Owning a Grey with a full time job as a single person

Mods feel free to delete.

It can be done, but it is like having a kid..you plan work, sleep etc around them (among other things).

Have you had a parrot before?
They are SUPER expensive long-term, and 100% harder than owning a dog or a cat because they are so much more complex emotionally and they are medically fragile.

I'd be concerned a little about the roommates. Will they be entirely on-board with this? Birds can be loud. Messy. Restricting. No Teflon. No to anything that makes fumes. Change your cleaning products. All doors closed if bird is out - all windows screened. Will your roommates be willing to follow all bird-safe protocols and guidelines? Also if living with roommates, what are the living arrangements going to be for the bird? ie Location of cage etc. ?

I didn't see that you had roommates-- I would say wait until you are fully in control. Amen to all of the above.
Teflon/ptfe/pfoa/pfcs= HUGE issues in a modern home (especially with roommates) and the are not clearly marked on products, so nearly any purchase that heats becomes a full-on, multi-day investigation...these fumes can kill easily through closed doors and on separate floors (even if they survived a prior exposure). Deaths have occurred in the low 300 F range.

If I'm just gonna be treated like a moron then nevermind

I DO NOT think you are an idiot-- I commend your research and introspection. Welcome, and please do not take this the wrong way!
The thing is, they will also leave (your roommates)...your bird could bond with them (not you, or you--but you don't know, as sexual maturity changes everything, even for a bonded baby)..Plus, being "a hippie animal lover" doesn't mean you will always think about things like the harmful impacts of essential oils , or even soy candles..or the fact the teflon is al over space heaters, air fryers, popcorn poppers, toaster ovens, hair straighteners, blowdryers etc.....or the serious importance of routine /sleep spaces and the result of broken bonds when parrots' favorite people leave "the flock".

I would recommend that you wait until you are independent and living in a house before moving forward, but I think you are commendable for your research etc....plus, there are cats...a single/minor scratch can kill them due to the bacteria that they carry. Not saying you cannot have a cat and a cockatoo, but it is another risk---and with multiple people in the house, it only takes one to leave the wrong door open etc.

It's can be very hard to control multiple adults in a home, even if they have good intentions.

StoneyLowe said:

If I'm just gonna be treated like a moron then nevermind

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Your actually fine and not a moron at all. If anything because you work it actually would be beneficial to get two, then just one. Birds love company and are very social creatures by nature. You just have to be careful and get two separate cages as no guarantee they will get along, or not be territorial about cage and attack other bird. You can keep cages next to each other, so they can see and talk to each other. When your home they can come out and play with each out. At first with Supervision till they adapt to each other, unless you get a pair that use to each other already? As far as roommates so longs they get along and don’t mine birds, the more attention a bird can get the better and it help socialize them to other people. I have people that take care of my birds when out of town times and they love them, but they have a cockatoo themselves and use to birds and know the rules.

Some people can come off as a little overprotective of their birds as they are like kids and companions to us, so reason they go into extreme details about care, or one person but no longer see comment like “mod deleted it” stated “don’t get a bird and just a cat as you have no time” that was kind of rude no doubt. Birds do require a lot of attention and sure get a minimal of 3 hours of out of cage time a day. So he sure have stated that instead. I do believe you know that as you stated having roommates and a babysitter plus letting bird out before and after work already.

Noodles123 does have a valid points, birds are very sensitive to a lot of stuff she mentioned. Just keep that in mind as whole articles on that topic alone and good reading. Hopefully she post links to them. The more you know beforehand the less likely something bad by mistake will happen, or you might decide not to go through with it as more involved? It is better to know the truth then to sugarcoat it.

StoneyLowe said:

If I'm just gonna be treated like a moron then nevermind

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Sorry you didn't get the responses you wanted hun, this forum is a great one but it does have a membership spanning many time zones and countries. If you are not happy with a particular response I am sure others will come along that may be more to your liking. Just deleting your original post stops others from commenting which is a shame.

Hi Stoney as there are not that many comments before you edited-away your post, perhaps I should clarify mine. I did -NOT- mean to say that you canNot have bird with roommates. Only, that it is of concern, to make sure roommates are on-board with you getting bird also.

I myself brought home my Sun Conure (admittedly a far smaller type bird), before we all went to work-from-home, with a 40.5 hr work schedule and a commute daily of 1/2 hour each way. Now in my case, no roommates, but Sunny has two budgies to keep her company. I hesitate to say that this would work for everyone, or for all other birds. (ie never a cockatoo!) Certainly it Might be possible to make it work for a pair of African Grays? Though I don't know that myself.

I read Jesse's OP pre-edit and consider him forthright while seeking balanced advice. More background from New Member thread: http://www.parrotforums.com/new-members-welcome/87771-what-s-up-everybody.html

Introducing a pair of unaffiliated greys (or most any large parrot) can be akin to mixing matter/anti-matter if you'll forgive a Star Trek analogy! OTOH, the right combination is bliss. One has to be prepared for worse-case scenario and cherish them individually while hoping they will tolerate or perhaps bond over time. The risk then becomes you as "third man out" with diminished or potentially nonexistent relationship.

No reason your desire could not be safely accommodated with very careful and dedicated room mates and full realization of potential hazards!