How Much Time Should Be Spent?

[Quickdood]

Hello,

 

I am thinking of getting an African Grey soon, I have done lots of research and I am very excited about getting one. There is only one thing I am worried about and that is giving my Grey enough time. I usually leave my house for work around 7:30 AM and I don't get back to about 6:30pm. This means that my Grey will be alone for about 11 hours a day during the week days. When I get home I plan to spend a lot of time with it but will my hours working be too much time away from my Grey? I would appreciate any input because I want to be a good parrot owner and raise a well balanced bird.

 

Thanks,

Greg

[Lyric]

Hi Greg and welcome to the forum. Lots of us also work and greys will adapt to your schedule. If you plan to give him several hours out every night he should be fine. I leave a tv on for my grey to entertain him while I'm away. He gets to watch the kiddie shows on public television, like sesame street. I'm glad you are doing your research and thinking about the best interest of the bird.

You may want to get up a little earlier than usual and have breakfast with your grey too- they really do enjoy time out with their people.<br><br>Post edited by: Lyric, at: 2008/08/14 20:28

[Quickdood]

Thank you for responding so quickly. I am very happy to hear that a grey can adapt to the owner's schedule, and the TV idea is great, I am sure they will learn a lot of interesting sounds from watching TV all day. Thanks again for responding.

[M2MM]

Welcome!

 

The only real drawback I can see is that Greys need about 12 hours of sleep, so this only leaves you about an hour to interact with your Grey. I assume that you are away for 11 hours due, in part, to a long commute.

 

What are your weekends like? Greys need a fair amount of attention, so will you be able to give him more time on the weekend?

 

Glad you're doing your research in advance. Good on you! B)

[Quickdood]

Yeah, I have an hour commute each way and 9 hours typically in the office. My weekends are free though and I would definitely spend a ton of time with it then. Thanks for the response.

[Quickdood]

Oh, real quick question, do those 12 hours of sleep tend to be done in one sitting or is there a chance it may take an afternoon nap?

[Suzzique]

Alex doesn't sleep anywhere near 12 hours. He is already up and chriping at me by 7am. Then we put him to bed at 9pm but I know that he plays in his cage with the cover on until after 10. He does nap once in a while durning the day. He is very seldomly grumpy. I leave the raido on when no one is home.

[Quickdood]

Thanks, for the info. I was reading a few other post on sleeping and many people have birds who sleep less than 12 hours.

[M2MM]

Quickdood wrote:

Oh, real quick question, do those 12 hours of sleep tend to be done in one sitting or is there a chance it may take an afternoon nap?

 

I can only answer from my own experience, but Kumiko (a Timneh African Grey) gets a minimum of 12 hours in his covered sleeping cage. He will typically only take very short cat naps, but that's probably due to the fact that he gets a full night's sleep.

 

If yours doesn't get a full 12 hours in one go, then he will probably make good use of his quiet days and take naps. Birds do adapt, but we mustn't expect too much from them. <br><br>Post edited by: M2MM, at: 2008/08/14 23:07

[Mistyparrot]

Hello Greg.

I don't agree with the idea of leaving a Grey on his own for 11 hours a day. They are social animals and need the stimulation of company to help them develop.

Radio and tv are a poor substitute. Even toys, although an important stimulation for them are not a proper substitute. Don't be surprised if he starts plucking.

Researchers equate Greys to a five year old human child in terms of intelligence and ability to learn. However it is misleading to use human comparisons because in many ways their intelligence is quite different. In their normal environment they are capable of learning things from their peers and making judgments that a five year old human could not. Greys are acutely aware of every thing that is happening around them but if they lack stimulation they will develop psychological problems.

Would you think it OK to leave five year old human on its own for 11 hours a day?

You might consider getting a companion bird but you can never assume that two birds will automatically bond so they would need separate cages.

I am fortunate because I am able to spend most of the day with Misty and he will tolerate being left on his own on occasion but 12 hours would be my limit.

Misty spends all day out of his cage and uses it only for sleeping at bed time.

I find it very much like living with a toddler including the wonder of watching him pick up on new things. He asks “can I come out” in the morning if I am a bit slow and to tell me when its “bed time” at night. The only time he is put in his cage during the day is when he has been “bad” ie nipping my ear to hard to gain my attention. I put him in and he will say “be good boy” “no biting” and “can I come out” I let him out

after at most a couple of minutes. This doesn't happen often as I can usually spot the warning signs.

I have learnt not to scrape burnt toast with him on my shoulder! He watches what I do and will some times comment on things in ways that demonstrates that he notes my descriptions of what I am doing. I don’t make any effort to teach him these things. He works them out for himself. The point I am trying to make is that these are complex and intelligent

“persons” for them to be left on their own for extended periods every day would be unkind.

You also need to think of your own social life when you are not working because that will obviously eat into your already limited parrot time. You might be better off waiting until you have a parrot friendly companion to share the responsibility

or are able to work from home. Remember these birds really are for life and unlike human kids they never grow up to become independent in the same way.

Think carefully before you take the plunge.

 

Steve n Misty<br><br>Post edited by: Mistyparrot, at: 2008/08/15 03:55

[Quickdood]

Wow thanks for the response, very detailed and I appreciate the fankness. I will take this into account when making my decision.<br><br>Post edited by: Quickdood, at: 2008/08/15 04:41