The Good, the Bad and the Ugly about African greys

[Shyra]

We got a timneh for our first bird because all the information said they make better family birds than congos. From the moment we picked her up at the breeders at 14 weeks of age she has been my baby. The rest of the family has never been able to handle her but she does like to sit close to them especially if they are eating or playing hand held video games. She turned 9 last June and is still my baby girl. Harley loves to be involved in everything we do, worries herself to bits if the heater goes off in the winter- it gets cold you know. Talks some but not a lot. She isn't all that dusty either. I wouldn't even classify her as a dusty bird. Definitely not a cuddle bird, but she does appreciate her scritches around her head and neck. The only thing she's ever been destructive about is computer mice for some reason those make her aggressively frisky. After destroying her 11th one my husband put a ban on allowing birds in the computer room. I think the hardest thing about her, and I read this a lot about other greys is finding toys she likes and her pickiness with food. All and all though, she really is an awesome bird and I couldn't love her more.

 

[DQTimnehs]

I don't find my greys that dusty either, not sure if Timnehs are less dusty than Congos or it is just people's perspectives. Pogo was moreso but he didn't like to shower more than once/month. My current group might not like to either but they get one once/week whether they like it or not. I'm not big on dusting so a layer of dust does build up but it would even if I didn't have birds. I think it is only slightly worse with them.

 

[Brooke]

I don't find my greys that dusty either, not sure if Timnehs are less dusty than Congos or it is just people's perspectives. Pogo was moreso but he didn't like to shower more than once/month. My current group might not like to either but they get one once/week whether they like it or not. I'm not big on dusting so a layer of dust does build up but it would even if I didn't have birds. I think it is only slightly worse with them.

Are you owning a new species of dust-less greys? I want in! Wilma is DUSTY! If i'm wearing a black shirt and I hold her against my chest for a second, when I remove her there is an outline of dust on my shirt. It's CRAZY!!

 

[DQTimnehs]

Are you owning a new species of dust-less greys? I want in! Wilma is DUSTY! If i'm wearing a black shirt and I hold her against my chest for a second, when I remove her there is an outline of dust on my shirt. It's CRAZY!!

Oh, they definitely contribute some dust! I just don't find it to be to the extent that others describe. Does Wilma shower weekly? I really feel this is helping Quack & Darwin to not be as dusty as Pogo was.

 

[Pookamama]

I love this thread!
I feel a bit silly contributing because I only have one grey and in some aspects she sounds quite different than others.
For instance, everybody talks about bait and switch and I've heard from a rescue about manipulative nature in greys. Pepper is just so simple compared to that. Her lack of observational powers and logic tactics have rather made me suspect that on the scale of African Grey intelligence, Pepper is at the lower end of the spectrum. However, because of that, she is a very simple and sweet little gal. She really has very little aggression in her. The only thing I've seen her strike out at unprovoked is my toddler, and I suspect that's because he's considerably shorter than her cage height and she sees me cuddling him a lot. But she will only nip when severely startled with no escape route. Her nips are pretty tame, she's only drawn blood on me once.
She is obsessed with food. She really only cares about three things: being with a person, getting scritches, but mostly FOOD. We recently moved her into the dining room and she loves being with us when we eat.
She is a multi-adult bird. She tolerates the kids picking her up from the floor but in general doesn't want anything to do with them. But as for adults, I am her favorite, but she can be won over (with food) by other adults with patience and time. She has a great relationship with my DH and the only thing I get that he doesn't is more scritches. He can scritch her when she's on me or by himself once in a blue moon. My dad, who comes over often and gives her tidbits often, has now advanced to the 'will willingly step up from cage occasionally' stage. We call the stages of friendliness 'bases'. First base taking a treat, she will from anybody. Second base is leaning over to give a kiss, and she does that for just about any adult after a few sunflower seeds. Third base is stepping up and hanging out. Home run is scritches, and sometimes letting us touch her back or wings briefly.
She is more a sound effects than a talker. She is especially good at the high pitched irritating noises like the microwave alarm, my DD's loud cry, and a few we think are from her previous life or the heart of Africa. She does say, "Good bird" "Pretty bird" "Hello!". I tried to teach her, "Here, Kitty Kitty kitty" and instead she learned, "Pretty pretty pretty bird". She does kissy noises all the time.
She doesn't do much. All my parrot research led me to expect a parrot who was a lot more curious and interactive. She is deathly curious about the kitchen cupboards, where she wants to start a family with me, and when I am cooking in the kitchen, where I have to shut her out so she doesn't flap into the frying pan or try to go for the veggies I'm chopping. She will be active for a few select times a day but is pretty content to just chill on top of her cage for the most part. I am thankful for that, as my children do enough exploring, chewing, and destroying for a whole flock of parrots, so it's nice to have a predictably calm charge in my care.

