I'm looking into a Timneh rehome...

[Pookamama]

The owner says the bird is very sweet , she doesn't talk much but the owner thinks she might when not around other birds. She says it's a female, and 3 or 4 years old.
The lady has older kids 14 and 11, and got the bird when her youngest was 7. She has other greys. She says she is selling the grey because she has too many birds and she has medical problems.

So my questions are:
Could a three year old TImneh get used to a noiser house with small kids? The kids wouldn't be handling the bird until I knew they could be calm and the bird trusted them, but the bird would be around them all the time.
Would it be important that the bird be vaccinated? Should I ask?
What questions should I ask? I have asked about a few things but I want to make sure I don't miss anything important!
Do any birds start talking when they haven't for a few years? This isn't a big important thing for us but it would be fun!
What should I look for when we meet the bird?
Any tips?

Also-if we do get this bird-I plan on taking it very easy because I have read greys are slow to trust-you have to earn it. I was thinking of putting the bird in a side room where the kids can see but not get up close to a bird, and then after the bird was more at ease with the general activity of the home, moving the bird into the living room where the action is. Is that a good plan, or should I do it differently?

 

[wolf0994]

The owner says the bird is very sweet , she doesn't talk much but the owner thinks she might when not around other birds. She says it's a female, and 3 or 4 years old.
The lady has older kids 14 and 11, and got the bird when her youngest was 7. She has other greys. She says she is selling the grey because she has too many birds and she has medical problems.

So my questions are:
Could a three year old TImneh get used to a noiser house with small kids? The kids wouldn't be handling the bird until I knew they could be calm and the bird trusted them, but the bird would be around them all the time.
Would it be important that the bird be vaccinated? Should I ask?
What questions should I ask? I have asked about a few things but I want to make sure I don't miss anything important!
Do any birds start talking when they haven't for a few years? This isn't a big important thing for us but it would be fun!
What should I look for when we meet the bird?
Any tips?

Also-if we do get this bird-I plan on taking it very easy because I have read greys are slow to trust-you have to earn it. I was thinking of putting the bird in a side room where the kids can see but not get up close to a bird, and then after the bird was more at ease with the general activity of the home, moving the bird into the living room where the action is. Is that a good plan, or should I do it differently?

As a recent adoptive home of an older CAG I can comment on a few of these, but I am by no means as qualified as so many wonderful people on here are. So here goes...

Could a 3 year old grey get used to small kids? Absolutely. Our 16 year old CAG came from a home with two elderly adults to my house with 5 children, the youngest being 6. My kids love to interact with him and he gives lots of touches and kisses now. He was fairly unhandleable when we brought him home as his companionship was from another parrot, not humans as much. We also have 2 dogs, and 1 cat. The cat stays far away from the bird. That one you have to watch because cat saliva can be quite dangerous to a bird.

As far as vaccinations, I was just at the vet with our CAG and he said vaccinations were necessary for him, but there are household things you need to be aware of... such as no cooking with teflon coated cookware, the gases that are given off from the nonstick coating can kill a bird. Usually they dont recommend anything that is heavily scented and beware of what cleaning materials you use on the cage. We just use dishsoap.

Greys are very observative and will pickup things you dont even think about. Alot of them talk when no one is around but do not speak at all when people are in the house/room. So I would dare say yes, indeed that grey could learn to speak.

I would not recommend sticking the bird out of the way. They like to be in the rooms with the activity in them. As I said they observe alot. I would bet that he would prefer to be in the middle of the action. Also make sure you get a cage that is large enough. The higher they are, off the ground, the more secure they will feel. So I would suggest having a good sized cage that sits fairly high or can be placed on a table or something and have it in the room with daily activity in it so the bird can observe your family and interact with them.

As far as what questions to ask... I asked mainly what he ate, what he didnt eat, have there been any health concerns, what behavior problems there are if any, and when his last vet check was. There are always more but those would probably suffice. But I am sure some of the more experienced folks could add to this.

I hope you do get him and give him a great home! I am sure he would love the attention.

 

[Pookamama]

Thank you, that's really encouraging!! We have a cage that from what somebody we talked to said was a california cage...It has 1 inch bar spacing and the inside dimensions are 40 inch tall, 27 deep and 39 long. It has a play top. The top of the cage is around my eye level and I'm 5 foot 2. The play top makes it much taller.
We don't use Teflon or any aerosol based cleaners-we try to stick to natural cleaning methods. We do surface clean with simple green and my hubby cleans our stainless steel pots with barkeepers friend-but everything the bird uses will be cleaned with hot water, vinegar and/or baking soda. Since we have small children we keep a minimal of harmful things around to curious explorers.

