Will African Greys allow some cuddling and are they playful? What are your birds like?

[Hawk12237]

This is another question I have had about grey's (not sure if I should start a new thread on this), you talk above about differences between males and females. Do people prefer one over the other? If so if there any factual difference in temperament between the two?

Some people think male greys are more aggressive until you talk with someone who owns a territorial female. Both sexes learn to talk; both sexes might not talk. One sex does not talk earlier than the other. Both sexes are as intelligent as human toddlers, needing lots of stimulation and activities. Both sexes require good nutrition and clean cages.
Both Congo and Timneh African greys have the intellectual capacity of a 5-year-old child and the emotional level of a perpetual 2 year old. Timneh African greys are known to have a more stable personality than their larger cousins, because they have a faster maturation rate. Congo’s can be just as stable with the right encouragement, commitment and nurturing. Sociability varies from bird to bird. Generally speaking, both subspecies are cautious birds. African greys have a tendency to sit back and observe the environment before becoming an active part of it.
Aggression is absolutely something you can modify. I think a male may just be "bolder" than a female...not necessarily aggressive. They are quicker to approach while hens may tend more towards "follow the leader". Of course, I'm just speaking of tendencies, not about individual birds because that will vary greatly.
Greys have a "monkey see, monkey do" tendency. Your grey will probably copy some of what you do. This will be very subtle and you may not notice it, but greys study EVERY THING and one day you will see the evidence of it.
These animals are seriously clever and really do pick up on negativity and if you feel negative about a bird liking you well don’t be surprised if your bird doesn’t pick up on that fact, and lets just say, not be your best friend.
So personally, in my opinion, it doesn't matter with male or female in regards to aggression.

 

[Hawk12237]

I went into ownership of two amazons (rescued) without knowing anything about birds.

I fell head over heels in love with MC and was secure in the knowledge that they had long, long lives.

A tumor and cancer shortened his life.

Sorry to bring you down but want you to realize that sometimes things happen beyond our control.

And both your Amazon's are truly beautiful birds.
I'm so heart broken about MC. I went through it with poppers. She was the most in tune and lovely bonded bird I ever owned, but her life was shortened at age 14. Aspers took her.
But yes, you are so right, things happen beyond our control. I lost a macaw to old age (69), after nearly 40 yrs with it. Two too's in late 50's to age related illness, and two old Greys. It happens, and it's hard, very hard. You give them a great home and all, but you just can't play God when things come up, yet we try our best to help them.

 

[Snowghost]

@Clueless @jzarc17 Clueless is right. When Bugsy, my wild caught White Front Amazon cam into my life I too thought she would outlive me. I had only had Lovebirds, Cockatiels and Parakeets. Oh the screaming and would not let me touch her and chewing on everything. Of course I tried to feed her a healthy diet, but she would never convert to veggies and fruit. I don't even know for sure how old she was.

The only reason I found out she was a female was bird books, this was pre internet days. Owner was told by pet store she was a he, hence the name Bugsy after a famous fighter. I had her for 25 years, I noticed she wasn't flying to the top of the door anymore. She was moving slow, at first I thought, old age? Poop and appetite were normal, feathers were fine, no lumps, nares and eyes clear. I found this group and tried everything. Off to the vet we went. Blood work showed gout and crystals on her kidneys. I could keep her at home, her life would be meds, living at the bottom of a padded cage the rest of her life. I helped her cross the Rainbow Bridge. I too don't want to bring you down, but the days and years I had with her will never be forgotten.

 

[Snowghost]

I have been told Paco was a male, by blood work, I don't know as I never saw the lab report. He is intelligent and I have spent a year getting to know him. He is not aggressive. He is different then my Amazon, she was a female, can't say I observed any hormonal changes in her. I agree with Hawk12237 they are very clever and their intelligence is spooky. When I first got Paco I told him I was going to the store and I'll be back ok? He cocks his head and looks at me and said O.K. Blew my mind! They are in tuned your emotions, if I have a quiet day he is quite, turn on the radio, turn up the rock and he is Mr. Chatter box. I don't regret opening my home to him, he is healthy and safe. Just no cuddle or head scritches.

 

[Snowghost]

@Hawk12237 Sorry for you loss, what is Aspers? Is that the disease related to peanuts? I can't imaging losing a parrot after 40 years. It must have been heart breaking. I do know that all of the parrots here with this group are well loved and cared for. The advice and encouragement I have received here is amazing. When I see posts on FB I want to scream, don't listen to these people join Avian Avenue. I was kicked out of a group for doing that! LOL

 

[Hawk12237]

@Hawk12237 Sorry for you loss, what is Aspers? Is that the disease related to peanuts? I can't imaging losing a parrot after 40 years. It must have been heart breaking. I do know that all of the parrots here with this group are well loved and cared for. The advice and encouragement I have received here is amazing. When I see posts on FB I want to scream, don't listen to these people join Avian Avenue. I was kicked out of a group for doing that! LOL

Aspergillosis is one of your parrot's worst enemies. This highly infectious respiratory disease is likely to make your parrot less lively and less chatty than usual. A swift visit to your vet at first sign of the disease should ensure a speedy recovery, as successful treatments do exist.