 

[roxynoodle]

Pepper sounds a lot like Merlin

 

[Katy]

Oh yes, the "sigh". I didn't even realize I did it until Merlin started doing it. She takes in a deep breath and lets it out loudly. I took her in for her sinus flush and said, "I don't know if she's raspy or imitating a sigh, but it sounds just like how a person does it." She did it there and they all laughed at me and said, uh, yes, she's imitating you

My brother has a grey that does this. It was one of the first things that endeared me to greys. He sounded just like my brother. It took him a little while to realize it too, as many people, including me, don't always recognize their own voices. Ever listen to yourself on a recorded message?

 

[sodakat]

... as many people, including me, don't always recognize their own voices. Ever listen to yourself on a recorded message?

Here's how some of my conversations in my own head go when I happen to "hear" myself: "Wow, I sound like LaFitte, but wait, he sounds like me, so I sound like me, or maybe I sound like LaFitte sounding like me".

 

[Greycloud]

Well, Greys are my very favorite parrot! I remember when I first got into birds and thought, "Why are people so attracted to these plain grey birds?" Boy, was I wrong! Physically, they are so stunning! So many 50 Shades of Grey! Scalloping of the feathers, red gorgeous tail feathers, White faces and expressive eyes! They are so beautiful!

The Good:
Greys are extremely smart! They communicate with us both verbally and physically. My two greys, Sunshine and Dexter great me verbally everyday. They ask for kisses and scritches. Sterling who is a wild caught greats me physically. He does not talk but he beaks my hand and gives kisses. They are extremely playful, though they can keep themselves busy in their cages or the play stands. Sunshine is so very intelligent! She communicates verbally with me and the other birds. She asks for things she desires. She lets me know when she is unhappy with something going on. My greys love foraging opportunities. Anything to keep them busy makes them happy. They love to interact with me, get scritches from me and their laughs lighten my mood.

The Bad:
Like others have said the dust is an issue. I can dust the furniture and within 2-3 days it needs it again. My greys enjoy floor walking. I only allow this under supervision but they still seem to get into trouble. Sunshine flies to counters and flings pots and utensils. All the while while saying "No! Stop it!" Due to their verbal intelligence they are capable of telling me what they want or don't want. They can be very demanding! "Clean water now! Change poopy paper! I want crunch berries now!" and so on! Sunshine is a food flinger if she is not getting attention. I have to remove her bowl to end the behavior. Dexter is a cry baby. He cries if I do not get food to him fast enough or if the favorite food is not in his bowl. Sterling is a food flinger too. He flings his into his water dish. So water changes are frequent with him. All 3 are excellent sound effect pros! Some are very entertaining, others are nerve wracking but acceptable.

The Ugly:
I find that most greys tend to be one person birds. They will let Mike scritch them through cage bars but that is it. They will chase him if they are on the floor, hence supervision. They can be extremely demanding and these demands are endless if not met. Some of their sound effects can be very ear piercing! My dogs sometimes scatter when this occurs.

As Saemma said there is the bait and switch move. They lure you in and then "BAM!" they nail you. I do not have any problems with my greys biting me. I have a great bond with all of them. Greys really are very special birds and a joy to own. They are worth the little bit of frustration and demanding toddler behavior.
So many label Greys as phobic. I really do not agree with this label. I think their intelligence makes them susceptible to behavior that causes them to react to frustration they have no control over.
Also, it is important to understand that not all greys talk or make sound effect noises. Yet, they all will love you with the same intensity.

