African Grey Parrot

monty_python

hi. Quick question a friend of mine saw a 3 month old hand reared african grey in a pet shop and he wants to buy it. He has asked me about the average price and about how easy they are to train any info or advice would be great. I know you like your birds inde

AngelicRaindrop

obviously not Bond 007 but i do own a Grey, I've seen them range in price from 850-1200

one obvious thing is although Greys are known for their talking ability it doesnt gaurantee the baby will talk, also from my experience unless you keep them well socailised when they are younger they will tend to bond to one or 2 people and thats it, sometimes all the socalization in the world wont stop that either. they can be prone to developing plucking problems like cockatoos

on the other side, my Grey is amazing, hes absolutely one in a million and a brilliant member of the family. he is my bird, and wont allow anyone else near him but the bond we have is huge, he will follow me around like a lost puppy and call my name when i leave the room, when i answer him he tells me to either "comere" or "shut up"

another thing is diet, i had a problem with feather loss in my grey when he was about 6months old, he was on a high quality seed diet with added fruit and veg , we thought he may have pbfd and did all the tests. turns out he was allergic to something in the seed, so we had to switch him over to a pelleted diet that i import from england. all birds need more than just seed so your friend would need to be prepared for that

all in all if your friends willing to spend a few hours a day with the grey, give him plenty of toys to destroy for when he is in his cage and is willing to give it a variety in its diet, they will be rewarded with a great pet that will most definately become part of the family for years to come

Our man in Havana

Birds are always cheaper from a breeder - I have seen birds from €1200 - €1500 for a hand reared baby - cheaper if its a Timnah grey.

Training all depends on the bird & how much time you spend with it - do not clip a young birds wings as they have to learn to fly.

They need a lot of attention & will get behavioural problems if they are ignored & let alone for too long! Also rememeber they are noisy.

Our man in Havana

Birds are always cheaper from a breeder - I have seen birds from €1200 - €1500 for a hand reared baby - cheaper if its a Timnah grey.

Training all depends on the bird & how much time you spend with it - do not clip a young birds wings as they have to learn to fly.

They need a lot of attention & will get behavioural problems if they are ignored & let alone for too long! Also rememeber they are noisy.

monty_python

thanks alot. ill tell him to read this thread..

Sigma Force

They also live a looong time so your buddy would have to keep that in mind and having an aviary vet in the area is also handy to have.
Their housing is also expensive and a high quality food, toys etc

tallus

If he's going to buy that particular bird he should go into the shop as often as possible to let the bird become familiar with him, so if he does buy then the bird won't be as stressed when he does buy it.
To be honest, it's wrong to keep them unless you can give them the time they deserve, they are hugely social, and complex animals, and definetly not to be taken on lightly as a pet. You never see a grey alone in the wild as they are flock animals, and that should apply to their life as a pet too. As already mentioned they are prone to plucking, and a three month bird is probably too young to be for sale. Parent reared birds aren't as prone to plucking but birds taken from the parents too early for hand rearing are.
I'd definetly try to find the name of a breeder, they are cheaper than shops, and would know more about the birds too.

trio

I'm not sure I would recommend a Grey for a first-time bird owner. In terms of involvment and effort, I'd consider them to be about the same as a dog!

They also live for donkeys years so it's an incredibly long committment, and you really can't rehome them if you get tired of them. They do develop problematic behavioural problems if stressed.

They are prone to becoming hugely attached to one person to the extent that I've heard of Greys doing their nut if their owner is even kissed by their spouse! They will demand a lot of attention from their owner, every single day, for years and years and years.

They're a LOT of work.

If your friend is interested in birds, then he should start off with a budgie or a cockatiel. They may be smaller and not as cool, but they're a hell of a lot easier to live with for a newbie (though even they need a lot of attention). Budgies in particular can be really comic and have tons and tons of personality. They're very entertaining and a great way to get a bird into your home.

Also another thing to consider - parrots are LOUD! That is something that many first-time bird owners do not think about and honestly? If you're not up for it, it can drive you demented. The decibels can be so loud you can't hear yourself think, let alone watch the telly or anything. And they're like kids - they'll scream until they get someone playing with them. This could be every day of your friends life!

So it's a BIG decision, not to be taken lightly.

I got mine for £650 about 6 years ago. But the cage on top of that was about £650 also . So Transfer that into euro's . They are alot of work and need the attention. They are also great pets . Such a good laugh, they like to join in with the laugh .

Rory123

trio wrote: »

I'm not sure I would recommend a Grey for a first-time bird owner. In terms of involvment and effort, I'd consider them to be about the same as a dog!

They also live for donkeys years so it's an incredibly long committment, and you really can't rehome them if you get tired of them. They do develop problematic behavioural problems if stressed.

They are prone to becoming hugely attached to one person to the extent that I've heard of Greys doing their nut if their owner is even kissed by their spouse! They will demand a lot of attention from their owner, every single day, for years and years and years.

They're a LOT of work.

If your friend is interested in birds, then he should start off with a budgie or a cockatiel. They may be smaller and not as cool, but they're a hell of a lot easier to live with for a newbie (though even they need a lot of attention). Budgies in particular can be really comic and have tons and tons of personality. They're very entertaining and a great way to get a bird into your home.

Also another thing to consider - parrots are LOUD! That is something that many first-time bird owners do not think about and honestly? If you're not up for it, it can drive you demented. The decibels can be so loud you can't hear yourself think, let alone watch the telly or anything. And they're like kids - they'll scream until they get someone playing with them. This could be every day of your friends life!

So it's a BIG decision, not to be taken lightly.

+1
Would your friend not try something like a senegal or quaker parrot first?... They have nearly all the craic of a grey with a million times less work.
Starting off on a grey is like buying a Lamborghini as your first car. Has your friend ever had a budgie even?

monty_python

yesterday he asked the wife to go to the petshop and look at the grey but she wouldnt allow him to get it..... Hehehe ..... Whiped...... Prob for best because i dont think he has owned any bird before dont think

Rory123

monty_python wrote: »

yesterday he asked the wife to go to the petshop and look at the grey but she wouldnt allow him to get it..... Hehehe ..... Whiped...... Prob for best because i dont think he has owned any bird before dont think

Probably better off!

Sigma Force

Thank goodness for that, budgies can be very complicated and cockatiels need tons of attention so an grey is like looking after a 5 year old at times.