FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Where do African Greys Originate
African grey parrots are native to central and West Africa, and are part of the
Psittacus genus and Psittacidae family.
What do Parrots like to Eat ?
In the wild, African Greys feed in a variety of fruits, nuts, leafy materials and the occasional meat meal. This is a far cry from the traditional sunflower and groundnut based “Parrot” mixes available in most pet shops. PLEASE DO NOT FEED THESE DIETS TO AFRICAN GREYS! African Greys, given the choice, will selectively eat sunflower seeds and ground nuts. This creates an unhealthy and unbalanced dietary intake which, in the long term can be fatal.
Instead, we recommend that the basic diet should be a good quality kibble diet.
In addition, you should offer a variety of fruit (e.g. apples, oranges, lemons, grapes, bananas, mango, melon, pineapple) and vegetables (e.g. carrots, potato, celery, green beans, corn on the cob, peas, peppers, broccoli, spinach, spring greens, kale) and nuts (unsalted!). Once a week, you can offer cooked chicken leg bones (they crack the bones and eat the marrow), yoghurt and scrambled egg.
African Greys will essentially eat most foodstuffs. Variety is definitely important but as with humans, the unhealthy stuff (fatty, salty, high preservative) needs to be given in strict moderation or you may do harm.
Foods to avoid are chocolate, avocados, alcohol, raw meat, raw eggs and any mouldy or poorly stored foodstuffs as these can be toxic and could prove fatal.
How much Attention do Parrots need
African greys are social animals. Keeping them on their own in a house means that YOU become their social outlet. You will need to spend a great deal of time (several hours) every day with your bird. Failure to do this will result in your bird becoming aggressive, vocally loud and often will start feather plucking.
Should All Parrots Be Microchipped
We recommend that all African Greys should be microchipped. This will not only identify this bird as being yours in the event of theft, but also, we have had several instances of escaped birds being successfully reunited with their frantic owners via microchip identification. The recently introduced mini-microchip means that this is now a very straightforward and almost painless procedure to insert them
Is Wing Clipping Ethical
Wing clipping is a controversial subject. At AlphaPet we would prefer not to deprive a bird of the ability to fly, but understand that in some circumstances this may be the only way to ensure the safety of the bird (either from escape or injury).
A bird that is able to exhibit normal behaviour (including flight) is generally going to be a healthier bird. African Greys are accomplished fliers and even though they are medium sizes parrots, they can easily negotiate flight around a medium sized living room.
The risk is that someone leaves a door open and your bird might escape. You also have the problem of defaecation all over the place in your living area which is both unpleasant and can pose some human health issues.
Generally, before agreeing to wing clip a bird, we would like to be sure of the reasons why this is necessary. The overall welfare of your African Grey is always our priority.