african grey

Sep 12, 2011

african grey
by: Linda

Hello and congratulations on your beautiful new companion. The Grey's are some of the very best talkers and highly intelligent of the parrot world. Of course, this high intelligence matched with their emotional sensitivity can also have a down side. They can become pluckers whether out of boredom or stress it is not really known. A nice stress-free home and high quality food will go a long way in keeping this from happening.

Let me address your concerns first, and then we can chat about food and other considerations. Your bird is literally terrified of you, your family, his new cage, toys and the entire new environment he finds himself in. So, allow him to settle in for a few days and feed and water him and clean his cage during this time. Feel free to talk in a bit of a higher pitched voice to him in non-aggressive tones that are soothing and loving. A parrot's trust is earned not freely given, and caring for him will make this happen sooner than later.

Before training, your bird will need to be examined by an Avian Vet in your area. The reason for this, is birds coming out of some pet shops and/or breeding facilities will contract an infection because their immune systems are lower from all the stress of being moved around and put in front of many strangers. Have the Avian Vet check him for both bacterial and viral infections and do some basic bloodwork to make sure his organs function properly. This bloodwork will become the "baseline" for his future bloodwork if it is needed. If everything appears to be in normal ranges, then you are clear to begin taming/training, and there is some information on this site you may wish to look at.

Changing him from all seed diet to organic pelleted diet will take time, and below is an article written by an Avian Vet on how to go about it. If you can order and receive this type of item, you can find several kinds with Harrisons being the very best on the market in the US. You'll pick the "Course Grind" for him, and we use both the regular and pepper flavors. We have two Amazons, so you may wish to just try one or the other. Also, you may wish to get some of the others you find here as we also mix our Harrisons with some Goldenfeast pellets for variety.

http://www.parrot-and-conure-world.com/switching-birds-to-pellets.html

Your Grey needs a cage at least as large as one made for one Amazon and larger if you can afford it and have the room. Toys that are universally liked by the larger parrots are ones with wooden pieces they can chew on and tear up eventually. No small chains as links need to large enough so he can get a toe in and out easily, but not so large he can get his head stuck.

Perches need to be natural, safe wood branches, and these can be found in pet shops and on the net with hardware already installed.

Write back later to let us know how the Avian Vet visit went and to keep us updated on your new friend. We are here for you, and thank you for writing to us today!

Linda

african grey

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african grey

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african grey

Comments for african grey

Full Spectrum Lighting

Shreddable Toys!

No Mess Feeder

New Foraging Toys!

On Sale Today

Comments for
african grey