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I'm shocked

Marvel_ous

Sprinting down the street
Joined
7/11/18
Messages
473
Location
Colorado
Real Name
Trinity
Never in a thousand years did I expect this.

For my birthday, I asked to visit the Gabriel Foundation, and so my mother, me, and my sisters went. I was surprised enough when my mother really enjoyed the visit, minus the conure room where a few Suns were screaming their little heads off, and even more surprised when she started asking me and the tour guide a bunch of questions about the birds, most centered around the cockatoos that we chatted back and forth with, and the Greys, the latter which she really liked the personalities and mimicry of.

Fast forward a few weeks, and we hadn't really talked about birds since, but she piped up again about Greys after our volunteer hours at the local dog and cat shelter, where I had fallen in love with a gorgeous, gentle GSD, but ended up leaving him behind with a, "Now that the moment's over, I'm glad I didn't convince you, after all, the pet I've been really wanting for years is a parrot." This led to her asking me questions such as, "If we were to get one, which one would you want?" and "So what makes a bird better than a lizard?" This led to a conversation about diet and care, to which she got very animated when she realized that she could freeze dry vegetables, grains, and fruit for a parrot. (She has a freeze dryer and is slightly obsessed with using it) She also pointed out that she really liked Greys as far as birds she had met went, and said that if I got a bird she wanted that to be the one, as supplies and adoption fee for a Grey is within our budget.

Just a few days ago, she told me that she was okay with me adopting a bird, as long as I waited until our vacation season was over and made sure that the entire family was involved so that we could make sure it fit in right. I'm spending these months stalking around for cages, pellets, perches, and toys, and upping my research on the species in particular.

Anything in particular I should be doing now to prep for when we start searching? I know for a fact now that I won't be the only one caring for the bird, physically and financially, and that's a huge relief and opens up many more options!
 

sunnysmom

Ripping up the road
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Pennsylvania
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Michelle
That's great! I would keep going to the Gabriel foundation and meeting and interacting with different birds. Do they offer classes or anything like that? Our rescue here does basic and advance bird care classes, etc.
 

MommyBird

Biking along the boulevard
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Debbie
Great news! It's a good idea to go back to TGF and work with their experts. They certainly have many many birds to meet and consider.
TGF has a mandatory online course with reading, multiple choice and essay questions for each unit.
They also have get-togethers to learn to make chop and toys, and service days for sprucing up the outdoor aviaries. They also have a cage sale every year.
 

Marvel_ous

Sprinting down the street
Joined
7/11/18
Messages
473
Location
Colorado
Real Name
Trinity
Thanks to all! My mom has heard a lot about TGF, good and bad, and while she doesn't really want to adopt from there (Though she's said it's an option if we can't find anything) I'm sure she'd be open to visiting it a bit more, and doing online courses! Both would probably be closer to the end of summer, since she's taking it pretty slowly right now and it's a bit far for us to go too often.

Another adoption center, The Perch in Colorado Springs, does monthly events in Aurora, much closer to us, so we'll probably attend one or two of them as well, give her a chance to meet more birds and talk to more people experienced with them! So far with what I've told her, since she's actually begun caring about those conversations more, she's surprised by how smart they are, and seems pretty excited! At least, excited compared to how she used to act when parrots were mentioned. My mom's said that while she doesn't want to have to do the dirty work (Fine by me!), she'd be happy to interact with it and do small tasks like preparing food!

My dad remains pretty ambivalent about it, but he's never been opposed to the idea of a parrot. I'll definitely have to convince him to come along to an event or TGF trip, since he hasn't had much experience with birds, except for Sky.
 

jh81

Rollerblading along the road
Avenue Veteran
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8/13/15
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2,299
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Arnhem, Netherlands
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Jan
The fact that you are asking questions here means you are well underway to becoming a great parront! Don’t ever be afraid to ask! :) browse youtube for videos about greys and Amazons, although i would pick a grey over an Amazon, but my knowledge is limited to a traumatised Amazon and a socialized grey :)

Anyways, Youtube has some pretty good videos about parrots of all ranges and sizes, about care, feeding, etc etc :)

And ofcourse browse these forums, not just the grey forum but all the others as well! Avenue is a goldmine when it comes to all subjects related to parrots :)

I do hope you will share some pics with us when the moment is finally there! :heart:
 

LynnInColorado

Meeting neighbors
Joined
8/31/19
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60
Real Name
Lynn
The Perch in Colorado Springs, does monthly events in Aurora,
I live in Aurora and visit the Springs often, but have never heard of The Perch or of their events. Thank you!!
 
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greys4u

Rollerblading along the road
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SmallFeather

Walking the driveway
Joined
4/26/19
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174
@CrowCall
I adopted a timneh African grey from the Gabriel Foundation and they are wonderful. Unfortunately, my adoption of Aries didn't work out, but I have no regrets. I highly recommend you take a look at Aries the timneh African grey, though he has a lot of issues, he is an incredible bird who was my best friend for three months. I do think you should volunteer there for a bit before adopting an African grey, as Aries was a lot more than what I was expecting! If you do end up being interested in Aries or adopting from TGF, feel free to PM me if you would like some advice! Wishing you the best of luck on the avian adventure you are about to embark on!
 
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