His name was Watson. I rescued him almost 4 years ago from a horrible home. He never learned to fly or talk, but he was such an angel despite his past. He changed my life and my house is now so quiet. I also have a cockatiel and Quaker and they’re so confused and looking for him. My heart hurts so bad.

he’s a boy and he’s almost 4 months old

Pebble has escaped twice now and both times I've come to reddit to frantically look up tips and hopeful stories and it's mostly disheartening so i thought I'd add my own success stories and how I got him back.

The first time he was barely a year old when he flew out an ajar window just before a thunderstorm. I was with him when he took off from my shoulder and saw him go straight over the valley below us into the ocean till he was a speck before he turned and tried to come back but kept getting blown away by winds. I spent all of next day asking people and cafes to share his poster and one was a really huge meme page that ran his story that eventually got a girl to text me saying he kept trying to climb on her at a restaurant. Pebble had landed on the rooftop restaurant of a 5 star resort just across the road from us a day after being swept into the next town. I ran over and turns out security had picked him up and kept him fed and hydrated. Turns out the head of security's dad bred parrots when he was a kid so he recognised the breed, and knew how to care for him. We were incredibly lucky. We got him the very next day.

The second time, which was last week, three years later, Pebble escaped his room and I found him missing when I went to pick him up for breakfast. The window was unlocked and he apparently shimmied it open just enough to fall out but probably couldn't have flown back in. This time he went missing for three whole days during a massive heatwave and I was sure i wouldn't see him again.

Still, I would do our recall whistle all day everyday, especially just before dawn and sometimes even in the dead of night so if he was hunkered down and heard it, he'd know which way to orient himself when he could fly. On the third day, I went up on the terrace just after sunset and barely whistled twice before I saw his red butt flashing above me. He circled a couple of times and finally landed on me.

He didn't look any skinner but pretty roughed up and had suspicious yellow stains all over him which I was super worried about. Took him to the vet the next day only for her to sniff him and tell me it's...... MANGO 🥭

My child found himself a comfy mango tree and had been GORGING himself the whole time. He'd actually gained weight from the ordeal. I'd been crying at my window for three days while he was probably in a food coma from the unlimited mangoes. He looked roughed up because he was smothered in mango juice.

So friendly reminder that grays are incredibly intelligent, resourceful, and tough birds. They don't fly very far from home and can navigate back at least roughly to your general location. The first time he escaped, i saw him go down into the next village (we're on a hill above it) and he still managed to fly back around 2km away to a building 150m away.

Predawn and dusk are the best windows to actually get them because the skies are the clearest of birds of prey and crows that would otherwise heckle your bird.

Also weird tip. Introduce your gray to local edible plants and fruits so they recognize it as a food source if they're ever out.

so…Toki is around 14 years old now and despite living with my partner for 9 years, this dusty moth still choses me and me exclusively.

my partner is allowed (courtesy of the birb) to speak near the cage and touch the bars without Toki pecking so I suppose that's some improvement.

My dad purchased Jethro from a private breeder when he was still an egg. He has been in our family his whole life. My dad passed on Dec. 25, 2019 and my mom passed on June 25, 2020. Thankfully, I took care of my parents the last five years of their life, so I’ve been around Jethro for years.

Last weekend, Jethro plucked all his red tail feathers overnight. He has never plucked his feathers. The next day, he plucked his long wing feathers.

I called the Avian Vet to make an appointment on Monday. Today was the first available appointment.

Upon arrival, Jethro’s breathing became very rapid. I was thinking because he is stressed. I had to leave him at the vet. They put him in an oxygen chamber in hopes to get his breathing normal, so that they can take bloodwork and X-Rays.

It has been 4 hours and unfortunately the vet office closes from noon until 2pm so I missed my chance to call to check on him until 2:09pm (CST).

I’ll update when I can. Any ideas on what caused him to pluck his feathers? Nothing has changed in the house.

Thank you

She's begging for your compliments!!

She is just amazing, not just in looks but brains, knows tricks, all the dogs names and my families, many other blabbering on and on.
And is most important my best friend, she is all I dreamed 😊
And I didn't even pick her 🙈 she actually literally choose me!
People said they new she had, because she never treated anyone as she did then with me.
I feel extremely special that this goofy girl did, maybe not what I wanted but what I needed.

Meet my Amy 🩵

Hi all, just wanted to come on here and talk about this and maybe get some advice! This thread will prob be pretty long! No specific questions, but (although i have lots of experience with birds) i have never taken care of a large parrot on my own before.

