I'm getting a Grey!!

[suncon97]

I was going to wait to get a grey but the breeder sent me pics of the babies I were looking at and they were gorgeous! I'm picking it up Friday and the cage should be here saturday or Sunday. A little unorganized I know but I had to get this baby before somebody else did. But here's the +...He included a pretty large cage for the bird that would work for at least a few days!Even is going to include enough food for a while. One of the best animal breeders I have ever met.

Although I broke my number one rule of not buying on impulse I am pretty happy.

 

[Netty]

when you have already planned on getting the bird sometimes that connection that causes the "impulse" to get it and is the reason you should. if you are prepared for it that is.

if you don't feel a connection with a specific animal why buy it?

it is your connection with the animals in your life that makes you do what is best for them.

its awesome you found a breeder that gave you a cage for your new baby while yours comes in

the people we got my original love bird from gave us some of their food and some toys for them when we picked them up!

me and my hubby are waiting until we have everything set up to get our grey so i am not even looking for a gey yet (perusing around breeders websites in my area and gathering info on them to pick a breeder) but we wont go visit a grey breeder until we are ready because we don't want to have a connection with a bird yet only to know we can't get it yet!

 

[suncon97]

Yeah he looked like one of the only breeders I would even think about buying from. The cage he provided is gonna come in handy a lot too! Charlotte(I already named her) will be in my room in that cage with the door closed everyday because we use non stick cookware and the family will not give it up. 1 minute of my life everyday to save my bird from the toxic fumes nonstick emits is worth it.

 

[Netty]

when i first got into birds my family ouldnt switch over at first... so for christmas and birthdays they got ne stuff and i donated the old stuff to the second hand store hehehe lol something to look into for you glass cookware and stone wear are awesome and stainless pots and pans

 

[suncon97]

We'll see. Ha this'll be interesting. My mother doesn't know about the bird yet. She brought it up and we told her we're unsure about getting one now. It'll be a big surprise and possibly an tantrum starter lol. She wanted to wait til' we get back from vacation to get one. She'll be especially curious when I bring home all the bird toys I plan to get tomorrow:]

 

[Autumn]

Just a heads up, the first day or so after the greys home you might think, what have I gotten myself into, or seconds thoughts. I don't know if it's just me but that's how I am with new birds.

 

[suncon97]

That's how I was when I got my gecko. Hopefully I can catch on as easily with the grey as I did with gecko but I slightly doubt it.

 

[oled]

Hope your impulse will turn out well. Congratulations !

 

[suncon97]

Thanks! I hope so too.

 

[HRH Di]

You're going to love being a parront. I love my Ruby-bubi so much. I know her sweet singing "oo - oo -OOOO" is just for me.

 

[mtdoramike]

Yeah, good look with this. It sounds like a disaster in the making. But I hope it all works out for you.

 

[leomacaw]

So happy for you and I can tell you that Greys are the most wonderful friends of us...

 

[suncon97]

Yeah, good look with this. It sounds like a disaster in the making. But I hope it all works out for you.

Thanks Mr.Confidence Builder

I hope it's not a disaster...

 

[Spiritbird]

There is no need for you to be short with us as we are trying to help you. You are young and still living with Mom and there will be many changes and milestones in your life. A pet bird is a lifetime committment. You need more than confidence to do it right. You need time, patience, money, and experience. Please read below and consider this decision again:

So, you want to get a parrot for the first time?
I have read so much about the wonders of living with a parrot.

From the majestic macaw, to the gentle african grey, to the cheeky amazon and the sweetness and joy that is a cuddly conure.

I can tell you - yes, it is all true. Those magical stories of bonding, love, cuddles and lifetime loyalty are real.

However, if you have come to the forum because you have decided you want a parrot, I urge you to consider the side we DON'T talk about as often - and that is the downside.

Plenty of people have posted problems on the forum with aggression/biting/unruly behaviour etc but in your quest for information gathering, have you actually read these posts? I bet you haven't, because if you do not know too much about parrot mentality, and behaviour, you will be forgiven for thinking that person is doing something wrong and they don't have a clue what they are doing.

That's where you are wrong .

Parrots are not like other pets. Their intelligence will not allow it.

