As far as distinctive looking parrots are concerned, African Greys are among the most unique and compelling parrots in the world.
People are always interested in adopting an African Grey, and rightfully so since they’re such magnificent and unusual creatures that’ll add a lot to any person’s life.
Regardless of this, let’s take a closer examination of the field to see everything you’ll need to know about an African Grey.
Considering there’s so much information available about an African Grey, it’s incredibly worthwhile to take a look at it and see what’s useful for you to take note of.
No matter how you look at it, it’s helpful to understand everything tied to an African Grey.
Regardless if you’re interested in adopting an African Grey or not, you might as well take the time necessary to learn about it while you can.
With this in mind, down below, we’re going to discuss everything there is to know about an African Grey.
We’ll discuss their personality, native region, caring requirements, feeding requirements, and much more.
By the end of this, you’ll have an abundance of information to take a closer look at regarding African Greys.
Also, if you’re interested in adopting an African Grey of your own, don’t be afraid to look at options near you. Let’s get started!
Personality and Behavior
Whenever someone looks at an African Grey, they typically imagine them as an extremely frightening and terrifying creature.
However, as the classic saying goes, never judge a book by its cover.
Despite contrary belief, African Greys are susceptible and loving parrots if treated right.
Plus, they’re amongst the most intelligent grouping of parrots, meaning they’ll surprise you with how knowledgeable they are.
Let’s take a closer examination at their personality and behavior to help you get an understanding of what you should do with them if you end up adopting one.
If you take into consideration, it’s always useful to know what’s expected with a parrot, you might as well look closely at this area.
African Greys are intelligent
If there’s one general commonality across all African Greys, it’s the high level of intelligence that’s in every single one.
Whether you’re aware of it or not, African Greys are brilliant creatures and are among the most intelligent parrots.
Many have cited how easy it is to teach their African Grey or how they’ll significantly try to trick their human counterpart for more food or something else in the matter.
Basically, be aware of smart your African Grey is.
Sensitive
As intelligent and independent an African Grey might seem, they tend to be compassionate creatures.
Meaning if you upset them or do anything that’ll technically wrong them, they’ll remember it and will hold a grudge.
Thus, why it’s always in your best interest to take the time necessary to fully care for them.
Otherwise, you run the risk of rubbing them the wrong way, which will cause several issues for you moving forward.
Social
Even though African Greys might not seem like social butterflies, the truth is that they love attention and hanging out with others.
However, this doesn’t mean they love to cuddle and have affection 24/7.
In fact, many African Greys enjoy a bit of social time, but when it comes to relaxation, they want to be left alone.
Thus, why it’s always ideal to do a combination of the two to ensure everything is okay moving forward.
Independent
Lastly, African Greys are very independent creatures and love to spend a great deal of their time alone.
This is mostly in part due to their intelligence, but this doesn’t necessarily mean they want to be left alone all the time.
Basically, make sure you know when it’s time to spend time with your African Grey and when it’s time to relax.
Either situation is worth noting since doing the wrong thing to your African Grey can significantly upset them.
Native Region
Like many other species of parrots, African Greys are native to equatorial Africa.
If you know anything about equatorial Africa, it’s very warm and tends to be very tropical with dense jungles.
Considering most parrots live in the jungle, it makes sense why the African Grey is native to these parts.
Equatorial Africa includes Angola, Cameroon, the Congo, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Kenya, and Uganda.
The primary bulk of the species is found in a range from Kenya to the eastern part of the Ivory Coast. The most extensive populous of the species are thought to be stable in Cameroon.
Although they’re native to equatorial Africa, African Greys are located worldwide, with many people caring for them in captivity.
Since they’re so used to the jungle climate, you should acclimate your living situation to fit wherever your African Grey is staying.
Having a frigid temperature in your house will certainly not be ideal for your African Grey, and it’s always useful to know what you should do moving forward.
Basically, be aware of what you can do to ensure your African Grey is comfortable where you live.
Caring Requirements
Like you can imagine, there are several caring requirements when it comes to actually raising your African Grey.
As intelligent of creatures they might seem, they can’t care for themselves entirely, especially when they’re in captivity.
As a result, make sure you do everything you can to ensure what you’re doing will suffice for them in the long run.
Otherwise, you run the risk of not caring for them properly, which can play a significant negative role for your parrot.
When it comes to raising your parrot, you want to make sure what you’re doing is more than enough for them.
Never try to force anything through or ignore some of the caring requirements that are recommended for you to look at.
Enough Room
If you’ve seen an African Grey before, you know how essential it is to have enough room for them.
They’re reasonably large parrots, meaning a small cage will be a massive issue for them and won’t work well.
Make sure you get them a large enough cage for them, and don’t be afraid to get them a leash so you can take them outside every now and then.
Parrots need a bit of freedom, and getting them enough room will definitely work for both of you.
Cleaning Supplies
With a parrot the size of an African Grey comes with the added bonus of them needing an abundance of cleaning supplies.
Basically, make sure you always have a lot of cleaning supplies on deck ready to use whenever.
Considering you never know when an African Grey might have an issue with their cleanliness, it’s in your best interest to have everything ready to go whenever something pops up.
Plus, having a good amount of cleaning supplies is beneficial no matter what.
Make Sure It’s Not Cold
As stated earlier, African Greys are traditionally native to a very warm climate, meaning it’s complicated for them to live in a cold house.
If you like your house very cold, you may want to consider putting a heater in their room for them.
No matter what you do for your parrot, make sure it’s done safely, so your parrot doesn’t experience anything potentially wrong.
It’d be a real shame for something severe to happen just because you were lazy with caring for your parrot.
Spend Time with Them and Give Them Space When Needed
African Greys are an interesting bunch for the primary purpose that they seem to love attention but also have a knack for wanting some alone time.
Either way, make sure you give them a good amount of attention, but make sure you give them some space when the time comes.
You can usually tell when your African Grey is in need of some loving or wants to be left alone.
Basically, be aware of what’s going on and do what you can for them, otherwise, you may make the situation worse.
Feeding Requirements
When someone looks at an African Grey, they typically get the image that they’ll need a lot of food.
Considering they’re relatively large parrots, make sure you follow the rule of thumb of roughly ¼ to ½ of their body weight in food per day.
Also, consider reaching out to their vet for more advice on what you can feed them.
Size and Color
As you can tell by their name, African Greys are primarily grey parrots with a red tail.
It’s a fascinating look that makes them one of the more distinctive-looking parrots.
As for their size, they tend to be 13 to 14 inches in length and usually weigh around 14 ounces. Females tend to be a touch smaller than males as well.
Health Issues and Lifespan
If you’re looking for a lifelong companion in a parrot, African Greys are definitely the route to go with.
They typically have a lifespan of roughly 40 to 60 years in captivity, with wild African Greys usually having nearly half of that.
As for health concerns, African Greys usually have typical health concerns such as digestive issues, virus occurrences, and other common health concerns parrots have.