Should I buy an African Grey or Eclectus Parrot?
I want a bird that talks, is sociable with humans and is not too noisy. What is better, an African Grey or Eclectus? If anyone out there has these birds, what has been your experience?
I Need Info about [African Grey Parrot]?
The above answer from Ethan is perfect. I used to have an African Gray. She was a very good bird, but keep in mind that Africans usually are tailored towards one sex, and then one person. The bird abosolutely loved me, but hated my wife, and that is why she had to go (the bird, not the wife). They are very smart and very good talkers. My bird used to mimic many different people, with different voice tones. They do require a great amount of social interaction. If you don't give them enough attention, it usually will result in disaterous results including plucking of the feathers (a bolemic type epidemic). If you can afford it, I would buy a hand fed baby African Gray. They will live 50+ years so plan on a pet for the long run, but you will not be dissapointed.
Where can i buy an African grey parrot for $100 or less?
If money is an object, then an exotic bird really shouldn't be on your list at the moment. Yoyahutch..I totally agree. Heck, I wanted a Grey as well, but found out the lifespan and didn't want to have to have the bird go through the stress of adoption when I croaked and I'm only 43. I settled on a Quaker Parrot. They are just as expensive as a Grey here (Toronto), but I figured the timing of my dirt nap was going to be just slightly behind him at 30 years. It's best for everyone concerned. Good for you to have had the foresight to deal with the inevitable.
How do I pet my African grey parrot without getting bit? I’m really scared.
You haven’t said whether your Grey is young or old. I’m going to differ with Rick Klugman here, because we had a rescue Grey that was literally unhandleable and now my husband can take it out of the cage and cuddle it at will and I can scratch his head through the bars. We used two approaches.Larry’s was more direct. He let himself get bitten. He made a fist to lessen the amount of skin the bird could get in his mouth and just let him bite. He didn’t flinch, didn’t withdraw his hand and didn’t yell “ow.” He just let the bird bite. After a while the bird stopped, because he was not getting the reaction he expected. A few more sessions of this, and Larry began opening his hand and petting the bird.I didn’t want to get bitten—I need these hands for work!—so I started as falconers do to gentle their hawks. I began by petting him through the cage bars with one of his discarded wing feathers. I’d use the feathered part to stroke him and the quill end to give him gentle scratches. After a while he began to put his head down against the cage bars for the scratches. That was when I switched to my fingers. I have to watch him, because he will still try and nip me, but he reliably asks for scritches and no longer attacks me when I change food bowls.Now for a young bird, if you are afraid, you can also use the technique of starting with a feather, but do so with the bird on your arm outside the cage. He’ll soon understand you don’t mean harm and it feels good and he’ll start letting you use your hand.