Aspergillosis is a respiratory disease of birds caused by the fungus Aspergillus, which is found almost everywhere in the environment.

A. fumigatus is the most common species of the fungus to cause disease, although A. flavus, A. niger, and others can also cause problems. Aspergillus grows readily in warm and moist environments. The microscopic spores of the fungus become airborne, and poor ventilation, poor sanitation, dusty conditions, and close confinement increase the chance the spores will be inhaled.

 

[Hawk12237]

@Hawk12237 Sorry for you loss, what is Aspers? Is that the disease related to peanuts? I can't imaging losing a parrot after 40 years. It must have been heart breaking. I do know that all of the parrots here with this group are well loved and cared for. The advice and encouragement I have received here is amazing. When I see posts on FB I want to scream, don't listen to these people join Avian Avenue. I was kicked out of a group for doing that! LOL

Yea some of those FB groups are ridiculous.

 

[Snowghost]

Yes I agree, I couldn't read some of them so I just left them. Can't fix stupid.

 

[jzarc17]

@Clueless @jzarc17 Clueless is right. When Bugsy, my wild caught White Front Amazon cam into my life I too thought she would outlive me. I had only had Lovebirds, Cockatiels and Parakeets. Oh the screaming and would not let me touch her and chewing on everything. Of course I tried to feed her a healthy diet, but she would never convert to veggies and fruit. I don't even know for sure how old she was.

The only reason I found out she was a female was bird books, this was pre internet days. Owner was told by pet store she was a he, hence the name Bugsy after a famous fighter. I had her for 25 years, I noticed she wasn't flying to the top of the door anymore. She was moving slow, at first I thought, old age? Poop and appetite were normal, feathers were fine, no lumps, nares and eyes clear. I found this group and tried everything. Off to the vet we went. Blood work showed gout and crystals on her kidneys. I could keep her at home, her life would be meds, living at the bottom of a padded cage the rest of her life. I helped her cross the Rainbow Bridge. I too don't want to bring you down, but the days and years I had with her will never be forgotten.

It sounds like Bugsy was a a lucky bird to have crossed paths with you, I'm sure the time she spent with you was a happy part of her life and you gave her the option to pass in peace.

 

[Snowghost]

@jzarc17 Thank you. I knew when I took her to the vet I was not going to do anything heroic, I would not permit a wild caught bird to live the rest of its life that way. I do try to comfort myself in knowing I gave her the best life I could. The vet was amazing, told me he could tell how well she was taken care of. He even hugged me and insisted that I talk to her before the....well you know. I am looking forward to this vet taking care of Paco. This man was seeing birds when he himself had been in a car accident a week ago. He was still limping and still had a bandage on his arm. He stayed late to see me and he also does house calls. He is an amazing man.

 

[jzarc17]

African greys have a tendency to sit back and observe the environment before becoming an active part of it.
I HIGHLY identify with this statement!
LOL I am so much that same way!!!

So I asked the question about male vs. female because at a local bird store (Birds Unlimited in Webster, NY) they had two baby AG and they started out as both being "on hold," and then after a short period of time they where no longer on hold and my boyfriend and I asked why, the store worker said it was because the people who intended to buy them wanted females and they DNA tested them and they turned out to be boys. Poor little babies!! So after that they where available for anyone to buy. I always wondered why the people did not want the males? Of course me being me, I felt bad and wanted to bring them home with me immediately! I will try to attache a picture of them, they where beyond beautiful!!! I got to touch them and as you can imagine I was a complete puddle and absolutely beside myself LOL . This was in November of 19.

 

[jzarc17]

And both your Amazon's are truly beautiful birds.
I'm so heart broken about MC. I went through it with poppers. She was the most in tune and lovely bonded bird I ever owned, but her life was shortened at age 14. Aspers took her.
But yes, you are so right, things happen beyond our control. I lost a macaw to old age (69), after nearly 40 yrs with it. Two too's in late 50's to age related illness, and two old Greys. It happens, and it's hard, very hard. You give them a great home and all, but you just can't play God when things come up, yet we try our best to help them.

That is a lot of loss! I am really sorry to hear Thats a lot of heart break but like the saying goes "it is better to love and to have lost than to have never loved at all."

