What is a must know with African Greys?

[bob1]

I am thinking of getting one around January and I was wondering what I must know when dealing with African Grey's.



Thanks

 

[ShellyBorg]

What you must know is that they are scary smart. I am not talking about petsmart I am talking 12 to 16 year old human but the emotional ability/control of a 2 year old. They have to have play time, toys to be taught how to be a happy bird. You have to spend at least 2 plus hours a a day with them. They can not be tossed in a cage and just be looked at. Even the untouchable ones I have worked with still needed interaction. Still look a lot of time.

 

[Pajarita]

Two hours? Mmmm, I would say more like four hours a day. They tend to be high-strung and very leery of anything new or different so change is iffy with them. They are also needy when it comes to reassurance so the more steady the routine and the more hands-on the interaction, the better they like it.

 

[lotosha]

You have to buy a big cage for him and to have lots of toys. Be prepared for messy house. Other than that I think it is very interesting and funny bird.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

One thing I cannot stress enough is to socialize them every day with new people and objects. This is so important to do when they are young. It's also important when they're older, but not in the same way as a baby. A baby bird is learning how to be social and unafraid of objects/change, while a older bird will already be social and you're only reinforcing the behavior.

and of course, they are super smart

 

[Karigan]

SENSITIVE! It takes more time to bring them around to something new than you might think. They hate breaks in routine, and anything from a new household object to toy to perch to food makes them extremely uncomfortable. I have to follow a ritual every time I introduce a new food that takes 15 minutes before they'll even taste it without throwing it first.