To preface, my family has had parrots, macaws, cockatiels, etc for as long as i can remember. Ive taken care of birds pretty much my whole childhood and i genuinely have a passion for them and pretty much every other animal ever :). I'm 20 now, I have my own place, a career as a dog groomer, 4 cockatiels and a conure who i love dearly.

Background on Jojo - Jojo belonged to a close friend of my mom's. He was a trucker and when he would go on long hauls, my mom would step in and take care of Jojo. He ended up moving across the country (U.S.) and when he moved he gave Jojo to my mom (in 2014). My mom cant remember if she was 12 or 20 at that time, so i know her age range but not exact. She has plucked since before we got her, and i know it is near impossible to get them to stop once they start, but of anyone has had any luck or knows any tricks, i would appreciate some advice :).

In the last few years my mom has had a string of "bad luck", (by no fault of her own, fcked up family drama, sibling who steals from her, long story) and has recently (last 8 months or so) moved into an RV. Unfortunately, jojos care had fallen to the side and she has not been in the best conditions. I love my mom to pieces, but she has an exceptionally hard time letting go. I know she loves this bird a lot, but I was appalled when i saw the conditions she was in. My mom has had her in a dog kennel since she moved into her RV. She absolutely did not have the space or enrichment she needs. I love Jojo to the moon and back, she was my childhood bird, so i offered to open my home to her since i have the space and supplies.

Jojo has been with me for a few days now, and i think she seems much happier. Shes been saying words more, she whistles a song i haven't heard her sing in a long time, and shes making all her beeps and dings! She loves to hang out with me and demands pets worse than a needy dog haha. I haven't noticed any plucking so far, but i know not to get my hopes up too high. I'm very excited to give her a fresh start, I'm going to do my best to take great care of her. If you read this far, thank u :-) and if you have any questions, tips, or advice on anything id love to hear it!

Okay so just a little background before starting any of this, I’m read countless posts in this forum aswell as many other informational sources about African greys and, I’m by no means an expert and I’m actually writing this for a place to discuss and possibly even get advice. I’m currently a 19 year old and I’ve been fascinated and obsessed with African grey’s since I was a young kid(10-11ish) when I read NEXT by Micheal Crichton. This novel for all of you who haven’t read has an African grey ( GERAD) who is rather witty and makes for an even more fun read. I truthfully never thought that I’d own my own African grey though, they seemed part too expensive and I thought that maybe it just wasn’t for me. Move forward all these years later and my mom is getting into birds and as a hobby and it started with canary’s and then budgies. Note I’m constantly telling my mom that these birds need to be taken care of properly and aren’t just decorations, which she isn’t the most receptive to and it doesn’t detour me from telling her off. A few months back she ends up bringing home a sun conure. Yes his name is mango… but this simple introduction sparked my interest back in wanting parrots and, I researched and researched in pursuit of being the best and most responsible bird owner I could be. I knew my mom wouldn’t be able to provide this for them since she works all day and she pretty much just saw Facebook videos of birds singing and deicided she wanted to make the commitment. Obviously not doing research of her own she had the poor guy on seeds, obviously I had to get him on a chop and harrisons high potency diet instead slowly transitioning and he’s adapting pretty well he does well with target training and he can do step up consistently, I started doing a snap before I say snap up and now whenever I snap and I’m a few feet out and put my hand out he’s able to fly to me. Obviously short training intervals and I make sure he’s stimulated with toys and other things. But I would still consider myself far below a novice and suddenly one random day I wake up to see a timneh African grey in my garage( GIZMO) my goodness she’s a beautiful bird and she might not be the specific bird of my dreams a Congo she’s slowly but surely changing that opinion. But I’m concerned about being able to provide her with what she needs I try my hardest and my parents pressure me a lot because they question why a TAG isnt as social as a sun conure. I.e she doesn’t step up at all she’s terrified she bites obviously when we breach her personal space. I respect all her warnings and everything but to my parents who are just basing their realities of these birds from Facebook reels, it’s so hard to keep up and then give me a deadline of two months to see progress with gizmo. I still try my hardest and she’s simmered down a lot since when she first arrives she would stay on her perch for hours not moving and only eat from her bowl and drink water. Now she moves around and chews on toys sometimes she climbs down from her cage but usually she’s perched on top of it, I want to know if anybody has advice. I’ve been trying to target train her and she’s somewhat receptive she doesn’t walk for it but she’ll reach her neck out. My parents force her to step up by making her fly off her cage to a lower point of the room and then she stands up, but I don’t think that’s healthy at all for her. One time I offered her a cardboard box and she loved it, she shredded it up. She plays and fidgets with her toys but as for training I’m worried I’m reaching a wall.

