CONGO AFRICAN GREY

Overall color: Varying shades of gray.
Eye color: Gray in young birds, changing to grayish-yellow in adulthood.
Length: 14 inches.

Characteristics:

•  Extremely intelligent and charming companions.
• Excellent talkers and mimics, imitating human voices and household noises.
•  Recommended DNA sexing by three years of age.
•  Lifespan: 40-50 years.

Behavior:

•  Age at weaning: 14-16 weeks.
•  Age at maturity: 3-4 years.
•  Country of origin: Equatorial Africa.
• Temperament: Shy and introverted; usually bond with one person. Keenly observant and sensitive to the slightest change in routine. Excellent talkers and mimics, these birds can accurately imitate specific human voices and household noises such as the doorbell, telephone, or microwave. As very empathetic and emotional birds, greys have distinct personalities and can be demanding of their owner’s time and attention.

Diet:

• Highly susceptible to calcium deficiencies.
•  Parrot “mixes” not balanced diets; deficient in vitamins, minerals, and proteins.
• Recommendation: Feed 80% of caloric intake with a formulated diet (pellets, crumbles) such as Harrison’s or Roudybush. Other national brands available include: Zupreme, Exact, Pretty Bird, Hagen. Feed 20% of the caloric intake with a scant amount of seed, fresh leafy or orange-colored vegetables, starches (rice, bread, pasta, banana), and small quantities of people food items (food groups from the kitchen). Emphasize calcium-rich treats including almonds, cheese, kale, collards. Pretty Bird now markets an “African Grey” formulated diet.

Natural Habitat:

• Forested plains: Birds go on foraging excursions to sparsely wooded savannas and open country.
• Distribution largely identical to the range of the African oil palm, the fruit of which forms the bulk of the bird’s diet.

Home Environment:

• Cage requirements: 24 x 24 inches; bar spacing 3/4″ or 1″.
• Enjoy toys; stick to safe, sturdy commercial products.
•  Caution with free-flying due to potential hazards.
• Uncaged African Greys should be closely supervised due to destructiveness.
• Recommend newspaper or equivalent for cage bottoms.
• Good room ventilation is crucial.

Health:

• Highly susceptible to psittacine circovirus (PBFD) in young age.
•  Avoid exposure to other Old World birds, particularly lovebirds.
• Susceptible to chlamydia, bacterial, or fungal infections.
• Close monitoring for proper calcium metabolism is essential; low blood calcium can lead to fatal seizures.

Interesting Facts:

• Controversy over whether they are mere mimics or truly understand language.
•  Ability to problem-solve demonstrated by the famous grey parrot, Alex. Some believe they have the mentality of a three-year-old human child.