Possible Baby

[OutlawedSpirit]

Okay, so I am turning to you guys for some advice for my wife. I find myself in a position that I am unable to give an unbiased opinion. We have been talking for a while about getting her a parrot, as a baby, that would be her bird. All of my birds have been adult rescues, but she wants her bird to be a baby, so that is what we are going to do. We have discussed various species, the pros and cons, etc, and she has pretty firmly decided that she wants a grey.

The issue with me really giving her an objective opinion of what they are like, generally, is that I am not a fan of them. I had a not so great relationship with my step-mother's CAG growing up, and they have never been my favorite bird. Now, this has no bearing on whether or not we would get one, since it is going to by my wife's bird. We are going to get what she wants, regardless of whether it is a species I'm a fan of or not.

So I am hoping that those of you with greys can give her a general idea of some traits that set greys apart from other species of parrots. What makes them unique? The good and the bad. I am familiar with them, but like I said, I am not a fan of them, so I am having trouble being able to be objective.

I also don't want to imply that she knows nothing about them, like I said, we have discussed many species. She likes the size of the greys. They are a decent sized bird, but are still manageable for her. She wouldn't want to go any bigger. We have looked into amazons, but even some of the larger amazons I think verge on being too large. She also thinks they are beautiful birds. I may not be able to argue there, but I haven't found a parrot I don't think is beautiful. She also likes the fact that they have the capacity to become good talkers, although she understands that not all birds talk, and is okay if it decides not to. Also, the calmer demeanor of greys appeals to her. She doesn't necessarily want a "fun" bird, if that makes sense. I'm not trying to say she wants a perch potato that doesn't play, but she isn't looking for a hyper bird that doesn't want to sit still. Of course, the intelligence of greys is well known and a major attraction for her.

I hope what I am looking for makes sense. I just want her to have as much information as possible about greys before she makes a final decision on what kind of parrot she wants to get. If she really wants a grey, that is what we are going to get her, I just want to make sure she really knows what she is getting into before it is too late to turn back or change her mind.

 

[Taw5106]

I'm no help. I have a CAG, but my best baby is Venus, my hormonal Ekkie hen. I find my CAG the most challenging of my three. He's stubborn.


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[plumsmum2005]

To have a healthy life in captivity it needs to be a bird that is plenty active IMO. One that sits too much can have health issues and poss behavioural ones also.

Just a thought have you both had a visit to a rescue as this may help with the choice? A baby doesnt stay a baby very long unfortunately. Life span is poss something to think about also, what happens if he/she outlives you? I guess you have given it some thought?

 

[OutlawedSpirit]

To have a healthy life in captivity it needs to be a bird that is plenty active IMO. One that sits too much can have health issues and poss behavioural ones also.

Just a thought have you both had a visit to a rescue as this may help with the choice? A baby doesnt stay a baby very long unfortunately. Life span is poss something to think about also, what happens if he/she outlives you? I guess you have given it some thought?

Maybe I didn't explain the activity thing well. I understand that a bird needs to be active to be healthy, but there are different levels of active. I guess a good way to say it is she doesn't want a bird that is hyper, like a caique would be, if that makes sense. An active bird is fine, a hyperactive bird is not what she is looking for.

Also, we have interacted with many different birds. I foster birds, so we have lived with everything from budgies to ringnecks to macaws. All the pets I have are rescues, it's just that my wife wants a baby for her bird. She knows it won't stay a baby. She is witnessing first hand my ekkie hen gong through puberty now. Even though she was a rescue, she was young when I got her. So she has seen plenty of rescue birds, young and old alike, but it is just not what she wants. Although I am a big supporter of rescues, I also understand that a rescue isn't for everyone.

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[plumsmum2005]

To have a healthy life in captivity it needs to be a bird that is plenty active IMO. One that sits too much can have health issues and poss behavioural ones also.

Just a thought have you both had a visit to a rescue as this may help with the choice? A baby doesnt stay a baby very long unfortunately. Life span is poss something to think about also, what happens if he/she outlives you? I guess you have given it some thought?

