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

Mischief

Checking out the neighborhood
Joined
5/20/20
Messages
2
Real Name
Lance
@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.
These greys, or mine at least, love to get on the ground because that is the best place to destroy things and hide and get in trouble and parrot will get the most energetic reaction from the humans which is so much fun! It's so incredibly dangerous like you said and we don't let her get on the ground, we immediately pick her up. Although she does it probably 20 or 30 times a day. She thinks this is hilarious and she waits and plots if she sees the supply closet cracked open, or plots to get under the bed or a piece of furniture where she would be hard to get. She knows we can hear her flapping and she has developed a skill to get all the way to the ground with only two flaps then she takes off running (waddling). And she knows my wife won't manhandle her and when she crawls under something short enough like a dresser she isn't going to step up, you'll have to be able to grab her and safely pull her out which is the "Big Bird's" job. What we always do on day one in a new place is establish places for her to be around the house with good flight paths and she can fly between these places and do her bird "work". Having a bird loose in the house you have to be incredibly careful. She has to always be with one of us, you can't leave her alone even for a minute. The entire house is basically a death trap to them and they don't know and don't care. We've made it work 13 years. She loves being part of the family and we love her and treat her like a tiny flying perma-child.
 

Snowghost

Rollerblading along the road
Avenue Veteran
Joined
2/5/19
Messages
1,342
Location
Virginia
Real Name
Terri
@Mischief I did learn from my fellow feathered friends that Greys do like to be on the ground. This I did not know. Paco is my bedroom as my room mate has a dog and we have a few cats that come in at night. The bedroom door has a screened in door with a latch so he is safe. I have made a make shift barrier around the room of cardboard, I thought he would be scared of it but nope. I found him on the floor again. He doesn't wander too much, not yet anyway. I always sit on the floor with him and this time I swear he acted like he wanted to step on my legs which is a big step for us. We are still getting to know each other, and I can say I am pleased and tickled pink as each day we get closer and closer to great bond.
 
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