 

[crystaljam]

I've had Merlin since he was 6 weeks old, and he was exposed to a LOT of socialization at my work at the time (pet store) from 6 months old onwards. SO he was used to other birds, people, loud sounds, situations, and my odd-ball schedule. He's never had a set schedule persay - we do get up at the same time, and he knows when 9pm is to say "Go Night Night" (until we turn the light out).

Based on my two-three jobs and randomness during his early years, I'll never be able to get another Merlin. He's Merlin!

The Good:
- He'll step up onto anyone (just don't pet him, or he'll be a grump - you're a stranger, afterall!)
- He is logical - and speaks or makes sounds relevant to the situation
- He loves me as his mom, and ADORES Husband - but he's certainly not a one-person bird. He'll step up onto customers who come over to pick up orders, friends during events at our house, and this surprises most people
- He's fully feathered and they're just perfect
- He always sounds like he's having a good time party (party sounds included)
- He loves to snuggle in the morning and evenings
- He's very independent, and aside from a contact call when we come home from work or being out (which we respond to by saying Coo or Hey Merlin...hence he stops), is the quietest of our three boys (Cockatiel and Caique included); he loves his toys, just hanging out on his playstands, or just chillin' out on his Oliver's Garden Crawler.
- He asks for what he wants
- He's bit me causing bleeding maybe a dozen times during our 14 years together - usually at the cuticle, causing bleeding. I have no scars, and generally if he beaks one of us, it's a warning, hence very little pressure - he's really good at not biting!
- He doesn't really scream often...and if he does, it doesn't last long, and I blame Rosco for instigating the trouble.
- He's a mini-me. Really. He's really sarcastic (sometimes to my detriment).
- He's Merlin - what's not good?

I don't have a Bad or Ugly side to him...I really don't! He's what I wanted from a parrot, he's the oldest of my trio, and he's been with me through thick and thin. Good times and bad. He's been my rock when I needed one.

Now I really want to go home and hug him!

 

[Grey Goose]

 

[dwright27]

Woohoo! Thanks to all who have posted their grey experiences. They are still up at the top of my potentials list. I don't have allergies so dust wouldn't bother me that much. That's what vacuums and air filters are for lol!

 

[jenwren59]

Well, this is the African grey corner for sure. I wanted to read through all of these posts before adding mine but I am at work and - well, these posts are long! They are delightful, well thought out and long! Evidence of the type of person who is seriously drawn to African greys.

I will start from the bottom up because there is only one ugly thing that comes to mind:

the dust. And I mean that fine powder dander. I have only 2 CAG's but I am going well into my second decade. I pray to whoever is listening up there that I do not have a shortened life due to lung issues. I run multiple hepa-filters and it does not "seem" like I have issues but time will tell.

The bad: let me count the ways. My male grey is what one would call a true king of all birds. He is so full of himself, so coordinated, so spirited. It is a da*n shame that I need to keep him in a cage every day when I go off to work. So, when he finally gets to come out at night, I have to be in full parent mode. He is looking for action. He is looking for the nest-box to create. My house is a disaster to most normal people - and 90% of that is him. Woodwork, smoodwork. It is all there for King Papa! I have heard others tell of similar activity levels in greys. They are so smart they REALLY, REALLY need for you to put the time and energy into keeping them properly entertained.

Yep - I keep him flighted too. I have converted my living room and dining room into a large indoor aviary of sorts and we do some flying at night, the best that we can in 25 feet. I love this bird more than I can admit to "normal" people - and he is bad, bad to the bone!

The good: let me count the ways. See the bad things above and add on the following: both my male and female grey are just charming to be around. Their vocalizations are WAY, WAY more tolerable than any other parrot this size. They coo and beep and talk and sing and they do NOT scream. This is pretty normal for greys and I love it. They are gorgeous in my opinion.

The smart part: oh, my. It does not even have to be appropriate speech. These birds can convey an entire history in one look. No kidding.

There ain't nothing on this planet equal to a grey parrot. That will be on my grave marker.