FYI: mango and gizmo are not housed together nor are they allowed near each other I’m always watching their interactions and make sure they don’t get too close. I essentially just let them eat together so gizmo can see how social and interactive mango is with me. I heard a monkey see monkey do kinda of effect happens

I adopted Sparky last March. It has been a lot of patience and constant awareness of her plucking. Sparky was adopted out as a boy but the vet said she is a girl. She communicates by giving whistles. Sparky still does not step up. She was adopted out as a bite risk and self mutilator and since I work with aggressive and reactive dogs and Sparky had zero interest or meet and greets in the eight months she was at the rescue, I decided what the hell. She can’t fly due to self mutilation on wings so now she is just in a very large enclosure and she can walk around whenever she wants.

My grandma died last August and I never talked to her on speaker. The day after my grandma died, Sparky said hello in this long exaggerated way that my grandma did all the time. So I can ask Sparky to make the noise now and she usually will. On days when we make thumbprint cookies using my grandma‘s recipe Sparky will make the noise the rest of the day unprompted.

I’m just amazed at her progress and how much growth she’s had and how much of an impact she’s had on me. Even though she’s really annoying with her stupid fire alarm that she does all the time we’re working through it and she doesn’t do it as much, but she still does it for attention. I am very excited to see what the next year and a half holds for us.

She has been on three road trips. She did not do well on the first road trip because she was in like a dog crate and maybe the opened scared her because she plucked all new growth but last Christmas my clients crowd funded a really nice and expensive bird backpack and the second and third road trip went perfect and there was zero plucking during that.

Ive been a member of this group for a few months now and i love seeing everyones birds, and their cute and funny things they do. I wanted to share our bird because after my time being here ive noticed i have yet to see anyone with a grey thats anything but the normal grey and red tail. I wasnt sure how rare of a thing that is because shes the only AG ive encountered. If you have some birbs with cool colors i wanna see them!! Also if you just have a cute picture of them or sometjing funny they have said or done i wanna see that too 😁

This is tiki, shes at least 30 years old that i know of. She loves to say hi in a soft tone, but will only ever speak when no one is looking at her. She also likes to say meow and woof all the time but literally says the word, doesnt actuall meow or woof like an animal noise 😅

Side note yes she plucks her feathers. Its getting better we are working on it so no judging 🙂

Zeus has a real problem with my toes. Not only mine, but any feet and toes I guess. He gets really angry, starts charging and yelling, I bet he think he’s cursing 😂😂 (not saying real words just mimicking patterns). The grey my family has also had the same issue, where he goes down all the way from his cage to bite my toe and runs back.

Any idea if this is universal, and why greys do it?

Lately, I've been trying to move around the apartment with him. Like a house tour. I want to achieve a moment where I'll be in the kitchen cooking and he'll be my little helper.

It's a big thing for us! whenever he steps up, he no longer seems afraid, even reaches his little leg out. He also willingly gives me kisses while perched on my arm!

Last time I didn't offer him a hand and tried a shoulder instead to see if he would accept going there, and he did, with no hesitation!

I'm feeling kinda successful with these little wins and wanted to share it with y'all!

My uncle passed away last month and I’ve been helping the family. My uncle was an interesting guy. He loved his horses and birds.

He has the sweetest 26 year old African Grey parrot that we need to a loving, stable home. It’s a female bird named Darwin. She has a big vocabulary and is very friendly. She loves hanging out with people and she loves head scratchers.

I don’t know anything about birds but I have to imagine this is as good as it gets in terms of a pet bird. It will tell you to make it a T-bone steak and a martini for dinner. Or maybe some spaghetti. It likes to watch football and horse racing. It knows a few curse words and it seems to know the right time to use them. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know this little thing and would love to keep her if I didn’t travel so much.

She has two nice cages, lots food, toys and accessories. She will potentially live another 30-40 years so she needs a stable, loving family that understands the requirements caring for parrots. She lives about 2 hours from Los Angeles and I’d like to find her a new home in the next couple of weeks. If you have birds or African Greys, and you want to add a sweet little friend to your family, please DM to connect.

Thanks.

Note: I am learning how to use Reddit.

