African Grey parrots have been popular pets since the time of King Henry VIII of England. Because of its ability to speak, more and more affluent families adopted the possession of this parrot.

Today, countless of African Grey parrots are being hand reared by various breeders for because they are amazing and loving companions not to mention one of the in demand species in different pet trades for possessing high intelligence.

Despite its superb characteristics, African Grey parrots are not suitable for all environments—especially those with children—because they can be strong, they can bite using their pointed beak, and they can scratch with their daunting claws.

If you are planning to buy an African Grey parrot or planning to have one, it is a must that you know almost everything about this specific type of parrot so you would know what to expect.

African Grey Parrot Basics

Considered as the best mimics of all parrots, African Grey parrots are known for causing people to place a lot expectation on their eventual performance because of their phenomenal gift of speech, for their problem solving and reasoning skills and their ability to understand the human language.

Although they are considered as one of the superior types of parrots there are, African Greys are the most neurotic, temperamental, nippy, and one of the shyest parrot species.

Usually, African Grey Parrots are medium-sized parrots native to Africa. Primarily grey with accents of white area around the eye, African Greys are also famous for their red or maroon tail.
Basically, there are two subspecies of African Greys: the Congo—which are about 12 inches to 30cm long, with light grey feathers, deep red tails and black beaks—and the Timneh race—which are smaller, have a darker charcoal gray color, a darker maroon tail, with a horn colored beak. Today, there is also known a third and fourth sub specie—the Ghana African Grey that is similar to the Congo African grey but darker and smaller and the Cameroon African Grey or the “big silvers.”

Determining the sex of an African Grey parrot will sorely depend on their physical traits: males are generally bigger in size, round eyes, have a flatter and broader head while females have longer and slender neck, small rounded head and elliptical eyes.

These relatively quiet parrots have an average lifespan of 50 to 65 years and are known to feed primarily on nuts and fruits, usually supplemented by vegetables. These birds are known for having a tendency to pluck their feathers if they get bored and tend to bond to only one person if they are not used to interacting with different people on a regular basis.

Like any pet parrot, African Grey parrots require a large commitment and dedication. If you’re planning to buy one, African Grey parrot prices ranges from $ 750 to $1000 in the market today.

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African Grey Parrots thrive on activity. In the wild they are very social amongst their own species and forage the forest in groups to search for food. They need to run around, climb, chew and play for most of their day. Their large size makes their need rather difficult to cater in captivity but one must nevertheless try their best to provide the best environment possible.

Choosing the Cage: Before you buy your bird you need to buy its cage. Choosing the cage should take the same consideration it takes selecting a bird. This will be your Greys home- its safe place. It seems incomprehensible that someone would buy a tame Grey and not provide it with a cage. There are very important reasons why every parrot should have a cage. It needs to literally know its place in the house, and know its cage is a refuge from danger to which it can return if it feels insecure. And, of course, its cage is a secure place in which to roost every night and a place to rest quietly every afternoon where it will not be disturbed. Without a cage, the likelihood of the parrot escaping is also greatly increased. The purchaser of a young Grey Parrot may be too excited to notice the important aspects of how their bird has been kept and fed.

Because Grey Parrots have a sensitive nature, they can be more stressed by a transfer to a new location than, for example, an Amazon. The Purchaser should therefore note the size of its present cage and the location and type of food containers used. If the young Grey has been feeding from a low perch with food containers at the same level, and he is placed in a larger cage, he will probably climb to the higher perch but may be very reluctant to climb down to feed. Therefore, it is advisable to buy some hook-on feeders in case it needs to be fed at the perch level to start with. In a large cage perches can be placed at a low level and their height (except one) gradually increased as the Grey feels more at home in the cage.

Remove the grate at the bottom of the cage. African Grey Parrots like to walk on the cage floor and perhaps scratch in a corner. Older hens will probably want to tear up newspaper. There activities are good outlets for their energy.

Features of a Good Cage: When choosing a cage these features are most important:

• Buy the largest size cage you can afford. It should be longer than it is high as this design offers more opportunity for exercise and play. Cylindrical cages should be avoided; they are unsuitable for birds of any species.

• It should have at least some sides with horizontal bars, for ease of climbing.

• It should have a fairly large cage door. This makes it easier to move the parrot in and out of the cage and to clean the inside of the cage.

• It should have food and water containers that can be replenished from the outside. This is standard in all but the cheapest cages.

• It should have castors so that the cage can be moved to other rooms of the house. Greys are curious animals and nothing can be more boring than having the same view everyday.

• Take a careful look at the door catch on your Grey’s cage. These parrots are strong enough and clever enough to undo some cage doors. If this is likely, put a dog clip or a padlock on the cage.

• Newspaper is a good material to cover the cage floor. It is entirely safe (newsprint no longer contains lead) and easily obtainable. As a rule of thumb use the paper without any colored printing- just black and white is safe. It is also a quick change; several layers of paper can be used to line the bottom of the cage and several sheets can be removed twice daily. Do not use cat litter (possibly toxic) or sand (a Grey can scratch it all over the room in a matter of minutes).

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Jamie Turner

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Fascinated to the world of the fast-talking, fun-loving parrots? Are you contemplating on the idea of getting one as your pet bird? If you have plans of purchasing one in the future, then you must familiarize yourself with the different parrot species existing in the pet trades and pet stores today.

As defined, parrots are a very popular group of birds for possessing high intelligence depending on the degree of its socialization and training. Famous for its ability to imitate human speech and various sounds, these tropical colorful birds are mainly found in Australia and South America.

Having a variety of species, parrots differ in size and color. Some parrots are bigger and grander while others are smaller and typical. When it comes to colors, green is considered the most common shade of parrots and are usually wonderful pets for their amazing talking abilities. Several types of parrots are multi-colored—with a distinctive combination of bright blue, yellow, green, and white mixtures.

These birds are also characterized by having powerful hooked bills and feet meant for tree climbing. Mainly vegetarian, other basic foods of almost all types of parrots are includes fruits, chicken or meat and a lot of seeds. Although they belong to only one family of birds, parrot species have distinctive personalities and nature. Some of them are naturally friendly while some are moody and destructive because they pluck their feathers if they are bored or unhappy.

Parrot species include Macaws, Conures, Amazons, African Gray Parrots, Cockatiels, Cockatoos, Budgerigars, and Eclectus. Macaws are one of the most coveted birds in aviculture because of their comical and affectionate nature. Conures, on the other hand, are small cousins of the Macaw that has 2 sub-specie: Aratinga and the Pyrrhura.

While Conures are known for its variety of color and gentle personality, Amazons are famous for their superb talking ability. Considered as the most popular large parrots in aviculture that exhibits distinct personalities, amazons are often considered as delightful pets for imitating sounds well.

African Grey Parrots is probably the most intelligent parrot there is. Despite their intelligence, greys can be hard to handle because they are generally quiet, resulting to stress attacks and reactions.

Cockatoos are considered among the favorites because they are beautiful, smart, playful, cuddly, and good talkers. Although they are generally tame, cockatoos can be hard to handle because they thrive in too much attention.

Cockatiels are most common pet birds because they are easy to breed and are relatively inexpensive pets; Budgerigars or “parakeets” that are usually afraid of humans if not trained properly; and the Eclectus that are “sexually dimorphic” or the male and females look markedly different.

About the Author: This content is provided by Low Jeremy. It may be used only in its entirety with all links included. For more information on Pet Parrot & other useful information, please visit pet-parrot.articlekeep.com