 

[jenwren59]

I love this thread!
I feel a bit silly contributing because I only have one grey and in some aspects she sounds quite different than others.
For instance, everybody talks about bait and switch and I've heard from a rescue about manipulative nature in greys. Pepper is just so simple compared to that. Her lack of observational powers and logic tactics have rather made me suspect that on the scale of African Grey intelligence, Pepper is at the lower end of the spectrum. However, because of that, she is a very simple and sweet little gal. She really has very little aggression in her. The only thing I've seen her strike out at unprovoked is my toddler, and I suspect that's because he's considerably shorter than her cage height and she sees me cuddling him a lot. But she will only nip when severely startled with no escape route. Her nips are pretty tame, she's only drawn blood on me once.
She is obsessed with food. She really only cares about three things: being with a person, getting scritches, but mostly FOOD. We recently moved her into the dining room and she loves being with us when we eat.
She is a multi-adult bird. She tolerates the kids picking her up from the floor but in general doesn't want anything to do with them. But as for adults, I am her favorite, but she can be won over (with food) by other adults with patience and time. She has a great relationship with my DH and the only thing I get that he doesn't is more scritches. He can scritch her when she's on me or by himself once in a blue moon. My dad, who comes over often and gives her tidbits often, has now advanced to the 'will willingly step up from cage occasionally' stage. We call the stages of friendliness 'bases'. First base taking a treat, she will from anybody. Second base is leaning over to give a kiss, and she does that for just about any adult after a few sunflower seeds. Third base is stepping up and hanging out. Home run is scritches, and sometimes letting us touch her back or wings briefly.
She is more a sound effects than a talker. She is especially good at the high pitched irritating noises like the microwave alarm, my DD's loud cry, and a few we think are from her previous life or the heart of Africa. She does say, "Good bird" "Pretty bird" "Hello!". I tried to teach her, "Here, Kitty Kitty kitty" and instead she learned, "Pretty pretty pretty bird". She does kissy noises all the time.
She doesn't do much. All my parrot research led me to expect a parrot who was a lot more curious and interactive. She is deathly curious about the kitchen cupboards, where she wants to start a family with me, and when I am cooking in the kitchen, where I have to shut her out so she doesn't flap into the frying pan or try to go for the veggies I'm chopping. She will be active for a few select times a day but is pretty content to just chill on top of her cage for the most part. I am thankful for that, as my children do enough exploring, chewing, and destroying for a whole flock of parrots, so it's nice to have a predictably calm charge in my care.

BTW - This is much more like my female grey. See what I wrote about my male. I have a feeling there are two personality types among greys and I have one of each. More Demure like your Pepper (and my Fernando) and total "all out in your face" busy like my Papa.

 

[dwright27]

Thanks, Jennifer!
Does bathing them more often seem to help keep the dust levels down a little bit? I wonder what it is that they require the dust for. I mean.. I know there are a lot of dusty birds.. but there are a lot of non-dusty ones too. I better look that up.

 

[jenwren59]

Thanks, Jennifer!
Does bathing them more often seem to help keep the dust levels down a little bit? I wonder what it is that they require the dust for. I mean.. I know there are a lot of dusty birds.. but there are a lot of non-dusty ones too. I better look that up.

Bathing does help - it is a must. I do not have much help cleaning my house so I only do serious dusting every so often and then I am sort of aghast all over again (after 14 years of doing this!). Even with just two there is this fine layer of dust you can observe that gets over everything.

It just is what it is - and this is a known risk that we all take when we bring these animals inside of our homes. There are people who should consider not doing this at all if their respiratory systems are at higher risk. Or - consider housing them in an outdoor enclosure (but most pet owners may not be equipped to get outdoor enclosures created properly with security and temperature control).

My dream is to get something in between with a secure screened in porch.

 

[dwright27]

Hopefully, an air purifier will help.. But, given all the wonderful traits of a grey, I think the dust is something I can deal with.

 

[camelotshadow]

I don't have a grey but doing some research as I've always wanted one but was afriad of bigger birds.

My guys bites as bad.

