I am considering buying an African Grey parrot in the future. What do I need/ or need to know?

Definitely only buy a hand bred Grey. Buy from a reputible source. Find an avian vet. Not as easy as it sounds!! You will need to have your bird dna sexed if you want to know if it is male or female. (males tend to have shorter necks and larger heads that are less rounded on top than females... but DNA sexing is the only way to know for sure.)

A good sized cage is necessary. I would put one of the rough perches in the cage for the nails. They make a perch that the birds cannot chew through, but I can't recall the name of them that are good for infront of the feed/water bowls, then a couple of plain wood dowels (which they do chew to little pieces and you replace with fair regularity). Wooden chew toys can be bought or you can look online how to make them.

Everything I needed to know about Grey's, Macaws, and Cockatoos I was able to find on the net. I actually traded my Cockatoos for an African Grey. My family were all threatening to eat the Cockatoos if I didn't. Cockatoos are very, very, loud and need constant attention. The breeder I traded them to is a friend and I have been to his place several times and know how well it is kept. He was quite impressed with how good my Cockatoos were both physically and emotionally. Cockatoos are the worst for having severe emotional problems resulting in plucking and mutiliating themselves.

He let me get the Grey early so I could finish her weaning. He was already familiar with the fact that I could wean birds as I used the same aviary vet he did and the vet told him that my macaw was in textbook perfect condition. I weaned her from three weeks old. Most reputable bird breeders will not sell you a bird who is not fully weaned. And for good reason. It is very easy to kill a baby bird if you don't know what you are doing.

They are expensive birds to purchase. They are a lifetime commitment, so if your living circumstances are going to radically change in the near future, then perhaps consider a less long-lived bird. You can't be afraid of getting nipped, because you ARE going to get nipped. Sometimes quite hard! You will need a bird sitter for any occasion you are going to be gone for a couple days. They need to be fed and watered daily. Bird seed and hulls and shells all around the cage will become a standard. So if you have small children... there will be no way to stop them from getting at them and possibly choking on them.

You will have to have a younger person who is trained and comfortable with the bird to pass it to when you pass away, as the bird will probably outlive you.

Get the bird accustomed to being handled by a lot of people from an early age. That will prevent or lessen the birds usual tendancy to bond to one person. As with any animal, the person who feeds and waters them daily will become their primary, but good socialization is imperative if you ever expect to go on vacation without the birds.

Grey's talk up a storm... and just like children, they seem to have an instinct for picking out just the very words you don't want them to say! They are very curious, and great mimics. She imitates the dog, the alarm clock, the other birds with amazing accuracy. She also da,da,da da's the opening theme song to Star Trek the Next Generation.

If they are not properly looked after they can become loud, and pluck and mutiliate themselves. But, I think, of all the big birds, they are probably one of the better ones for a first time bird owner. It would probably be better if a first time bird owner went with something much smaller and not so long lived first to see if a bird is actually a good pet for them... but, usually when a person decides they want a big bird it is hard to sway them.

I got a love bird first, then a cockatiel, then a sun conure (talk about loud!), then an indian ring neck parrot, then a green-wing conure, then a Macaw, then two cockatoos, then my African Gray.

Get rid of any teflon pots and pans you have. I lost my indian ring neck and green wing to a teflon frying pan. We were able to get the rest of the birds out of the house fast enough to save them. I knew the pans could do that, and never thought that one of the boys would leave on on the stove. Needless to say, they all went into the trash that day.

They are a lot of work. Cleaning the cages is a pain in the butt. But it has to be done. The bird feed creates moths... and you cannot spray bug spray anywhere near the birds... so fly paper strips are the way to go. I have tried freezing the bird feed before putting it into the feed storage bins and while that does lessen the numbers, they still seem to breed. I use a mixture of pellet and seed and give fruit or veggies separately.

No chocolate, avacado, alcohol, raw potatos (cooked is okay),

Females in particular need calcium blocks. Mineral blocks are always a good idea.

They are great pets. But require a lot of time and care.

They are very inteligent and live for a long time (like 50 years). The African grey can make a wonderful pet, but it is a life long pet and you need to consider that when getting the bird. Read up as much as you can about them and training them. You will be spending a lot of time handling and interacting with the bird if you want it to be happy and well adjusted.

You can transport birds internationally with the right paper work. It would need an international health certificate and for birds they require you do some lab work to make sure it isn't carrying some deseases. It takes at least a few weeks to get the paperwork cleared on the medical, then you get the health certificate and that is good for 10 days usually. If you are just having one sent to you in Australia I'm sure the breeder will be able to get the right paperwork done if they've sent birds international before.

I'd really check out all the pet stores there first and try to find one in your area before trying to send for one from the US. Here is a link with lots of info you may find helpful.

http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/trade-u...

Good luck finding your new bird. :)

having an african grey will be a little like having a child, that never moves out, and needs companionship 24-7, you won't be able to leave it on it's own for long periods of time. and they can live a mighty long time! Between 50-70 years.

i found the link below regarding pet birds in australia, may check with your locak town hall whether your area needs a licence to keep one or not.

1. Make sure to buy one that is born in human breeding conditions, not captured from the wild. This is important in order to discourage captivating wild birds, but also because a wild bird will never be tame enough.

2. I am sure you can find one in Australia, check with your local pet stores. I don't suppose you need a specific licence to keep it, but the bird must have a certificate to show that it is not illegally captivated.

3. You also need to know that these birds have very sensitive health. They must never be in a draft, they must not be in the cold or in too warm place. They need company, or they may be depressed and pluck their feathers or die. They must be treated like a baby, constant attention, talking to them etc. and they are jealous when you give your love to someone else!

4. If you do treat them like your baby, though, they reciprocate the love and double it! They learn to speak to you, I mean really speak, not just repeat words! They are very very clever! They become like dogs, I knew a man who had such a parrot and he slept on his pillow, he followed him around on the beach, he kissed him on the cheek, etc. But you need to dedicate time to them. they are a life-long responsibility, it takes years of training them on a full time basis.

5.Also, keep in mind, that if they don't get sick and die, these birds could outlive you, so you need to make sure what will happen to them after you die!

I would suggest you consider one of the many wonderful native Australian bird species.

African grays are considered the Einsteins of the bird world. That has it's good and bad points. They need a tremendous amount of attention and mental stimulation. They are often not as friendly as many other birds including cockatoos

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Last time i checked with customs about bringing my bird from canada to australia it was against the law but the issue was being raised in the courts to try and change this law,i got the phone # at the australian customes website

dont get one if you cant spend at least three hours a day with it and they scream like crazy and chew everything in there sight but they can be trained not to do that and they cant eat avacodas,chocalte,onions,or tomates sorry some of those or spelled wrong good luck with your new bird

Go to: www.Shopping.com and find what you want about parrots(for every kind). You can even shop a pet from there!

I can say that I knew a guy with one and she hated women, it was weird.