 

[jzarc17]

@jzarc17 Thank you. I knew when I took her to the vet I was not going to do anything heroic, I would not permit a wild caught bird to live the rest of its life that way. I do try to comfort myself in knowing I gave her the best life I could. The vet was amazing, told me he could tell how well she was taken care of. He even hugged me and insisted that I talk to her before the....well you know. I am looking forward to this vet taking care of Paco. This man was seeing birds when he himself had been in a car accident a week ago. He was still limping and still had a bandage on his arm. He stayed late to see me and he also does house calls. He is an amazing man.

Thats an awesome vet!! True bedside manner!! I'm glad he showed you the support you and your bird needed and deserved. It's always so comforting to hear the words of confirmation that they can tell our pets where well cared for during there time with us and that we are making the right decision. Thats the kind of closure we all need.

 

[Snowghost]

@jzarc17 He is an awesome vet. The office sent me a handwritten sympathy card. I still have it. I didn't want to say goodbye to her. But he insisted and got me a chair. They had her in a heat controlled incubator with lots of padding to stand on. I talked to her and got some photos. I couldn't stay very long, she would keep falling and rolling over and I couldn't take it. I didn't stay while they well you know. I feel guilty about that but being wild caught she did not like to be touched, much less held. I do have her ashes with me, a round ornament with her foot prints. They are unique, some of her toe nails were missing (I read in that in the wild the mothers sometimes chew them off) I have her closed ring that was on her left leg. It was heart breaking, however, I wouldn't give up the 25 years she made me laugh.

 

[Mischief]

I wanted to respond to this, maybe I have a more unusually cuddly bird. Mischief Bird (CAG) is one of the snuggliest animals ever. One of her favorite things is to crawl in the covers every morning in the bed. She makes a yawning noise and crawls in there. I'll wrap my arm around her and she'll lay there as long as possible. She will try to crawl all the way down to my feet sometimes. She invented this game where she will hide under the sheet and I will poke around at her from on top of the sheet and she jumps wildly and tries to bite me (very hard) through the sheet. When she gets me she laughs hysterically. She loves hugs and sitting on me and rubbing her head on my face. More accurately demands that I do it. She loves to be rubbed all over her head and around her face and eyes slowly. Like a bird face massage. One of her favorite games is for me to grab her and blow raspberries on her tummy and hold her upside down and blow on her head and make noises as if she were a trumpet. I swing her by her feet back and forth and every time I swing her she goes whoo! whoo! etc. Her purpose in life is to get into as much trouble as she possibly can. Primarily by getting on the floor and chewing up our floor, door frames, cabinets, file boxes, paperwork..... When I catch her I tell her "no Mischief bad bird" and grab her like a sack of potatoes. And she always growls and screams like I am insane for stopping her and catching her. From what I have learned from her Grey parrots are not big on rules or discipline or generally doing anything you want them to do.

She's been fully flighted the entire time she's been with us and has full run of the house when she is out which is most of the day since someone is home with her pretty much all day every day. I think that has helped her develop her strong sense of independence. She loves everyone in the family but I'm the only one she is like this with or allows to handle her in this way. She loves to sit with my wife all day while she works. And she likes my wife to do her time of day routines such as feeding and putting to bed and waking up, and obviously talking to her in her high pitched mommy baby talk voice. When they are doing these things and my wife is holding her I will try to get her to step up and come to me and she will clamp down tight on her hand and stare at me resolutely. There's just certain things she likes to do with certain people. If she hears my son's bathwater running without her in the bathroom with him she will go completely apoplectic. We have a red broom. She hates this thing more than anything else in the world. If she sees it or it comes anywhere near her she will growl and have a parrot meltdown. Which is hysterically funny. I can't imagine losing a parrot once you get one this intertwined into your life. It's definitely an interesting way to go through life.

 

[Snowghost]

@Mischief You do indeed have a cuddly bird. Paco has only been with me a year, I think he will be a great companion in the future, he has come a long way. When I did lose Bugsy I came home and the house was so still and quiet. Having Paco fills that void and he has turned into a very happy parrot. A parrot is intertwined in our lives and I can't imagine life without one. Non bird people don't get it. You can't explain it to them. I am also a firm believer the more you interact with a parrot the more friendlier they are. Too many people treat them like a pretty ornament and think all they need is to be fed and left in a cage. Mischief has the run of the house and that is super! Paco gets down on the floor now, one day I checked on him, I jumped cause I didn't expect to find him walking around, he jumped to flapping his wings, I never laughed so hard in my laugh. I have to admit, I'm terrified of stepping on him.

 

[aooratrix]

I think a lot depends on how they’re raised and socialized. Before she retired, Wendy of Wendy’s Parrots raised greys that enjoyed touching AND baths.

Male or female is secondary to the bird that picks you, IMO.

