It’s so nice to see an increase in diversity of parrot influencers. It shares the messages with children that anyone can love and care for parrots. And I don’t mean that in a rude way, I just rarely see minorities (of USA) share or express their love of animals.
I have kept big parrots and macaws for 40+ years…both handfed babies myself, had special needs parrots and also adopted rescues. You have some very solid, basic tips. Nice video! I have a tip for you…orient their perches to minimize overlapping for pooping. I almost never get poop on my perches this way. Wood is a bacteria factory and they chew it! I have used diluted chlorhexadrine to soak perches…it is safe for them and works great.
Thank you so much for the tips! Great call, I'll work on rearranging their perches today. It was a bit difficult for this cage because it's tall and narrow but I'm sure I can make some effective changes here.
Something I just saw and thought about- there are dozens of free newspapers around town. I always grab hunks of them for their cages- both for toilet and I twist them for shedding (mostly toilet paper wrappers- that outer wrapper they LOVE to shred. Man, you're good for the bird community- your throughness into the broad, holistic, and specific approach is very helpful. I highly recommend your channel!
You're doing a wonderful job explaining the needs of an AG. My Lily is 17 years old, and she has been in our family for about 6 years or so. Prior to us, she had been relocated FIVE times! It constantly amazes me why anyone would have rehomed her. She is an amazing bird and will have a home with us until she takes her last breath. I do think it's very important people understand the needs of parrots before buying them. Your channel does a great job explaining the husbandry needs so folks can make a wise decision, hopefully avoiding a relocation to a rescue organization. We also have a rescue greenwing macaw, and these birds grieve their prior owners. We know AG are highly intelligent birds, so it's the same as a small child missing their parents. Thank you for the work you're doing!
Thank you!! Wow, Lily has seen so much in her 17 years. Im so glad that she has finally found her forever home with you and your family. I'll definitely keep the videos coming! I aim to show both the good and the challenging sides of Parrot-keeping. I really appreciate your support!
My birds love the sound of the vacuum. They also LOVE to look out of windows. It natural for them to dip their food in water because they don’t naturally produce saliva. Just give them fresh water two or three times a day.
Thats great to hear! Thanks for the suggestion. Me keeping the food and water far apart doesnt stop them from dunking the food completely, it just reduces it significantly.
Not really a grey tip, but a bird tip in general that i see a lot people forget. SUNLIGHT! Sunlight is extremely important for skin and feather health. If your birds are indoors a lot or you have long winters where u live i would suggest getting a uv light. I get one from Arcadia. Also safe teas and herbs. They can really help calm and mellow out your pet birds idk if it would be good for breeders, but they're great for pets.
I live in Lower Bucks county,Pa. I have 2 AFRICAN GREYS. Both males, 1 Timneh and 1 Congo. I'm 61 and at some point,I Will need to make thee hardest decision of my life. Adopting them both to loving, knowledgeable people who WON'T lock them in cages. When I have to make that decision, I probably won't ask any money for them, only that the new caretakers PROMISE to give them a GREAT life . As of now, They aren't confined to cages. They also have a outdoor enclosure screwed to my house right where their indoor perches are. All Spring,and Summer,early fall they have the freedom to go outside anytime they want. Enjoy real sun light, natural sounds,fresh air,and entertainment watching wild birds, squirrels. My Congo has picked up the crow call sound and talks to them. Anyway,I encourage ANY parrot owner to fix a larger size cage to their window,next to their indoor cage, lower the top part of the window down,and give your parrots the best life you can. My Congo,as well as my Sulphur Crested cockatoo,Conures,parrokeets absolutely LOVE the freedom of being outdoors anytime they want. AND......when it rains, they REALLY have a ball getting a bird bath.
Please ask some money for your babies when the time comes if only to weed out the bad people who might have ill intent. Wishing you the best and many more years with your birds.
OMG, I feel you! I was 40 when I got mine, and I worried about that most of that time. In fact, I got sick with liver disease and I needed help while getting better, up to transplant . Long story but I lost my last bird this past January (I'm 67 now) and I want another bird sooooo badly, but I'm terrified. I am thinking of going to rescue to develop a relationship with in order to make a contract with them in event something happens to me. I have more to write. I'm writing so fast because I identify with you. I'll be back so for typos 😊❤
One thing about this guy- he's lovely, and I love his thoroughness., but he's raising his bird for breeding, not for play and socializing. I think that's the big difference with what you're seeing with him. I would love to see all parrot owners, like you and me, that have birds to snuggle, play, interact with, shower with, take outside in the rain, etc.... I don't think he's into that, at least with these 2 greys. He's wicked dedicated, and I love that he's bringing bird care into people's homes like this. 😊
My gray that was just rehomed to me from my mother (we’ve known each other for 30 years) dunks his food and I’m so shocked he hasn’t had an infection because she didn’t replace the water daily.
So glad your Grey was able to stay within your family! Parrots are such resilient creatures! Bacterial infections can happen from soiled water dishes but they don’t always do.
Love the video man. Beautiful birds. The only thing I’d like to bring up is those puppy pads on the bottom. Although they may be very easy and convenient a lot of them are actually scented for dogs that allows the puppy’s to know hey this is where you pee because of those scents. Those scents can make your parrots feel uneasy and as if there’s always a predator near the cage. This was told to me because I made the same mistake and after changing it to newspaper my parrots were noticeably less agitated near and in their cage.
Lots of great advice here, I especially liked the water one. Separating the food and water bowls was something I always did when I had Lovebirds years ago.
