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Has anyone else given up on the idea of adopting a rescue/ rehomed Grey? What was your experience?

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NYCAmazon2

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I considered adopting a male CAG from a rescue or a rehoming situation. I even looked at older breeder adoption birds. Now I’m searching for a breeder that Does Not “Train” their birds before sending them to their forever home. My idea of appropriate vocabulary for a family home and that of others seems to differ.

I answered rehoming ads only to find they were scams. I contacted rescues that would not answer questions about birds who had been up for adoption for years. They just expected me to spend thousands to travel across the country for an interview. I found out later the rescue just wanted someone to be desperate enough to take them after all the trouble, travel and cost.

I met birds who were trained to make bodily function sounds and announce it and giggle inappropriately, curse, sing racially offensive music and use racial slurs as greetings.

After all this I’ll go the route of the Professional breeder. At least one who doesn’t use their hatchlings to push their religious beliefs.
 

painesgrey

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If you're more worried about the sounds a rescue bird makes, and not the rescue bird itself, then maybe owning a bird (rescue or not) that picks up on the most mundane sounds and repeats them with delight might not be for you.
 

Feather

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The cursing and racist phrases are certainly on any former owners who used those words, but African Greys are especially adept at picking up the sounds of the household, many of which are deeply unpleasant. I once knew a grey whose cage was near a dining table and she would not only mimic but greatly amplify the sounds of people eating - silverware clicks, chewing, swallowing. No one had "trained" her to do this. She just did. I'm sorry to say she also made all kinds of bathroom noises as she could hear that room as well, along with squeaky hinges, microwave beeps, the phone ringing... what I'm saying is you can't "train" a parrot to only make the sounds you enjoy.

When the phone rings, the umbrella cockatoo I'm fostering will urgently start going "HELLO? HELLO? HELLO? HELLO?" simply because that's what the humans in her life have always done.

Birds pick up what they see and hear. It's not always or even often the result of a human "pushing their religious beliefs."

May I ask why you want a parrot? From your post, it almost comes off as if you want them solely for talking.
 

sunnysmom

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Don't give up on a rehome or rescue. :) My first bird was a rehome. My 'too is from a rescue. I also foster for 2 rescues. As with anything, some rescues are better than others. Most are careful about who they adopt too though as the don't want to send a bird into a bad situation. Are you in NYC? How far is A Helping Wing rescue from you? One of our members helps there. @Jenphilly ?
 

NYCAmazon2

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@Feather: I am looking for a Male Grey to be a companion and serve as a Therapy bird for my foster children and the children’s hospitals. Btw, How else but from former owners would the Greys learn such offensive language? I believe that means I raise a Grey myself.

@painesgrey: I’m afraid these behaviors aren’t something they picked up. They are the result of Bad owners. Are you saying you are one of those owners who teaches his/her Grey to call out “Yo my Ni@@a!” every time they see a black person? Or “I’m farting” before making fart sounds? My thread was not created so you could attempt to attack me. It was created to ask others experiences with using sources other than professional breeders to obtain a companion.
 
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Brittany0208

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“Yo my Ni@@a!” every time they see a black person? Or “I’m farting” before making fart sounds?
This is very inappropriate but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. Knowing how phobic Greys can be, have you considered another species for therapy?
 

NYCAmazon2

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@sunnysmom Thank you. I was born in NY but I live in Louisiana where I volunteer as an animal cruelty investigator and foster parent. I don’t mind traveling to a rescue as long as the rescuers don’t attempt to hide a Greys faults from me.
 

painesgrey

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Feather: I am looking for a Male Grey to be a companion and serve as a Therapy bird for my foster children and the children’s hospitals. Btw, How else but from former owners would the Greys learn such offensive language? I believe that means I raise a Grey myself.

Painesgrey: I’m afraid these behaviors aren’t something they picked up. They are the result of Bad owners. Are you saying you are one of those owners who teaches his/her Grey to call out “Yo my Ni@@a!” every time they see a black person? Or “I’m farting” before making fart sounds? My thread was not created so you could attempt to attack me. It was created to ask others experiences with using sources other than professional breeders to obtain a companion.


I'm not attacking you. The point of rescuing an animal isn't to get a perfectly behaved bird. Rescues are, more often than not, going to have behaviors associated with their past homes. This could be inappropriate vocalizations, or it could be screaming, plucking, and biting. I, personally, would think that inappropriate language would be the easiest to cope with. However, if your concern is whether the bird is going to behave "appropriately" by your standards, then your priority isn't for being a loving, caring home for a bird that needs a home.
 

Brittany0208

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as the rescuers don’t attempt to hide a Greys faults from me.
You say you are an animal cruelty investigator. Then you should know full well the need for a person's privacy. Maybe the rescue doesn't know the ins and outs of the bird, or maybe they're protecting the person(s) who surrendered the animal. I highly doubt they set out to hide anything from anyone, but an animal shouldn't be adopted/rescued/rehomed based on its past. If that were the case, no animal would ever find a home.
 

