son wants a bird...help!

[eatomlinson]

My son (who is 20 and lives at home) has decided he wants a parrot. He thinks he wants an AGP because he wants one that is smart and will learn an extensive vocabulary. I have read many of your questions/answers, and hear how very much you all love your birds. We love birds, but I don't know if my son (or myself) fully understands just how much work and time will be involved between the messes, feeding, training, etc... (and for 50+ years!) Do any of you have any advice to offer? We have had a "tiel" in the past, but a Grey will probably be MUCH different.

Also, are Greys loving, cuddely birds (if purchased as a baby and with the right interaction), or are they naturally "nippy" birds? I don't want to draw back a bloody nub when I get close!!

Sorry, one more thing...Where is the best place to buy a parrot?...a breeder, a store? ...and what's a ballpark amount we can expect to pay?

I would SO appreciate any words of wisdom that any of you lovely people have to offer. Thank you so much! :10:

 

[Ecclipse]

Hi, I dont own an AGP but an African Brown Headed Parrot. There are many AGP owners on the forum who will be able to chat to you about their parrots. I just thought I would give you some background on how my parrot is part of my life. He takes up alot of my time - wouldnt have it any other way. He is very messy and loves to throw all his toys and goodies as far as possible. I feed him fresh food as well as pellets which takes time to prepare etc. I have only had my parrot for a year but have learnt that they are very smart - no matter what the species and demand alot of attention. Most of my free time is spent with him and I spend alot of time making sure his cage area is ok and thinking up ways of keeping him entertained when Im not there. There are costs with buying the parrot, cage, accessories etc - Im sorry I couldnt tell you prices as Im from South Africa. There is also vet bills which can be minimal if you take him/her for check ups now and again and ensure the area is draft free and that they are eating the correct food. Parrots bring so much love and they change your life for the better but you need to be willing to understand that they are like children and need to be nurtured. I have made many mistakes and Hugo has shown me love and forgiveness when Ive done the wrong thing without knowing. I think the main focus is whether you have space in the home, whose going to care for the parrot and whether you have enough time to spend with them. I love my parrot so much and am so grateful that I walked past the petshop that day Please guys step in if you think Im off the mark or have better advice for eatomlinson...take care

 

[Auggie's Dad]

Without prying to much into your families private life I must say one consideration is how long your son will be living with you and where he will be going when he leaves. If he gets his own place in the coming years it may very well be hard, if not impossible, for him to take the bird with him - would you be prepared to completely take over care of the bird? If you cannot confidently answer yes to this then perhaps your son should wait until he gets settled into a home of his own to take on such a long term commitment of owning a parrot.

But, to your more direct questions: all parrots can be nippy. If you get a parrot you WILL get bit, they WILL draw blood, and it WILL hurt. However in a vast majority of cases such bites can be kept to a minimum, and with a Grey there wont be any loss of fingers provided you don't make an effort to stick your finger in his beak. One could not make such a guarantee with larger macaws which can be very sweet and gentle, but if they do decide to bite then can do serious damage.

With some patience and some work you will have a cuddly buddy of a bird, it isn't that hard - however occasionally some people are not able to be patient and not willing to put in some work, in those cases the bird can seem pretty unpleasant. In other words a parrot is a serious commitment but almost without fail you get out of the relationship what you put in.

I'll leave the 'where to buy' question to others as I'm not particularly equipped to give a good answer other than to get to know the source: check them out thoroughly, visit several times if not more before buying, and (as cynical as this sounds) don't be quick to take their word on anything. There are many wonderful people out there who may have birds for sale or adoption, but there are at least as many cruel people in it for the money.

Parrots are quite significantly more expensive than nearly any other pet, though most of the costs are 'one time' purchase costs. Maintenance costs are quite reasonable, some good food and the occasional vet check up is very affordable.

The 'price tag' on the bird itself will vary greatly depending primarily on species. I've never shopped for Greys but I'd suspect them to be in the ballpark of $1000 or more at "stores" while often being much cheaper from breeders, but still in the several hundred range. I have also heard second or third hand that Timnehs are generally cheaper than Congos - we do have several active grey owners though that will be able to answer this far better than I have.

In addition to the bird also consider the cage price (and perches, toys) - which quite often is more expensive than the bird. A good cage for a grey can easily sell for over $1000 at a major store, but again you can find much better deals from smaller operations.

All in all price can vary WIDELY depending on your sources - if you are patient and really do some leg work to shop around, are willing to adopt an older parrot (perhaps with some 'baggage') you could probably get all you need for a few hundred. If you go to the big-box pet stores it would be easy to rack up a bill of several thousand just to get all the basics.

So do your research, and shop around, but at the same time this is a lifelong commitment - spending a bit more now to get started on the right foot can be a very wise investment.

 

[eatomlinson]

Wow! Thank you both so much for the time you spent responding to my questions and sharing your personal experiences! I really appreciate it.

 

[birds4ever]

I would like to adopted an African Grey. I live in Alabama (Birmingham) is there any one have a AF bird for sale or adpotion? I love birds I have several lost count. Mostly small birds. I don't breed birds I do give a away small parrakeet's away and finches. janice.mcgll@charter.net

 

[BlueToast]

you are sooooooo getting stuck with that bird when the boy moves out. Good luck.

 

[SusanB]

First, you need to understand that whether a grey is cuddly or not is often a function of the personality of the specific bird. Some are cuddlers, some are not, regardless of how early or much you interact with them. We were the first people to every hand feed ours and visited with her several hours each day from the moment she left the nest until she came home with us. We are very close and she loves us dearly, but is simply not the cuddly type. Also, a grey may or may not talk. Yes, they often do, but not always. A breeder will be cheaper than a pet store and give you more and earlier access to your baby. The bird cost will probably be 600-800 from a breeder and add about that much more for a cage, food and toys and the vet bill. My son bought his at 14, but he'd been working toward that since he was 7 and I am now keeping her while he goes to college. That was something we planned on from the start and, as others said, must be factored in. They are lots of work and mess but wonderful friends and well worthwhile.

 

[Riley's mom]

Hi and welcome! As an owner of 2 CAG's, I have to agree with everyone. They are time consuming, messy and fun. But like Susan said, they may or may not talk. I am not a big fan on getting birds from pet stores or bird shows, but the bird shows are the best place to get cages and toys. For instance, I get all of my macaw cages at shows, and spend about 300 for the big 40 inch cages. And since all of my guys are big chewers, I would rather spend 15 for a big toy with lots of hard, colored blocks that will last them a few days, then 30 at the store for something that will last 10 minutes, which I have done. Breeders or rescues is what I recommend in purchasing a bird. I have also heard that birds are more expensive up north, than down here in the south, but I don't know that for a fact. There are tons of breeders down here, which would make sense if that were true. Good luck!