If you want a parrot, then I really hope that before you have even started looking for that cute baby bird or even an adult, that you consider the following points.

Do you have your own home? Living with your parents or room mates isn't an ideal situation to have a parrot in. If you are still at home, can you take the bird with you when you move out - what about when you go to college? Work? HOW many hours will you work for? How many hours will the bird be alone? If you are with a room mate, is it fair to inflict upon them the noise, the mess, the fact their air fresheners and teflon pans/hair dryers/straighteners/ George Foreman grills will have to permanantly be resigned to the bin? That no, they cannot have parties because parrots require 8-12hrs of uninterupted sleep? Oh and SO sorry you're trying to study, but maybe you'd best go out if the parrot shouting is annoying you?

Do you have plenty of time to spend with your bird? By this I do not mean a few hours of an evening, I mean a LOT of time.....

Are you financially stable?

Are you aware that your bird must be taken to an AVIAN vet that will charge almost double to a regular vet to do something simple like shorten nails?

Does EVERYONE in your household support the idea of living with a parrot and are prepared to roll up their sleeves and get stuck in with training/care? Can everyone take a blood drawing bite or two? Because it WILL happen. Additionally, some birds will always dislike some human, even in it's own family. Are you ready for this?

Do your personal qualities include endless patience, love and respect?

Can you take the time to learn parrot mentality?

Have you considered what you will do if you find yourself with a bird that is aggressive/noisy/messy? We can't pick personality and for all the good sides, each parrot has a downside that may not be able to be corrected.

Can you offer a stable routine? Too many different times for feeding/out of cage/bed are not good for a bird and can distress them greatly.

Can you offer a LIFETIME's care to this bird?

You may be thinking: This girl is WAY over the top. She's a parrot NUT. She probably goes mental at people who eat meat and cries if you stamp on an ant.

No, I am not lol. That is the scary thing. I am just a normal person who happens to have a parrot and I can tell you that EVERY point above is essential. Any of the other wonderful guardian's on this forum would agree. I am not an expert or a spe******t. I do not have some sort of Parrot Degree behind me, I learn every day and I will continue to read everything I can get my hands on with relation to my bird because I want her to be as healthy and happy as possible.

Life with a parrot is fantastic, rewarding and there is never a dull moment but let me do what I intended to do and break the silence on the bad parts.

Parrots are:

Messy. They do not eat food. They throw food, mash it into furnishings, spray juice up the walls and onto the carpet. THEN they eat some food.
They can be toilet trained, but poop when they need to where they need to if something is too interesting to go back to the cage for.

Noisy. ALL parrots come with a certain amount of noise. The dawn and dusk chorus' are VERY important to them and although you can prevent screaming, it is something you will have to work at for a long LONG time. They are not like dogs, you cannot just call through to the other room "No shouting" and expect it to work.

Can get really uppity and show this via the channels of BITING. Some only in the beginning, others quite frequently - stock up on plasters.

Demanding. You must be able to have a parrot out of their cage for a few hours a day at least. They will not let you have any time off from this! They decide they want out? They want it YESTERDAY and they will not behave until you play ball.

Bossy. If you think you can curl up on the sofa with a book and your bird wants to play - forget the book. When you bring a new bird home, you cannot FORCE them to do ANYTHING. If you do, they will never trust you and therefore initially, things need to be on THEIR terms.

Destructive. Depending on the species and the personality of the bird, you may get one who is capable of ripping your sofa to shreds in the space of half an hour. Wallpaper, woodwork, curtains, cables....it ALL needs to be parrot proofed.

Specific health needs. All parrots need a good pellet mix as a base food. These are EXPENSIVE. They need seed and nuts - human grade. There's that £/$ again.....They need plenty of fruit and veg which really, need to be organic - unless you want to risk the pesticide issue.
The subject of care is a minefield with many, MANY dangers. No dried fruit, no peanuts, no chocolate, no onions, no caffeine...the list is not exhaustive. Non stick pans that release deadly fumes need to be binned - stainless steel is hard to clean. Checking your heating systems do not produce PTFE (teflon fumes). No air fresheners. No heavy duty cleaning products. Only stainless steel for your bird - metal poisoning is deadly. No open windows. Only natural cleaning of the cage. No exposed mirrors or windows until your bird is settled. No cables within beak range. No, no no no NO! There are so many I could not list them. Is the air humid enough? Prepare for higher leccy bills if your air is dry and you need a humidifyer. Bathing them every day.........on and on and on...

