How much time with your greys?

[Gazimon]

Hi grey "parronts". I'm doing some research on greys and wondering what's your daily schedule like for you, from morning to afternoon to night. How much time do you spend with your birbies and how much time a day for feeding and clean up?

I'm currently a working adult on a basic 8am-8pm out-of-the-house schedule. Does this mean I can probably chuck my dream of having a grey out the window, and only reconsider if I'm part-time / work at home?

 

[Sweet Louise]

40 minutes feeding and cleaning up daily. Every other week 1-2 hours for a deep clean. Louise is a fairly clean bird, throws very little out of her cage. Have a friend whose grey is much messier, stuff everywhere. I am gone 9-13 hours during work days, I try to minimize long days. The rest of the time until bed she is with me, on me, or by me, I would say 4- 8 hours per day. Weekends it is significantly more, if I have a daytime nap, she is on her playstand in my room. 8-8 everyday is a lot to be gone. You would have to be prepared to spend much of your free time with your bird. Louise does much better when I am home by 5:30, she is a happier bird (have a 9 hour day at work). When I am gone, I make sure there is music playing and I also have dogs penned in the kitchen so at least there is something she can watch during the day. She is also by a big window where hawks cannot hang out. Louise would be in heaven if I worked half as much and she could hitch a ride on my shoulder all the time. She will hang out on my shoulder when I do laundry, watch tv, work on the computer... or sometimes plays on her playstand, outside her cage, or inside her cage with the door open. She is very busy when I am home, she is a perch potato when I am not home (have her on security camera). My friend is able to occasionally take her grey to work, maybe that is an option?

 

[jmfleish]

I have a houseful of parrots, so they do have each other to gab to. Some are in cages, some are not. Out of the bunch, I have one Timneh, Tuchis, who is 15 and has been with me since he was 4 months old. He would be my shadow if I let him. I have five Congos, Clancy, Aspen, Smokey, Seymour, and Chevey. All of them came from previous homes and are a little different in temperament.

Clancy was the first to arrive after Tuchis and was 16 when he arrived. His only other owner was dying of cancer. She was a bit afraid of him and only handled him when she had to, with welder's gloves. He has been with me for 8 years now. He does not like to be held or touched and will only step up for me if he is on the ground or in trouble (read on someone else's cage by accident and needs help). He absolutely adores it when I talk to him and loves to talk back to me. I pretty much let him do his own thing and he likes to stick to his cage for the most part. He has a broken wing and cannot fly but likes to walk around on the floor and explore a bit. He's a fabulous bird but I take things at his pace.

Aspen was rehomed to me at 16 as well and has been with me for about five years. He lived with a bachelor before coming to me and has the beak of a sailor and is the biggest chicken I have ever met in my life! He's a sweet bird but does not want to be held or touched and refuses to step up no matter what we try. Once again, I let him do as he pleases. He will come out of his cage on occasion but tends to head straight for our wood work. He also likes being talked to.

Smokey has been with us about two years now and is the only grey in the house who truly likes my husband. He doesn't like women but will tolerate me and is even nice to me when not by his cage. He is also the only grey we have at about 22 who doesn't talk. He loves to whistle and fart and burp though and keeps us laughing. He also loves to play with toys and also likes to journey around the house and bite me if I'm not paying attention. Loves my husband to bits of course.

The last two greys came to us as a pair. The male is 19 and his name is Seymour and he's completely obsessed with me and will follow me around the house like a puppy dog. The female is five and her name is Chevey and she is sweet and loving although she likes to push poor Seymour around when she wants to be fed or preened...she's not too pushy but we definitely know who's the boss in the relationship! She will step up for me or my hubby but Seymour absolutely hates my husband...he will go after him whenever he gets a chance!

So, out of all the greys, the ones who really need one on one attention from me are Tuchis and Seymour. They demand it! The others, not so much. Obviously, cleaning time, and toy making time, and feeding time for all my birds is going to be different because I have a lot. If it's only you, I would really consider getting two birds. All of my greys talk to each other and chat up a storm with the other birds in the house. They are all flock animals and like the company even if they don't physically interact with each other. I don't think you should rule out a grey because of your schedule, but be prepared to spend as much of your free time with the bird as possible and make sure that you have the money to offer up toys and stimulation when you aren't home. Music, the tv, and possibly another bird down the road. Those are my thoughts anyway.

I find greys, especially the CAGs, fairly easy going. It's also going to depend on whether you get an adult who needs a home who is established in his personality or a baby who is new and may change in personality as he grows. The older grey is going to pretty much be what you expect. The baby will change.

 

[Sweet Louise]

@jmfleish, if anything every happened to me, I would want Louise in a home just like yours! Seriously. What a wonderful bird environment.

 

[EllaMay]

I work crazy hours mostly 10-11 hrs a day but I always let Ella out 3 hrs min some days it is 5-6 hrs even if she has to stay up later, I want to enjoy her and she wants to do crazy and play and enjoy our time together. Weekend she out all day the minute she eats her breakfast she is out, sometimes have to work the weekend a few hours always let her out when I get home including the littles. She has the routine down and quite happy little girl with it. '

I live alone but having Babe and Daisy I am sure helps but Ella is very rounded quite happy gappy girl.

