what is it like owning a CAG

[Babyrizzmuffin101_ohio]

ive really taken a likeing to african greys, and would love if owners could tell me more about there personality

 

[ScottinSoCal]

You've heard of the "terrible twos" in parenting? Sharing your house with a CAG is like having a small child, for decades.

The baseboard molding in the downstairs powder room is a lost cause, I've completely given up on it. Scooter has shredded it every time I've replaced it. When she's running around in the kitchen, she has to open every cabinet door. If I close one, she races over to open it again. She has a bowl of super bounce balls (small ones she can pick up in her beak) and she'll throw them at me, to let me know that whatever I'm doing isn't as important as playing ball with her. When she wants to go outside, she wants outside NOW. Not in 5 minutes, not when the show is over, RIGHT NOW.
Of course there's also all the good stuff, that makes the rest of it worthwhile to me. She's scary smart. She likes to wrestle with my hand. There's nothing more satisfying than a worn-out Scooter, dozing on a branch in her cage but still awake enough to give out a beak-grind that shows she's happy and content. When I go up to bring her down to the day cage, she runs to the front of her night cage to greet me, and gives me a quick beard groom to let me know she's happy to see me. Little stuff, but worth it.

 

[rheashard2]

CAG personality depends on a lot of factors. They're very smart. Love learning but...they learn what they want. I've had 2. One loved mimicking sounds, action and horror movies with anime chasers. The other loves talk shows, anima, cartoons and comedy sitcoms. Both love watching family play video & computer games. They tend to not like change in routines. I knew that I would be a travel nurse from state to state. So I worked keeping my grey comfortable with traveling. It could be as simple as taking dog outside and trip to corner store. This means trips to veterinarian are taken in stide. Greys have a lot of feather dust. If you or family have allergies this could be a problem. Nothing can emphasize how smart they can be. It took a few years of trial and error before I found parrot dishes that I could change easily but they couldn't remove without work. What ever you decide read books, articles by avian and vets. Check your area for avian and/or exotic vet. You never know if one will be needed. Assess the area you want to place your grey. Get the largest and best quality cage you can afford. There are numerous articles about them. Take your time; Read, think, read think and read, think again any parrot is a major commitment.

 

[rheashard2]

You've heard of the "terrible twos" in parenting? Sharing your house with a CAG is like having a small child, for decades.

The baseboard molding in the downstairs powder room is a lost cause, I've completely given up on it. Scooter has shredded it every time I've replaced it. When she's running around in the kitchen, she has to open every cabinet door. If I close one, she races over to open it again. She has a bowl of super bounce balls (small ones she can pick up in her beak) and she'll throw them at me, to let me know that whatever I'm doing isn't as important as playing ball with her. When she wants to go outside, she wants outside NOW. Not in 5 minutes, not when the show is over, RIGHT NOW.
Of course there's also all the good stuff, that makes the rest of it worthwhile to me. She's scary smart. She likes to wrestle with my hand. There's nothing more satisfying than a worn-out Scooter, dozing on a branch in her cage but still awake enough to give out a beak-grind that shows she's happy and content. When I go up to bring her down to the day cage, she runs to the front of her night cage to greet me, and gives me a quick beard groom to let me know she's happy to see me. Little stuff, but worth it.

You Scooter sounds like he can give my grey a good run. She's not into woodworking. Nope, her goal is to remove all the hooks & eyes from my bras, stitching from zippers and then sneakily getting into my wallet turning paper money into confetti!

 

[ScottinSoCal]

Greys have a lot of feather dust. If you or family have allergies this could be a problem.

The feather dust. First major purchase after Scooter came to live with us was a large HEPA filter that sits next to her cage. The filters are expensive - like $200 every other month - but they keep the feather dust down.

 

[rheashard2]

ive really taken a likeing to african greys, and would love if owners could tell me more about there personality

Found this relatively recent article about financial aspect of grey ownership. It was interesting because I discovered insurance company that covers greys.