Not like other animals. Other domestic pets are different to parrots in the extreme. You can buy a cute puppy or kitten and within a few days, they will be acting like they can't remember where they came from. Not so with a parrot. BASIC trust takes weeks to get to. Deep trust takes months. Bonding can take YEARS. This is where your endless patience needs to kick in.

Talking. If you want a parrot just because they talk then you really shouldn't be getting one. Only happy, healthy, settled parrots will talk and then there are some that no matter how content in life, will never attempt to imitate a single noise.

Time consuming. Several clean ups a day, wiping away with warm water and lemon juice/vinegar/bi carb/natural products (anything else can be poisonous) - the cage, the bars, the floors, the walls, the toys, the bowls. Providing fresh water several times a day. Cooking and preparing mini dinners. Taking the time to buy lots of different safe toys so they can be rotated. TEACHING your bird HOW to play - it's not natural, you know. Teaching him you are trustworthy. Teaching your bird manners. Keeping him entertained.

Consider.....

Cages. RESEARCH what size and shape you need. This is a most important point. Too big for a small bird will result in fear. Too small will make for a miserable bird. The bar spacing needs to be correct for safety. No caught body parts or mashed feathers. The shape is important. A climbing bird will not thank you for a dome shaped cage. Good quality cages are a MUST. No rust.

Knowledge. You NEED to get the correct knowledge and be confident you know how to handle your future bird before you bring them home. Too many people take a bird home and then ask questions that they shouldn't need to ask. For example: How do I get my bird out of it's cage? How do I get my parrot to like me? How can I get my parrot to cuddle me? These people did no research beforehand. Get yourself Parrots for Dummies and a species specific book - you will need them. Anticipate every problem you can before you home your bird.

These are very basic needs of a parrot. This is them without the "Oh how cute, he said hello!" sugar coating.

Having a parrot in your home is not all roses and I'm sure everyone would admit to thinking: Just 10mins peace would be great.

I just hope that if you have not bought a bird and have read this, you have seriously considered what I've said.

Parrot rescue centres in the USA are packed out with birds whose owners were ignorant to the downsides. The UK's pet classifieds are full of birds who are "unmanagable" or "Don't have the time anymore." People who have all bought now and thought later - to the detriment of the bird. Because of people thinking having a parrot will be "cool", wild birds are STILL being caught in Africa and shipped like semi precious vases to people with more money than sense.

Please, make sure you are going into this with your eyes wide open to the downsides as well as the up. Make sure your new edition does not end up neglected, unhappy

 

[suncon97]

I realize it's not a regular pet. I know that they are a lot of work. The money will not be an issue because I will always give an animal what it needs no matter the cost. This is not just for me it is for our whole family. I may not know as much as you guys do but my parents have been looking at these birds for a long time and they have talked with many people who own these birds. I am almost positive we will be successful in keeping a Grey. You may think I'm like one of those people that go out and buy an animal just to say I have one or just because I think it's "cool".Well I'm not. You guys think what you want but I know the basic care of grey's however,there is more for me and everybody else to learn. We wouldn't spend all that money on an animal and the supplies if we had no idea what we were doing.

 

[antoinette]

You asked for advise, then when members reply, you are rude to them, when all they are giving you is advise.

I thought hard about this one, took my time in replying........


You mentioned in a earlier post

We'll see. Ha this'll be interesting. My mother doesn't know about the bird yet. She brought it up and we told her we're unsure about getting one now. It'll be a big surprise and possibly an tantrum starter lol

The above statement is a joke, is this honestly an environment, that a bird would be happy in???????

 

[suncon97]

We told her today and she wasn't mad. All of my animals are happy in their enviroment because I try to make sure every one of them is healthy. My dog is going on 7,2 rabbits(one going on 9)other one just over a year.Had the fish for four years.Gecko a few months.Some koi in the pond are over 8 years old. I take care of my animals and I will do the same for my grey.

 

[antoinette]

I am closing this thread, everything that had to be said has been said.
Good luck