New Member! Excited

[tatilly]

Good afternoon everyone,

My name is Stephanie and I live in Manitoba, Canada.

I love animals in general but birds just make me happy happy happy!!! I have had the following beautiful birds:
Budgie - Benjamin
Cockatiel - Joey
Quaker Parrot - Oscar & Louie

I am so excited to be a part of this community and am looking into getting an African Grey Parrot to add to my family

 

[Ira7]

Welcome, Steph. Former Congo Grey owner here.

Very cool species, but make sure you self-examine why you want one.

My gal was one-person...me, and not the wife...and I’m pretty sure it didn’t have to be this way if we trained/behaved differently.

 

[tatilly]

Thank you so much

I appreciate your advice.

Do you know of any legitimate Grey breeders ? I am currently in search of one but its been proving difficult haha

 

[Ira7]

Thank you so much

I appreciate your advice.

Do you know of any legitimate Grey breeders ? I am currently in search of one but its been proving difficult haha

Well, I’m in Florida...so I doubt that will help very much. Most breeders don’t want to ship, and with Covid these days and shipping internationally? Forget it.

But it’s not all bad news:

Don’t you guys have specialty parrot stores? There’s no doubt that they’ll have a breeder connection to find you a young weaned bird. MANY home breeders, as well as professional breeders, breed greys. They’re not all that difficult a species to breed.

But be prepared to pay very big dollars. The prices of the larger parrots have gone up INCREDIBLY in the last 10 years, and if you could find a grey for under $3,000 (U.S.), I would be very surprised. You might get lucky and find a home breeder on CraigsList for a much better price, but Canada is a damn large country, so again, it’s not like you can just hop in your car and pick your new baby up. Shipping? How would YOU like to be stuck in a box and shipped across the continent!? That kind of psychological damage can be irreparable.

You’re gonna find one, but it’s gonna take time.

 

[Ira7]

My Grey died of egg-binding. About 8 years ago.

This past January, I decided I was ready for another bird. That heartbreak was too much.

Went shopping for what I thought I wanted, another Grey (we have a few specialty parrot shops in South Florida), and I simply didn’t like the three Greys I met. All Congos, by the way, and all very young, around 9 months.

Saw a young Yellow Nape(d) Amazon, and it was love at first sight. Him for me, me for him, and it’s been a blessing since then, although I ain’t the religious type.

Just saying:

Yeah, you want a certain species now, but you might regret passing up a smarter, friendlier, mellower companion if you restrict yourself to just that one species. And I’m not saying Archie is so mellow!

 

[tatilly]

Thank you guys so much for your advice, I will definitely be taking my time to find the right parrot for me. And maybe it's time I do even more research on other parrot species!

 

[Scott]

Welcome Stephanie, thanks for joining! Nice variety in your flock, I can understand your desire for a Grey. They are famously intelligent and charming parrots. Check out this overview: http://www.parrotforums.com/congo-timneh-greys/59366-cag-101-a.html

 

[Flboy]

Welcome to you! Happy searching!