Just bought an African Grey

[venger]

I just bought an african grey from a swapmeet, of course in a small cage and not the best nutritional diet. So i've been reading about the foods that are best for them and i was wondering if frozen veggies are ok to feed to them. I let him out of the small cage onto a perch and it seems to be happy to be out of there. Any useful tips to keep this little one happy are welcomed.

 

[suebee]

awww welcome an whats a swapmeet??

i've seen grays eat ice, lol but frozen veggies, defrosed should be ok, as long as they have no added salt or sugars, adatives so check ingredients, i give my sene tinned sweetcorn at times, but fresh is best

have you put him on a pellet diet? and what are you feeding him in general

give him regular baths/mistings, lots of chew toys or play toys depending on what he prefers

time and space to adjust to his new home

 

[Parrot Parent]

Me and my boyfriend have seen alot of african greys at swap meets. They are priced cheep and all but sadly alot of the times they are priced so cheap because they are illegal imports. This is really sad too because usually the person selling just wants to make a quick buck. I know people bring parrots from mexico all the time. They usually make it drink beer so its drunk and sedated. My friend once commented that her and her mother wanted a parrot. They have had experience with a cockatoo they loved alot so I was way shocked to hear her say her and her mom wanted to bring one back that way when they went on vacation that weekend. Needless to say I gave her a harsh talk on the risks and cruelty to the bird's psychological and physical health. They didnt come back with one.

Sorry to rant like that lol. As for the veggies I've heard of people serving partially frozen. Heck some peoples birds prefer them that way! It all really depends on what your bird prefers lol. Oh and what suebee said above too lol.

 

[nofearengineer]

Unless the fresh vegetables are from your back yard garden, frozen will have higher nutritional value. It seems counter-intuitive, but it is true. Freezing the vegetables preserves them, while the "fresh" vegetables decay the whole time they are being shipped to your local market.

Both are still much, much better than canned.

 

[Spiritbird]

Welcome to the wonderful world of greys. The first thing I would do is take your bird to an avain vet so you will know what is going on health wise and if you need to concentrate on any one area such as calcium. Please get a larger cage for the bird. They need lots of orange foods such as carrots and sweet potato and squash. My bird will only eat her fresh vegies if they are cooked. Leafy greens are important. One of the best is Kale. You can weave the wash kales leaves through the cage bars. They love to forage for their food (hunt). I will give you a good link for AG information. Try to read the articles there. Very informative.

http://www.africangreys.com/

 

[venger]

Thanks everyone glad I found this site. Since it seems to be ok I think i'll try the frozen veggie. i didnt mean feed the veggies frozen but feed it cooked frozen veggies. Right now I'm feeding it fresh fruits and carrots, corn, green beans, and the like. It really seems to like grapes. I also bought a fruit and nut mix. I tried looking for pellets and sprouts but I couldn't seem to find any at the local petco. Got him a few toys too, a large cage is coming soon but for right now it seems to like the freedom the manzanita stand gives him. He's gets a little nervous when I get too close, but hopefully he'll adjust as time goes on. @ Parrot parent: Yeah it was sad seeing all those macaws, cockatoos, africans and smaller parrots there. They a looked depressed, unhappy. It got even worse when I saw a cockatoo with a messed up eye and broken bottom beak. I wanted to take it home but I couldn't afford what that damn old man wanted ($850). I found my little guy at a different stand for $500 but bargained it down to $400. Something should really be done to stop this and the people selling should be punished. But anyhow, I got my little one and im gonna try to make his life a very happy and healthy one.

 

[Crackers]

Congrats on your new baby and it sounds like it has a wonderful home. Well, the only way to stop this kind of trade is to not purchase from them. If there is no market for the birds, they will not sell.

I too recommend a vet check.

As for the sprouts, not many pet stores or bird stores carry the sprouts. I checked Omars in Lake Forest and they didn't have what a I considered to be a good sprouting mix.

I recommend China Prairie for your sprouting needs. China Prairie Company is Second Nature for parrot food

 

[Gandolf]

Welcome.....I agree with SB 1st step and VERY VERY VERY VERY Important that you get that bird to an AVIAN VET. I would hate 2 see it get sick a die. Now that's out of the way You will love the AG. They are the best birds. BTW try a Banana my Theo loves them and yes they do love grapes. Very messy though. Do yourself a favor if feeding grapes.....clean up right away. They R a ***** when they dry