by Wolf » Wed Feb 03, 2016 12:03 am
This is really the wrong environment for this type of bird. While the bird could get used to it being crowded and busy, she simply could not physically adjust to a TV that is on 24/7, nor to all of the noise until 1 am when she needs it to be quiet so that she can get a good nights sleep. Even moving her to your room might not lower the noise level enough for her to sleep comfortably. Then there is the problem of time. This is referring to the time spent physically with the bird, and we have not even began to talk about the time out of the cage that the bird requires.
Now that I have said what I see is wrong, please allow me to explain.
First of all, all parrots are photoperiodic which is just a big word to say that their reproductive cycle is controlled mostly by light. I know that this does not sound to you like a big deal, but it is major. Birds have an internal biological clock that is set and reset but the bird being exposed to the two twilight periods of dawn and dusk. For this to work properly this exposure needs to be without the interference of artificial lights of any type. In addition to this these twilight periods work much like the start and stop button on a stopwatch, so that the internal clock can measure the length of the day, every day which in addition to the type of light during the day keeps the bird in tune with the seasons and the time of the year so that the bird goes into it reproductive cycle only when it should do so. When the bird is forced into a human light schedule under artificial lights none of this happens the way it is supposed to and the birds system runs amok and ends up with the bird remaining in its reproductive cycle all year long.
Now before the bird goes into its breeding cycle and after it leaves it, the birds internal sexual organs or gonads are about the size of a pea, but during the breeding cycle they swell up and grow up to over 100 times this resting size and if the bird remains in breeding condition they continue to grow producing intense pain. Imagine your gonads placed in a vise which just keeps getting tighter. Eventually the bird starts plucking its feathers out and then begins to tear holes in its own body in the attempt to relieve the pressure and pain. Then there is the matter of the sexual hormones that build up in the birds body and bloodstream, these hormones make the bird more aggressive and when you add to this heightened aggressiveness the pressure and pain that causes it to self mutilate, you have a bird that you can not longer touch and that will attack you whenever it gets the chance to do so. This is not the birds fault, but this is what happens to them when they must live in a human light environment without proper exposure to the proper lighting.
Lets look specifically at the African Grey Parrot. There are two types of this parrot mine is a Congo African Grey and the other is the Timneh African Grey. They are very similar With the Congo African Grey ( CAG ) being larger, lighter in color with red tail feathers, While the Timneh African Grey ( TAG ) is smaller, darker with a dark burgundy wine colored tail. They are both very similar as far as personality goes, however the Congo is said to be more sensitive and more excitable than the Timneh. I don't know as I only have experience with the Congo or CAG.
Greys are normally pretty laid back bird and while they do have an independent streak in them, they don't do well in an excitable, crowded and noisey environment. They much prefer a quieter place where they can perch comfortably and watch everything that is going on around them. Where they can choose whether to interact or not. They are very loving birds, but really do not like to be touched very much and then that is normally reserved for their very special human or their mate. This is most definitely a one person bird, so if it allows you to touch it you are probably its special human or it is still a juvenile because once it matures into an adult and chooses it human it will protect and defend this person with its life and will bite anyone who tries to remove it from this person. My Grey is fine with people sitting next to me but tries to bite anyone who attempts to touch me while she is on me. They are very touchy birds who do not handle changes very well and like to have a simple steady routine where they know what to expect next and when it is supposed to happen and they get upset when it does not happen as it is supposed to happen. They bond with one person and although they may accept another person this other person is only satisfactory when the person they bonded with is not there. My Grey is bonded with me and she is aware of my moods and how I am feeling almost before I know these things myself. They want and expect that if you are there that you will spend all of your time with them and may get mad at you if you ignore them for any reason, they require a huge commitment in your time both in allowing them to perch on you and in just hanging out with and near then they also require a minimum of 4 hours of out of cage time (supervised) to fly and explore or to just hang out.
If these needs and these are just the basics, are not met the bird will resort to biting you and to plucking its own feathers out and may even self mutilate due to its extreme unhappiness. If this bird is kept without other birds for any real length of time it will probably not accept another bird in its area, even if the other bird is of the same species and of the opposite sex.
To be totally honest with you if you are unwilling or unable to provide this minimum level of commitment to this bird for the next 50 to 60 years, both you and this bird would be better off for you to return it to the breeder.
All of the birds that I have are very needy, and hands on type of birds except my pair of budgies, all of them came from places that were not good for them, with some of them devoid of feathers or with mental and emotional problems from their previous homes. My Grey was plucked and self mutilated from her previous home and as much as I love this bird she is by far the most needy and the most difficult of them all to keep happy.