Congo African Grey Parrots as pets
(Psittacus erithacus erithacus)

The African grey parrot can be found in two varieties. The Congo African grey or the Timneh African grey. The Congo is the more common of the two. It is a smaller sized parrot reaching only 12-14 inches in length. They are not one of the more beautifully colored parrots, but their personality and intelligence more than makes up for the lack of color. Congo African Grey parrots are all grey in color with a dull red tail. These birds are incredibly intelligent and can not only mimic human speech, but can learn to use words in their appropriate context. They can also learn to mimic just about any noise with near perfection, including telephones, doorbells, alarm clocks, barking dogs and any other noise that occurs in your house. African greys will often choose one family member to bond with and may become aggressive with other members of the household. These birds require a lot of attention so if you do not have time to play with your bird every day you may want to consider a different species. Be aware of how much attention your individual bird desires as too much attention can be stressful for these birds as well. Large parrots can live up to 75 years or more so be prepared to care for your bird for the remainder of your life and the potential that you will one day will your bird to someone else.

Housing

Congo African greys require a medium size cage to be housed in when left alone. Be sure to choose a cage that is constructed for large parrots, as Greys have strong beaks and could potentially break out of a poorly constructed cage. Due to their intense need for mental stimulation, these birds should be allowed as much time out of the cage as possible when a human parent is home to keep a watchful eye over the bird. It is recommended that these birds, and all large parrots kept as pets, have their wings clipped to prevent escape. May things outside the home can spook a parrot and if a full flighted bird is scared off it will find itself up in a tree, afraid to come down.
Each year hundreds of pet birds escape the comfort of their home, never to be found again. The Animal Store offers both wing clipping and nail cutting service for your large parrot.

Diet

African Greys, as with other parrots, should eat a varied diet. If allowed to choose their own food they often will eat only very specific food items, preventing them from getting the nutritional balance that they need. To prevent your bird from choosing his own food items, offer several smaller meals each day with different food items in each meal. The total diet should consist of about 75% commercial parrot food. It is recommended that 75% of this portion of your bird’s diet be a parrot pellet such as Pretty Bird or Kaytee pellets and that the remaining 25% of this portion of the diet consist of a commercial parrot mixture of seeds and nuts. The remaining 25% of your parrot’s diet should consist of “people food” such as fruits, greens, chicken, pasta and almost any food you might eat. NEVER feed your bird chocolate or AVOCADO as these are both toxic to your bird.


Mental Stimulation

Parrots are incredibly intelligent animals. It is essential that in addition to daily handling and interactions with your bird that you provide a variety of toys to keep your bird busy when you are not interacting with him. Be sure your bird has toys to cover his three basic needs: Preening toys are often made of paper or leather and are great for allowing your parrot to satisfy his natural urge to preen himself and other birds. Toys for destruction are often made of wood and rope and are simply offered to satisfy your bird’s natural desire to destroy things. The third type of toys are known as thinking toys and they are often made of acrylic, metal or other material that is not easily destroyed. These toys can be found in a variety that hangs form the cage or as foot toys that can be left on the cage floor for your bird to play with in his feet. These toys usually have movable pieces or places in which you can hide food to encourage foraging. It is best to offer a combination of these three toy types, offering at least three to four different toys per cage. About once a month take one toy out and replace it with a new toy. The used toy can be put away and given back to the bird at a later date. Continue to rotate toys one at a time every few months to keep your bird mentally stimulated.

Screaming and Strength

African greys can be quite loud. They often a very talkative when left alone. They are not known to be constant screamers, but to prevent constant screaming simply ignore your bird when he is screaming and let him out of the cage/give him attention only when he is quiet.

As with all large parrots, African greys have very strong beaks intended for cracking open nuts. Although these birds love attention they can bite, children should be supervised when handling any bird.

Vacation

You can board your African grey parrot and other pets with The Animal Store to ensure he is properly cared for while you are away.

CAUTION

Do not use non-stick cookware, such as Teflon coated pans, in your home if you have a large parrot. The fumes created form this material as it heats up can be toxic to your bird.