Thinking of purchasing a grey?

African Grey parrots are absolutely wonderful companions in many ways. They are extremely personal, they can learn to speak to you (in your own voice and language!), they are very intelligent (about as smart as a three year old human child), they even have their own sense of humor... But before you consider purchasing a grey there are a few things you really need to think about!

1. Greys, and parrots in general, are very messy animals. Half of what is put in their food bowl seems to end up scattered all over the place. Their cage needs near frequent cleaning. Are you prepared to do a lot of extra cleaning?
2. African Greys can live to be older than 60 years of age. Are you ready for such a lifetime commitment?
3. Because of their high intelligence they need a lot of mind exercise and stimulation or else they can develop issues such as feather plucking or become screamers or biters.
4. Not all Greys learn how to speak. Would you love your Grey just as much even if the parrot wouldn't talk? Is it mostly because of the African Greys ability to speak that you want to purchase one? Then maybe you should reconsider.
5. African Greys can be destructive even if the breed isn't known to be as destructive as other parrot breeds, such as Cockatoos. Can you live with a few bite marks in your furniture?
6. Greys, just like all birds, poop. A lot. And very often. They don't have the same ability to "hold it in" as dogs do, for instance, so they are not as easy to "potty train." There are options, such as "bird diapers" but they should not be seen as a complete "problem solver" (personally I do not much like the idea of putting a bird diaper on a bird).
7. African Greys are quite large parrots and they can bite quite hard if they become scared or angry. Are you prepared to be nipped a little now and then?
8. Are you still considering purchasing a Grey? Well then, the next step is to decide if you want to buy a rehomed adult Grey or a baby chick directly from the breeder. Often times it is a lot more pricey to buy a baby from a breeder but a rehomed bird can have developed issues at its previous owner(s) already. To buy an older rehomed parrot takes some more experience since it is possible that the bird can have been ill treated or simply wrongly trained at its previous home(s) and developed issues, such as biting or screaming. There is usually a reason why the previous owner wants to sell the parrot. This does, of course, not apply in every case! There are many cases when a rehomed bird can be just as loving and kind as a baby chick from the very beginning, but usually it takes time and patience for the parrot to adjust to its new home and owner(s). Also parrots are very emotional beings and they easily get attached to "their" human so they can develop depression (which can lead to feather plucking or worse conditions, such as refusal to eat) from being parted from that human. Buying a rehomed bird can be very positive if the right approaches are used and a bond of trust is tied between you and the parrot. Keep in mind that they are very intelligent and can be quite suspicious so it takes a while to build that trust but with patience and a lot of love you and the Grey will find each other eventually!

This does not cover everything that it is to be "owned by a Grey" but it is something to hopefully get you thinking about your decision! Read a lot about African Greys and their needs before you make the purchase and a very good place on the net to ask questions about "anything Grey" is the African Grey Forum.