Silentheaven Posted April 22, 2007 Share Posted April 22, 2007 hey hey everyone. I looking to get an african grey congo but my only concern is that i work monday through saturday from 8-5. I seldom leave the house so anytime from about 5:30-12ish would be spent with the grey. would this be sufficient enough to raise it in good health? any other tips would be awesome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave007 Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 Leaving a grey alone all day isn't a good idea. Many habits can be formed and if those habits are allowed to develop, they can become permanent. Greys need time out of the cage every day. Buying a grey and then leaving it alone all day isn't the way to develop a good bond. In the beginning a grey needs to become familiar with people, surroundings, people's habits etc. Many of those day time things aren't done at night cause the grey has to go to sleep sometime. If there was someone else at home all day then you would have less problems. Think about getting a parrot that does very well in a cage all day. True, there are people that have had luck but they're in the minority. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Monique Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 Hi. I thought I posted an answer already so if it comes up duplicate later it's some sort of fluke . We have owned birds for over 10 years and both work outside the home around 8-5 Monday through Friday. Our birds are just fine. You must give them attention playing with them, training them, spending time with them in the a.m. and in the evening every single day. I know a ton of people who work full-time and have successfully kept parrots long-term. However, there are a lot of people who do get parrots, not having them before and not having done their research do not realize the commitment as a whole and for that reason it does not end up to be a good situation. So, do make sure you do lots of research, buy a few good books, stay on boards on-line, and talk to breeders and you will be just fine!! Think ahead to the future. Do you foresee any life changes in the next 5 or 10 years that would affect your ability to be able to spend this time with your bird on a regular basis? Hopefully they live much longer than that but none of us has a crystal ball to the end of eternity and what we will be doing but do think of what your goals are and make sure they will be consistent with being able to continue to care for your parrot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sashagirl Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 Mr Spock is right Parrots need a lot of interaction do you really want to get a parrot and then leave it alone for such a long time.They need their time to sleep at least 12 hours a day.And the interaction with people is very important and if they don't have that they can start plucking or other bad habits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estream Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 Aloha Silent, Hmmm, tough one. It seems to me all this depends on the individual person and the individual bird, which squelches easy predicitions. I respectfully suggest asking yourself all the important questions. Why a grey? What do you hope to learn from and bring to the relationship? What level of commitment is realistic for you? A grey is like a toddler - no matter how tired you are after work, how sick you are with a cold, how broken your ankle is after a fall - they still need your focus if you are to have a healthy and meaningful relationship. Their intelligence is tempered with great sensitivity - and occasional neurosis :-) If all this doesn't raise a single doubt in you - I caution you to reconsider. If all this raises healthy doubt and some measure of nerves mixed in with immeasurable love for the potential of life with a grey - I wish you well! And suggest getting some disney dvds to loop for your baby while you're away lol :-) Chloe digs them :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silentheaven Posted April 23, 2007 Author Share Posted April 23, 2007 Would you say that a Timneh is better in this situation? I heard they do not develope problems as a Congo does. Is this true? And thanks everyone for their input! Its greaty appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estream Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 Hmmm, some say timnehs are less sensitive, a bit more easy going, but my experience has been that greys differ in personality as much as people do. My mother's TAG is far more emotional and beaky than my CAG. I would suggest focus on the individual grey - meet with a few and see how you feel as far as temperment goes. Avoid limiting yourself, go by feel - You'll know your bird when you find him/her :-) I look forward to hearing how things go for you :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Monique Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 Timnehs are known to be a little bit more laid back than the Congos. I don't think that itself would make any difference in your situation. I would just go with whichever species you like better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caspersmum Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 I'd go along with what estream and monique say. It's really great that you've not just leapt in and bought a parrot without considering it, which I think is probably a good indication that you're well suited for the job of parrot parenthood! Like monique, I'm out of the house for much of the day, but I make sure that when I am at home Casper gets lots of attention, and he's a very well adjusted parrot. You say that you're available for parroty play from 5 til 12, but one thing you really need to think about is if you can sustain that sort of time around your bird in the long term. I'm sure I read somewhere that birds need about 3 hours of company per day. But if you believe you can sustain that then definitely go for it. Having a parrot as a flat-mate is incredibly rewarding - not least because you can pretend you're talking to your bird when you're talking to yourself! Let us know how you get on, Julia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silentheaven Posted April 24, 2007 Author Share Posted April 24, 2007 Cool, i think i know what i must do now. I also forgot to mention that my grandma is home all day and loves birds so its not like the grey will be alone while i am at work. i know my grandma will love to be in company of it. Also planning on making some tapes and leaving the radio on all day while i am gone to help. Again, thanks everyone for the tips. much appreciated! :side: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 25, 2007 Share Posted April 25, 2007 Silentheaven, welcome to this forum and I hope you will enjoy from our company You have a granny at home that loves birds so he will NOT be alone all day. That's a MAJOR difference from being alone all day, you know that? TV playing all day will help as well, as long as he doesn't feel alone. The time outside of his cage can be spent between the time you get home till you go to sleep, usually 3 hours minimum is recommended so you, with your 8 till 12 o'clock is well within that timeframe for making him feel OK. Whatever bird you chose, good luck with it - remember, it's all about patience B) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silentheaven Posted April 25, 2007 Author Share Posted April 25, 2007 Thanks! im lovin it here. already have a cage ready. the baby should be weaned by early june. which gives me a month to read as much as i can. cant wait! ill be taking pics when it all goes through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 25, 2007 Share Posted April 25, 2007 Good I'm looking forward to you sharing those photos with us Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARIR Posted April 25, 2007 Share Posted April 25, 2007 Gee..I guess if anyone that had to work didn't own an animal, wether it be a bird, cat or dog, we be very lonely as human beings. I work 7-330, M-F, and my animals are very happy. I get up around 5am and feed play and socialize with everyone...come home and socialize, feed the brood and eat dinner while they eat. Then we get the birds out again and play until bed time at 9 or 10. Then it's bedtime and I cover the cage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreyMiester Posted April 26, 2007 Share Posted April 26, 2007 3 to 4 hours interaction a day is fine. My breeder warned not to give it more attention than you can provide, in other words, you don't want to give it 6 hours attention and then drop to 3 hours, your bird will, not understand. Birds need plenty of interaction and attention; however, one does not need to quit their job to smother their bird with all kinds of attention.<br><br>Post edited by: TheGreyMiester, at: 2007/04/25 23:38 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 26, 2007 Share Posted April 26, 2007 In the meanwhile leaving either radio or tv on seems like good 'companion' no? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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