African Grey Parrot Facts – African Grey Parrots As Pets

If you are thinking of getting African Grey Parrots as pets, then here are some African Grey Parrot facts that may interest you.

African Grey Parrots as pets are one of the most popular choices, and it is no wonder as they have huge personalities. They learn to talk easily and can learn to do numerous tricks. A lot of people believe that African Grey Parrots are the most intelligent parrot species. This is one of those African Grey parrot facts that I can’t answer with a definite yes or no answer.

An African Grey is a medium-sized bird, originating from central Africa. Here is a very entertaining video of a highly intelligent and well-trained African Grey Parrot.

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African Grey Parrot Facts

Why are African Greys So Clumsy?

African Grey parrots should always be allowed to fully fledge before having their wings cut for the first time. If this is not done, the parrot looks clumsy and often develops insecurities later on in its lifespan.  Although they have a sort of clumsy look about them, they can be ever so graceful in both flight and landing ability, provided the wing clipping is not done too early in their life.

Do African Greys Only Bond With One Person?

An African Grey does tend to have a favorite person, but he can bond with many different people. As long as the entire family handles him and pays attention to him, this shouldn’t be a problem at all.

Why Won’t My Bird Talk?

If you are getting a bird primarily for the sake of it being able to talk, don’t do it.

While most of them do, in time, learn to talk, there are a few who will never utter a single word. Both Male and Female birds have equal talking ability. The average Grey starts to talk between 12 and 18 months. A couple here and there have been heard talking at as young as 6 months and others talk a lot later. There are no hard and fast rules.

Most African Grey Parrots will start by mumbling and practising words that they hear when they are on their own, and then suddenly surprise their owners by saying the word perfectly all of a sudden one day. In most cases, a single bird will talk a lot more than if you had two or more birds together, but there are also exceptions to this rule.

Why Is My Parrot Neurotic?

Neurotic-type behaviors are formed from stress, insecurities, fears, and lack of confidence. If you think about it, most parrots are hardwired to flee from danger. We automatically expect it to understand all the strange things in its environment without the security of its flock. Coupled with the fact that wild Congo grey babies remain with the family unit much longer to develop emotionally than they do in the domestic pet trade today. Timneh Greys don’t normally have as many issues, as they mature a lot quicker than Congo Greys.

African greys also have a reputation for being fearful of new things introduced into their environment. While this often is true, it is possible for an African grey parrot to accept change if done gently and gradually.

Funnily, the more intelligent the bird is, the more likely it will have behavior problems unless it is worked with. If a baby grey is not properly socialized to humans at an early age, it may become confused and not know how to behave.

What Is A Red-Tailed Grey Parrot?

The red-tailed grey parrot is simply another version of the African Grey Parrot.

Who Was The Most Famous African Grey Parrot?

Alex is known as the most famous African Grey Parrot.

In 1977 Dr Irene Pepperberg bought him from a pet store. She wanted to prove to the world that parrots were more than just mimics.

She worked with him for thirty years, and Alex showed amazing cognitive skills. He was able to name more than 100 objects, actions, and colors.

Sadly Alex passed away in 2007.

Why Is My Parrot Aggressive?

One of the well-known African Grey Parrot facts is that if they are left alone, they become aggressive and self-destructive (feather plucking). In captivity make sure they are always given lots of attention or engaged in some form of activity.

How Long Do African Grey Parrots Live?

These birds are long-lived parrots; their lifespan ranges from 73 to 93 years in the wild. However, in captivity, the average lifespan of African grey parrots is 50 to 60 years.

What Cage Size Would An African Grey Parrot Need?

This one is a great example of the right fit for an African Grey.

The size is 31″L x 30″W x 68″H

Try and buy the biggest cage that you can. The more spacious the cage, the better and the happier your bird will be.

The parrot should be able to open his wings out fully and be able to turn around without any of his feathers touching the sides of the cage.

If you want to see more examples of cages, just click on the picture, or visit this page.

What Do African Grey Parrots Eat?

In the wild, these types of parrots predominantly feed on fruits, nuts, seeds, and palm nuts. Apart from these nutrients, they also feed on snails and other protein-rich vegetarian diet. If you’ve got one of these parrots then feed those varieties of foodstuffs rather than always providing the same diet. To see more types of food that can be purchased online, click on the picture to the right.

What Shouldn’t You Feed Them?

If you have African Grey parrots as pets, never feed them the following:

Caffeine, Sugar, Chocolate, Peach and Cherry pips, Apple seeds, Avocado, and Anything exposed to chemicals, fertilizers, and artificial dyes.

What Is The Fastest Way To Your African Grey Parrot Heart?

Another one of those African Grey parrot facts that I have to include is how to make your parrot warm to you and trust you. A trusting bird is a confident bird with fewer issues in the long run.

Greys, like men, love food. Use treats as your training basis, in the beginning, to gain his trust, and then, later on, reward him if he does well in his training.

What Are Reasons I Shouldn’t Get An African Grey Parrot?

Don’t get an African Grey if you are away from home a lot and the bird has no company.

If you are not prepared to devote the next 60 years of your life to him.

If you are not prepared to give him lots of love and attention every day.

If you can’t afford vet bills if he gets sick.

If you don’t like loud noises.

If you don’t like small naughty children.

What Do I Need To Purchase Initially?

1. A big Cage
2. Perches and Toys (can be hand-made)
3. Food
4. A Travel Cage, as you never know when you will need to transport him or move him out of the house in a hurry eg fire.
5. And of course, a parrot to complete the above picture.

MidWest Avian Adventures Poquito Avian Hotel, Platinum

To find out more about travel cages, click on the link above.

If you have any further African Grey Parrot facts to add, please feel free to comment below.