Now the bad.
The DUST & The never ending FLURRY of floofies. If I didn't love my Emma as much as I do.... I'd often feel like this.. and .. .
You may think that this is an exaggeration, however I'm not joking one bit.
Vacuuming and dusting is something that must be done every day around here and it goes without saying that it is a good idea to buy a good quality air purifier like the Austin Air. There have been a few times in the past where I could not stand to be around Emma for too long when I was with a bad flu otherwise I'd start coughing to the point where I thought I was going to choke. Beware to all allergy sufferers or those with sensitive lungs. This is no joke.


Noise? Not all of Emma's noises are pleasant to my ears. I've been wearing hearing protection at home for the past 4.5 years. I can't stand constant high pitched noises and Emma has those perfected. Since I never know when she's going to sound off I wear my hearing protection at all times.

5 Years



I know the feeling heading toward 3 years.
Why is it they latch on to the most irratating sound you can't stand & use it all day?
Its light having a wound that won't heal as they break the scab off it every day.

I really have a hate love rel with my African Meyers. who are known to be quiet.
NOt mine! The ear plugs make it barely tolerable.
I feel so frustrated & helpless to have to be under control all day of this small bird.

 

[snoepgoed123]

I wanted to wait a little while to post Archy's story since he's still not an adult yet (will be 2 in november). But I figured, why not (and maybe at some point something to look back on)

Archy is a congo... and sooooo not a typical congo, but I love him to bits and pieces.

The good: there is so much good with him. He is a talker, nonstop... Even though his vocabulary isn't that extensive (but it's getting bigger) and when he's not talking, he's whistling, chirping, and imitating all sorts of sounds (from early in the morning until late at night, like i said, nonstop).
Another good thing, which is not typical, he's very snuggly, loves constant cuddles, and will hop from one end of the couch to the other for some snuggles. Myself (and I'll get more into that later) can touch him any which way, and any part of his body without him getting annoyed or upset.
Archy also LOVES showers (again not typical) but theres nothing he loves more than having the water run down his back (and he goes into this zen mode, you can see him just going ahhhh thats the spot).
Lastly, he is a piggy... Archy has an awesome appetite. While there are some fruit and veg he doesn't like as much, at the end of the day he always has a very full crop.

The bad: Archy is a scaredy cat. He is afraid of his own shadow and freaks out about the most random things (computer chairs are ok from a distance, but within 3 ft... phew) He usually will get over stuff, but it takes a lot of time, and if he doesnt see it on a day to day... all the progress is lost (scary things that are not scary, become scary again). Archy also loves making noises and creating chaos, especially in his cage. It doesn't seem bad, but his favorite thing to do is to take his food dishes and toss them down onto the grate at the bottom. Problem with that, no more food or water. And lastly, he is a 1 person bird, the rest of the family may handle him somewhat, but he does randomly bite them, for no reason (as in flying over sitting on their shoulder and just bite) so everybody does need to be on their toes with him.

THE UGLY: Archy can be ugly, VERY ugly. He has 2 things he does which I absolutely HATE. He is territorial and toy aggressive. Unless he is in a bathroom or my room, he becomes very unruly, too much space makes him very aggressive, and he's fine and dandy in my bedroom, but when he has free reign of the house, it's a nightmare. So I often have get him from his cage, (toe hold) carry him upstairs, and let him be his birdy self upstairs. Second, he is very toy aggressive, if he has toys, they are his and don't think about them, don't look at them, AND DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT TOUCHING THEM, he will bite... which is sad because I would love to be able to play with him, but when he has toys, he turns into a mean birdy, and he knows... the good in the ugly, when he knows he misbehaves, he does "say sorry" and gives me a kiss... I think its almost a "oo didn't mean to do that" rather then him doing it bc he wants to.

 

[lilparrots4me]

Spektor (1 year old Timneh) is pretty perfect. He isn't all that dusty, eats like a champ, is funny, smart, bossy, a sweetheart. He's vocal/loud but not as often as my Sun or even my Green Cheek. He loves his Mama most of all but warms up to most people quickly. His only downside in my opinion is that I can't/won't let him out with my other fids.