Maybe I didn't explain the activity thing well. I understand that a bird needs to be active to be healthy, but there are different levels of active. I guess a good way to say it is she doesn't want a bird that is hyper, like a caique would be, if that makes sense. An active bird is fine, a hyperactive bird is not what she is looking for.

Also, we have interacted with many different birds. I foster birds, so we have lived with everything from budgies to ringnecks to macaws. All the pets I have are rescues, it's just that my wife wants a baby for her bird. She knows it won't stay a baby. She is witnessing first hand my ekkie hen gong through puberty now. Even though she was a rescue, she was young when I got her. So she has seen plenty of rescue birds, young and old alike, but it is just not what she wants. Although I am a big supporter of rescues, I also understand that a rescue isn't for everyone.

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The rescue bit was just to get a feel really, see if anything drew her in so to speak, clarification in which bird 'pulled her in'. I would be a hopeless case and want everything LOL. What about a baby male Ekkie or a Conure?

Winged Wisdom Pet Bird Magazine - Blue Crown Conures - Exceptional Pet Birds

 

[OutlawedSpirit]

To have a healthy life in captivity it needs to be a bird that is plenty active IMO. One that sits too much can have health issues and poss behavioural ones also.

Just a thought have you both had a visit to a rescue as this may help with the choice? A baby doesnt stay a baby very long unfortunately. Life span is poss something to think about also, what happens if he/she outlives you? I guess you have given it some thought?

Maybe I didn't explain the activity thing well. I understand that a bird needs to be active to be healthy, but there are different levels of active. I guess a good way to say it is she doesn't want a bird that is hyper, like a caique would be, if that makes sense. An active bird is fine, a hyperactive bird is not what she is looking for.

Also, we have interacted with many different birds. I foster birds, so we have lived with everything from budgies to ringnecks to macaws. All the pets I have are rescues, it's just that my wife wants a baby for her bird. She knows it won't stay a baby. She is witnessing first hand my ekkie hen gong through puberty now. Even though she was a rescue, she was young when I got her. So she has seen plenty of rescue birds, young and old alike, but it is just not what she wants. Although I am a big supporter of rescues, I also understand that a rescue isn't for everyone.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

The rescue bit was just to get a feel really, see if anything drew her in so to speak, clarification in which bird 'pulled her in'. I would be a hopeless case and want everything LOL. What about a baby male Ekkie or a Conure?

Winged Wisdom Pet Bird Magazine - Blue Crown Conures - Exceptional Pet Birds

Greys in general seem to have gotten their claws on her. I don't think she'd want to go to a rescue with me, I have a "but honey, he needs a home" problem. [emoji4] that's how I ended up with my blind ekkie, Tiki. I just want to be able to tell her "people who have greys have experienced X, Y, and Z with their birds, are you willing to accept that if you get a grey?"

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[DRB]

I've had a relationship with my CAG since the second week she was hatched. I visited her weekly and often twice a week for over 8 weeks until I took her home. She was gentle and sweet from day one, but cautiously observant and at times would act from a skiddish survival mode. From the start communicating with each other was very natural and a big part of her day to day life.

She was quick to accept a decent amount of handling, but also not shy about giving me strong hints when she wasn't in the mood to be handled.

As weeks went by she would grow in every way, intelligence emotions and grasping and understanding routine. She's 18 mos now and is a one person bird, she will eventually be accepting of others but she is not extremely outgoing yet in terms of letting others get close or acting like she does when she's home alone.

Her eating habits seemed to build quickly, she eats the same amount of pellets everyday, it's almost freaky how consistent she is about it, she picks and chooses what she likes and doesn't like with my fresh fruits and veggies on a daily basis.

Overall her mood is consistent, just minor day to day quirks. Smart as whip, sometimes I think we don't realize that they tend to be cautious b/c of how smart they are, always analyzing everything around them.

I have no negative remarks when it comes to a baby CAG, but I am also a first time parront, it's my only bird I've ever owned so far.

