An African Grey can be a source of infinite joy for its owner if it is properly cared for. Unfortunately, if you're a first time bird owner, it's best not to buy a baby African Grey parrot that is too young as these birds require a lot of care and attention. If you're not familiar with the behavior of these particular parrots, you will have a tough time handling the babies.
Usually, African Grey babies are cared for by their parents well beyond the time they start flying. The babies are not usually sold to new owners before this point of time, which is about 12 weeks. However, if your baby African Grey was born at home, you've got some serious information to brush up on before attempting to rear them all by yourself.
Characteristics
Baby African Greys are not grey when they're born. They're pink when they hatch. They develop their trademark grey color, black beaks and red tails only when they start growing feathers. Usually when you buy a baby parrot from a pet shop, it's safe to assume that it's at least 12 weeks old. That's about the perfect time to wean baby African Greys from their mothers.
Some special needs are:
- Day old chicks are really tiny, weigh less than 18 grams and need extreme care in handling due to their fragility - They need special formula for feeding and the knowledge of how to feed them, asl they need care and a warm place to inhabit - They're very cute when they're born. However, they tend to look weird for the first three weeks - They need to be trained from an early age, at least from when they are 12 weeks old
Things to know
Buying a baby African Grey is an important decision that one cannot afford to take lightly. It's a commitment that can sometimes last a lifetime. Since these parrots have a very long life span, you need to consider the fact that they will be around much longer than you. It's almost like choosing a pet for life.
It pays to build a good rapport with the breeder so that you can ring them with your concerns at any time.
Since these parrots bond intensely with their owner, it's not easy to give them away either. They can develop cognitive and speech skills that can match 5 year old human children at times. So you can understand how difficult it would be to give them away. In fact they tend to hurt themselves or become overly stressed if they're separated from their owners.
If you've done your homework and decided that a baby African Grey parrot is what you want, you can be sure of a fun filled lifetime bird owning experience.
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