Love this video! I’m getting ready because I’ll be adopting a CAG chick in 6 weeks. I’ve been around them and took care of one for my mother in law, but still not the same as having a full time baby now! We’ve been researching and deciding as a family for over a year, this is not a decision to make overnight for us! I told my kids that they will have to take care of it when I’m no longer here. It’s a serious commitment. But overall, I’m so excited. Please keep making videos, they’re so informative!
Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm so happy that you enjoyed the video. Congratulations on choosing your CAG chick! It's clear you and your family have put a lot of thought and preparation into this, which is wonderful to hear. I'll be sure to keep the videos coming; my goal is to release one new video every week. Best of luck with your new addition!
Love the video Mark! Please keep them coming. I know a guy down in Atlanta named Stephen who loves parrots and owns a few. Not African Greys to be exact, but he loves a variety of species all the same. I am going to share your channel with him. Keep up the great work brother!
These parrots are better kept than i am 😂. Great video and channel. I've never had any pet birds, but im interested in getting a grey when i have more time at home down the line. Those are 2 lucky parrots to have such a great and caring owner.
I know your channel is primarily focused on greys, but I'd love to see you do some content on GreenCheeks since you have so much experience with them plus im thinking about getting a pair lol Anywho Cant wait to see how this journey with your greys is gonna go. Great channel
@@Africangreyjournal Differences between green cheeks and other conures or similarly sized parrots. Common health issues associated with them and their mutations. Potential behavioral problems and how to prevent them. Also just them as birds and how they could be great potential companions.
I have a nice idea for my 4 cocktail build a flyable enclosure but I want to add exhaust fan to keep the dust and tiny feathers out my air purifiers are over work I’m just hoping and praying to buy a house to get started
Thank you so much. I am using a modified Kings Cage SLFDD 3628 which I do not believe is being made anymore. I have a few other option listed that are suitable for Greys on my Amazon storefront. Please click the link in my video description that says "My Amazon storefront".
I realize you're raising these for breeding, but I really do hope you are holding them as well. I remember when I first saw you you made a point to say you were limiting your interacting with them because of breeding. I don't know about that part, the breeding part, I can only speak to the interaction part which is my love. I'm just different. I just like holding them.
Hi! The breeding is their choice. If they choose not to ever breed, they are still a dream come true. Its definitely not something that must happen. I enjoy them as pets
Hi! If they choose not to ever breed, they are still a dream come true. Its definitely not something that must happen. I enjoy them as pets but I let them be birds.
Hi Daniel - So glad you're enjoying the channel! I was using a custom blend that they were weaned on but I ended up changing things up once the bag was finished. I don't see much of a benefit mixing pellets. I'm now feeding Psittacus pellets along with Pecans, almond and walnuts in the morning and a veggie mix in the evening. The veggie mix changes daily based on what I have on hand.
I am not an experienced bird person, so I am planning on following your journey with these birds. In the first video I saw you mentioned that you wouldn't mind if they were "a little wild", does that mean you are not going to handle them regularly, so as to make them more tame? Will they be learning "step up" and are you going to attempt to have them talk or replicate sounds at all? Are they in that room without human interaction most of the day or are they around humans getting used to hearing words and being handled? Just curious, as this seems to be a very large investment and these birds should live an extremely long time. It seems like having them handled and more people friendly, would make them more enjoyable to keep. I do not know much about birds, especially parrots so I hope the questions come across properly. BTW, great job cleaning, the birds' room is cleaner than most peoples' homes, lol. Well done.
Hi! Yes, that's correct. I don't plan on handling these two regularly. My intentions are for them to be very independent and bonded to each other. Since they were handfed, they are already very comfortable with my presence. Ive had them for almost a month now and the female (Gabrielle) is already talking! Greys seem to mimic sounds and replicate speech just by observation, they don't necessarily need to be trained to speak. When I interact with them, I try to speak to them like children. I label objects and actions, to ensure that they begin to understand me. Thank you for the questions!
@@Africangreyjournal Thanks for getting back to me. It sounds like they are going to have fantastic lives and they are obviously being well taken care of. I'm looking forward to following you on this journey. Best of luck my friend.
@@Africangreyjournali have 8 birds, 2 mousebirds, 2 budgies, 2 morning doves, 1 house sparrow and 1 gouldian finch, they are a handful, but i can't complain, i love my birds so, so, so much, can't wait to see you in the next video 👍
@@arzuylmaz1682 Hmm your Grey should definitely be eating alot more on its own. What have you offered so far? Try offering foods directly after you handfeed. This typically works because their appetite is already stimulated which makes them curious about trying new foods.
@@arzuylmaz1682You’re welcome! If you’d like, feel free to send a picture of your bird to theafricangreyjournal@gmail.com. Im curious to see this little one since three feedings is alot for a 4 month old.
Hi! I feed lots of veggies and some fruit but im not a fan of chopping it into fine pieces. They really enjoy holding and eating their food. Thanks for the avi cakes suggestion!!
Why not just let the babies dunk and just change the water more frequently? My conures dunk and eat that wet food/pellets. I change their water at least 3x a day. I also keep a clean lixit drip water bottle they very quickly learned to use as a clean water source.
It's still too much risk for me and my flock. It doesn't take long for bacteria to multiply when food enters water. I like water bottles as well. I just ordered the Bird Butler by Birds Etc. How do you like the Lixit water bottle?
@@Africangreyjournal Always safe to err on the side of caution so I reason with you. I do like the water bottle but I do recommend using it in stainless steel cages because it can drip and that can cause rust very quickly in iron cages.
What color have you painted your walls for your birds? I originally assumed that they would grow accustomed to whatever color the walls were and it would eventually be a non-factor even if painted an elaborate color. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
