Caring For an African Grey Parrot
African grey parrots, just like toddlers, are prone to becoming bored quickly and require mental stimulation to prevent behavioral issues. They can be destructive or scream if they don't get enough stimulation.
Highly intelligent, they are the best mimics among all species of parrots. They can understand human speech. The trade in pets and habitat destruction are the main threats to them.
Feeding
The diet requirements of African greys are a little different from other large psittacine species. They are omnivorous, but they prefer seeds over fruit and vegetables.
In african greys for adoption are more likely to consume fruit and leafy greens than seeds. It is also important to observe the quality and quantity of their diets as they are at risk of excess weight and calcium deficiency. Pellets or complete crumbles are recommended to make up 75% or a parrot's daily diet.
Ideally the diet should comprise a mixture of pellets and fresh foods. A good proportion is 60% pellets, 10 percent seeds and 30 percent fresh foods. The best choices are kale, spinach, silverbeet, pak choi, sweetcorn, carrots, and broccoli. Native plants and spouting grasses like dandelion greens, okra and okra are also beneficial. Avoid cruciferous veggies like cauliflower and cabbage, because they contain high levels of oxalic acids, which may hinder calcium absorption in the body.
Nuts are an excellent source of nutrients to your diet, but they should be fed sparingly because of their fat content. They are rich in protein, healthy fats and some minerals and vitamins.
The rest of your diet should be the combination of fruits and veggies. It's best to avoid avocado since it can be toxic to the psittacines. Other food items that are toxic include alcohol, coffee, chocolate and raw potatoes. In the same way, if a parrot consumes too many berries, they can suffer from yeast-related issues in their gastrointestinal tract.
A well-balanced diet is a great way to keep an African grey parrot happy and healthy. It is crucial to keep track of the bird's weight, and introduce new food in small amounts. It is a good idea to weigh the bird every day so that any changes could be spotted and swiftly rectified. It's also a great idea to provide the bird with fresh water on a regular basis. This will help to avoid dehydration and bacterial infections. Food that is not consumed in the cage or play area can spoil and cause health problems for your bird.
Training
Parrots are extremely intelligent and can easily learn to speak, though it may take days or even weeks to repeat words they hear. A parrot who has been trained properly can also perform simple tricks and respond to cues. These activities keep a bird's mind active and stop them from becoming bored. In the event of boredom, it can lead to undesirable behaviors like feather-picking or destructive chewing. These issues require intervention from a professional.
It is essential to avoid over-bonding as a pet that becomes too attached to a person may become territorial and aggressive towards others. This could be harmful for children, the elderly or those with allergies. To prevent this from happening, everyone in the household should spend time each day playing with the parrot and interacting with it in different ways. This will make the bird more comfortable being touched by members of the family and lessen the chance that it will develop an overprotective behaviour.
A bird that is tied to one person is likely to start biting and pecking at visitors or family members when they try to pet or touch it. To prevent this from happening, each family member should take turns rubbing the bird before putting it in its cage. If a parrot displays aggressive behavior then it should be put back in its cage and not handled for a few minutes.
During petting sessions be aware of the areas that are referred to as "blood feathers" or "pinfeathers." These feathers have a blood supply and may bleed if they are brushed against. If a bloody feather or pinfeather is exposed and bleeds, it should be clipped immediately and replaced with another one.
Family members should also be taught to greet and say goodbye to the bird. The bird should be taught how to identify food items or toys. This will help the bird to learn to speak, and will allow it to communicate with other family members without needing to be physically present.
Health
While the African grey is among the most intelligent parrots in the world, it can get bored and resort to destructive behavior when it is not provided with enough toys or other opportunities to stimulate its mind. It also requires a amount of mental stimulation to avoid self-mutilation, feather picking and excessive screaming. Parrots are expensive pets to have. The initial costs are high and they require a constant supply of toys that get destroyed quickly. They are also susceptible to infections, which can be expensive to treat.
These social birds require plenty of interaction with their humans, including hours of playtime involving games, puzzles and lessons. To stay healthy and strong they must exercise for hours a day and escaping their cage. The cage should be large enough to allow them to move around freely and spread their wings. It must be clean, safe and made of non-toxic materials. It should have many different kinds of perches that have different heights and textures in order to switch between them. A roost is likewise required typically a wooden post or concrete perch at the corner of the cage.
The parrots should always have clean water available and this should be changed daily. They should be offered an assortment of dark leafy greens, fruits and vegetables, with treats limited to not more than 10% of the diet. They should be served various nuts and seeds, as well. High-quality formulated pellets or crumble should constitute approximately 75% of a diet.
The majority of parrot-related problems are caused by long-term nutritional imbalance. Minor irregularities will show up as slow growth and development, poor quality plumage or breeding performance while more significant changes will manifest as distinct disease entities. A lot of these can be prevented with regular well-checks by an avian vet and appropriate diet management.
Care
As with all birds, African greys require lots of attention and mental stimulation in order to be happy. If a parrot becomes bored, it can display negative behaviors, such as aggression, self-mutilation, or even feather picking. To keep your pet healthy it is vital to get routine veterinary examinations including fecal testing, vaccinations and feces.
African greys are monogamous and form exclusive pair bonds that incubate eggs for 21 to 30 days and caring for the young until they are about 10 weeks old. They fly and are among the most intelligent birds. They can live for a long time, and often outlive their owners, making them a sought-after pet across the globe.
They are highly adaptive and are able to adapt to different environments. However, they prefer a natural habitat with lots of trees and perches. They can even use their feet that are facing backwards and two facing front on each foot - to help perch and balance, just like humans use their hands. Their beaks, which are short, are curved and have an upper mandible that can be placed over the lower. This allows them to crack open nuts, seeds and wood.
In the wild, African grays will eat dark leafy greens, fruits, seeds and nuts as part of a balanced diet. Seeds should not make up more than 5% of the total and be supplemented with high-quality pellets or crumbles to prevent the possibility of picking. They should also be provided with various fresh vegetables, fruits and cooked legumes and beans. Fresh water should be available and cage cleaning is required daily. Supplements like vitamin D and calcium may be required if the diet isn't nutritionally complete.
The World Parrot Trust works tirelessly to protect Grey and Timneh parrots and their habitats, but their population is declining due to illegal trade and captive breeding. They are, however, protected by the Endangered Species Act in the United States as well as the Wild Bird Conservation Act. They also enjoy the highest protection under CITES. Learn more about these fascinating birds in our parrot encyclopedia!