My morning routine is heating up the food for all, I make everything ahead of time and the chop is frozen and thawed in the fridge, everyone eats including fruit and Ella's fav is sweet potatoes with her chop along with extra's I add including pellets through out the day. I have a routine I really don't think about other than I know they need there foodie, Ella chants Num's Num's in the morning.

Cleanup is daily when I get home again don't think much other I know I have make sure everything is good for a cage environment , like a parent with children you know you have to do certain items to make it well and safe for the kiddies including adding new toys because they just destroyed in 1 hour a 24.00 dollar toy.

 

[jmfleish]

@jmfleish, if anything every happened to me, I would want Louise in a home just like yours! Seriously. What a wonderful bird environment.

Awww! Thank you! I’m upstairs tonight enjoying Clancy and Seymour. I introduced them for the first time and they got along just fine which I kind of figured they would. They are both really easy going birds. I think the greys truly are my favorite species. Here is a picture...please forgive the mess!

 

[Jeff Sexton]

When I got a CAG, I was pretty new to birds. We never had them growing up, no one I knew had birds either. What happened was that we had gotten a pair of cockatiels. They were so amazing that I became very interested in taking the plunge with a larger bird. The more research I did the more drawn I was to the intelligence of African Greys. So after a few months, I ended up with Harlan. I have had Harlan for over a year and it's been worth every bit of the effort, work and expense.

My situation is a little different from that of most people. Harlan lives in my workspace. Rather than being away at work all day and spending mornings and nights with the bird, I do the reverse. This way, Harlan gets a lot of attention, and it seems to have worked out fine. Now and then, I also take Harlan with me for the night (which is actually just next door).

Having an African Grey has been such a great experience that I wish I had done this years ago. Years ago, I worked a typical job and was away each weekday though. I think I could have made it work. However, what wanted to say here, for those thinking of getting a companion like this, and that work regular hours away from home, is that once you spend time getting to know these animals, you start to feel really bad leaving them alone. I know I do. These creatures are stunningly intelligent. They have thoughts and feeling and inner lives just like people. When you leave them, they wonder if they've done something wrong.

As much as I wish I had gotten into birds earlier in my life, I think today's me would have advised my younger self not to.

 

[finchly]

When I got a CAG, I was pretty new to birds. We never had them growing up, no one I knew had birds either. What happened was that we had gotten a pair of cockatiels. They were so amazing that I became very interested in taking the plunge with a larger bird. The more research I did the more drawn I was to the intelligence of African Greys. So after a few months, I ended up with Harlan. I have had Harlan for over a year and it's been worth every bit of the effort, work and expense.

My situation is a little different from that of most people. Harlan lives in my workspace. Rather than being away at work all day and spending mornings and nights with the bird, I do the reverse. This way, Harlan gets a lot of attention, and it seems to have worked out fine. Now and then, I also take Harlan with me for the night (which is actually just next door).

Having an African Grey has been such a great experience that I wish I had done this years ago. Years ago, I worked a typical job and was away each weekday though. I think I could have made it work. However, what wanted to say here, for those thinking of getting a companion like this, and that work regular hours away from home, is that once you spend time getting to know these animals, you start to feel really bad leaving them alone. I know I do. These creatures are stunningly intelligent. They have thoughts and feeling and inner lives just like people. When you leave them, they wonder if they've done something wrong.

As much as I wish I had gotten into birds earlier in my life, I think today's me would have advised my younger self not to.

Do you still have cockatiels as well?

 

[Jeff Sexton]

Do you still have cockatiels as well?

Yes, but they don't live together. The cockatiels live in the "living" area, and the grey lives in the work area (it's a duplex). Often I take Harlan next door for a night and a day, especially on occasions when people come over, like today (Easter), and set her mobile cage in the same room as the cockatiels. But we do not let them directly interact. I don't think that would end well.

As an interesting aside, our male cockatiel can do pretty well with 2 or 3 different tunes. Harlan the grey parrot has attempted to pick up these tunes, but she is awful at it. You can tell she is trying to sing like the cockatiel, but she just has no sense of melody. Sure, Harlan can do to various sounds my phone makes, and say several phrases, but she should leave the singing to the little guy!

 

[finchly]

Yes, but they don't live together. The cockatiels live in the "living" area, and the grey lives in the work area (it's a duplex). Often I take Harlan next door for a night and a day, especially on occasions when people come over, like today (Easter), and set her mobile cage in the same room as the cockatiels. But we do not let them directly interact. I don't think that would end well.

As an interesting aside, our male cockatiel can do pretty well with 2 or 3 different tunes. Harlan the grey parrot has attempted to pick up these tunes, but she is awful at it. You can tell she is trying to sing like the cockatiel, but she just has no sense of melody. Sure, Harlan can do to various sounds my phone makes, and say several phrases, but she should leave the singing to the little guy!

Too funny!