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What’s
So Great About Greys?
“According to the
Guiness Book of World Records, 'Prudle,' an African Grey, was
reported to have a vocabulary of nearly a thousand words.
These birds are generally considered to be the best
talking parrots. They also have the
unique ability to mimic such sounds as the doorbell, telephone,
microwave, beepers, dripping faucet, or animal sounds.
Sometimes these birds prefer only one person.
They make an enjoyable 'jungle sound' when
relaxed."
—The
Complete Bird Owner’s Handbook— Dr. Gary
A. Gallerstein, D.V. M. —
“Some
[Greys] even use words and phrases in the right context, such as
asking, “Did you feed the parrot?” when the family
sits down to dinner. Greys are
curious, enjoy socializing with their favorite people, and like to play
with toys. Many experts consider
greys the ideal pet parrot...Among his [Dr. Pepperberg’s Alex] many talents, he can pick out shapes and colors, request the type of food he wants to
eat (‘I want banana.’), count the objects in front
of him and announce the total, and tell the good doctor when
he’s had enough attention and wants to go back to his
cage.”
—Idiot’s
Guide to Bird Care—Jacqueline
O’Neil—
“...the
African Grey begins the new century as the most popular mid-sized
hookbill in the United States...It took a
Harvard-educated Ph.D. [Dr. Irene Pepperberg] to convince the world
scientific community of what many bird owners knew all along: African
Grey parrots can, indeed, use words with understanding.”
—Guide
to Companion Parrot Behavior—Mattie
Sue Athan—
“...there
can never have been so many cherished pets among parrots as Greys.
They can be the most delightful companions imaginable, and
their intelligence is a constant source of wonder.”
—Parrots,
Their Care & Breeding—Rosemary
Lowe—
“[An African] Grey parrot is seldom treacherous.Once he has really given you his heart he is always gentle except under
great provocation....[The
African Grey] is, par excellence, the bird for those who want a house
pet to amuse them with its mimicry of the human voice.
Not only does it adapt itself wonderfully to cage life,
and with proper treatment survive for an immense number of years, but
as a talker it has few rivals and no superior.”
—Parrots
Quarterly—
When shopping
for an African Grey parrot, one should, as always, seek out a hand-fed
youngster from a reputable source, selling only healthy
stock in a clean, well maintained facility in which the birds are
obviously well cared for.
When
you first meet your prospective pet African Grey, do not expect him/her
to take to you like the proverbial duck to water.
Expect him to be stand-offish, shy, and reluctant to
accept you or your overtures of friendship. Hand-in-hand
with the intelligence of these birds goes keen perception, caution, and
suspicion. Unlike Cockatoos, for
instance, it is a truly rare Grey that will throw caution to the wind
and put immediate trust in a total stranger. Because
of his intelligence and ability to discriminate, the African Grey does
not perceive all people to be the same, but sees them as specific
individuals, each one to be accepted and trusted on his or her own
merits, each one potentially having a unique relationship to the bird.
When you go to
select your African Grey, keep in mind that you are a total stranger to
this bird; he has no reason to trust you. In
fact, his instinct tells him that your two forward looking eyes define
you as a predator, a huge predator, who is reaching toward him with
this grasping hand. While his
experience with humans to date may have been nothing but positive, you
are a distinct individual to the Grey and will be assessed as such.
If
the store is busy with people milling around you and your
prospective pet Grey, he is going to be distracted and
nervous, if not out and out fearful. Likewise,
if other family members are with you, all their predator eyes staring
at the bird, all reaching out and trying to pet or handle the bird, he
is going to be put into total panic.
Probably
the best way to assess the pet potential of a prospective African Grey
is to see how he/she behaves when being handled by the shop owner or
one of his employees. If you are
considering purchasing a young bird, the chances are great that once
you have brought the bird to the relative peace and quiet of your home,
away from the noise and commotion of the store, gaining
his trust will be quickly accomplished, and he will respond toward you
in the same way he does to the shop owner, or, more likely, even better.
A peaceful home environment will bring out the best in
your African Grey.
What
else is there to say? African Greys
make superb pets, possess uncanny talking and mimicking abilities, and
are of superior intelligence. They
are not, however, love sponges like Cockatoos; they are more
independent and want to be treated with “dignity,”
rather than being “gushed” over and smothered in
affection. We do not recommend
African Greys as good pets for young children to handle.
For whatever reasons, children seem to make Greys tense
and nervous. For the adult bird
owner, however, the African Grey can become a fabulous pet.
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