Know before you bring one home
Meet the African Grey.
The most cognitively demanding parrot commonly kept — a bird with the emotional needs of a small child, for forty years or more. Rewarding for the right home, and quick to unravel in the wrong one.
Daily life
Personality, housing & routine.
A safe enclosure is the starting point, not the bird’s entire world.
Personality
Highly intelligent, observant and naturally cautious. Greys are neophobic: new objects, new people and changes to routine can trigger real fear. They bond deeply, often to one person, and they remember. Famous talkers — but never buy one expecting speech.
Cage size & type
Cage minimum 100 × 75 × 120 cm; a 120 × 90 cm footprint is far better. Rectangular only — never round or tapered. Bar spacing 19–22 mm, horizontal on at least two sides for climbing.
Perches, toys & setup
Four to six perches of varying diameter (12–25 mm) in untreated natural hardwood; discard the plastic dowels supplied with most cages, and never use sandpaper perches. Stainless steel or bird-safe powder coating only — no galvanised or zinc-plated wire. Place the cage against a wall, away from the kitchen and direct sun.
Time & social needs
3–5 hours out of the cage daily, including 1–2 hours of direct interaction and training. A grey left alone all day, every day, very commonly develops feather plucking and phobic behaviour. This is the species most damaged by a working household with no plan.
Exercise & enrichment
Foraging is not optional: aim for at least half the daily ration to be worked for out of puzzle feeders, wrapped parcels and foraging boxes. Rotate toys weekly, offer destructible wood daily, and train with positive reinforcement — greys need a job.
Noise & neighbours
Moderate in volume but sharp and penetrating. Greys mimic household sounds — microwaves, smoke alarms, phones — relentlessly and accurately. Usually workable in a townhouse; check body-corporate rules first.
Sleep
Provide 10–12 hours of quiet, uninterrupted darkness on a predictable schedule. Sleep-deprived parrots become irritable, scream more and are more likely to pluck. A separate, smaller sleep cage in a quiet room helps greatly in a busy household.
Household safety
PTFE and non-stick fumes — pans, air fryers, self-cleaning ovens, some heaters and hair dryers — kill birds within minutes and are the most common preventable household death. Never house a bird in or near the kitchen. Also keep away from scented candles, incense, air fresheners, aerosols, cleaning sprays, pesticides, cigarette and vape smoke, ceiling fans, open water, hot pots, open windows and doors, electrical cables, toxic houseplants, and zinc or lead sources such as galvanised wire, costume jewellery and old paint. A cat scratch or bite is a medical emergency — cat saliva carries Pasteurella, which is usually fatal without immediate antibiotics.
Behaviour & warning signs
Feather plucking usually starts on the chest, thighs and under the wings. Growling, pinned eyes and tight feathers mean fear — back off and never force handling. Watch for one-person bonding turning into aggression toward everyone else, and for night thrashing.
Important: Use positive reinforcement only. Never hit, shout at, squirt, drop or “beak-flick” a bird for biting or vocalising — punishment reliably makes both worse. Parrots are prey animals: they hide illness and they bite because a warning signal was missed, not out of spite. Learn your bird’s body language and the biting mostly stops.
Nutrition
Build health in the bowl.
A seed-only diet is the most common cause of premature death in pet parrots. Every species below needs a formulated base, daily fresh vegetables and measured portions — change any diet gradually, with an avian vet’s guidance.
What to feed
- A complete formulated pellet as roughly 60–70% of intake.
- Dark leafy greens every day — kale, pak choi, rocket, dandelion — the best practical calcium source.
- Orange and red vegetables for vitamin A: butternut, carrot, cooked sweet potato, red pepper.
- Cooked legumes, quinoa and brown rice in small portions.
- A cuttlebone or mineral block available at all times.
- A maximum of three to six nuts a day, used as training rewards — almond or walnut, never salted.
- Clean fresh water daily.
AVI Plus Complete Diet MaintenanceComplete formulated maintenance food.
Nature’s Nest Avian CompleteVet-formulated complete daily nutrition.
What NOT to feed
NEVER SHARE FOOD FROM YOUR MOUTH OR PLATE
- High-fat seed mixes as a staple — the direct cause of most grey calcium problems.
- Avocado — every part of the plant, including guacamole.
- Chocolate and cocoa.
- Caffeine, alcohol and xylitol (sugar-free sweetener).
- Onion, garlic, chives and leeks.
- Fruit pips and stones: apple, pear, cherry, apricot, peach and plum.
- Raw or dried beans — all legumes must be thoroughly cooked.
