Pros and cons of owning an African Grey?

[jaypolkam]

I'm ready to get a parrot. I have a friend with an African Grey who gave me the advice of putting videos of Greys on YouTube to listen to for 8 hours a day to see if I can handle it. I'm going to admit that it was pretty distracting.

Do all Greys really make that much noise all day? I really want a parrot that I can teach to talk, and I thought the Grey was my dream bird, as I love my friend's bird so much. But she knows I enjoy peace and quiet and doesn't think I'm going to like having a Grey. (Hers is noisy, but he's so much fun!) I have had quite a few birds, but none of them had the capability of talking. I really want a talker!

If you have any advice for me, I'd love to hear it. I have lots of time for a parrot, and I can bring it to work with me every day except for one, so it will have lots of attention. My kids are grown and my hubby works a lot. I do have other pets, but I don't think that will be a problem. I can afford a parrot, own my home, and have only a few allergies to mold and pollen.

[Pajarita]

Hi, Jay, welcome to the forum and thank you for doing research before you make up your mind!

Now, if you like peace and quiet, I am afraid that parrots are not for you. ALL parrots are noisy. Period. These are animals that live in flocks so, in order to be heard over the other parrots, they need to be loud. It's the way they are and nothing you can do or not do will change that. You also say that you have 'other' pets and that is also a consideration because if you have dogs that bark, aside from the fact that grays do not do well in households with hullabaloo (this depends on the breed of dog you have) the parrot will not only learn to bark but will do it even louder than your dogs (they also learn to meow and, when they do, they actually meow more often than cats do ). Again, it's the way they are.

Also, if the reason you want a parrot is because you want a bird that talks, please note that not all grays learn to do it (and this is common to all species of parrots). I've had one that never said a single word and another that said only one single word. Even my Sophie CAG is not really a prolific talker - she is more into 'beep' and 'coo' than actual words. And Lord forbid the bird learns how to do a smoke alarm, a phone ringing or the beep of the microwave! It will drive you NUTS with it!

Parrots are very hard pets to keep. I've cared for many different species of animals and parrots are BY FAR the hardest to keep healthy and happy - there are sooooo many things you need to learn and soooo many things you need to do every single day! But the worse is that you need to change your entire lifestyle to adjust to theirs because they cannot adjust theirs to ours so it's not only cleaning and preparing fresh food for them on a daily basis but also you need to be free and available to them 24/7/365 (and that means no vacations, no overnight trips, no sleeping in on weekends, no sick days, no nothing but the same exact routine every single day), bird-proofing your entire house, a super strict solar schedule (and that means lights off until the following morning at 3 pm in the winter) which is VERY hard to do! There are species of parrots that are not that hard to keep because they are aviary and happy with a mate, good food, a large flight cage and just the solar schedule but grays are one of the hardest species to keep happy because they are naturally high-strung, bond very deeply to a single human (and the bird might not bond to you but to your husband) and thoroughly dislike change or anything that disrupts their daily routine or environment (which is the reason why they are so prone to plucking and other feather mutilation behaviors and why they are never recommended for first timers).

So think about it VERY carefully because getting a parrot is a commitment that is more labor-intensive, more disruptive, is as expensive and last longer than having a child and you might not even get what you want (the bird could bond with your husband instead of you -they choose who to love and nothing we can do will change that- and not say a single word to boot).

[Chai]

Hi Jay, I have 2 African Greys and it's pretty much just like Pajarita said. They are chatty and vocalize for much of the day, with clicks, whistles, and mimicking noises. They are around 30 years old and are not really talkers, they each know a few words, but they are quick to pick up on other sounds. Some of their favorite noises to make are police sirens, car alarms, and that back up beep of heavy machinery, which they have no problem doing for extended periods of time (and it is LOUD). They are also really good at mimicking the birds they hear outside, except much louder than any of those little outside birds are. I also have 3 cats, and like Pajarita said, the birds meow way more than the cats do.

I say the same things to them every day when I am taking care of them, always the same routine to let them know what to expect, but they just aren't interested in repeating anything I say. it's fine with me, but something to be aware of if you have your heart set on getting a talker. Good luck in making your decision!