[mnHawk8]

Hello! I'm glad to have found this place. I was promptly instructed to get an introduction posted , so here goes……we've been thinking of getting a parrot and I've sort of zeroed in on the CAG. I've been doing a lot of reading about parrots and specifically CAGs lately (unfortunately 'Winging It' was one of the books). My wife, a vet (small animal but non avian), has always wanted a parrot and I'm nuts (no pun intended) about trying to bring wild birds to our yard. So a parrot would be something we'd both love to have. We just have to make sure we make the right choice at the right time.

A little info about us: I'm 33 and she's 30. I work the typical 5 day work week (40-50 hours) and travel regularly for short stints (my wife does not travel with me). My wife works 4 longer days a week and can work any of the 7 days a week. What I'm getting at is that somewhere between 2-5 days a week one of us is home most of the day (typically 3-4).

We have no children but hope to start a family soon. It will not be a large family though.

Right now our cats are our kids; we have 4 (three gray and one orange). All are truly part of the family; we'd do anything for them. All are indoor only and "well behaved" except for one of our recent rescues (the orange one). He is kept in a separate room by himself at night or when we are not around. He himself is not poorly behaved; just some dominance issues between him and the rest of the clan that we don't have the stomach to just let play out. This scenario is better than the alternative though……his owner wanted to put him down because he got sick and she couldn't afford the $100 fix. So we took him. When they are all out together, they get monitored closely, so we are used to having to do that. All of our cats know the word 'no' as well as the squirt bottle very well. Odds are that they would be more afraid of a medium sized parrot than vice-versa.

Anyway, that's a short amount about me/us; I have plenty of other questions but will get to them in due time! I'm wide open to thoughts and suggestions regarding our situation and CAGs (or other parrots), so don't hesitate to give me advice.

[Mama2ManyMouths]

Welcome, and thank you for researching Greys before taking one on.

They can be challenging birds, and are the smartest of all the domestically-kept birds. As far as having a parrot with cats in the house, I'll leave that for others to address, as I do not have a cat or dog, and cannot comment on that potentially touchy subject.

As with any animal that one has no experience with, it's best to find a local, certified avian vet (or at least highly experienced vet with a number of avian patients on his/her roster) before you actually bring home a bird. Mishaps can and do happen, and it's better for your emotional health to have someone you can call on in an emergency, rather than be searching while you have a sick or injured parrot in your arms.

Reading and asking questions is the best way to teach oneself about a subject that is new to you. As I'm sure you can appreciate, bird watching/feeding is not sufficient to prepare you for keeping a noisy, messy, and destructive creature in your home. It takes time to pick up anything of value, but this is a good place to start. Forums are a good place to learn many things, since you can "talk" to those who are passionate about parrots and have a wealth of information that they are willing to share if someone would only ask.

AnAG was set up to serve the African Greys that are kept in people's homes. We help the parronts in order to help the birds. Sometimes, we will bite our tongues and do our best to help those who are blithely ignorant of what they have taken on. You can imagine that it's not easy sometimes. So many people bring home parrots on a whim and then panic when they start to realize that they are not "easy to care for" like the pet store staff have insinuated. I'd love to see potential parronts go through some sort of parronting course in order to be permitted the opportunity to have a beautiful bird in their lives, but that's not likely to happen anytime soon.

Sorry if this seems like a rant. I'm still trying to undo the damage done to our CAG, by his first parronts who were told that African Greys are really easy and simple pets. Some places will say anything to make a sale.

We have lots of great information on the site, including a recommended reading list (see the link to: GREY TOOLKIT in the menu bar at the top of each page.) If you have any questions, feel free to ask. No question is "dumb" if you are looking for the answer. I look forward to assisting you in your "homework."

[EinsteinsMom]

My poor old cat died before I ever got my birds (she was 17), so I can't comment directly, but having had a cat I would extremely leery of ever having them out when the birds are out - and the bird does need to be out! (of its cage I mean). So I would make sure you have a way to keep them in separate rooms and I would not ever trust them around each other no matter how good the cats (or parrot) are.

Also cats carry pasturella, and there are reports of birds dying after seemingly insignificant injuries from cats, so another reason to keep them totally separate.

Having said that, I did a lot of research before adopting Einstein and was very nervous but he has turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me (holes in the couch and all)

And kudos to you guys for taking the poor cat whose owner wanted it put down just to avoid paying - my GOD what is wrong with people.

[mnHawk8]

Thanks M2MM and EinsteinsMom. In the Twin Cities there is a rescue organization that offers captive bird care classes (http://www.maars.org...s/education.php). We are already signed up for one of those.

My comments about wild birds was merely to comment on my interest in birds; nothing more. My wife has a couple avian vet firends that we are going to rely on more through this process. She has also volunteered at rescue organizations in that past that have taken in a wide variety of animals, including birds.

I could already tell that the cats issue is a bit less "resolved". It seems to depend on "who you ask".

