African Greys and noise?

[neen21]

I am currently looking to purchase an african grey parrot. I owned an amazon who absolutely loved noise, anything from the vaccum to the dog barking. My question is, does the african grey feel the same about noise or will he freak out due to inside loud noises. Any input is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[princessnmi]

I have a timneh african grey along with 4 kids (the oldest is 2 1/2) 3 dogs, and a macaw. Our house is very noisy and buddy doesn't seem to mind the noise at all. In fact half the time he joins in. He calls the kids, yells at the dogs, and mimicks the phone, microwave and doorbell.

[lianatch]

i have an almost 2-yr old cag and he has been with us since he was a baby. i have to say that mine loves making noise - from copying all kinds of sound to talking and screaming - to the level that you have to use closed captioning while watching TV. he also does well with the noise in our family. i think greys can do well in any environment - noisy or quiet as long as they get used to that environment first. when you bring your grey home, i would suggest to avoid or at least be careful with the noises until he gets used to them. from experience, mine was terrified at first of the vaccuum cleaner, the hair dryer, etc. as long as i didnt surprise him with any of those noises (i.e. i would make sure he sees me with the noisy object first before turning it on - so he knows what to expect), he just cautiously observed and over time grew to completely ignore them. whatever you will teach your grey to be accustomed to should be ok with him/her, as long as you do it carefully and let him get used to the environment. greys scare easily and even though mine loves making noise and tolerates a great deal of noise in my family, anything out of the ordinary (too many people visiting, or construction right outside, etc.) is likely to make them feel anxious and worried. congratulations on getting a grey! they are great birds and lots of fun.

[peteybird]

My Grey doesn't really mind loud noises. He jabbers constantly so most noise doesn't bother him. That and he loves to hear himself talk.

[neen21]

hey thanks alot!!! all that advice is a great help, ive been looking at tons of sites online but true experience to me is better, thanks again! ;) i really appreceiate it.

[dlaura]

We have 4 birds and I hope to someday add to our flock. I am torn between an amazon, grey or one of the types we already have. So I was wondering if you once had an amazon why you have decided to get a gray instead of another amazon. Appreciate anything you can share with me.

[krazy4birds]

I have had a Timneh for over a year now and I have nothing but good to say about them. my grey is pretty quiet because most of the time my house is. I don't think you will ever be sorry. Good luck and keep us posted :)

[neen21]

We have 4 birds and I hope to someday add to our flock. I am torn between an amazon, grey or one of the types we already have. So I was wondering if you once had an amazon why you have decided to get a gray instead of another amazon. Appreciate anything you can share with me.

well our amazon was inherited to us my aunt whom died, his name was Phil and was the coolest bird in the world...unfortunately being that my aunt was so sick with cancer for so many years, Phil was not getting the proper nutrititon, basically just on a seed diet, so even though he was being taken care of properly when he came to live with us, he still ended up with liver disease and passed on. I think the reason my mom wants a grey is because they are a little bit smaller and also where i live alot easier to come by. Phil was a double yellow headed amazon and i have been searching for months for another one and have had no luck, i mean there are breeders out there but i really dont want a bird "shipped" to me, Phil was my mom's best friend and i also think getting another bird that is like him she is just not ready for. It has taken me a long time to even convince her to get another companion. so that really is the reason why we are choosing the grey. Amazons are a bit more expensive and need very large cages, but if you have the means in my opinion an amazon is a great choice. Phil was such a clown, very lovable, talked ALL the time, became a BIG part of the family in the few months that we had him. He even ate dinner with us at his own place setting. If you choose an amazon you wont be sorry, but just remember they are prone to obesity which can lead to serious problems. When we got Phil he was already obese and we tried everything, with the help of our avian vet, to prolong his life but unfortunately it was a little to late. But like i said he was a great bird and since you already have birds then you know what the right nutrition is for them so i think you will be fine! Hope that helps! Good Luck! :D

[dlaura]

Thanks for clearing that up for me neen21. If I manage to convince my hubby to let me get another bird it will be a bit in the future. So in the meantime I am just researching and debating what type it would be if it should come to be. I've heard both pros and cons about Amazons so I usually ask when we get a new member who has had one.

[Squawksx3]

I've been birdysitting a Congo African Grey and a Blue Fronted Amazon for almost a month now. Both are about 10 yrs old and noise doesn't bother either of them a bit. They are in a room with our 5 screaming mimi's, dogs barking all the time and the vacuum doesn't seem to bother them at all. The CAG is much friendlier that the Amazon, but the more I talk to the Amazon, the more she comes around and is starting to talk to me through little noises, she will still bite!. The CAG is a riot... she talks ALL THE TIME!. We didnt realize how loud and noisy our macaws and cockatoo's were until we started birdysitting these two... man, do we have a bunch a loud mouths LOL. The CAG and Amazon never scream or get really loud.. its been so much fun to have them around. Their "parents" are remodeling their house so it could be a year that we have these two.. which is ok with us hahahahahhhaha :p

Good luck on your Grey search neen and good luck in convincing the hubby you need another feather-kid dlaura!!! :D

[neen21]

well we bought our grey today, and i have to say he is adorable and very beautiful...so far he seems a little skiddish but when i leave the room he lets out some kind of whistle! i think we made a great choice, he has no problems stepping up or stepping down and has already taken quite a liking to my mother and me. he did snap at my brother but maybe he just doesnt like boys :-) our amazon liked girls more then guys so this one could be the same
i will keep you all posted on our new family member
and thanks again for all the advice!

[lianatch]

congratulations! did you get a baby or adopted an adult? we need pictures! :)

[krazy4birds]

CONGRATULATIONS Did you get a Congo or Timneh? Baby or adult? I love Greys...I think they are so smart and so much fun to have. What did you name him? I am so excited for you now we need details and pictures :D

[neen21]

we bought a CAG and he's a year old as of december 19th, we named him junior! he's great, he loves to be pet on his head and so far he's said good morning and he barks like a dog....we were told he whistles the andy griffith song but he hasnt done it yet....he bops his head up and down when you talk to him and last night we had the show cops on and he seemed to enjoy the bad boys theme....so far so good...i will get some pictures up if i can figure out how to post them :confused: ive never done that before, but needless to say he is quite beautiful :D

[lianatch]

i saw the pictures - he is adorable. i wonder where he learned to bark and sing? are you his 1st or 2nd family? congrats again! i am sure you will enjoy having him. greys are so great and fun!

[neen21]

as far as we know he's lived with the breeder and then givin to petsmart, we were a little weary of buying a bird from there, but they seemed to be really good with him and he was getting proper nutrition. we visited a place where they woman only has birds and alot of them were mean, and also seemed to be plucking their feathers, and to me seemed a little fat. we just didnt get a good vibe from the place. also the fact that junior came right to my mother was a plus. he wasnt afraid of her at all. when we take him to our avian vet we are going to have all the necessary tests done to make sure he is in perfect health, so hopefully getting him from petsmart wasnt a bad decision :)