I was thinking........

[True_Blue]

about getting an African Grey parrot sooner or later.I want to know it they are good for a semi beginner with taming and so on.....ive only have had one lovebird, Clover , gah hes a CUTIE PIE, im afraid of biteing and so on^-^. I want to know a little about their personality, care, tempament, housing, and so on.

It would be a GREAT help......thanks.

[Rainforest Adventures]

In my opinion if I were you I wouldn't go for an african grey. If you're afraid of biting defenetly not a good bird for you. Grey's are like children they can be sweet and friendly but, they can also, have mood swings and you'll probably end up getting bitten. Grey's are very demanding for attention and require a lot of one on one time with their owner EVERY SINGLE DAY! If you've only had a lovebird I would step up to a conure or pionus. The conures are very affectionate and active. The pionus' are very laid back and not as demanding for attention, plus if they bite it can only break skin, NOT BONE! Hope this has been helpful.

[True_Blue]

African Greys BREAK BONES???!

[Mysticalwings]

I think its possible for any bigger parrot to break bones. I think some smaller parrots can possibly too, maybe conures. >.>; Not to scare you or anything....

But as Morgan said, its quite a big step up from a lovebird to a Grey.. maybe you would settle for something a bit smaller? Maybe a conure or Linnie or something?

[ray1457]

I've had a budgie, a cockatiel, and two conures (a Black Capped and currently a Sun), and in my experience, neither of my conures could break bones, but they could absolutely draw blood! If you want the temprament of the larger birds in a smaller, less destructive package, a conure would be a good next step. Go visit some at a breeder's; that way you can get a better idea of what you're thinking about getting yourself into! Conures require much more personal interaction than the smaller birds, and they are MUCH louder!!

[Rainforest Adventures]

If you are thinking about a conure may I suggest a blue crown conure. They are almost like owning a mini macaw. Very smart, playful, intelligent, etc. They can be loud but, usually not all day. Two other favourites of mine are the rose crown and the fiery shouldered conures. Smaller than a blue crown but, just as funny and entertaining. Plus I have found them to be very quiet. Hope this is helpful.

[True_Blue]

This is very helpfull thanks all!! i will deffinitly (gah my spelling!!!) look into it, the conures are sounding like a good choice. I do have another question.......what does beak-grinding mean? Clover, my lovie, does it at night when we go to bed..........just wondering.

[sweetytweety]

happy sound is the beak grinding..pure blissful contentment

i agree about keeping the parrot as small as possible..

honestly
the noise is excruciating..even tho the birds can be a lot of fun

they are sooo demanding...
theyre sooo intelligent and they become totally dependent on u

they can be sweet and cuddly but have huge mood swings
theyre basically very hard to understand and therefore predict and hormones play a huge role as does territorial behaviour

when u get em young they are so sooky but as they grow into adulthood its like having a temperamental three year old..u cant figure what they want!
its good if ur at home all the time..but even then they dont like to have u out of their sight

good luck with ur choice...doooooo please consider the noise factor

[notredamebird]

about getting an African Grey parrot sooner or later.I want to know it they are good for a semi beginner with taming and so on.....ive only have had one lovebird, Clover , gah hes a CUTIE PIE, im afraid of biteing and so on^-^. I want to know a little about their personality, care, tempament, housing, and so on.

It would be a GREAT help......thanks.

Here's the good news:
-A semi-beginner can succeed with a grey, if you do a lot of reading and thinking beforehand.
-"Taming" will not initially be a problem if you a adopt a bird that is already friendly or if you bring home a baby parrot
-They often talk. Its not that important, but people love it.
-I personally think greys have very endearing, interesting personalities. They are always watching what you are doing and looking for ways to interact.
-Greys are not quiet! But they are quieter than other medium and large parrots. Most of their favorite noises will be words, grunts, chirps, whistles, etc. Their screams are not as bad those of most other parrots.

Here's the "bad" news, or at least the stuff you really need to know:
-While "taming" won't be an issue with the right bird, greys are extremely smart, slightly neurotic birds that are fairly high maitenance. Expect a behavioral problem or two. Things won't always be rosy. At some point, he's going to decide not to cooperate, or he'll make an annoying noise crazily loud for weeks, or he might become phobic for an unknown reason. He might pluck. Hopefully it won't be anything too bad, but if it is, you have to be ready to respond and spend some time working with your bird. All of his bird's possible problems are a bit more vexing than a lovebird's.
-Greys need a lot of time, every day. They get bored and lonely very easily. That's awesome if you want a bird who needs you in that way! Its not so good if you only have an hour a day.
-GREYS BITE. All the medium and large parrots will bite some of the time. It is an inevitable fact of living with them. They have powerful beaks, and their beaks are one the main ways they communicate. If they get scared, don't want to do what you want, or simply make a mistake, you may get nailed. This is not a big deal if you expect it and are OK with it. But, if you really bothers you to receive a painful nip, a cut, or a bruise, you really want to think about this. Usually it will only hurt, but the bites can pierce or cut. Tolkien has never bitten my hard enough to inflict major damage, but he could, particularly if he gets my nose or lip one day (which are often within his reach).
-Extra note: If he gets his way by biting you, or if you become scared of him, or if you begin to dislike him because he bites sometimes, you'll have behavioral problems.
-Greys are far better at destroying things (appliances, furniture, wires, etc.) than smaller birds.
-Greys really like households in which they are involved, active participants, but which are not too choatic or noisy. They love their people but are careful about new situations. If this sounds like a personality that meshes with your own and your household's, then that's awesome. If not, then you might want to reconsider.

