-birds

[Hermione]

okay so i'm looking into buying a bird. I really want an African Grey. Do you know anyone who has/had one? Are they nice? A lot of work? I've done a lot of research about them but I want to hear what Grey owners have to say about them.

[madasacutsnake]

Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Max Headroom]

I don't know about your particular choice of bird, however...

My brother once bought a cockatiel, it was a lot of fun when we got it, however it soon became apparent that we did not have enough time to take care of it the way you should. It needed almost constant attention and became quite irritable.

We eventualy had to give it to a nice old lady who was able to give it the kind of home it deserved. I hope that he was able to live out a propper and happy life.

That being said, before you get a bird, make sure to do a true evaluation of your life to see if you will have enough time to take proper care of it. Birds can be a great joy if you are able to treat them well. But they can also be trouble if not. Not to mention that you would not be giving the bird a proper quality of life.

Also, if you do decide to buy, make sure to check where the bird came from. I've heard some scary stories about birds, and black market, and trapping of species and such. so just do your homework first

[Hermione]

I've been thinking about your post a lot. I think buying a bird would be good for me. I am wayyy too stressed out. Having a bird would bring me back to reality. I do think I will make time for my birdie. I'd rather play with Monet than watch the tele.

[smellyrayzin]

my grandmother has an african grey (his name is Oscar)
she travels a lot so I baby sit Oscar for her
it's actually a lot more work than one might imagine, but I really think it's worth it
their intelligence is just.... stunning.

i strongly recommend buying/borrowing some books on them first though... they are not easy pets to raise

but your hard work will be rewarded, i promise

[topcat]

get a chicken. then when you get tired of it you can eat it.

[Brynn]

If they don't get enough attention, then they get into the habit of plucking their own feathers out, and start looking raw and bald. I knew a guy who rescued a few, and he took them everywhere he went - he always had three on his shoulders, and a towel .

You may want to talk to as many owners as you can. Ask about gender too - some birds show a definite preference for owners of the opposite sex, for instance.