visting a grey to buy, what to look for?

[rayyan]

i went the other day too see a 30 week old african grey baby, i was not from the breeder it was bought from the breeder by the woman who was selling it (if u get me!) she said she was selling her as she didnt have enough time for her. and from what she told me she had an eclectus b4 and it bit her son so she sold it and her aunt has 2 greys, u wud think she would know if she had time for it or not.

 

she advertised her as silly tame, when i went to see her she was growling and actually bit me, she had her wings clipped and landed twice on the floor with a very loud bang as it was laminate flooring,

 

anyway i know i was a stranger but everywhere i look on the internet they say when u go o see a bird make sure its friendly to you.

 

she wasnt particually "silly tame" with the owner, she let her stroke her and pet her once she was out the cage but in the cage she growled.

 

it wud be nice to hear opinions on this as my george is semi tame and he has never ever growled at me or anyone that has visited me. (i know each bird is different)

 

 

i didnt buy her in the end

 

what should the criteria b for buying a grey?

[Jon94]

Baby greys SHOULD NOT have their wings clipped, you shouldnt clip wings unless you HAVE too. Also the lady wouldnt buy a grey without thinking if she had time on her hands so there must be an issue with the bird. My advice look for a different bird.

[PrettyPax]

SO, this bird is less than a year (7 months) and already has clipped wings. Poor baby!!

Maybe you could rescue her? I wouldn't be too alarmed about the growling. The bird was probably stressed, and some birds growl when they meet new people.

[rayyan]

yes i would have loved to rescue her, but i am worried as im not that experianced maybe i would damage her more

 

18 weeks isn't long to have a baby bird.

[rayyan]

well this is exactly my point!

 

the bird looked scruffy its red tail was black round the edge i pressume from having to walk round the floor but the feathers looked scruffy if u know what i mean.

 

i wasnt too happy to see the wings were clipped, especially on a baby, u wouldnt think a "silly tame" grey would need to have its wings clipped.

 

i felt sorry for the bird,

[Azzie]

When I first visited Cleo at her breeder she growled at me, and was in a crouching stance with her beak open, so obviously not happy with me being there, and definitely not friendly.

 

It took three days for a small amount of trust to be established, where she would no longer come running at me and lunge to bite. I still ended up with a few small chunks of flesh ripped from my hands though in the days following, just to back up what PrettyPax said.

 

Now, a month on, Cleo lets me touch her anywhere and everywhere on her body, and she flies over when called. She still likes to lunge for my nose and clamp on, but given the way she looks at me after I think she is pushing limits to see what she can get away with.

 

Cleo's tail is also scruffy. The edges look like they've been nibbled on, but I've never seen her do it.

 

Maybe you could ask the seller if you can have the bird at home for a week or so, and see how you both get on before making a decision to buy or not? Perhaps once this baby realises you mean no harm and will actually spend time with him/her, baby might settle down.

[rayyan]

azzie was she sold to u as tame?

[rayyan]

just an up date, i have now got milo when he came to me at 11 weeks he had feathes but they were not loads like now (hes 14 weeks),

 

i was thinking back to this little grey i went to see b4 was supposidly 30 weeks, and she looked more like milo when i first had him, she was also un rung and reading some of the posts on clipping i realise the girl must have done it herself as the bird dropped like a rock no gliding or even drifting just banging.

 

and i didnt want her the girl said that a breeder might not sell me one as i didnt know anything about them, i still feel sorry for her snd wished i could have helped her. i hope she went to a nice home.

 

i dont believe she was 30 weeks thats 7 1/2 months. she was either younger than the girl said or in really bad condition.