knowledge.

 

Take some time and read thru the many threads for lots of useful information, you didn't say whether you were getting a baby or an older bird but do ask any and all questions you may have. We have a nursery room where you can find out about the baby greys if that is what you are getting if not the other rooms will probably have some of the answers you are looking for.

 

Whether you get a baby or older grey we will do our best to help you in any way we can, just let us know what you need.

 

I anxiously await pictures of Lacey Grey when you get the chance to share them with us.

[casper]

Hi Erica and welcome to the forum. What a lovely name you have chosen for your grey. My daughter is called Casey but we nicknamed her Lasey, different spelling but reminds of her just the same! Hope you enjoy it here. Caroline:)

[Lyric]

Welcome Erica- we're glad you've joined us. You must be so excited about bringing home your grey. They really are special birds and you will find in time that you can form a very deep bond with an african grey. I really love the name Lacey Grey too, that is really pretty and unique.

[LaceyGrey]

Thank you everyone for welcoming me! My little Lacey Grey will arrive next week from the breeder. She is a fully weaned baby. It seems I am fully consumed with her already! I suddenly remember what it feels like to be 5 and awaiting Santa's arrival! This time Santa's sleigh will be in the form of an Alaska Airlines Jet bringing her from her birthplace in California to her new home in Alaska. Her cage and stands are all ready to go with too many toys to fit so she has a large box of "spare" toys. I have made and frozen a bunch of bird muffins and have bought more food than I know what to do with. Is it possible to spoil a bird you've never seen? Yep!

 

Again, thanks for the wonderful welcome! I'll post pics when she arrives.

 

Erica:)

[pearllyn]

Hi Erica. Your story sounds a lot like mine! I've wanted and African Grey for years - 15 that I can remember, and I recently found myself in the position to finally get one! Me too, in at the deep end, first parrot and all, but I did all my homework, took any advice I could get and took the plunge! Alfie came home on May 3rd 12 weeks old, and he's settled in beautifully, I could hardly believe he's taken to us so well! Anyway, Have fun with your baby, I look forward to hearing how you get on with her!

Lyn.

[LaceyGrey]

Thanks Lyn! I read an article in Reader's Digest probably about 10 years ago about a woman with an African Grey and have wanted one ever since. I had never heard of a Grey prior to that. How were the first few days with him? I'm so excited about her arrival but afraid that once she gets here I'll just sort of stare at her, clueless as to what to do with this grey feathered thing in front of me! I read that it is common for them to go thru a grieving period for a few days. Did that happen with Alfie? If so, how long. Did you hold him a lot in the first couple of days? Did he lose weight initially? Anything ya got would be helpful! Nice to find a kindred soul!

Erica

[dp1981]

Hi Erica

I was the same as you a few weeks back waiting till the day to have your little baby home, It was just like christmas i even went to be early so it would come quicker haha.

We have had our Mickey for just over a week now and i dont know how it would be with out him.

He settled in really well the first day we let him just relax in his home till the kids were in bed and then let him out... He loved it and didnt have a care in the world.

Im sure that Mickey hasnt lost any weight since hes been here, I havent seen any signs of him being upset at all.

I hope the time flys past for you

[danmcq]

pearllyn wrote:

Hi Erica. Your story sounds a lot like mine! I've wanted and African Grey for years - 15 that I can remember, and I recently found myself in the position to finally get one! Me too, in at the deep end, first parrot and all, but I did all my homework, took any advice I could get and took the plunge! Alfie came home on May 3rd 12 weeks old, and he's settled in beautifully, I could hardly believe he's taken to us so well! Anyway, Have fun with your baby, I look forward to hearing how you get on with her!

Lyn.

 

Welcome Lyn and Alfie!!

 

It's GreYt to have you here. Alfie sounds like the joy of your life and a well settled in Boy. :-)

 

Why don't you introduce yourself in the welcome room so other Forum members will realize we have a new member.

 

Looking forward to hearing more from you and seeing photos of Alfie. :-)

[pearllyn]

Thanks, DanMcQ, for a nice welcome - I will go to the welcome room and introduce ourselves properly!

[pearllyn]

Hi Erica.

Wow, you have waited a long time too then!

One of the biggest things I had to consider when I was thinking about getting a parrot, was that my fiance had a huge bird phobia, stemming from childhood, but we made kind of a deal and he said he would try really hard to get over it, which he did do within the first sort of week, which I think had a lot to do with Alfie initialy preferring David to me! Anyhow, when we did make the decision to go ahead a called the breeder to say if he had any babies ready and he said yes, so we travelled down on the sunday, just really to have a look and put a deposit on one, although I had my cage already, it still needed furnished, so we intended to bring baby home the following tuesday, which the breeder said would problably suit fine as the babies would be cmpletey onto solid diet by then too.

Tuesday morning came and I was sooooo excited to call and say we were on out way, but was told best to leave it till the weekend as they were still getting their baby food. Let me tell you that was the longest week EVER!

Anyway, we brought him home, he travelled really well, settled in pretty much from the word go, we certainly never saw him pine, even though we half looked for it. He was stepping up on comand within a couple of days, and flying to hand within the week!

Although I never weighed him, he never looked like he lost wight either, in fact, every time mum visits she says "my hasn't he grown?" He's certainly beefing out all the time! As for handling him, we pretty much left him to it for the first 24 hours, talking to him of course, but tried to keep hands off to give him time to settle. but like I say, he was stepping up by the sunday night, and pretty much he was asking to be out by then, so really we followed his lead initially, allthough we didn't do that for much more than a week because he was dictating when he wanted out! So after a while, we didn't bring him out when he was asking, rather we waited until he stopped asking then rewarded him with out. Pretty much I'm training him like I've trained my dogs and so far it's the same! He's trying like a bear to talk, picks up whistles very quickly, and I've heard the makings of "clever boy" a few times.

He also potty trained prety quickly, although we do have one or two "accidents" now and again, but I have to keep reminding myself that he is really just a baby, because he just looks like an adult bird!

Sorry to go on (and on) a bit, but it's nice to talk to someone as nuts about parrots a me! It's like when I first started taking him out with his harness, the first time he flapped off my hand but flew back to me before he got to the end of the line, I was like Woo hoo!, and when I told David he said "thats nice" !!

Any way, I've rattled on for long enough. Don't worry too much about doing the "right" thing when you get your baby home, common sense will prevail, and you'll feel instinctively was is right! Have you any other animals?

Have fun and let us know how you come on.

Lyn x