Parrot Sitting Offered

I am new to this forum and do not yet have a parrot, but would like to get an African Gray, based on my experiences with a bird owned by a friend while I was growing up. Many years ago we had a small Quaker parrot for a year or so, who was very sweet, but we had small children and he quickly learned to scream, cry and ring like the phone, and we decided it was not the right time for a parrot in our lives. Now our children are older or gone (youngest is 10) and I want to get the African gray that I always wanted. My husband and I both work from home (I run a horse boarding operation from our farm) and I think we offer the ideal environment for a gray. However, my husband is leery from the previous time with our Quaker. My solution is that I would like to "parrot sit" for someone with a gray while they are on vacation and see how a bird works in our lives. Preferably a month or so so that the bird would be able to settle in with us and not just be a nervous wreck about the change in scene. We are in Columbia County, New York, near Albany, the Berkshires and Connecticut. Does anyone have any suggestions about how I could get the word out, or any words of caution concerning my idea? Many thanks, Katherine

Maybe check with some of the rescues in your area and see about fostering a bird.

Welcome Katherine I hope you find lots of good information here ( I have ). Like henpecked say's in his post check with some parrot rescues in your area, their are plenty of birds in need of a good home and I find personally it is more rewarding to give a home to someone in need.

Do you know of any parrot rescues in my area (upper Hudson Valley, NY)?

The problem I have found with rescue centers at least in my area anyway is that birds don't last long enough there for someone to realize that there is one there. Bird flippers are very prevelant here in central Florida. I don't have a major problem with bird flippers, they usually serve a purpose such as getting a recued bird, which has been unsocialized due to owners not realizing what they are getting into and leaving the bird set in it's cage for months or years on end.

The couple of bird flippers that I have seen actually work very hard with the birds and get re-socialized and tame them quite a bit before re-selling them. Some are even picky about who purchases their birds and requires a home visit and so on.

But I think if you really want a bird, do your research. A lot of the bigger parrots can be noisy and a might scary if you don't know what your doing and haven't hand raised them. Why not start off smaller like a Cockatiel or a Senegal. Senegal's are known for being one of the quieter birds on the market. You can start by reading the forums here.

Just please don't get a bird and do like some many folks do and start out with a hand tamed bird not realizing the time required for them like one to two hours daily to keep them socialized and wind up leaving them stuck in their cage only to turn wild and aggressive.

Mike

Good luck with your search, just remember, parrots like a LONG LONG time if well cared for and it requires a life long commitment that most just don't think about.

I am going to put my honest input here and say that if you had a problem with a quaker before you will most likely find a problem with any other bird. Birds are loud, noisy & messy. You must come in to the situation knowing that. I've had two other birds before Bella, my Hahn's macaw, and I only purchased Bella because I knew I could provide the love and care she deserved. I had been looking into getting an Umbrella Cockatoo and decided that it definitely was not the right time in my life to buy one & I am very happy with that decision. Talking birds will most likely repeat everything you say. Especially an African Grey. For example, my phone rings and Bella sits in her cage saying "Hello!Hello!Hello!" until I answer it. African Greys have the largest vocabulary and are great at mimicry. Also, another thing to be aware of is there morning and night callings. Depending on the season Bella will send her call out when the sun comes up and then when it goes down she does it again. This call is basically her yelling at the top of her lungs for 5 minutes every single morning and every single night. Sometimes she throws it in midday just for fun. Birds are also very messy. No matter how hard I try to keep Bella's cage area "neat" it is almost always messy. She flips sees/pellets out of her bowl like a madwoman while getting food. Birds also need a ton of time outside of their cages everyday. With an African Grey you need to be able to devote ATLEAST 3-4 hours per day to them including cleaning their cages (trays, changing newspaper, changing food/water bowls), spending time with them and letting them enjoy time outside of their cage. Birds are also very costly. Bella's cage ran me around $300 I pay about $50-$100 a month for food & toys and anything else she needs. Vet visits are extremely expensive too but I do it because I want the absolute best vet care for her. Honestly I say these things not to deter you from purchasing an African Grey but to help you decide if the bird is right for you because it breaks my heart to see birds constantly being rehomed because of their "problems" (the owners neglect/unwillingness to correct problems actually created the problems). If an African Grey is not right for you then maybe a bird of a smaller size is. I hope that my honest opinion helps you & that you take any path you need to take. Welcome to the wonderful world of birds