is a one year old african grey young? im buying it from a store not a shelter?

Answer 1

African Grey parrots can live up to around 50 years, so yes, that is quite young. However, it is old enough to be set in some of its ways, so I would suggest making sure that it is friendly and calm and that you can handle it before bringing it home.
Does it "step up" readily? (i.e. step onto your hand or finger on command)
Does it bite? Is it afraid of people? Does it say any objectionable words? Does it look healthy? (Feathers clean and neat, no bald patches, eyes clear and bright, all toes present, beak closes properly, etc.) I recommend looking at some pictures of African Grey parrots online to see what a healthy one should look like and then compare it to the one you are considering buying.

This is a HUGE investment of time and money, and this bird could live a very long time. Are you prepared for a companion that may be with you - and be your responsibility - for the next 30, 40, or even 50 years? If you are old enough that the bird may reasonably outlive you, can you make provisions for its future?

And one last point, are you SURE that it's only one year old? Does it have a band? If so, read the band for yourself which should state the year of birth. It's fairly difficult to tell the age of a bird once its fully fledged and weaned, and pet stores have been known to lie about age, so be careful! Most domestic breeders band their birds with a band that looks sort of like a wedding band, it's solid and flat. If the bird has a round band that is split, it's most likely a "wild caught" bird and there's no knowing how old it is, but it's a LOT older than one year. If it isn't banded at all, try to find out why, and where it came from. Will they give you the breeder's name so you can call and ask questions?

Just things to think about. AG's are very intelligent, one of the very best talkers, and can be a wonderful companion bird. Just do your due diligence and make sure you're getting what you think you're getting.

Answer 2

With the Grey being only one it's not set in it's ways yet and still has ALOT of time for learning and adjusting to you and it's new surroundings.

My Congo, Abby is 15 months old and just learning to talk. Her wings were severly clipped when I got her, so that kind of detered her from trusting people right away. I just let her come to me and spoke softly and she came around in about a month. It may take longer with this one.

There's something called "the honeymoon period" that us bird owner's use to describe the first few months with a new bird. The usual time table is about 60 days for the bird to become completly comfortable and trusting. Just remember to never force your bird into doing anything, watch body movement and eye pinning.

The thing about buying from most pet stores is that they don't usually get much human interaction outside of the cage and can be tempermental from people antagonizing the bird. Just be patient, lots of LOVE, and TOYS and everything should work out just fine.

Also I would recommend a Pellet diet, Zupreem is one of the best. If you don't know too much about greys I would pick up a couple of different african grey books and read up so you know the perfect care and have a better relationship with your bird.

Good Luck!

Answer 3

An African Grey can live for about eighty years so one year old is very young. Was the bird hand raised? If not, you might have a very hard time taming the bird and they can give you a very painful bite! A hand raised African Grey can be a wonderful, smart pet to own! Good luck to you and your new birdie friend.

Answer 4

Yes, that is very young for an african grey. If it doesn't have a band of birth year on it's leg, there is no guarantee it is really the age the pet store says. Unfortunately people will be dishonest with a pet store to get rid of their troubled birds and often lie about the age as well.

Answer 5

i have 2 african greys. one is 8 years old and one is 15 years old. aone year old african grey is a very young bird. make sure before you take it home you take it to a vet to make sure everything is ok with it. my vet gave me that tip and i am so glad she did.

Answer 6

Yeah pretty young... But not a chick.

I warn you though, I had a blue and gold McCaw.

These birds are LOUD LOUD LOUD LOUD LOUD!

Your life will never be the same again.

I mean they can scream and make your ears ring.

Answer 7

yes it is only a year old and they can live 60 years

Answer 8

you should get one as soon as possible so you can tame/train it