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[LovemyCVOgirl]

We had an African Grey for years - a Timneh.  Great talker, smart as a whip, a true escape artist.  Used to keep him outside on the porch.  His hobby other than being a brat was tormenting & terrorizing cats.  After 1 bloody nose they never came back for more. He was a gift & when we moved & could not keep him we kept our promise to do the same & gave him away.

Congrats, you are gonna love your little feathered friend!

Thank you!  I'm anxious to get her.

[LovemyCVOgirl]

Congrats 

Thank you!   

[LovemyCVOgirl]

Lots of handling when young will make it easier as they mature.
And try for equal time with the humans. They can become a one person bird.

We had a blue & gold macaw for years. Got him as a baby and we both handled him/her a lot. Result was he was good with both of us. And quite the character.

Although he did have a habit of nipping my wife when she was holding him and I came near. As if to say "keep him away".

Lots to read now.

Knowledge is the key to raising a healthy Grey.  I'm still reading books!

[LovemyCVOgirl]

Congratulations Judy!  You'll love that bird and yes, we've all heard the term "bird brained"......it's really a complament because they're much smarter than people give them credit.

The more they're handled, the more enjoyable they are....which also means the more attached you get to them. Like Porthole has suggested, get others to handle your bird on a regular bases....socialize him/her. 

Thank you JC.  She is 9 weeks old yesterday and the breeder said that she already knows the command to "step up" when placing your hand in front of her!

[LovemyCVOgirl]

Might be kinda funny ...... the first few times, anyway!

Congrats on the new addition, Judy!  I agree you need to find a way that he can ride with you.  Would be some good entertainment at RibFest this spring!

Brian, I could just see me strapping her in a cage on the back of my MC!  Yep, I get to Ribfest and she doesn't have any feathers left.   

[LovemyCVOgirl]

congratulations Judy I hope he's or shes a real character.

A real character would fit my personality perfectly. 

[LovemyCVOgirl]

I'm so freaking jealous!!! I had a Congo Grey years ago when I was single. My best buddy in the world (named him Bandit). Used to sit on my shoulder and get the droplets of beer out of my mustache after a swig. Fast forward a few years to marriage, two babies in the house and working two jobs. Didn't have the time he needed anymore. He went to a consignment store. Only bad words he ever picked up from me was "Bitch, Bitch, Bitch". I was careful about the language used for sure. I should have listened to him though. The first time he met my now ex-wife, he was carrying on after not seeing me for a day and getting loud with the whistles and all. She told him to shut up and he promptly replied with the "bitch,bitch ,bitch" comment back to her. Like others have said, those birds are smart....

Hind site Mike, maybe you should have kept the bird and not the ex wife.   

[LovemyCVOgirl]

Judy, congrats on the new addition.   Sell Kimber=Buy baby bird. lol  Enjoy the new baby! 

Lol.  .  Arland the Kimber sell only bought the cage.  .  I'm learning that this is an expensive venture!   

[BUCKNUT GREG]

Congrats Moma,  that little critter is adorable.

Your Signature is simply.......STUNNING 

[LovemyCVOgirl]

Congrats Moma,  that little critter is adorable.

Your Signature is simply.......STUNNING 

Thank you Greg!  I thought the photographer captured my best moment on the Dragon.    Looking at the picture I didn't realize how "small" I looked on that MC.

[porthole]

      You are right Mike!  Selling the Kimber bought the bird cage!  I've got your cell number on speed dial because once I get her I'm going to need your advice. 

If you were not so far away I would have given you a King cage. A little chipped from our macaw using the bars to get our attention all the time, but a good cage.

I was planning on getting a semi custom cage for our guy before we lost him.

http://www.cagesbydesign.com/?gclid=CPT_p922y7oCFcuZ4AodrkgATw

If your home a lot, watch the yard sales. We got a very heavy steel cage that was a bit rough, but it was good for the backyard.

And 10x10x6 dog pen with a top was great for outdoor time too.

[Rooster]

Congrats on your new little buddy. I had a vision of you getting to Rib Fest with a naked bird and when you go to check him out he gives you the bird. LOL Better keep him more enclosed while traveling. Oh and he will need a doo rag and some sunglasses.

[LovemyCVOgirl]

Congrats on your new little buddy. I had a vision of you getting to Rib Fest with a naked bird and when you go to check him out he gives you the bird. LOL Better keep him more enclosed while traveling. Oh and he will need a doo rag and some sunglasses.

   I think this will be the birds only method of travel.   

[iski]

Thank you!  I'm anxious to get her.

Welcome.  We miss ours sometimes, but other times when I remember the house destruction....nevermind.  LOL

Ours was about 10 when we got him. The couple we got him from was expecting a baby & had to give him away.  Probably the chances of the baby keeping it's fingers & toes led to that decision.  Bimbo - we didn't name him, they did - was a biter & he disliked women.  He barely tolerated men.  I was the only one he seemed to like & he would bite the hell out of me still sometimes.  Mostly he would ride around on my shoulder & he liked to stay outside as much as possible.  I think it was because he liked tormenting cats, & he did plenty of that. He got out of his cage a few times outdoors & would always fly back.  We tried a lot of things short of a Master lock on his cage door.  A snap hook worked well, but I figure given enough time he would have figured that out too.

The key to Greys is - handle them & gentle them while they are young birds.  Ours was not handled young & as a result, he was very wild.  Greys are known to have a wild streak.  Ours was a great talker & picked up words & phrases very easily.  Fairly large vocabulary & easy to understand.  Also was a perfect mimic for the doorbell as well as the microwave beep.  He beeped sometimes for fun when we were using the microwave - no doubt a very smart bird.  He used words that were appropriate too - like greeting folks with a brisk "Hello!" when somebody new came into the room.

You are getting yours young & if I ever got another would prefer to have one gentled while young.  It's like having a new member of the family.  They are very interactive birds & even as rough & tumble as ours was, he was quite social.

[Pete7539]

Congratulations! As mentioned socializing is important because they can become a one person bird and they have a strong beak. I believe they are compared to have the intelligence of a five year old child which astounding as that sounds, I think is underrated. I'm sure you know that they will be with you for life. Not to be grim, but make sure as the years go by that you have a friend or family member that develops a good relationship with birdie and can care for he/she should it become difficult for you. You'll have peace of mind knowing your baby will be loved and cared for if they've got a good Godmother. Also I don't know where you plan on keeping the cage, but close to the kitchen could be dangerous with cooking. Non-stick pan coatings are VERY toxic if overheated on the stove, may want to get stainless cookware if you don't already have. Or look into the green non stick and it's toxicity, whether it is or not I don't know. If you can, with the help of someone, trim the wings at an early age so they're used to the not so fun grooming(also filing the beak), it'll save you a lot from going to the vet to have the same done. Another danger in the kitchen is a bird with flight feathers grown in. I've never had a grey myself. The highest up on the tree I went with was a caique. Sadly my ex took custody of him. But I've grown up with cockatiels, quakers, parakeets. My mother had twice walked outside, was a lil tipsy, forgetting that Mugsy or Casey were on her shoulder and they flew away on separate occasions. Both came home within a couple hours amazingly! I remember sitting on the roof watching them fly through our neighborhood and hearing their distinct chirping. One landed on the deck and wanted back in the house and the other event, he landed in a tree and I went outside with his cage and called him. He flew down to the cage and climbed back inside. They're all great and very smart. Messy, but very entertaining as well. If you don't have this catalog already call these guys http://www.drsfostersmith.com/bird-supplies/pr/c/5059 and request their avian catalog. They have good pricing and a lot of tips in their catalogs. Wish you the best of luck with your new baby