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

My experience with a Grey was with Smokey,and Smokes was my first real "parrot". The only downside with her was,she was wild caught,and her doc estimated she was 6 months old when she came home with me from a pet store.
She hated hands,PERIOD! I couldn't cuddle her,or pet her. It took nearly 30 years to get her to step up on my hand,and she would always be looking for that place to escape to when she was "forced" to get on my hand.
For being a wild caught,I honestly think she made excellent progress in her 30 years. She could sit on my shoulder for hours,she finally stopped "growling" like a mad dog anytime I got too close. She would give lots of kisses..gurgle in my ear,regurgitate on my shoulder,pull my hair,nibble my ear,bang my for head with her beaky...just DO NOT TOUCH ME!
She loved my mom,often dancing from foot to foot,asking for a bit of whatever mom was eating.
Just ONCE in her life,she was on the couch with my brother, ( Tommy had a series of strokes that left him moderately mentally handicapped) and someone came to the front door (tv guy I think) and for some reason this frightened Smokey so much,she RAN across the couch,climbed Tommys' shirt,and snuggled under his chin,trembling allowing Tom to snuggle and re-assure her everything was ok!

Her intelligence was uncanny...her vocabulary amazing..understand what was said/talking in context unbelievable!
She loved my best friend Joe,always willing to get on his shoulder,"woo" in his ear and chatter away. She excepted my immediate family to varying degrees...HATED my ex wife lol..couldn't stand Pita the cat ( " DAMN CAT!!! GO!!!!")

After she passed away,Amy and I were devastated and heart broken :15: :15:
I came to the point to where I was about to get in my car and drive 2.5 hours away to bring home a 4 month old DNA'd Timneh,until my head was finally able to tell my heart "DONT DO IT!!"

Read the countless stories/escapades of Nigel and Perjo...Buzz and Tusk, and all the others...each one has different personalities,and many "same"isims

I wish you,and your wife,good luck in deciding!





Jim

 

[Taw5106]

My experience with a Grey was with Smokey,and Smokes was my first real "parrot". The only downside with her was,she was wild caught,and her doc estimated she was 6 months old when she came home with me from a pet store.
She hated hands,PERIOD! I couldn't cuddle her,or pet her. It took nearly 30 years to get her to step up on my hand,and she would always be looking for that place to escape to when she was "forced" to get on my hand.
For being a wild caught,I honestly think she made excellent progress in her 30 years. She could sit on my shoulder for hours,she finally stopped "growling" like a mad dog anytime I got too close. She would give lots of kisses..gurgle in my ear,regurgitate on my shoulder,pull my hair,nibble my ear,bang my for head with her beaky...just DO NOT TOUCH ME!
She loved my mom,often dancing from foot to foot,asking for a bit of whatever mom was eating.
Just ONCE in her life,she was on the couch with my brother, ( Tommy had a series of strokes that left him moderately mentally handicapped) and someone came to the front door (tv guy I think) and for some reason this frightened Smokey so much,she RAN across the couch,climbed Tommys' shirt,and snuggled under his chin,trembling allowing Tom to snuggle and re-assure her everything was ok!

Her intelligence was uncanny...her vocabulary amazing..understand what was said/talking in context unbelievable!
She loved my best friend Joe,always willing to get on his shoulder,"woo" in his ear and chatter away. She excepted my immediate family to varying degrees...HATED my ex wife lol..couldn't stand Pita the cat ( " DAMN CAT!!! GO!!!!")

After she passed away,Amy and I were devastated and heart broken :15: :15:
I came to the point to where I was about to get in my car and drive 2.5 hours away to bring home a 4 month old DNA'd Timneh,until my head was finally able to tell my heart "DONT DO IT!!"

Read the countless stories/escapades of Nigel and Perjo...Buzz and Tusk, and all the others...each one has different personalities,and many "same"isims

I wish you,and your wife,good luck in deciding!





Jim

Thanks for sharing this Jim. Gives me hope for Buzz. We make progress little by little each day. He's a busy boy but no touching lol. Food is OK. Loves his toys, roaming on play tops, annoying Buddy, he's happy.


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[MosaicMadness]

Greys were on my short list when I got my first pionus. A coworker had a fabulous timneh. About 15 years ago my MIL got a baby CAG... he/she is a wonderful mimick and loves my MIL. She will tolerate the rest of the family from the cage. Not hugely active but plays and loves all types of food goodies. I think if the bird was socialized with other family members, it would have been fine, but we live 3,000 miles away and are only there once a year and no one else is a "bird person"