i have a 12 year old african grey parrot its it ok to leaveit out side?

i just started putting my 12 year old african grey parrot out side yesterday and i live in p.v by the beaches is that ok?

African Greys–5 Things That You Can Do They Will Mean The Most To Your Parrot

African Grey Parrots are some of the most intelligent, well spoken, and beautiful pet birds available for adoption today. Because of their many fine qualities they are also one of the most sought after parrot species for pets.

With proper care their life span can easily exceed 50 years. And here are 5 things that you can do for your Grey that really matter.

1. Spacious Living Quarters–The more space you can provide, the happier you Grey will be. It will reward you in countless ways including but not limited to a great disposition, and a bird that’s always happy to see you. The minimum size for housing should be large enough for your bird to fully spread its wings while facing any direction in the cage.

The bar width should be narrow enough so your bird cannot get its head caught between the bars. And there should be lots of horizontal perches to allow your Grey to climb without restricting its ability to spread its wings. Stainless steel cages are expensive, but they are without doubt the best value for the money. They do not chip, rust, or peel, and they are strong enough to withstand chewing from your parrot’s very strong beak. A stainless cage will last for the life of your bird.

2. Fresh Food and Water- Your parrot will enjoy eating fresh organic vegetables, fruits, sprouted seeds, and a very high quality pellet mix. And it goes without saying that clean water should be available constantly. Be careful not to feed your bird too much Vitamin C if you are using a pellet diet as this can cause its body to absorb too much iron and lead to Iron Overload Disease.

Use your vet as a resource for your birds diet–including what to feed, how much, and how often. It is easy to speak in generalities about Greys, but because each bird is different, talking with your vet who has your bird’s blood work and vitals makes for a more accurate diet that is sure to be appropriate for your particular bird.

3. An Attentive Owner- Providing a good home physically is only a part of what makes a good home for your African Grey. It will need your support in adjusting to your home, and to others in your family. Setting aside at least several hours each day for human interaction will serve you well in making a loyal, friendly, and loving companion.

African Greys have phenomenal vocabularies, and tend to respond with appropriate conversational language. Spending time with them, and encouraging their language skills can be highly rewarding for both you and your bird. Short but daily sessions of 10 minutes or less will yield a parrot that is obedient and a joy to be around.

A bird that is kept alert and engaged is less likely to engage in destructive behaviors such as chewing, biting, and feather plucking. Always praise your bird, and keep training sessions short, and fun.

4. A Great Selection of Toys- Because of their incredible intelligence African Greys can become easily bored. Keep boredom at bay by offering a variety of toys that you rotate in and out of the cage. This keeps new toys appearing constantly and gives them little chance to become bored. Continually inspect toys to make sure they remain safe for play. Remove those that have even the slightest potential of causing harm.

5. A HEPA Air Purifier to Filter Their Air- All birds, parrots included, have highly efficient and sensitive respiratory systems. And when they are kept indoors, unless you actively filter the air, their airways will easily become clogged with dander, feathers, dust and other particulates.

Clogged airways are almost always the beginning of disease and infection. And because your Grey is programmed to keep a stiff upper beak when it is ill, you as owner are often the last to know that they are ill. And often, by then it is too late.

A high efficiency particle arresting air purifier will eliminate the airborne white powder dust that Greys are so well known for, as well as their dander and other particulates as small as .3 microns. Taking these pollutants out will help keep you and your African Grey healthy and happy for many years to come.

Red-Tailed Hawk vs. Congo African Grey Parrot

One day when I lived in Iowa, I found a screeching raptor on my back patio step. I wasn’t sure what he was doing so close to the house – he was huge! But then I realized, he was eyeing my African Grey parrot, Zeph. They eat small animals. I’m glad I didn’t take Zeph outdoors unattended. I never knew such a predator existed in Iowa. I miss all the ground animals and birds there. More activity than in Oregon – the animals in Oregon tend to hide more even though I’m in a more rural area on 20 acres! The cougars just won’t let themselves be seen! Ok, ignore my labeling, I think we’ve concluded this is a red-tailed hawk.

I have a 12 year old african grey parrot its it ok to leave it out side?

i just started putting my 12 year old african grey parrot out side yesterday and i live in p.v by the beaches is that ok?

Understanding African Greys’ Behavior, Personality, and Sociolization

Personality

Strangely enough for a bird who tends to have such a big tendency to be fearful and neurotic, the African Grey possesses the most stable temperament in the psittacide world.  As much as he can prove to be rather unruly when he is young, further down the line when he reaches maturity hiss temperament becomes calm and thoughtful. In contrast to other parrots, the Grey does not have the inclination to change his personality or behavior during the mating season, which is in my opinion a very big point in his favor.

In that respect you’ll alos be glad to learn about the African Grey’s mating call, or rather the lack thereof. In fact, this parrot does not really have a recognizable mating call per se, which is good news for the heat of spring – when hormones are raging and most parrots are screaming. However sound-wise they can still drive you crazy: African Greys can make their imitation of the microwave oven beep or other electrical appliance every bit as maddening as a repetitive mating call!

Even though they are less popular, Timneh African parrots have a less sullen character than their Congo cousins. They tend to be less nervous and more rebellious, and also more inclined to do silly things to attract their audience’s attention or simply to have fun.