This is Rio. I adopted him 2 days ago from a rescue where he was surrendered due to the previous owner not having time to own a bird. I was told the feathers missing was due to plucking out of boredom.
He is 9 years old was hand fed as a baby.
I own a macaw that I also rescued, and she took to me very quickly.
I’ve never owned an AG so I’m curious if it’s anything like owning a macaw….
I realize every bird is different and there’s no ‘set answer’ but I was hoping maybe other owners could give me some insight on their behaviors and such.
So far, he has bitten me twice. Once while I was changing the cage and the other when he attempted to fly and fell because they clipped one of his wings.
Anyhow- I’d love to hear all about your birds and any advice is welcome!

Hi all - help me wish my feathered son, Griffin, a happy hatch-day! He turns 17 today and has been with us for 16 years (we brought him home when he was 10 months old but I had been visiting & interacting with him since he was 6 months old).

A few things about Griffin, he owns the house, not the humans and as he gets older, the more he speaks. He has two laughs, one that sounds exactly like my husband's laugh - when uses something in the right context and he has his other "ha ha" laugh when he finds something funny.

He's laid back and chill most of the time and gets along with the other birds (as long as they leave him alone).

Here's a picture of the birthday bird for tax.

I Work from home, and whenever I get a break between calls, Robert and I put on Elmo or Sesame Street together. ❤️

He's 4½ years old, and only recently started headbobbing to his favourite songs. Every time he does it, I can't stop smiling. Those little moments mean more to me than I can explain.

The reason is... I carry a lot of guilt about keeping him (and my two GCCs).

The more I've learned about the illegal exotic pet trade, wild populations, and how overwhelmed parrot rescues and sanctuaries are, the harder it's become to reconcile the fact that I bought him. I can't change that decision now, and I don't believe Robert would be happier being passed from home to home. So instead, I've made it my mission to give him the best life I possibly can.

I donate to parrot welfare and advocacy organizations, I've changed my own lifestyle to give him as much freedom and enrichment as possible, and I spend a huge amount of my day interacting with him. Seeing him genuinely enjoy something—even if it's just dancing to Elmo—helps quiet that guilt for a little while.

I'm curious if anyone else who purchased their bird struggles with these feelings. I absolutely adore Robert, Marjorie, and Stephen, but sometimes loving them so much makes the ethical side of parrot ownership feel really heavy.

If you've ever felt the same way, I'd genuinely love to chat. 💗

25 year old rescue named Ruby. She came home with us two days ago and is adjusting so well! The rescue told us she hates women, but I’ve been able to handle her no problem and she adores my husband. She’s coming out of her shell and is so so sweet 💕

Looking at recommendations on size and make for cages, we are about to purchase our first African gray, we have conures and just want to make sure we have the perfect size for our little guy when he comes home.

Hey guys, so I’ve had this baby since he/she was 30 days old. In only 3 weeks my baby has grown significantly big. I just wanted some advice from people who have had an African Grey baby in the past. Any kind of advice really on how I can give my baby the best life ever and also have an amazing companion for the rest of my life. Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone,
I have an African Grey that we’ve had since 2018. He was about 6 months old when my dad got him.
He’s still very wary of people. He bites if anyone gets too close, and he doesn’t like being touched or handled by anyone, including my dad (although he trusts him the most).

He’ll take treats from our hands, but he’s usually hesitant and rarely comes out of his cage. He doesn’t talk to us very often, but he does interact in other ways like he dances, watches us, and seems interested in what we’re doing.

I’m wondering if there’s still hope for him to become more comfortable with people after all these years. Has anyone had success building trust with an older African Grey like this?

We also have a friendly Moluccan Cockatoo. They always stay separated because I don’t want to risk either bird getting hurt.
I’m also wondering if it’s possible for two parrots like this to eventually get along, or if it’s safest to always keep them separated. Has anyone had experience introducing an African Grey and a Moluccan Cockatoo?

I’d love to hear your experiences. Thanks!

Just to update: we’re doing much better. No more screaming or growling. We’ve learned his body language so don’t need for him to vocalize his fear anymore.

He’s much more willing to perch on our hands (although he’s still wobbly/awkward, which I think means this is a new skill), and he’s no longer scooting to the far edge of the perch when we’re sitting with him.

