advice on getting 2 cags?

[Amie]

Well, if you want a close relationship with one bird, Greys are a good choice. But be wary if you plan on getting married or having children down the road that a Grey who is with one person from the time it's weaned may not be accepting of others once its 4 or 5. Then again, my mother's greys never had problems accepting us children once we were born, though in that situation both mom and dad were caregivers even if the Greys were more strongly bonded to mom.

[Doubleyolk]

Cool,I believe you might have a Yellow Billed Amazon that is native to your country.

[Lisa B]

your welcome!
we only wanna see a lasting relationship between you and your baby.

[mikejr]

yes, we do . We have the yellow billed and black billed amazons that is endemic to Jamaica. We had macaws too, but theyre now extinct :( and the yellow billed and black billed are seriously endangered. People are still capturing and selling them. The government isn't really enforcing the law. It' really sad sometimes. It's a really laid back country, so no one will decide to do anything until its too late.

I seriously want a companion bird. The grey was my top choice, I'm also considering a sun conure, heard they were playful or maybe a YFAmazon, but seriously worried about the noise. Are your greys really playful? Some grey owners have said that they just like to be left alone to play in their cages. I'm looking for something a bit more snuggly. Ive heard mixed temperaments on greys. So I'd like to hear about your greys! :)

[Amie]

I use the terms playful and snuggly in two different ways. If you want both, a macaw or a Too is both. But they have other issues in and of themselves, and I don't know how hard it would be for you to get them in Jamaica.

My mother had two Greys I was really close to, and we shared the responsibility of a special-abled grey when I was in college because he needed so much attention and we worked opposite shifts. Of her two "normal" greys, one was NOT cuddly, but was very friendly and liked attention. he just wasn't one to be petted or be ON you constantly. He needed to be near you, and loved to talk to you, but you couldn't pet him like a dog or cat. The other was super cuddly, and we could just hang out on the sofa for hours scratching his head. He'd go into a trance and just mumble while you did it.

The special-abled bird was VERY cuddly and needy, but that was due to his condition more than socializing. He needed us to do everything for him, so it wasn't like he WANTED to be with us, it just had to be that way.

Lisa B has 3 VERY different greys now, and has experience with many more. I'm sure she can give you more stories on how opposite the individuals can be.

[Lori~D]

I also have three very different greys. A single and a pair. The pair were both pets that didnt care to be pets - and never will be now. Pets and breeding are two totally different worlds for greys and its rare the two will mix. Possible but very rare. Breeding greys are super aggressive. I have a pet that was highly socialized as a baby and youth but as he ages he gets more wary of strangers but not as much as wary of different situations and places. He is most comfy at home and outdoors in a cage not past the porch,lol. (OCD??) lol.

[kellywess]

Blue Crowned Conures are all those things you are looking for. Smart, intelligent, goofy, cuddly, silly, extremely playful and really good talkers. In my opinion, they are also some of the best dancers in the Conure kingdom. They do like to eat off of your plate though. Be prepared to share. They can be loud though.

[mikejr]

I could get either a macaw or too, but cockatoos are probably going to be too demanding( no pun) :), I wouldn't want to come home from school to see my baby with his/her feathers all plucked out, so I'm trying to avoid that and macaws are bigger than i can handle i think. Maybe a mini macaw. do they have similiar temperaments to the larger macaws. I really don't want a noisey bird, something moderately noisely. Im open to any suggestions. If i can't get both playful and cuddly, I'll take either, as long as its not hormonal.

[kellywess]

I have three minis, a Severe named Marvin, a Yellow Collared named Erma and a Hahns named Dewey. Severes are the largest of the minis where Hahns are the smallest... check out the pic thats Marvin. They have the exact same tempermant as the Big ones only a smaller package. Severes are honorary, very honorary. My Hahns is sweet and acrobatic, very cute and an excellent talker. My Yellow Collar is a rescue, and she is the SWEETEST thing you could ever imagine... I have to question sometimes if shes actually a Macaw shes so darn sweet. Remember all birds are noisy and needy. However, these minis arent as noisy as their larger cousins and considerably more quiet than say an Amazon, Cockatoo or a Conure.

[Amie]

Originally Posted by mikejr

I could get either a macaw or too, but cockatoos are probably going to be too demanding( no pun) :), I wouldn't want to come home from school to see my baby with his/her feathers all plucked out, so I'm trying to avoid that and macaws are bigger than i can handle i think.

If i can't get both playful and cuddly, I'll take either, as long as its not hormonal.

1) Grey's are very sensitive and are prone to plucking when unhappy or feeling neglected. Not saying it is guaranteed to be plucked one day when you get home, but the chances of this happening are no greater with a Too than with a Grey.

2) All birds are hormonal during the mating season. I have an ekkie who is very low key and has a very easy-going hormonal period for the most part. But she can still be a real b**** on her bad days.