How Much Does an African Grey Parrot Cost? 2024 Price Guide | Hepper

Few birds get quite the same reaction as the African Grey parrot. They’re big and beautiful birds that can learn many tricks, but large birds also come with a large cost. From the cost of the bird to all the supplies they need, these pets can be surprisingly expensive. Not only is the upfront...

www.hepper.com

 

[Vampiric_Conure]

I'm so glad I found this thread! THANK YOU for posting it and all the replies! I might end up with a TAG instead of the wanted Congo, but the information is essentially the same

 

[rheashard2]

I'm so glad I found this thread! THANK YOU for posting it and all the replies! I might end up with a TAG instead of the wanted Congo, but the information is essentially the same

Except for looks and size TAG & CAG are the nearly the same! I've read that TAG tend to be less neurotic than CAG. When I was trying to decide between the two I asked my vet. He said that both were so close in neurotic behavior that it only mattered to avian specialists! I ended up with a CAG because that's what breeder had soonest. The biggest thing I've seen with my grey is this: my dog is a pet. Who tries to please me 99%. My grey is my owner and expects my compliance 99%. I mean what are you to do when your grey renames himself 'Richard ' and you 'bird'?

 

[Babyrizzmuffin101_ohio]

You've heard of the "terrible twos" in parenting? Sharing your house with a CAG is like having a small child, for decades.

The baseboard molding in the downstairs powder room is a lost cause, I've completely given up on it. Scooter has shredded it every time I've replaced it. When she's running around in the kitchen, she has to open every cabinet door. If I close one, she races over to open it again. She has a bowl of super bounce balls (small ones she can pick up in her beak) and she'll throw them at me, to let me know that whatever I'm doing isn't as important as playing ball with her. When she wants to go outside, she wants outside NOW. Not in 5 minutes, not when the show is over, RIGHT NOW.
Of course there's also all the good stuff, that makes the rest of it worthwhile to me. She's scary smart. She likes to wrestle with my hand. There's nothing more satisfying than a worn-out Scooter, dozing on a branch in her cage but still awake enough to give out a beak-grind that shows she's happy and content. When I go up to bring her down to the day cage, she runs to the front of her night cage to greet me, and gives me a quick beard groom to let me know she's happy to see me. Little stuff, but worth it.

what is it like, day to day life?

 

[Babyrizzmuffin101_ohio]

CAG personality depends on a lot of factors. They're very smart. Love learning but...they learn what they want. I've had 2. One loved mimicking sounds, action and horror movies with anime chasers. The other loves talk shows, anima, cartoons and comedy sitcoms. Both love watching family play video & computer games. They tend to not like change in routines. I knew that I would be a travel nurse from state to state. So I worked keeping my grey comfortable with traveling. It could be as simple as taking dog outside and trip to corner store. This means trips to veterinarian are taken in stide. Greys have a lot of feather dust. If you or family have allergies this could be a problem. Nothing can emphasize how smart they can be. It took a few years of trial and error before I found parrot dishes that I could change easily but they couldn't remove without work. What ever you decide read books, articles by avian and vets. Check your area for avian and/or exotic vet. You never know if one will be needed. Assess the area you want to place your grey. Get the largest and best quality cage you can afford. There are numerous articles about them. Take your time; Read, think, read think and read, think again any parrot is a major commitment.

i have heard stuff like this before! it can be so surprising how different they can be, thank you for the response

 

[Babyrizzmuffin101_ohio]

Found this relatively recent article about financial aspect of grey ownership. It was interesting because I discovered insurance company that covers greys.

How Much Does an African Grey Parrot Cost? 2024 Price Guide | Hepper

Few birds get quite the same reaction as the African Grey parrot. They’re big and beautiful birds that can learn many tricks, but large birds also come with a large cost. From the cost of the bird to all the supplies they need, these pets can be surprisingly expensive. Not only is the upfront...

www.hepper.com

thank you so much!