Question for the African Grey owners out there!

BarnabyRose · Jun 24, 2016

So I'm back again.. I STILL have not made a conclusive, definite decision.. But I am getting close.

Here is where I am at. The same breeder I am talking with has just taken in 3 adorable little baby Timneh African Greys. Of course she told me, and of course I went and met them, and of course I immediately fell in love with this little male (they named Oliver), and he pretty much instantly 'picked me'. Just my luck

Up until now I had almost ruled out the Greys for a few reasons, but am now having second thoughts. Here is what I had previously understood, GENERALLY speaking.

They can be very much one person birds

They have ALOT of dander and dust

They are VERY prone to feather plucking and etc

They typically don't do as well with other birds as some other species may

Now the lady I am talking with has pretty much told me that 90% of what I am worried about I could totally take into my own hands, and I may not have a problem after all. My question however is this, I do have my female Eclectus Emma, and I'm curious - does anyone out there own an African Grey (maybe specifically a Timneh?) that interacts fine with their other pet birds...? Does anyone have any experiences the other way, as in they do NOT tolerate their other birds...? I would love to hear about it. If they had to be kept separate, then that is what it is. But my house is only so big, and I would love to keep them in the same room, on different perches, ideally not supervised 100% of the time.

Don't hesitate to ask me any questions and again, so sorry for the rambling post

B

BarnabyRose · Jun 24, 2016

If it makes any difference.. The other bird I am strongly considering is a Hahns Macaw, again a baby, and I love both. I'm not looking for a comparison thread or anything, but if some one out there reads this and realizes that in my situation one of these birds may be an obvious better choice your opinions and advice are greatly appreciated. Thanks again!

Terry57 · Jun 24, 2016

I have a CAG, and his cage is next to my Ekkie. They don't hang out, but when Ekko climbs Justice's cage, Justice calls out," Hey Ekko!". They are acquaintances, I would say, but not really friends. I do think they both enjoy each other's company, though, even if it isn't on the same stand or cage. I can leave the room for short periods, but in my case I wouldn't want to leave them to their own devices for too long.

BarnabyRose · Jun 25, 2016

Terry57 said:
I have a CAG, and his cage is next to my Ekkie. They don't hang out, but when Ekko climbs Justice's cage, Justice calls out," Hey Ekko!". They are acquaintances, I would say, but not really friends. I do think they both enjoy each other's company, though, even if it isn't on the same stand or cage. I can leave the room for short periods, but in my case I wouldn't want to leave them to their own devices for too long.

Hi thanks for replying, that is very helpful.. So have you had both the Ekkie and the CAG since they were babies? Are they male or female? Also, if they do happen to be on the same Stand or get next to each other somehow.. Would you worry about them actually attacking each other or would they just kinda ignore one another? Thanks again !!

Terry57 · Jun 25, 2016

My Ekkie (Ekko) is 4 now, and we have had him 2 and a half years. My CAG (Justice) is 19, and we have had him almost 2 years. They are both males. The closest they get is when Ekko climbs Justice's cage 30 times a day, and sometimes Justice tries to bite Ekko's beak, but mostly he just tolerates him, and talks to him. I would not feel safe letting them be on the same stand, though, unless something changes.

LeaKP · Jun 25, 2016

All birds have their quirks for sure. My grey has been socialised like crazy since a very early age. He goes to anyone and is very outgoing. You could get a great bird of any species, just get the one that chooses you and that you will put time into. Greys need lots of time, as do most parrots, but they need concentration on socialisation, exposure to new things, etc. so they don't become overly fearful. They should never be left alone for long periods of time, they need to be part of the family or you may end up with a big set of problems.

As far as birds being friends, one never knows! It's a coin toss with any species.

DRB · Jun 25, 2016

My CAG doesn't seem to have too much dander, and I would know b/c I tend to be a clean freak when it comes to living animals and what they leave behind. I leave mine alone for a few to a handful of hours at a time (probably 2-3 times a week, I'm in real estate) and she is just fine. I don't get tons of visitors so she (at 7 months) is still quite stand offish with anyone but me and doesn't get the advantage of others to help mimic, but all in all she has been just fine.

IMO the key (as my breeder advised me) with a CAG is being around them as often as possible when they are young. My Perjo and I bonded within a month of visits as the breeder. A month after her being home that bond was 3 times as strong.

If it was possible to leave her un-caged in my home, she would fly to me the second I walked into the door, like a puppy comes running over.

She doesn't talk yet but we've created our own little language of whistles and sounds. She has a whistle for to express hi bye and thank you (and I think I love you) she has a whistle she sends out to see if I'm awake, she has a sound she makes when she wants her head scratched and of course a sound she makes when she is fussy and wants what I have.

The only thing I would ever say to someone to possible deter them from a CAG is if they are a single person who is gone 8 straight + hours every work day then that could be a difficult road in getting your CAG to bond and interact.