Behavior

The more intelligent an animal is, the more he is at risk of developing behavioral problems, and as you know, the African Grey is extremely intelligent! For example, only attention-hungry Cockatoos engage in more severe feather plucking than Greys do, so their sensitivity has to be taken into account to avoid similar excesses.  

Due largely to his sensitive nature and to his impressive intelligence, the African Grey can react in a very negative way to a clumsy educator or to a coercing training session. This is why training African Greys should never imply forcing them to do what they do not want to, otherwise it is practically certain they will develop a phobic behavior.

Greys only learn through positive reinforcement, therefore educating a Grey should draw more from child pedagogy than from dog training principles.

Socialization

Socialization is a very important consideration when rehoming an African Grey parrot.

In your first days with an African Grey, he will start to weave a very strong link with his perceived partner (be it another bird or a human) and will become totally devoted to him or her. He can become possessive with the latter and aggressive towards their entourage, and even be jealous of his favorite human so much that he will reject all the other members of the family, including other pets.  

A good socialization can prevent that problem. Greys are the most gregarious of all parrots and need to feel accepted as full members of their social group (or human family). On the contrary, lack of socialization in his early days could turn your feathered friend into a neurotic adult parrot.  

In a word, even if you try to socialize your bird as much as you can (and you should), remember that as they are distrusting, shy and anxious by nature, Greys will not very sociable towards strangers, and in general will not get along with children.

The bottom line

In contrast to what is often heard, the African Grey is a very affectionate bird. In his early childhood, when your Grey has not yet developed a high level of mistrust, it is necessary to handle him often and to let him live safe “adventures”, like seeing different places in the house, or meeting different people and realizing they’re not a threat. Teaching him early on that biting is not a means to communicate will also help. After this stage, your Grey will become a lot more ready to accept new humans and new objects in his familiar environment.

Echo my Congo African Grey Parrot

This is a compilation video of my CAG from 19 minutes cut to 4 minutes. Echo spends his days in my scuba diving shop on his perch and then we take him home at night to his ginormous cage.

IF i was to get an african grey parrot, could it learn tricks?

Could it learn to distinguish different shapes like the african grey parrot “Alex” does? Can i teach it to play dead, and most importantly shower with me?
Please elaborate, and do not give one word answers. Thanks

African Grey Parrots and Stress

The grey parrots may have many behavioral problems and most of them are caused by the humanâ??s lack of understanding that it is first of all a prey bird and has little to do with a life in captivity. Many people fail to understand that and wonâ??t allow that bird to manifest like a bird.

The grey parrots are exotic birds and come from strange lands. As strange as we find those lands, the same is for the parrots. They are not accustomed with the habits, the language or any other form of communication. A person should accept the parrot because the parrot also tries to understand the human behavior and tries to understand and live in peace with the human being.

Grey parrots caught in the wild are not aggressive when they are in a pair or breeding. They feel fear, which is justified, when they feel the presence of a human being, but they donâ??t have violent reactions. Usually, they share food, they play and they interact in a non â?? violent manner. Strangely, the grey parrots who act more violently while breeding or in pairs are the domestic ones.

The domestic grey parrots have a few reasons to become aggressive:

* They loose the respect and consideration for themselves when they are in captivity.

* They loose the desire to live safe.

* They are affected by human aggression because avian species knows that pain or aggression mean death. Those animals are not used to touches, pokes, pushes, chasing, shaking or striking. Those actions are frightening and dangerous for the parrots.

* Their self confidence, their trust and their comfort are shattered if they are intimidated. Standing over them, or staring at them may have a strong impact on the birds.

* A grey parrot will never trust a person who tries to dominate him or control small aspects of the nature.

* Just as any human being, a grey parrot wonâ??t trust a person who uses sensory deprivation as a mean of punishment for misbehavior.

A comparison between a wild animal and a domestic one would fail from the beginning in every way especially when it comes to birds, which are usually predators. Genetic inheritance eradication would require thousands of generations of selective breeding to obtain a domestic bird like a grey parrot and it is not always possible.

A bird that becomes stressed will start self mutilating or biting or will develop phobias. There are many factors that could induce stress to a bird. When it comes to grey parrots, a person should know what actions stress the bird and try to avoid them in order to keep the trust of the pet.

The grey parrots are intelligent and sensitive birds and they have the tendency to find in the human caregiver the qualities of a teacher, parental figure and mentor. They get attached to their caregiver and expect to be treated with respect and compassion. This is a method that works as well for birds as it does for humans or dogs.

MJ, the African Grey Parrot, X-mas Dance

MJ dances & whistles while Frosty sings. He loves Frosty. ;D Merry Christmas, everyone! Thank you so much for watching! MJ & I love you all! =D ps – I’m sorry the video is so dark! The video/audio on my digital camera is horrible. I REALLY wish I could afford a new camera! (Santa, are you listening?)

I have an African Grey Parrot, and want to get an Amazon as well. Is this a good idea?

Hey there. I have had a beutiful African Grey Parrot for almost two years and have done alot of reading on Greys, Amazons and parrots in general. I would like to add another bird to my flock and go with something different. I know the general rules are no parrots with non parrots and no large bills with small bills, lest the smaller bird get accidentally hurt or even killed. My current bird is very sweet, good with people as well as other pets. Before I make an expensive and lifelong commitment I would love some opinions on whether or not this arrangement would likely work out. Thank you in advance for your time and feedback!

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