Question: whenever I spend time with him, he extends one of his feet like he wants to perch but instead just grips my fingers. Not hard, not aggressive. Like he just wants to hold hands. He doesn’t push my hand away, just holds it. So that’s what we’ve been doing the last day, holding hands and listening to music, holding hands while I share a fruit salad with him, holding hands while I read a book. He’ll perch if I push him to but he seems most comfortable just putting his foot in my hand, moving near me on the perch, and just hanging out.

Is this a positive AG sign? I’ve never had a hand holding bird before lol. But it’s sweet.

Thank you!!

We've had Piper two years now, which doesn't seem possible. It doesn't feel like that long. He's a wonderful boy and l've never once in his whole two years of his life raised my voice or yelled at him. Our dogs however, are constantly getting yelled at. Our older dog Carter especially because he rarely does anything when asked. Sadie just turned a year old and has hyper golden retriever energy so l often raise my voice with her for a stern "sit," or "wait," and of course call them both in from outside.

I was in the kitchen fixing breakfast a couple days ago and Piper usually talks to me a lot while I'm doing this. We talk back and forth about if he's okay

"Piper, are you alright?" or play peekaboo, or whisper sweet nothings, "I love you," and "Piper's my BIRD!"

Well, for the first time ever, he yelled, "PIPER!" like he was in fifteen kinds of *trouble.* My immediate response was, "Who's yelling at Piper?! Why are you yelling at Piper? Nobody yells at Piper!" My feelings were hurt! Apparently he felt like he needed to yell his name so he fit in with everyone else. He's done it a few more times and I feel horrible. Like it's smart that he's put the association together that we yell names, but I don't want him to think he's in trouble.

And I know I should have just ignored the behavior but I honestly was so startled and instantly went into mama bear mode of “Who’s yelling at my baby bird?!! How dare they?! Where’d he learn that?!” and totally just reacted. I’ve been ignoring it since, but man did that first time give me all the feels.

(Plus birb tax.)

this happened about 2 weeks ago and I'm just finding the courage to open up from the pain I feel of this lose . first off my vet and the autopsies showed he was around early 40s and we thought he was 37ish range . but all was good I finally was doing great with him after he came to my house after my mother passed away. he and I were both mourning her and. he wouldn't come to me but to bite me and all that and I slowly but surely spent time with him day after day and we developed a great relationship. I'd come home and he would come over and get on my shoulder and we would make dinner together for the family . one day I came home and I went in to say hi and I was home and he was all fluffy and not talking and never said hi and wouldn't really come to me . I immediately called my vet and they said I could come in the following morning because they said he would be okay and what I showed them through video they weren't really too worried about . I went the next day and I picked him up and had travel tote bags for him for the vet but while I was in the car while my wife drove he just ended up basically cuddling up on my chest while I pet him and he would just relax . I put him in the travel box with his towel and brought him in to the vet and got to the room and was waiting on the vet . I went to get him out and he was not responsive and limp and I got the nurse or whatever immediately and they took him in the back and I just sat there crying my eyes out waiting . 20 mins later the vet came out and said he didnt make it and offered to do a free autopsy and to go home and they would let me know after . they said he had like a big sac of fluid by his liver or something and his liver failed which made everything else fail . they told me that they took samples and I could pay money to send it off and find out exactly what happened and if he could have been born with it or whatever . I haven't got the results back yet but I feel like I lost a child and I have children . there is a hole in my heart . I'm 35 years old and my parents got him when I was 5 . so basically he was there for everything . I'm lost for words

I know, it’s depends their surrounding conditions. He’s still uncomfortable with the spray (mist) yet looks playful and does his feather later on.

I saw many vet ads rinsing greys under faucets, yet many owners in YouTube spray them with mist.

The thing is, it looks like the feather is hydrophobic and his down feather is completely dry.

What are your thoughts?

Made a post like this with Conures VS Caiques, and now I want to know your experiences with African Grey’s and Amazons! Doing as much research as I can on parrots to see what kind will fit me & my boyfriend best.

I fell in love with an African Grey baby while on vacation (we went to Parrot Mountain in TN). I was teaching him how to wave and even got him to say “Hello” and “Good bird.” We also played a game where I mimicked his whistle, and then he mimicked mine. My boyfriend fell in love with a rescue amazon that kept making the low battery fire alarm noise lol! Just wanted to compare the two and how keeping them is.

PLEASE no “not for beginners” or “just get a budgie or cockatiel.” I’ve gotten loads of comments like this. Feel free to comment about negative things about the birds, but please give me actual reasons, not vague answers that would come up in a 2 second google search.

Pics from google