 

[Spiritbird]

Please back up a little bit and do some investigation of this person first. I would want references, especially from an avian vet. If she has none then the birds were not medically cared for. I would also ask for references from others. I would want to see her home and how the bird was cared for. If she offers reasons she does not want you in her home than that is a red flag. Scammers love greys. I do not mean to rain on this but you just never know. In the bird world like everywhere else it is buyer beware. Good luck.

 

[wolf0994]

Sounds like you guys are setup for a good safe environment. I will tell you I was worried about my kids stressing the bird out too. I did have them avoid trying to touch him but I allowed them to approach the cage and talk to him. As I said within a couple of weeks he really warmed up and was touching and kissing, especially for treats. I wanted him to know that anything we asked him to do was a positive thing. I expected a long adjustment period of at least 6 months to a year but it was very much the opposite and is still improving every week. In fact I got to hold him for almost an hour when I took him to the vet. That is where i learned that birds feel very vulnerable on the floor. They do not like it for the most part. I am able to get him to step right up on my hand without hesitation if he's on the floor. And I held him for a long time. When I brought him home and took him out of the bird carrier I held him again for a while and even let my older children hold him, and as long as his eye level was below theirs he had no problem stepping up for them or me. But once they get a height advantage then they feel more dominant and secure.

I wish you the best of luck in either choice you make but, do wish that you do consider rehoming the TAG. I think he would be a wonderful addition to your family.

 

[wolf0994]

Please back up a little bit and do some investigation of this person first. I would want references, especially from an avian vet. If she has none then the birds were not medically cared for. I would also ask for references from others. I would want to see her home and how the bird was cared for. If she offers reasons she does not want you in her home than that is a red flag. Scammers love greys. I do not mean to rain on this but you just never know. In the bird world like everywhere else it is buyer beware. Good luck.

I agree with Spiritbird in saying you should check into the background, vet checks etc especially. If there are behavior or health problems you could be risking alot and have alot of costs you would need to pay.

Granted... that being said, you taking him home and providing all of that care would be one more bird into a much better enviroment.

 

[Pookamama]

OK, she said she was going to call me sometime during the next two days. I will ask her about what vet she uses and the bird's medical history.
Here is the listing on marketplace this link she also has teddy bear hamsters listed for sale. From her emails describing the bird's preferences and homing, (the bird likes to play with pens and eat around people, the bird lives in a stacker cage so we need to have our own cage, the bird really loves her little bird hut so she will send the bird with that, the bird eats zupreem and fresh food)
Here's the gal's emails :
" Hello, Gabby is three, I think ? I have it in my file because we DNA'd her as a baby but I'd have to maybe check to make sure she isn't four now. She came from a breeder on the Coast. I have th;ree kids Ten, fourteen, and fourteen. My youngest would have been about seven when we got her. I think she would be okay with just about anyone who was kind and calm with her with a little adjustment period. African Greys are cautious by nature but she is sweet and loves me. My kids have their own favorite birds, so Gabby hasn't been around them as much as she has around me but they can pick her up no problem. I actually have three African Greys plus other birds so we have quite the little flock at our home. She has been very well cared for and always been on a diet of fresh foods and Zupreem. We take good care of our birds and she is very healthy. She loves to be with her favorite humans and really like to share your dinner and ride on your shoulder. I have someone interested in her but they have two cats and two small dogs and haven't had a bird around them from the sounds of it so I haven't given them an answer as to whether they can come meet her. I would just die if something happened and she got attacked by a cat or dog. I have cats too but they are outside and we don't have dogs in the house. She gets to go outside for sunshine on the front lawn but only if we are sitting there watching her the entire time and all the dogs and barn kitties are locked up. I take the safety of my birds very seriously, because they are so sweet and special pets."
" Gabby has not had a problem with men, but she is mostly used to being handled by me. She is young enough and hasn't had bad experiences with any type of people young or old so I don't think she would be a problem but like all greys would have to be patiently introduced to various family members because all greys seem to be cautious of any thing new. It is their nature. She isn't into toys too much she has them but I never see her play too much. She seems to like a birdie swing some but absolutely has to have a birdie sleeping hut as she loves to snuggle in for the night. She chews on her snuggle bed so I guess you could say it also acts as a toy. I've had to patch it up a couple times for her. She like to take pens from me if I'm writing with one and she is on my shoulder. I've taken them apart and given her the safe outer part to chew on at times. Her wings are always clipped and have always been that way. She doesn't know how to fly but can glide down to the floor from a stand. We have never done any type of harness but I think she would be agreeable if she got to trust you. I noticed you had a different last name in this last post, I wasn't sure it was the same person until I read it. How many kids do you have and what ages ? "

So I will ask her more specifics about health and vet when she calls me. We plan on visiting her inner home if everything sounds good. I'm thinking if this is a scam I probably won't get that phone call.

 

[Spiritbird]

Ummmmm It is not in a greys nature to be a cuddle bird or like the snuggle huts. Of course there is always an exception.