We are going to take this slowly and the process could very well end in us getting nothing right now. But until you do your due diligence, how do you know?

[Mama2ManyMouths]

We took two years to do our research and even kept our first parrotlet for a year before deciding on a Grey (we had previous experience with cockatiels and budgies 30+ years earlier). Even then, we weren't truly ready for our first Grey. They are very challenging birds to rear, and there's nothing like hands-on experience with the real thing.

[Roseilee63]

Hello and welcome to our international family I know you will love it here as we all do, and make lots of lifetime friends

[newdad]

Hi mnHawk8, welcome to the best grey site on the 'net. We like folks who do their homework first and will do our best to help you "get educated" about greys. We have many very knowledgeable members from around the world and we love to help, so if you've got questions we'll do our best to find you an answer. Because we love our fids (feathered kids) and live with them we know first hand all the ups and downs. Its a steep learning curve and a Huge commitment (like taking on a toddler) but the rewards are tremendous too. They are extremely intelligent creatures, (most of us would consider being called a "birdbrain" a compliment) and treated with love and respect make fantastic COMPANIONS, not pets, if you want a pet get a dog/cat/hamster.
They can be very noisy (greys are considered a quiet parrot), very naughty, very messy, but they can also say"I'm sorry...I love you" and just melt your heart. They can be smart, intelligent, funny, amusing, entertaining, affectionate, sensitive and acutely aware of the atmosphere around them and your mood/feelings.
Keeping a parrot is not for the faint hearted or the person who is prone to "phases", but if you are the right sort of person you will have a friend for life (they live as long as us) and the rewards far outweigh the other things.
Of course, before you've had your bird long all your family and friends will be sick of hearing about its latest word/escapade and decide you've gone "nuts", you'll find that only other "parronts" understand (us ), don't say we didn't warn you . So... ask away with as many questions as you like, we love to talk about our amazing friends.

[EinsteinsMom]

My family decided I was crazy way before i got Einstein LOL but my mom actually asks after him regularly. And I do think getting a parrot should be thought of as 'adopting a child" not "getting a pet" like NewDad says.

[ReneeNoelle]

Welcome to the forum! OK, I just have to say the obvious. Being married to a vet HAS to have its perks and one of those is going to be her knowledge of disease processes and her contacts in veterinary circles. You guys are in a great position to take in a companion parrot and make a success out of it! Congratulations on doing your research prior to investing your money, emotions and time in a parrot. I have to admit that I was not as well informed as you are when I got my first parrot (Quaker) and I shudder now to think of all the bad things that could have happened and didn't. I'm really excited for you that you've chosen a CAG. My experience with Qwynn, my CAG, has been amazing and she continues to bring joy into my life and home every day.
Are you at the point yet where you're researching breeders or have you chosen to adopt an older bird? Are you looking into the pros and cons of adoption a "used" bird vs. buying a baby? What kinds of discussions would help you while you search for your companion? We have a great tool kit at the top of the forum page and there are topics ranging from diet to harness training. Meanwhile, we also have a ton of experience between all of us and we love to share experiences, stories and ideas with new parronts. I'm really excited for you and can't wait to find out more about the kind of bird you're looking for.

[mnHawk8]

Thanks Renee. Yes, my wife, being a vet, definitely benefits us if we get a parrot and does benefit us with our cats. She can spot things wrong with them well before I do. In addition, she graduated vet school with someone who specializes in avian medicine.

It's funny you mention a Quaker as that is also high on our list of potential parrots.

We would prefer to adopt a re-homed parrot, but are nervous about doing that right out of the gate. We're leaning towards a baby but I have it in the back of my mind that a few years down the road also adopting an older bird that needs a good home.

I have only done some internet research on breeders. Feather Focus (http://www.featherfocus.com/index.htm) is within driving distance of where we live. She sounds like she may do a good job socializing babies. Pampered Peeps (http://www.pamperedp...lablebabies.htm) is another, but is a long ways away; but they sound and look like they do a fantastic job socializing babies. When we get serious about buying we'll probably dig in further, ask some questions and get some references. I'm open to suggestions of breeders I should put on our list though.

[ReneeNoelle]

My Quaker is a rehome I took in and she was a real challenge for my first bird! I decided that taking in a Grey with behavioral issues would be too much for me so I got Qwynn as a baby and looking back I'm glad I made that decision. Now, further down the road, I've adopted more "rehomes" and they've become part of my family. I completely understand your reticence about adopting an older bird right off the bat. Some folks here have done it with great success and are very happy. I think it is a choice each individual has to make on their own, knowing their circumstances, abilities and skills sets currently present. I'm afraid I don't know much about reputable breeders but I think there's a list on here somewhere that people are putting reputable breeder names on. I'm sure someone will be along shortly with more info on that. VERY COOL! Can't wait to hear more about your bird as your decision morphs and progresses. I just gotta say too that Quakers are awesome little birds as well. Completely different personalities between my Quakers and my CAG but I love the diversity! Looking forward to hearing more from you on your bird selection!