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!

Hi! I work with a rescue Im not the most bird experienced and rencently acquired through emergency a likely long term placement due to legal reasons- a young African grey Parrot who isnt the most socialized.

I have the bare minimum equipment for them and wanted to ask some more experienced people for advice.

Im totally willing to do whatevers necessary for my temporary foster child.

To sumerize why I have him essentially a severe bird hoarding case that will possibly be going to court/ the owner will attempt to appeal which can take months/ years due to it severity.

I have an appropriately sized cage my rescue was able to spare- I just cant quite determine the best toys, perch sizes needed and bowl sizes if that matters?

Also advice about getting him to be friendly with me?

I want to atleast be able to safely let him out of his cage for roaming time to stretch his wings but I would hate to stress him out more by handling him before hes ready.

This is my Grey, Winnie :)

She is 34 or so, and is the bird I posted about eating marijuana lol

She is nearly fully recovered so I wanted to post a pic of her. She's still a little sleepy but acting mostly normal now when she is awake. I'd imagine she needs to catch up on some rest.

I did clean his cage later

Someone in my house left out cannabis and my grey ingested some. Please don't lambast me about drugs and birds, I am well aware and am typically diligent to prevent these things. I did not realize that this cannabis had been left out, and it was not mine.

I have a vet appointment in an hour. No vet near me had an exotic vet available yesterday unfortunately

She was sick all day yesterday, wobbles, a little drooling. She has been eating and drinking, she's been pooping normally as well. Today her balance seems a little better, but still concerning enough.

So far I have given her electrolyte water mix, some crushed egg shells to help with calcium because I was afraid it could lead to a deficiency. I've been keeping an eye on here with my camera.

She's not particularly weak, beyond the lack of balance, she still wants to climb things, although I'm trying to prevent that.

I am pretty certain it came from cannabis flower consumption, as all the symptoms from that match her 100%, however I did not see it happen, I only found an empty baggie with crumbs near where she hangs out.

Beyond the vet, does anyone have experience with this? What can I do and what should I look out for? Approximate recovery times, is this just a waiting game now?

I just want her to get better, I miss her noises and love 😭

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. 💗

So my African Grey is a picky eater, of course. There's only one kind of food I know he will eat, but it's expensive, and I'm wondering what are some better options.

Didn’t take him long

Hey, I was just wondering if these crystal kinda perches are safe to have one in my parrots cage?

Hi, I have a 2 year old named Bruno, here is a picture for tax. Recently, we had to put my 18 year old terrier down, and my wife was interested in getting a new dog.

The dog was in my life before the bird, and the bird came into my life before the wife did. The dog was so small and old she never really went into the room with the cage (stairs were hard) to see the bird, so Bruno had run of a level of the house.

The wife and I have been entertaining the idea of getting a new dog. Of course there are the horror stories on the internet; we know it won’t be easy, but we were wondering if anyone has any experiences, or lessons they’ve learned on how to make parrot-puppy households work. Bruno hates my wife, and vice versa, so I would love for her to have a pet of her own. But I am also terrified for the safety of my feathered son, and don’t want to live in constant fear.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a pet cam? I would prefer one where my bird can also see me but there won’t be anyone to ‘take the call’. I am in the U.K. Thank you.

She has a ridiculous obsession with feet and slippers, she refuses to let them live so we've been giving her those rubbery slides to destroy and they keep her occupied so well for a long time.

My only issue is when I gave her some black ones today and saw that ther were tiny particles of the material all over her face, now I know she's not stupid enough to eat them, she always rolls the pieces around in her mouth then throws them away. I'm only a bit concerned now as what if she's eating tiny pieces by accident?

Hi everyone! I have a 25-year-old African Grey who's extremely particular about his cage. He's basically a minimalist - he only tolerates his swing, one chew toy that we continually refill with wood blocks, and a couple of plastic rings he's had since he was a baby. That's it. Any new toy inside the cage is an immediate "no," even after trying all the usual desensitization methods (outside the cage, hanging nearby, on the outside of the cage, etc.).

He's perfectly happy to play with toys on his play stand. It's only the inside of his cage that he's protective about.

He's getting a new cage this fall. It's almost identical in size and layout to his current one, but it's stainless steel instead of powder-coated. Our plan is to put the cages side by side for a while, let him explore it at his own pace, and slowly move his familiar items over one at a time.

My question is, since the new cage won't feel like "his" territory yet, do you think this would be a good opportunity to introduce new toys and perches before he fully moves in? Has anyone had success using a cage change as a fresh start with a bird that's very set in its ways?

I'd love to hear your experiences!

My African grey is 6 years old and has lived with us for essentially all of those 6 years. 

I would say however his living situation has been quite unique. 

He lives with me and my parents, but what makes this unique is both of my parents are disabled, although obviously able to take care of him when I am not here. 

For the last two months my dad has been in hospital in a pretty bad way, and I think it's starting to stress my bird out. He used to see him all day every day and now he isn't here at all. 

This is worsened by my bird knowing my dad's routine so perfectly that he can recite it verbally. My dad has the exact same routine every day for doing things like going in the shower, taking medication etc, to the point where my bird knows how to say 'grandad shower' etc etc at the time of day it should be happening. 

This routine he has observed daily for six years has been completely stopped due to him not being here. And on top of that, my birds own routine has been different due to us having to go to the hospital every day. 

I've noticed his wings looking over preened and a bit stuffy. He's certainly not plucking although it is a worry of mine. 

Wondering if anyone has any advice / has been in a similar situation. Any input is appreciated.

Hello redditors! Its rocky!
Three things you can watch forever: running water, burning fire, and a parrot eating a banana.

Because he dont want to eat veggy.

Well... maybe because there aint much vegetables in Africa where they supposed to live naturally.

I have watched some documentaries about wild CAGs, and one showed me that usually, every single day, CAGs are visiting one place in their local area where parrots (and other animals) eat ..clay. And that clay gives the amount of minerals needed and some other useful stuff for parrot's health. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OROGtzDGk7c&list=PLTrI9iVw8tzamn0xF4TFu8G2EB85OhcXi )

Did you tried to get this cay or other right clay for your parrot?

Don't know my parrot's gender, so using 'it'

Iv noticed my grey who’s 13 has popped around 5 times today he didn’t his massive morning poop and then the others through the day o could have missed a few when I clean his cage in the morning but after 12 iv only found 3 poops he’s acting normal and no swelling or anything just wanted other owners thoughts

Hello dear redditors. Its Rocky here.
Im in the middle of every day war with his love for nothing-but-sweets-and-nuts.

And he dont want to eat anything but sweets and nuts.

Iv tried to make a veggy smoothie using blender, didnt work at all.
Iv tried to give it fresh, didnt work. Iv tried different shapes, and all I have found for sure - he like to eat banana disks.

Could you please share with me your method of making CAG eat veggy?

She has designated spots she’s allowed to go chew on. The rattan furniture is not on the list. (The others have wood or cardboard pre set up to protect her real goal, destroying the actual house)