Last Updated on by Mitch Rezman
Bird food for African grey parrots can come with any number of ingredients. African grey parrot bird food can also be in the form of a pellet which is manufactured or extruded and considered a fully engineered food to help keep Congo and Timneh African grey
African grey bird food is designed for both the Timneh and Congo African grey parrot.. African grey parrots are refuted to be the smartest of parrots but it is always hard to say they can be very good speakers.
Besides providing the best African grey parrot food you must provide a great deal of interaction for your bird to be socialized and not an aggressive animal that would make you or other family members unhappy.
Many African grey parrot foods are made larger than for other birds because African grey parrots like to eat their food with their zygodactyl foot
We consider African Grey Parrots medium-large species from Central & West Africa. In the wild they live on palm nuts, seeds, fruits, leafy matter, and have even been observed eating snails.
They can be good talkers, we recommend not putting your bird in the same room with a telephone or you may be answering your bird for years.
Greys come in two sizes, Congo African Greys, and Timneh African Greys.
Congos have light grey feathers, cherry red tails, and an all-black beak.
Timnehs have a darker charcoal grey coloring, a darker maroonish tail, and a light, horn-colored area to part of the upper beak. They also may be referred to CAGs & TAGs.
Grey’s in the wild like the hollows of old trees in their natural habit. In the United States, importation of wild-caught Grey parrots is prohibited under the U.S. Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992. In the European Union, an EU Directive of 2007 prevents importation of this and any other “wild-caught” bird for the pet trade.
Because they’re so smart the can make great pets. But remember, because they’re so darn intelligent, they really need to be engaged on a daily basis. You’ll need a good-sized birdcage and lots of interactive bird toys
Dr. Irene Pepperberg ‘s extensive research with captive African greys, famously with a bird named Alex, (recently deceased) had documented the ability to converse with humans and could cognize sizes, shapes, and colors.
Their sociability and intelligence make African Grey Parrots outstanding pets with a strongly devoted following among parrot owners. These same qualities mean that African Greys require a special commitment by their owners to provide frequent one-on-one interaction, and supervised time out of their cage. They also require large cages, a varied diet that includes fresh foods, and plenty of safe and destroyable toys.
African Greys can live 50 years or more, so a great deal of thought should be put forth before deciding to become a companion.
Acquiring an African Grey (or any parrot) is likely a lifelong commitment, and should not be done on a whim.
African Grey FAQ’s
Can I leave an African grey parrot outside the cage and go to sleep? He’s new to our family. I’m afraid to try to put him back to the cage, he may have unwanted reactions. The place is safe for him and closed, and he’s still in his cage till now.
You are making the assumption that your new parrot who came from a caged environment would have a problem with living in a caged environment in your home?
There are those who have bird rooms that don’t use a birdcage and instead allow the birds to use perched bird stands and have free run of the bird room. The room is their cage. However, a single bird kept in a room by itself will likely over time begin to scream for attention as they are flock animals and will be lonely and miserable and possibly, no probably, begin to pluck itself.
If you allow the bird to be left loose outside of the cage, the house becomes the cage.
Is your home safe for a wild animal that likes to chew and fly?
Do you have all of your personal possessions packed away out of harm’s reach?
Your books, albums, artwork, clothing, computers, furniture, etc?
Ceiling fans have to stay turned off as your parrot can be injured or killed by a moving fan.
Toilets must remain shut as a parrot can drown in no time and no standing water, fish tanks, potted plants can be left out as they are also dangerous to the bird from drowning or poisoning.
And do you have an inner and outer door (vestibule) for both the front and back of your home so the bird can’t fly or walk out a door while it is open for any reason?
How about the windows? You will have to keep them shut as a loose bird can chew its way out of a screen in no time.
A bird cage is not only to keep the bird in it, but it is to keep the bird safe. Were you planning to go off to bed while the bird sits on the stand in the living room? What happens when there is a loud clap of thunder and the bird is spooked and flies off the stand. Where is it going to go? Are you planning to get up and hunt it down and try to fish it out from under the sofa?
An African Grey parrot should have a good solid cage to call its own no narrower than 30″, 36″ is better. They don’t need the largest cage if they are going to be with the family during day hours sitting on stands placed throughout the house so the bird has its own furniture and does not eat the chairs and tabletops that it lands on.
Please note that your bird must be supervised at any time that it is out of the cage. So if the bird is on a stand in the living room, someone must be there as well. If your bird flies or waddles into another room, someone has to go after the bird and bring it back or stay with it.
Bring your new bird home before late afternoon and put it into it new 30–36″ wide cage with at least 10–20 toys hanging on or in the cage, placed against a wall in a family area where it can observe the families goings on and is not isolated but not in a high traffic walk through area. Do so for the day and night so it has the time to wander its new home, check out the toys, eat some food and poop.
Your experiences with your bird will be much more fruitful when it feels safe and comfortable.
I wish you the best for your new family member.
MitchR
Can my African grey parrot eat soy nuts?
We are finding that any bird food containing soy can negatively impact a birds behavior.
Soy can also be a plucking trigger.
Hagen “Alternative Formula” Tropican soy-free pellets from HARI (Hagen Avicultural Research Institute), are getting a lot of positive reviews from avian veterinarians, especially for “mature” parrots.
We are fixing hormonal (aggressive) birds by reducing or eliminating soy in their diet and introducing light therapy to adjust circadian rhythms.
Best
MitchR