Lindy1001 · Jun 28, 2016

Our Harley is an African Grey. My husband and I have split the chores caring for him, we are both involved in cleaning and feeding. While I am the one who handles him the most, Harley will readily step up for my husband as well. He truly seems to care for us both. He is not a plucker. He does have dander, but it doesn't seem to affect us with allergies, and hubs is Very allergic to many airborn things. He's a fine bird! The only thing he chews on is a couple of house dresses that I wear while hanging out at home

. He demands bedtime at 8, then is quiet all night. Not a peep in the morning, then only quietly until he knows that we are both awake.

DRB · Jun 28, 2016

My Perjo is very quiet in the morning waiting to hear if I'm awake. she goes to bed around 9pm, usually is up at 7am. But she waits until 7:30 am before she starts throwing out some calls to see if I'm up.

Zing · Jun 28, 2016

Hello, I'm a new grey owner myself and have had my grey for about two weeks, so this is more chit chatting with a possible new fellow grey bird owner.

I, too, also totally didn't consider getting a grey, but am happy I got one so far. I've also researched all of the topics you brought up in your first post, especially the dander.

I recently also saw a Timneh at the store, it was small and very adorable. I got a Congo for the larger size and red tail.

Anyhow, nice to meet ya

BarnabyRose · Jul 5, 2016

Zing said:
Hello, I'm a new grey owner myself and have had my grey for about two weeks, so this is more chit chatting with a possible new fellow grey bird owner.

I, too, also totally didn't consider getting a grey, but am happy I got one so far. I've also researched all of the topics you brought up in your first post, especially the dander.

I recently also saw a Timneh at the store, it was small and very adorable. I got a Congo for the larger size and red tail.

Anyhow, nice to meet ya

Nice to meet you too! And yes the Timnehs are adorable, a little smaller and darker, but actually what drew me to them over the Congos was the general understanding that they are a little more docile and social, less prone to nervousness and plucking and etc. Again this is all hypothetical at this point as I don't have evidence or experience to back any of that up yet

Anyway maybe you can post a picture of your little guy?! What's his name?

tony · Sep 24, 2016

BarnabyRose said:
So I'm back again.. I STILL have not made a conclusive, definite decision.. But I am getting close.

Here is where I am at. The same breeder I am talking with has just taken in 3 adorable little baby Timneh African Greys. Of course she told me, and of course I went and met them, and of course I immediately fell in love with this little male (they named Oliver), and he pretty much instantly 'picked me'. Just my luck Up until now I had almost ruled out the Greys for a few reasons, but am now having second thoughts. Here is what I had previously understood, GENERALLY speaking.

They can be very much one person birds

They have ALOT of dander and dust

They are VERY prone to feather plucking and etc

They typically don't do as well with other birds as some other species may

Now the lady I am talking with has pretty much told me that 90% of what I am worried about I could totally take into my own hands, and I may not have a problem after all. My question however is this, I do have my female Eclectus Emma, and I'm curious - does anyone out there own an African Grey (maybe specifically a Timneh?) that interacts fine with their other pet birds...? Does anyone have any experiences the other way, as in they do NOT tolerate their other birds...? I would love to hear about it. If they had to be kept separate, then that is what it is. But my house is only so big, and I would love to keep them in the same room, on different perches, ideally not supervised 100% of the time.

Don't hesitate to ask me any questions and again, so sorry for the rambling post

B

Hi, I have a Goffins Cockatoo and a Congo Grey. I bought them when they were babys. They are 12 yrs. old know and I feel that my Grey will kill my goffins if I let them get close to each other. I have had the Grey on my sholder and gotten to close to the Goffins that the Grey bit me so had in the ear that it took me to the ground. So with my experiance I do not think they will get along.

Scott · Sep 24, 2016

My TAG "ET" is very mellow and tolerates living in a room with 4 Goffins. Until about 1.5 years ago there was a Moluccan and Citron as well. ET is never locked in his cage and is free to do whatever he wishes, but doesn't associate with the others. On occasion he will fly to a different cage but never any cross-species aggression. The situation is so stable I can comfortably leave the house without worry. Biggest problem is segregating and rotating the Goffins, but that is for a different thread.

Mookie · Sep 25, 2016

Brand new Timneh parront here. So far, she's been a joy. No issues with anyone handling her, but I'm thinking about adding a new bird to our flock. I'll be watching this thread with a lot of interest.

But from what I've learned and read...Socialize at a young age and do everything yu can with them. Get them experiencing as much as life has to offer as possible.

Timnehs are 'supposed' to be better adjusted to change and situations than Congos but I bet that's on a bird to bird basis.

Still new. Still learning

Question for the African Grey owners out there!

BarnabyRose

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BarnabyRose

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Terry57

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BarnabyRose

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Terry57

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LeaKP

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DRB

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Lindy1001

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DRB

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Zing

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BarnabyRose

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tony

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Mookie

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