 

[Hawk12237]

I wanted to respond to this, maybe I have a more unusually cuddly bird. Mischief Bird (CAG) is one of the snuggliest animals ever. One of her favorite things is to crawl in the covers every morning in the bed. She makes a yawning noise and crawls in there. I'll wrap my arm around her and she'll lay there as long as possible. She will try to crawl all the way down to my feet sometimes. She invented this game where she will hide under the sheet and I will poke around at her from on top of the sheet and she jumps wildly and tries to bite me (very hard) through the sheet. When she gets me she laughs hysterically. She loves hugs and sitting on me and rubbing her head on my face. More accurately demands that I do it. She loves to be rubbed all over her head and around her face and eyes slowly. Like a bird face massage. One of her favorite games is for me to grab her and blow raspberries on her tummy and hold her upside down and blow on her head and make noises as if she were a trumpet. I swing her by her feet back and forth and every time I swing her she goes whoo! whoo! etc. Her purpose in life is to get into as much trouble as she possibly can. Primarily by getting on the floor and chewing up our floor, door frames, cabinets, file boxes, paperwork..... When I catch her I tell her "no Mischief bad bird" and grab her like a sack of potatoes. And she always growls and screams like I am insane for stopping her and catching her. From what I have learned from her Grey parrots are not big on rules or discipline or generally doing anything you want them to do.

She's been fully flighted the entire time she's been with us and has full run of the house when she is out which is most of the day since someone is home with her pretty much all day every day. I think that has helped her develop her strong sense of independence. She loves everyone in the family but I'm the only one she is like this with or allows to handle her in this way. She loves to sit with my wife all day while she works. And she likes my wife to do her time of day routines such as feeding and putting to bed and waking up, and obviously talking to her in her high pitched mommy baby talk voice. When they are doing these things and my wife is holding her I will try to get her to step up and come to me and she will clamp down tight on her hand and stare at me resolutely. There's just certain things she likes to do with certain people. If she hears my son's bathwater running without her in the bathroom with him she will go completely apoplectic. We have a red broom. She hates this thing more than anything else in the world. If she sees it or it comes anywhere near her she will growl and have a parrot meltdown. Which is hysterically funny. I can't imagine losing a parrot once you get one this intertwined into your life. It's definitely an interesting way to go through life.

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I have one just like that...incredibly cuddly, and interactive. I can do anything with this bird. The trust level between us is enormous.

 

[Sodapop&Co.]

I have one just like that...incredibly cuddly, and interactive. I can do anything with this bird. The trust level between us is enormous.

I immediately thought of Grey Grey, reading about Mischief Bird! Amazing birds, these Greys

 

[jzarc17]

I wanted to respond to this, maybe I have a more unusually cuddly bird. Mischief Bird (CAG) is one of the snuggliest animals ever. One of her favorite things is to crawl in the covers every morning in the bed. She makes a yawning noise and crawls in there. I'll wrap my arm around her and she'll lay there as long as possible. She will try to crawl all the way down to my feet sometimes. She invented this game where she will hide under the sheet and I will poke around at her from on top of the sheet and she jumps wildly and tries to bite me (very hard) through the sheet. When she gets me she laughs hysterically. She loves hugs and sitting on me and rubbing her head on my face. More accurately demands that I do it. She loves to be rubbed all over her head and around her face and eyes slowly. Like a bird face massage. One of her favorite games is for me to grab her and blow raspberries on her tummy and hold her upside down and blow on her head and make noises as if she were a trumpet. I swing her by her feet back and forth and every time I swing her she goes whoo! whoo! etc. Her purpose in life is to get into as much trouble as she possibly can. Primarily by getting on the floor and chewing up our floor, door frames, cabinets, file boxes, paperwork..... When I catch her I tell her "no Mischief bad bird" and grab her like a sack of potatoes. And she always growls and screams like I am insane for stopping her and catching her. From what I have learned from her Grey parrots are not big on rules or discipline or generally doing anything you want them to do.

She's been fully flighted the entire time she's been with us and has full run of the house when she is out which is most of the day since someone is home with her pretty much all day every day. I think that has helped her develop her strong sense of independence. She loves everyone in the family but I'm the only one she is like this with or allows to handle her in this way. She loves to sit with my wife all day while she works. And she likes my wife to do her time of day routines such as feeding and putting to bed and waking up, and obviously talking to her in her high pitched mommy baby talk voice. When they are doing these things and my wife is holding her I will try to get her to step up and come to me and she will clamp down tight on her hand and stare at me resolutely. There's just certain things she likes to do with certain people. If she hears my son's bathwater running without her in the bathroom with him she will go completely apoplectic. We have a red broom. She hates this thing more than anything else in the world. If she sees it or it comes anywhere near her she will growl and have a parrot meltdown. Which is hysterically funny. I can't imagine losing a parrot once you get one this intertwined into your life. It's definitely an interesting way to go through life.

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Thank you so much for sharing with me! I really enjoy reading everyone’s unique experiences!