2007

2008

2009

See our 2007 2 babies at 4 weeks

See the same 2 babies being handfed at 6 weeks by my 10 year old while the Green Cheek Gang surrounds them!

Here they are at 8 weeks.

See those same 2 babies in their flight suits meeting baby Miniature Horses (July 4, 2007)

See "Ollie" (11 weeks old) claiming Lisa's grape juice. Our Greys have had some strange fascination for grapes.

The babies are weaned and ready to go home! Watch Ollie fly to me when I call him! (short video)

Click here to see Ollie fly to me many more times! (longer video)

June 2008 Click here to see a 2008 Grey baby!

August 2008 Miles destroys an  apple in this video!

Click To Play

Click here to see the 2009 babies The  Grey babies now have their own nursery page with individual pictures and videos on this link.

Click here to see the Einstein of birds. This movie is NOT  a pampered peeps movie. This Grey is an incredible example of what their potential is!

7 days old! 

  Here at 2 weeks 

And at 4 weeks...getting personality!

The Congo is a true family member who tunes in more so than any other creature to moods and emotions in a room. African Greys are known for their intelligence and talking abilities. Our pet Greys don't just parrot language, they speak at times according to circumstances and according to the emotions in the room. Liberty also makes up rhymes and sings boisterously. She sings in the shower to hear her voice echoing against the tile walls.

             "Camera Hog"

He was falling asleep, and then collapsed!

(Below is me with my pet Congo).

You will read that Congo Greys tend to be more phobic and flighty than a Timneh. People say that Congos are one person birds. This isn't always true.. Much of how your Grey evolves as a pet is determined by how they are weaned and socialized during their early years. Much of how any pet parrot turns out depends on your handling of them and the reactions that the family has toward the bird. We believe that parrots are able to read subtle body language that you don't even know you are displaying.

Our personal pet Greys will go to anyone. They both are very sweet, but they both also have preferences as to who their favorite person is. When we are all sitting around eating ice cream, Liberty will climb off her cage, and walk over to my dad. She really wants his ice cream! When she gets on my shoulder, she talks and sings and occasionally gets a bite of ice cream!!! One night, Dad came running to me because he had been eating his nightly bowl of ice cream when Liberty ran over and said, "Want some of dat!" One frustration is that I can never get her to show off her talking ability in front of strangers.

Each bird has 3 cages, their inside cage, outside cage on the porch, and their sleep cage, in their owner's room. Liberty has a sleep cage, too, except for that she doesn't sleep in her sleep cage...I have attached a perch on the outside of the cage and Liberty (aka Squish, Libber, etc.) sleeps loose. She doesn't fly at all, in fact she is much more relaxed than if she is in her cage. We strongly believe that pet owners need more than one safe site for their bird to be. Read up on sleep cages for more information.

Liberty loves pizza, and so do I....tug of war!!!

Congos are a very good pet. They do need an owner who has previous bird experience, or is willing and eager to read and study up on this awesome bird, and is not intimidated by beak size. I would not recommend them for the majority of children, but my 9 year old sister can handle our Greys. However, she (my sister) is a rare girl.

The "Grey-gym!"

For those of you who have birds that do not eat Palm Oil....try Udo Oil. It has to be kept refrigerated so I pour a bit into a small container and freeze the rest. It thaws quickly to pour more later. I mix about 1/8 teaspoon for 3 birds into to their sprouts or mash mix twice a week. It has all the essential fatty acids (EFA) we and birds require the same as the palm oil.

According to Parrots of the World, the fruit of the Red Palm Oil tree is one of the foods that Greys eat in the rainforest. You can buy Virgin Palm Oil to feed your Greys. It is what they would naturally be eating in the wild and is very healthy. Red Palm Oil can be given daily at 0.1ml for smaller birds, up to 0.2ml for heavier ones. (Get a TB syringe from the vet or drug store if needed, as a measuring device.) Red Palm Oil does have betacarotene, and a broken down form of Vit A and Vit E, but it is not a "supplement" as exist in pellets, and is a different molecular breakdown than a "true" vitamin. It lowers cholesterol naturally and does not have the "bad" fats.Two of the best foods you can feed Greys are Red Palm Oil and Flax Seed. Click on the links below to find out more about Palm Oil and places to order it:

http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/red_palm_oil.htm

http://www.palmoilgroup.com/about.asp

www.health24.com/dietnfood/General/15-742-775,30539.asp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm oil

www.scienceinafrica.co.za/2005/september/redpalmoil.htm

www.unu.edu/unupress/food/8F152e/8F152E04.htm

www.uga.edu/fruit/oilpalm.htm

The CAG (abbreviation for Congo African Grey) is one of the most popular birds, but if you are going to buy one, you will want to do a lot of researching. They are incredibly smart and you need to be sure you can adequately care for your Grey for many years. Before you buy any type of bird, we strongly recommend spending a few months just reading on that type of bird, because each bird is going to have it's pros and cons for your situation. Cage size should be about 24 deep and anywhere from 30 to 36" wide. Bar spacing of 1" works fine. Do buy the biggest cage you can buy and have room for....your baby will play in every inch of it. Play tops with a pull out tray are nice to have so that the inside does not get pooped on when they are hanging out up on top. Having feed dishes accessible from the outside is nice for those times that you may have someone else feeding your bird.