Feather

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@Feather: I am looking for a Male Grey to be a companion and serve as a Therapy bird for my foster children and the children’s hospitals. Btw, How else but from former owners would the Greys learn such offensive language? I believe that means I raise a Grey myself.

@painesgrey: I’m afraid these behaviors aren’t something they picked up. They are the result of Bad owners. Are you saying you are one of those owners who teaches his/her Grey to call out “Yo my Ni@@a!” every time they see a black person? Or “I’m farting” before making fart sounds? My thread was not created so you could attempt to attack me. It was created to ask others experiences with using sources other than professional breeders to obtain a companion.
Going to agree with @Brittany0208 on this... greys aren't likely to be a good choice as a therapy bird.

I'm not denying birds learn offensive things from their owners, but rather that they pick up just about everything whether the owners want them to or not. They can learn offensive language from movies and TV as well. Swearing stands out to them as it's usually loud and exciting and they think "This is a fantastic word!"

Know that if you're taking your bird to the hospital what it may hear and learn will be outside your control. Again, greys are especially skilled at picking up the noises from their environment.
 

NYCAmazon2

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@Brittany0208 Congo african greys are the only birds I’ve ever had or wanted. I too thought the vocabulary was inappropriate which is why the Grey who spouted the words is still at the rescue. No one will adopt him. Unfortunately, he isn’t the only abandoned Grey who have been so called “trained” in such a way.
 

Brittany0208

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@Brittany0208 Congo african greys are the only birds I’ve ever had or wanted. I too thought the vocabulary was inappropriate which is why the Grey who spouted the words is still at the rescue. No one will adopt him. Unfortunately, he isn’t the only abandoned Grey who have been so called “trained” in such a way.
Why not broaden the spectrum and look at other species? You may be surprised to find a bird you never thought of.
 

Sylvester

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Sometimes a baby bird is the best route because it doesn't come with any baggage. You have to do what is right for you.
 

hrafn

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@Brittany0208 Congo african greys are the only birds I’ve ever had or wanted. I too thought the vocabulary was inappropriate which is why the Grey who spouted the words is still at the rescue. No one will adopt him. Unfortunately, he isn’t the only abandoned Grey who have been so called “trained” in such a way.
My CAG swears like a sailor and I was warned of her language when I went to the Humane Society to adopt her.

I still brought her home.

Her value as an individual and her right to a home isn't diminished by the way she was treated in the past. Just because you don't care for a grey who has seen and heard some bad things, that doesn't mean no one cares and he'll never be adopted.
 

Brittany0208

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My bird would still be where he was if his past decided his future. The breeder told me that he was wild, impossible to handle without a net, was missing a leg, didn't talk and would probably never accept human company. Well, I still wanted him, to give him a chance, and boy, I don't regret a single moment of it. Sure he's skittish, possessive, and accommodating him has been very tricky, but it's doable. I wouldn't call him tame today because he's still afraid of hands and other people, but I can tell he's happy as a clown. When I set out to adopt a bird, the very first thing I wanted to do was bring home an older bird that needed a home, regardless of its past. I'm so happy I kept looking, even when the odds weren't in my favor at times.
 

Sylvester

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My CAG swears like a sailor and I was warned of her language when I went to the Humane Society to adopt her.

I still brought her home.

Her value as an individual and her right to a home isn't diminished by the way she was treated in the past. Just because you don't care for a grey who has seen and heard some bad things, that doesn't mean no one cares and he'll never be adopted.

No, but this is a warning to bird owners everywhere, that it isn't cute or funny to teach them to swear, or say rude things.
 

NYCAmazon2

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@hrafn i truly hope so. Normally Greys live a long time but he’s been there for over 6 years. He was dumped there at 15 after his “training”. His racial slurs only target People of African descent. A Caucasian person looking at him handed him back to his caregivers when he he yelled the “Yo...,” comment across the room at me.
 

NYCAmazon2

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@Brittany0208 a Grey such as the one you just described would be welcome in my home. I did say I contacted rehomers who turned out to be scams didn’t I? A Grey that yells racial slurs every time he sees me is not. I don’t allow humans in my home that think that’s appropriate.
 

Brittany0208

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@Brittany0208 a Grey such as the one you just described would be welcome in my home. I did say I contacted rehomers who turned out to be scams didn’t I? A Grey that yells racial slurs every time he sees me is not. I don’t allow humans in my home that think that’s appropriate.
You can't punish the bird for what its idiotic owners taught it/or it heard elsewhere. The bird doesn't know the meaning of racial slurs, it just knows that it gets a reaction. It's not the bird's fault.
 

Brittany0208

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If you did end up with a bird that had a less than favorable past, like swearing or whatever, you can use positive reinforcement to train that behavior out of them. My bird doesn't talk, but if his first word ended up being something profane, I wouldn't think any less of him.
 
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