- Rhubarb leaves.
- Salty, sugary, fried or processed human food.
- Dairy in more than a trace — birds cannot digest lactose.
- Mouldy or fermenting food, including fruit left in the bowl.
- Anything from your mouth, plate or fork — human saliva carries bacteria that kill birds.
- Grit. Parrots husk their own seed and grit can cause fatal impaction.
- Human medicines or supplements unless prescribed by an avian vet.
African Grey-specific: African greys are prone to low blood calcium. Greens and a cuttlebone beat a calcium syrup: do not add calcium or vitamin supplements on top of a pelleted diet without your avian vet's direction, because over-supplementation damages the kidneys. Natural daylight through an open window, or an avian UV-B lamp, helps the bird use the calcium it eats. Portions, hygiene and change: Measure food rather than filling a bowl to the brim, and weigh your bird weekly on a gram scale — appetite is a poor guide, weight is not. Remove fresh food after two to three hours in warm weather; bacteria in a warm bowl cause more illness than most owners realise. Wash bowls daily in hot soapy water. Change any diet gradually over several weeks under an avian vet’s guidance — a bird that stops eating during a rushed pellet conversion can die in 48 hours.
Health & veterinary care
Birds hide illness. Act early.
Hypocalcaemia is a documented, grey-specific risk: weakness, falling from the perch and seizures in birds kept on seed. Also watch for aspergillosis, vitamin A deficiency, PBFD, feather-destructive behaviour and, in older birds, atherosclerosis.
Recommended specialist
Bryanston Avian, Exotic & Small Animals Clinic
99 Grosvenor Road, Bryanston, Johannesburg
011 706 1381 · WhatsApp 061 533 9950
info@baesac.co.za · baesac.co.za
Arrange an avian-vet examination within the first week after purchase, and weigh your bird weekly on a gram scale. Not every vet treats birds — find your nearest avian-experienced practice before you need one, and save the number.
Seek avian-vet help urgently for:
- Difficulty or open-mouth breathing
- Pronounced tail bobbing at rest
- Fluffed, quiet and sitting on the cage floor
- Collapse or severe weakness
- Bleeding that does not stop, including a broken blood feather
- Seizures or loss of balance
- Repeated vomiting or regurgitation
- Not eating, or noticeable weight loss
- Straining, a swollen abdomen, or a hen unable to pass an egg
- Sudden major change in droppings
- Any contact with a cat or dog, even a minor scratch
- Suspected poisoning, fumes or trauma
- Falling from the perch, weakness or seizure — suspect low calcium
Before you buy
Ask the seller for the hatch date, the closed ring number, a DNA sex certificate and any disease screening already done. A seller who cannot answer those questions, or who will not let you watch the bird eat, is a seller to walk away from. Ask what the bird is currently eating, so you can keep it stable for the first fortnight.
Your first month
Book a wellness examination in the first week, not just when something looks wrong. Quarantine a new bird for 30–45 days away from any birds you already keep, ideally in separate air space. Recommended screening: psittacine beak and feather disease (PBFD), psittacosis (Chlamydia psittaci), polyomavirus and avian bornavirus.
Ongoing & human health
Annual check-ups, moving to twice yearly for larger species over ten. Wing clipping is not routine care — discuss it first, because flight builds fitness, balance and confidence. Psittacosis passes to people as a flu-like illness or pneumonia: if you develop unexplained respiratory symptoms, tell your doctor you keep birds.
Is this your bird?
Who this species suits.
Being honest about this before you buy is the kindest thing you can do for a parrot.
First-time owners
Not recommended. Greys punish inconsistency and need an owner who can already read parrot body language.
Experienced owners
An outstanding match — if you can commit to decades of routine, foraging and training.
Families & children
Best in calm households with older children. Not suited to toddlers or chaotic schedules: greys startle easily, and a frightened grey bites hard.
Whatever your experience: buy from a seller who lets you meet the bird, answers questions about diet and hatch date, and takes the bird back if things go wrong. Ask about adoption too — rescues and sanctuaries are full of the species on this list, and an adult bird’s temperament is already known.
The commitment
Can you provide a good life?
“A happy bird isn’t just loved — it is understood, fed properly, kept safe and cared for every single day.”
I can give 3–5 hours of daily out-of-cage time for the next forty years.
I can keep routines predictable and introduce change slowly.
I can afford avian-vet care, quality food and constant toy replacement.
I have named who will take this bird if I cannot keep it.
If several answers are “No”, this is not the right bird for you — and walking away is a good outcome, not a failure.
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