Post by crowcall on Nov 3, 2018 14:40:24 GMT -7
Hello! I am Trinity, a teen interested in Greys, and hoping to have one of my own in the near future. Now, I know most of you are probably thinking, "Kid+African Grey=neglected or rehomed bird." Allow me to elaborate on my situation.
I am homeschooled, and plan to be up until college. With college, there are at least three good ones near enough to not require boarding, so that shouldn't be a problem. Even if the situation did come up where I would have to find a place for the bird temporarily, I have several friends who have at least a moderate amount of bird experience and are responsible, and would be thrilled to take care of it for a few weeks, months, or years while I worked out whatever was going on. I also have no social life, as all of my friends are either in my taekwondo or in my American Heritage Girls troop, and I'm definitely not a party animal, I really only have my small group of friends and am otherwise a nerdy introvert. Social events don't appeal to me, as I really dislike large crowds. Due to this, I am home for a good 10-12 hours of the 14 hours a day I'm awake.
I am currently petless, although I have owned several fish, five dogs, six mice, and a budgie in the past. I'd like a companion who can offer interaction, but that doesn't necessarily want to be petted and held 24/7. The intelligence of Greys and parrots in general has appealed to me for a long time, as I would like an interactive, smart companion that would keep me on my toes. My parents do not want another dog, as our final one cried all night and peed/pooped everywhere, along with being too hyperactive for us to keep up with. We ended up rehoming him to a family with more dog experience, and with a safe backyard. Ours was fenced in, but he learned how to jump it. He's much happier now, and we get reasonably frequent updates on how he's doing. This decision was not made lightly, as I loved that dog despite his flaws, but it would have been unfair to keep an active dog that needed a job in a home that couldn't give him off-leash, outdoor exercise. He was a mixed shelter puppy, so we had no idea what kind of dog he would grow up to be when we adopted him, as he was only eight weeks. But I ramble.
I think I am finally ready to let another pet into my life, and I have been wanting another bird for three years now. I'm really looking into Greys because they are
-Smart. As I stated before, I am looking for an interactive pet that will keep me guessing at every turn.
-Bonded to one person. I will be rescuing an older (7+ years) bird, so that once I feel a "click" the bird won't leave me for one of my family members at adolescence. I would never trust either of my sisters to handle a large parrot without close supervision, and I doubt my parents will want much to do with it after a week or two.
-Interacive. I'm looking for a companion that I can hang around and talk to and with, and teach tricks and such to.
-Not needy. Yes, Greys do need at least 6 hours of attention daily, but I say needy as in not needing to be always on you, like a 'too. I'm more so looking for a bird that I can be in the same room with, maybe hold and pet a bit, but I don't want a bird that's always on me, begging for cuddles.
-Relatively quiet. While my parents would never be able to handle the loud calls of a Macaw or Cockatoo, there are no sounds in our house the bird would be able to learn above our tolerance levels.
-Able to talk. While I wouldn't love the bird any less (Or Lord forbid rehome it) if it never spoke a word, a talking bird really appeals to me, as I plan to spend a lot of time working with it and teaching it to speak in context.
I have parrot experience, as I have owned a parakeet, and handled all sizes of birds from tiny lovebirds to a hyacinth macaw. I have studied and researched for years on the behavior and needs of parrots (Since I was about 11!), and my family is on board, willing to pitch in if needed with both costs and care. Our house has no other pets, it is very large with three levels we actively use, and has plenty of space for at least a four by four foot cage.
I'm joining in hopes of gaining as much experience and knowledge as I can before I find the right Grey, as well as help and support after I adopt. It's really nice to meet you all, and I'm excited to be here!
I am homeschooled, and plan to be up until college. With college, there are at least three good ones near enough to not require boarding, so that shouldn't be a problem. Even if the situation did come up where I would have to find a place for the bird temporarily, I have several friends who have at least a moderate amount of bird experience and are responsible, and would be thrilled to take care of it for a few weeks, months, or years while I worked out whatever was going on. I also have no social life, as all of my friends are either in my taekwondo or in my American Heritage Girls troop, and I'm definitely not a party animal, I really only have my small group of friends and am otherwise a nerdy introvert. Social events don't appeal to me, as I really dislike large crowds. Due to this, I am home for a good 10-12 hours of the 14 hours a day I'm awake.
I am currently petless, although I have owned several fish, five dogs, six mice, and a budgie in the past. I'd like a companion who can offer interaction, but that doesn't necessarily want to be petted and held 24/7. The intelligence of Greys and parrots in general has appealed to me for a long time, as I would like an interactive, smart companion that would keep me on my toes. My parents do not want another dog, as our final one cried all night and peed/pooped everywhere, along with being too hyperactive for us to keep up with. We ended up rehoming him to a family with more dog experience, and with a safe backyard. Ours was fenced in, but he learned how to jump it. He's much happier now, and we get reasonably frequent updates on how he's doing. This decision was not made lightly, as I loved that dog despite his flaws, but it would have been unfair to keep an active dog that needed a job in a home that couldn't give him off-leash, outdoor exercise. He was a mixed shelter puppy, so we had no idea what kind of dog he would grow up to be when we adopted him, as he was only eight weeks. But I ramble.
I think I am finally ready to let another pet into my life, and I have been wanting another bird for three years now. I'm really looking into Greys because they are
-Smart. As I stated before, I am looking for an interactive pet that will keep me guessing at every turn.
-Bonded to one person. I will be rescuing an older (7+ years) bird, so that once I feel a "click" the bird won't leave me for one of my family members at adolescence. I would never trust either of my sisters to handle a large parrot without close supervision, and I doubt my parents will want much to do with it after a week or two.
-Interacive. I'm looking for a companion that I can hang around and talk to and with, and teach tricks and such to.
-Not needy. Yes, Greys do need at least 6 hours of attention daily, but I say needy as in not needing to be always on you, like a 'too. I'm more so looking for a bird that I can be in the same room with, maybe hold and pet a bit, but I don't want a bird that's always on me, begging for cuddles.
-Relatively quiet. While my parents would never be able to handle the loud calls of a Macaw or Cockatoo, there are no sounds in our house the bird would be able to learn above our tolerance levels.
-Able to talk. While I wouldn't love the bird any less (Or Lord forbid rehome it) if it never spoke a word, a talking bird really appeals to me, as I plan to spend a lot of time working with it and teaching it to speak in context.
I have parrot experience, as I have owned a parakeet, and handled all sizes of birds from tiny lovebirds to a hyacinth macaw. I have studied and researched for years on the behavior and needs of parrots (Since I was about 11!), and my family is on board, willing to pitch in if needed with both costs and care. Our house has no other pets, it is very large with three levels we actively use, and has plenty of space for at least a four by four foot cage.
I'm joining in hopes of gaining as much experience and knowledge as I can before I find the right Grey, as well as help and support after I adopt. It's really nice to meet you all, and I'm excited to be here!