potential Grey owner has questions

[lisark]

Hi there!

My husband and I are thinking of obtaining another parrot in the next couple of years. My dream is to have a CAG or possibly an Ekkie.

Based on what we have read online, I think that it's a strong possibility that the Ekkie would be the better choice for us. I worry that with our boisterous family with four Australian Shepherds, two cats, a Hahn's Macaw, a high-functioning (but loud and crazy) autistic teenage son, we might drive a poor Grey right up the wall.

I am terrified of adding a Grey to our home only to discover that our lifestyle is totally not suited to a Grey's personality, and have the bird suffer as a result.

That having been said...I am a dog trainer and I take my dogs everywhere. I am the master of socialization. We got the Hahn's not too long ago, and since the weather has been good we've been taking him everywhere too in his harness. If I did get a Grey the plan would be heavy and various socialization right from the get-go. The bird would go everywhere with me and meet tons of new people, new sights and sounds, etc. I would use the critical learning period to its utmost to socialize the bird and would continue maintenance of socialization for the life of the bird.

I am looking at books to buy that will tell us more about the personality traits of Greys. Would "For the Love of Greys" be a good purchase for us to get a better feel for the personality traits?

Thanks in advance for your advice and help

[lisark]

I forgot to mention...I do not work outside the home, and our Hahn's is out of his cage on playgyms for 6+ hours per day, with me. I would envision a similar lifestyle for any bird we might own.

[Lisa B]

hi Lisa, and welcome...follow this link to listen to a talk I just did on greys.
it talks about households and what type of person a grey will most likely thrive with. have you thought about a zon? the love action, noise and can be very social..(just a thought)
If ya need more help,just ask....this responce is only short because I am not feeling well at the moment...

Replay of the Bird Talks webcast

[Amie]

I would also suggest an Amazon if you're worried about your home being too crazy.

I'm not sure how your son is with animals, but my cousin's son is autistic, also high-functioning, and he has his own African Grey. Mom is always making sure he doesn't forget to feed or clean or water, but she doesn't actually have to do ANYTHING. And I swear my little cousin spoils Bird more than I spoil my animals. That is one of the happiest greys I've ever met.

[cozyparrot]

In my opinion, every bird is different. Yes, greys do have a reputation for being sensitive but your plan sounds very good. If any bird matures with the plans you have, I think there is a good chance they will do fine. I also support consideration of a zon. Yellow napes are my favorite. They talk extremely well and dearly love to show off. They love active households and constantly changing situations (except for Isabel, my YNA, who is just a big green chicken!).

What I love about your post is that you are really thinking about this BEFORE you make the leap and that shows that you care. The book you mentioned is a good one. I would recommend it.

Gena

[jmfleish]

I think that a grey could work in your household if you started with a young one from a good breeder, not to say that an older one couldn't eventually adjust but working from a blank, or fairly blank slate helps a lot. There is a reason for the stereotypes of greys but I think that they also adjust to the environment they grow up in. I have a five year old Timneh who has no real fears and he has been with me since he was four months old. Life with me is kind of roll with the punches and I don't have any kind of real schedule that I follow with my birds. I do have a job that I keep pretty normal hours with but from day to day, the birds' hours could vary greatly and change a lot on the weekends. Moving for them is par for the course too from apartment to apartment and from cage to cage and the cages in the bird room get shuffled around a lot as well. I like to keep them on their toes!:) I just took in a 15 year old CAG who is starting to learn how things work and she's a bit nervous but I think she's learning the swing of things. My Ekkies are pretty adaptable too.

So, honestly, I think it depends on how you handle them from the start and what you expect from them. There is some truth to the self-fulfilling prophecy as well. If you walk into it feeling like you are going to end up with a nervous bird and always walk on egg shells, chances are pretty good that your bird is going to pick up on that and he will turn out nervous. They are very preceptive that way!;)

[lisark]

Thanks so much to those who have replied thus far...and I would love to hear from more people!

I am the kind of person, with my dogs anyway, that always expects that the best will happen, and I take steps to make sure that every opportunity for the "best" is presented to my animals. I too believe that you get what you are thinking about most...and for me, with any bird I got, I would be thinking "this is gonna work and you are loved and you will have an enriched, fulfilling lifestyle with me so, you could walk on the MOON if you wanted to!"

I would also be starting clicker training within a month of the bird being here. I am a big believer that clicker allows for the animal to recognize that true communication is possible, that thinking and problem solving are fun, and that it provides a true brain-to-brain interaction with any animal you are training.

I must confess, though, that one of the things that makes me the most cautious about getting a grey the video of Alex that I saw on Youtube. It showed him answering some basic questions about "what matter" and "how many green blocks." At first it just showed him pretty much from the head up, and then later when the camera pulled back it showed that he was slightly plucked. I thought to myself, with all that mental and physical stimulation that Alex got, with all that social interaction, STILL he plucked. That does scare me a bit. Does anyone know whether Alex was a hand-fed baby or if he was a rescue or what?

[Lisa B]

alex was picked out of a pet store by an employee of the store back in the 70's. Back then he would have been an import.

[lisark]

Originally Posted by Lisa B

hi Lisa, and welcome...follow this link to listen to a talk I just did on greys.
it talks about households and what type of person a grey will most likely thrive with. have you thought about a zon? the love action, noise and can be very social..(just a thought)
If ya need more help,just ask....this responce is only short because I am not feeling well at the moment...

Replay of the Bird Talks webcast

Lisa B, I just wanted to write a quick note to say thanks for the link to the talk you did. I found it extremely informative and I feel much more confident about possibly owning a Grey.

What you said about "calm people" being better homes for Greys...although my household has lots of *action,* I am a calm, self-assured person. I give confidence to my dogs through my own confidence and demeanor. My husband is a very quiet, laid-back kind of guy. The worst that happens in this house is that someone hollers across the yard to someone else, or we holler upstairs for my son to come down to dinner. Actually I take that back...probably the most *startling* thing that happens in my house is when someone comes to the door (not often, we live out in the boondocks) and the dogs make a ruckus. It's a big rush to the door and 5 seconds or so of barking, at which point I show up, say "thank you" and they shut up and get ready to greet the person coming in.

Our house has its moments but the reality is that most days I am here alone puttering around while my husband is at work and my son is at school.

Currently our Hahn's Macaw, Rocky, moves through the house with us wherever we go. We have playstands for him in the three major areas where we hang out. In the evenings if I retire to bed early I will often take him into the bedroom and let him hang out on the bed with me while I watch TV or play on the laptop. I am hoping that he and the Grey would get along so that they could do these things together, but if not I will put them on separate playstands at either end of the room if need be.

So in short, I really appreciate the talk you gave and I understand much better the risks we would be taking in getting a Grey, and I feel pretty strongly that we would be a pretty good home for a Grey. Of course there are drawbacks in every home, nobody is perfect, but I feel like we would be giving a Grey an environment that was emotionally and intellectually stimulating without being so crazy that the bird would be 'round the bend.

[Lisa B]

ah you are very welcome. I'm glad I was of some help.
dont hesitate to contact me if you need to, and I wish you the best of luck with your baby!