In the end, it all comes down to fit. How much time do you want to spend? What sort of personality do you have, and what do you enjoy in a parrot? Do you want the "challenge" of a bird who gets bored easily or do you just want a cuddly friend who doesn't demand as much? How much do bites really bother you? etc.

[True_Blue]

Thanks ver much!! That was a lot of very good information ^-^. But, considering i need to spend so much time with him and i have school etc. I think i will wait on an African Grey. I will look into other parrots. I still want one tho . Oh, ce la vie! lol........

another question: How exactly would be the right reaction to a painfull or semi-painful bite?????? Its been really bothering me, because what if im not doing what i should be with my lil' Clover??? I would appreciate it much...Thanks for all the GREAT information.

[PhoenixK]

I don't think my timneh would be capable of breaking any of my bones. What she would be able to do, though, is break my tiel's bones. And yeah, greys have a reputation for being "quiet," but that's definitely not true. You can expect a grey to mimic just about any annoying sound that happens in your house. My grey learned to scream from my cockatiel. She also went through a period where she'd mimic the fire alarm, which was horrible. Now she's going through a phase where she likes to make this super high-pitched beep, which is so high-pitched that my voice recorder doesn't register it. If she does it while sitting on my shoulder, it puts my ear out of commission for a good two minutes. It's actually painful to hear. And greys LOVE repetition. If they discover an annoying sound, they'll repeat it over and over and over.

Aside from that, though, a lot of what makes greys more difficult to own than tiels and lovebirds is true of any large parrot. If you're looking to get a parrot *soon,* you might go for a medium-sized birdie like a senegal, for example. They're a bit more mellow and low-key, like greys -- but not as high-maintenance.

another question: How exactly would be the right reaction to a painfull or semi-painful bite??????

There are a few different acceptable reactions. If you're dealing with a "bite-and-hold" situation, then you can use what's called the "earthquake" technique -- where you jiggle the hand that the bird is standing on, just enough that the bird loses his balance and gets distracted, but without actually falling off your hand. Also, if a bird is really latched onto you, it helps to push towards the bird rather than pulling away, which goes against every instinct you probably have, but it usually leads to less damage.

For most bites, a good reaction is no reaction. Birds are drama addicts, and any over-the-top negative response or chastising will only get them excited. If you really want to show displeasure and let the bird know that biting is unacceptable, you can say a quick, stern "no" and then turn away and ignore the bird for 30 seconds to a minute. Birds have short attention spans, so that's really enough time. That's what works best for my grey, too. It works really well for birds that are bonded to you and want to please you. And untamed bird probably won't care if you turn away and ignore it for a minute.

Hope that helps! ^_^

[True_Blue]

wow, thanks for the info!!!!! I really appreciate it........wow i dont know about the mimicing it sounds like you have your hands full!! lol, i will really have ot work on the "no flinching/pulling away".

I was also looking ay the different conures they had and the sun conure looked the coolest ..........but i would also want to know if that would be a better choice over the grey, with what i was looking for.

[sweetytweety]

another thing Leslie..u are young
my goodness
ur life will change over and over and over and over again
and when ur in ur teens u can swear that u wont have children or a husband or that u will live with the most tolerant of men ...or even cohabit with a vet

these parrots live a long time....all of ur life and more
i have had to compromise ..i have had people who dont like animals..i have had people in my life who are horribly allergic to animals

u might say...well bad luck ...they have to cope or leave but the fact of the matter u cant do that in relationships..think of future neighbours too! they can cause all sorts of problems for u if the bird is loud

so please...consider a bird that will fit in with most people that will cross ur path
at ur age u cant decide that ur gonna be a recluse and live on a 100 acres
good luck

[True_Blue]

wow. Thank you, my life has changed many times...............and WAY before i was ready................you can say i didnt have the "nicest" of times childhood had to offer ..............well thats good advice.............i hadnt thought on any of those points lol, leave it to me!!!! well thanks