Parrots, good company?

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I forgot to mention a couple of things.

My wife and I live in an apartment, and we're currently looking at another one closer to where she works, which is another reason for not getting a dog; most places won't take dogs, and I wouldn't want to keep one cooped up in an apartment anyway.

I wouldn't keep the bird in a cage; I'd have a cage for it to sleep in, but a few stands around the house for it to be on during the day. I can't stand the idea of keeping a bird that big and intelligent in a cage all day.

As for the fish... well, I have to wonder if you actually read my post.

So once again, thank you all so much. I'll be shopping around to see what places seem trustworthy, and I'll let you guys know how it goes! Might be a couple of months before we've saved enough, but I'm willing to wait.

have you considered getting two birds? That will certainly help with their companionship needs.

Awww, I just adore this thread...

And when you buy it, I really want to hear the anecdotes.

I am normally an advocate of having two of a species - but to be honest reading the OP's post I would have to say that if you are wanting a bird for companionship and to bond with you then go with one.
The only caution I would add is that birds have their own minds and will often bond with one member of the family a lot more than other members.
I have a cockatiel and a sulphur crested cockatoo - but the cockatoo is so bonded with my husband that I joke that she is 'the other woman'... But if you are the one who is home most of the day then likelyhood is that it will bond with you - will you partner be okay if the bird doesn't particuarly bond with them?
research the different types of birds, I actually highly recommend a hand tamed cockatiel - ours is very cheeky and personable. Be aware that hand reared (eg removed from the nest and fed by humans before their feathers come in) can be very demanding and dependant - whereas hand tamed a little later still make great companions whilst having less of a propensity to become neurotic. All birds can become neurotic if not given enough to keep them interested - African Greys doubly because they ARE so intelligent.

I used to keep a couple of Lovebirds, (little parrots), one of them was hand reared so very tame and friendly, would sit on my shoulder when I was eating my cereals and lean around to peck at my mouth whereupon I would let him pinch a cornflake or two from between my lips.

Anyway, the funnyist thing was when I sat and watched the TV, and you know how your leg bounces up and down really quickly on its own?, well said Lovebird would sit on my knee, watching telly with me but bouncing up and down frantically on my auto-rythemic leg with its little shoulders bouncing up and down, but if I stopped my leg, little bird would look round at me and tweet so I had to start it up again whereupon bird would continue to watch the telly and enjoy the ride.

LOL Nambo, that was hilarious!

Unless you have an apartment with no soft furniture/breakables and hard washable floor I would be warry. A room with a hard washable floor (such as stone) makes life much easier just have some disinfectant cleaner that is not toxic that you can quickly mop up with.

African Greys need to be kept separate from other bird as a general rule. As in they could over power smaller birds. You wouldn't put a macaw with a budgie. Best to keep another bird in a separate cage see how they get on.

If you have two greys get the roughly the same size and age and both before the age of 9. Not that they can't mix above that just good advice.

My 12 year old niece just got an African Grey Parrot in June, 2007 and she loves it. It loves her, too!

In order to get it to talk, you have to spend alot of time with it and don't expect it to become a conversationist over night.
For the most part, Apollo is with my niece constantly when not in his cage for the night and sits on her fingers. African Greys
know who their care givers are and it takes them awhile to warm up to others in the household. But, they certainly will.

In addition, you may want to write them in your will after you die as African Grey Parrots live a long time!

They can be good company but they need alot of attention devoted to them to get them to talk. Apollo has only been with my
niece since late June and she even has a carrying case to take him with her when she visits family out of town. Soon school will
begin as my niece starts Junior High School and Apollo will be lonesome until she returns home in the late afternoon. They she takes
him outside and sits in the yard so he can have fresh air. He can't fly away as his wings are clipped. Still, he almost got away in July by running swiftly down the road in front of her house. Good thing, it wasn't a major surburban or city street!

African greys are beautiful birds but, like any "pet," they need to be well cared for and need alot of attention.

Why not adopt an animal from your local animal shelter who needs a good home?

Parrots are great! Unless you like sleeping in. Then you have to deal with THIS every morning.
;-p

In answer to your question, plainjane-nt, my wife wouldn't mind at all if the bird doesn't like her. We've got the two bearded dragons, and it's sort of funny, because one of them likes her, and the other likes me, and if I try to handle hers, it will bite; the same vice versa. So she's used to that.

lol Nambo, what a sweet story!

0_equals_true, the apartment we're moving into (in about a month or two; before we get the bird) has tile floors in every room, and I've already done a lot of work toward making my home a safe place for a bird, as well as safe from a bird. Not quite done yet, but I've got a bit of time.

I don't intend to get more than one, because even though they would be able to keep each other company, I don't think it's really necessary as I'm home all the time and rarely go out. (Speaking of which, I found a website online that produces special backpack cages, big and padded, so that I can take the bird with me when I go out rather than leaving it home alone.) Also, I would worry about the birds bonding with each other rather than with me.

Zsaza, my neighbours in San Diego when I lived there for a year had a macaw, and it only knew about three phrases, because no one ever talked to it. I was about 14 at the time. I started visiting their house every day and talking to the bird (his name was Bob and he was absolutely beautiful, and so sweet), and though it was gradual, he did learn to talk. So I do know what you mean about them not learning to talk overnight; it takes a lot of time and effort, which I'm easily willing to put forth.

Thanks again, everyone. Keep the info coming! I've done a hell of a lot of research on my own, but you never know what someone else might be able to tell you.

You can also get harnesses so you can take the bird out with you safely - ours sulphar crested sites on our shoulder.

I've got an African Grey. Have had it for almost two years now. It's a serious decision to make, because they can live up to 70 years or more, and also because they emotionally bond majorly with their owners. So, if you EVER wanted to get rid of it, its new owner(s) might have a hard or impossible time trying to re-adjust it to them, and to its new environment --they imprint that deeply. They're very emotional and intelligent, so you'd want to be SURE you want one, and are willing to pay attention to it and hold it at least 15-30 minutes every day. If you don't give it enough attention, it'll get depressed, and can start mutilating itself.

I'm on an African Grey forum which you can browse, and thereby talk to many AG owners. Can't remember the exact web address, but just type "African Grey forum" in Yahoo's search engine, and it's the first or second one that comes up. It has parentheses in the title, and Jane is the moderator. I'm "Chloebird" on there. Greys aren't as loud as other parrots, but they're still parrots, so you do need to be prepared for some occassional "screaming" sounds, and to learn how to quell them. Thankfully, I have one which I know how to quiet down when it gets too loud. Basically just walking over to the cage works, and giving it something to eat -- like a peanut -- works even better. You have to be prepared to take on an animal with a demanding personality. Parrots seem to think they're human, and they expect to be listened to when they make noise, and they're capable of taking great offense when they're ignored.