Selecting an African Grey

[bry2623]

Hello everyone, I am new to the forums so please forgive me if this is listed in the wrong place. I have a few questions as I am planning to buy an African Grey within the next year.

 

First of all there is the question of CAG or TAG. Can a few of you tell me which you chose and why.

Male or Female and why?

Do you clip your Grey's wings? Why, or why not?

How did you go about finding a good AG. breeder?

If you had your baby shipped to you did it seem to be a tramatic experiance?

Lastly if you could give one piece of advice, to all new bird owners, what would it be?

Thanks in advance.

[judygram]

The only real differences in Tags versus Cags are the color of the beak and the tail feathers with the Tag being the smaller of the two. I chose the Cag because of their bright red tail and black beak.

 

I have a female but I didn't chose her because she was a she, I already had a deposit on her and she turned out to be female but I would have took it anyway if it was a male, didn't matter to me.

 

I do not clip my grey's wings but hers were clipped when she was fledging and I am allowing them to grow out, they are birds after all and birds are meant to fly, they make more confident parrots that way.

 

I already knew someone to get my grey from but we have many members here who can recommend good breeders and there are websites you can go to look for breeders in your area.

 

I personally would be a little leary of shipping live birds but there are members here who have purchased greys that were shipped to them but a new baby grey will be going into a new environment anyways when going to a new home so one more thing won't much matter.

[Partner316]

I purchased a TAG not that long ago, the reason why? We bonded pretty quickly and he always was overjoyed to see me when I came in to see him.

 

I am not sure what sex Partner is, but I will know in a few weeks. If he is a male, greyt! If she is a female, greyt! Either way I love Partner to death.

 

When I purchased Partner his wings were already clipped so I didn't really have a choice. But when they grow back in I'm not going to have them clipped. Like Judy said, they are birds and they are meant to fly and it makes a more confident parrot and companion.

 

I really don't like the idea of shipping any live animals. I think it would be very stressful for them.

 

And for advice, be prepared for a lifetime of cleaning , and making your parrot happy. But most important, just enjoy the time with your bird and grow with them, the experiences you will share will be very rewarding.

 

-Nick-

[she]

I intended to get a grey from a good breader after many conversations with an avian vet and breader.In the end Charlie came to me after a couple could no longer cope with him.It was pure chance and I just new when I met him that he was mine.I knew very little about Charlie and was told he was 7 months old.I was lucky and he is a fantastic bird.I was not bothered about choosing a male or female but Charlie is a male.He had his wings clipped when I got him but is fully flighted now.Flighted birds are more work but they are so much happier and content.One piece of advice I would give any future grey owner Is to do as much research as they can before taking the plunge.The rewards are priceless but they are very hard work and not the pet for everyone.

[CarolandFamily]

I have found a excellent breeder in Cali, My babies came home last night from Cali and flew into CT and they did AMAZING!

 

My birds are NOT clipped because I wanted them to be more confident as well as fully developed. I have twins lol so I have a boy and a girl. Our girl is very much independent already and our boy is a snuggle bunny.

 

We have two CAG.. Good luck

[Christina]

I have a TAG. I can't really comment on the differences as I have never owned a CAG, but from what I can see and what I've read, you have the obvious physcial differences and beyond that it just comes down to the individual bird and their own personality. The same for male/female. Most people don't even know what they have until they DNA test after they have their bird. So, that doesn't make any difference either. Which bird appeals to you more, the darker/smaller bird, or the larger/lighter bird? I just liked the smaller bird, that is how I decided on a TAG. I think TAG's are less expensive as well. Research to find a good breeder and talk to people, there are lots of people here who would recommend their breeder. I found Finnigan, my TAG, at a bird show. She was clipped when I got her, but she is fully flighted now. My personal opinion is that it's better mentally for the bird and physically, she gets lots of exercise flying around. Advice for a new bird owner, it's a huge commitment. If you don't have the time or you don't want to clean bird crap off your furnture and floors every single freaking day, most of the time two or three times a day don't do it. They depend on you mentally to be a part of the flock, you need to be there, if you have a busy schedule and can't be there, don't get a bird. I'm not saying you can't go on vacation or if you plan to the go to the beach or wherever for the day, you can't do it, but birds needs more time and attention than a dog or cat, so be ready to have a two year old in your house for the next 50 years...and if you can picture that, then go for it. Good Luck!

[judygram]

Two websites to look for breeders by state is:

 

www.avianbiotech.com

 

www.birdbreeders.com

[Dave007]

"""""Lastly if you could give one piece of advice, to all new bird owners, what would it be?"""""--------( potentially new bird owners)

 

Don't buy any parrot if your main interest and desire is to get a parrot just because it's supposed to talk.

 

Many people do that and those people are disappointed. All parrots talk all day long. It's a person's job and desire to learn what the parrot is saying that's most important and satisfying.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/05/22 16:51

[bry2623]

Wow thanks everyone for your information. I am sorry that it has taken me so long to get back to this thread however I am still trying to learn this web site. I don't mind having a two to three year old baby on my hands in fact I like it. That is a good deal of the reason I began looking into Greys in the first place. As a stay at home parent I will be spending most of my day alone when the kids go back to school I thought a parrot would be a nice family addition.

[Tycos_mom]

They are awesome but they need a lot of care and attention. at least 4or 5 hours of out of cage time daily and another 1or2 hours of your undivided one on one attention daily they are very messy and destructive. Toy are a must and lots of them so they don't get bored and start eating yur house altough they may eat your house anyway. if you don't mind a little bird poop here and there and everywhere even on you then. you may be the kind of person who might like a parrot for a companion they are not for everyone but if you can live with what might be and you can afford one because they are very expensive to keep then you might just be a parrot person and if you are then the rewards will far out weigh the bad. the joy and laughter of haveing a well adjusted happy parrot in your home is something very special indeed