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African Greys are commonly known as the
Einsteins’ of the bird world, African greys are highly intelligent
and pick up on things at a rate that astounds their owners. Many
owners have been fooled into thinking the doorbell rang or the microwave
just finished heating something.
Caring for your African Grey is VERY important,
in fact it's critically important and vital to owning a happy African
Grey Parrot. Proper African Grey care means you change their water
daily, feed fresh fruits and veggies, give him plenty of toys and
let him play in a stimulating environment.
Again, this is all great African Grey care...
but you can be an expert in caring for your African grey, and yet
when his hormones start to change when he becomes of breeding age,
you'll be up a creek without a paddle if you haven't bothered to
learn anything about African
Grey training.
There are two subspecies; the Congo African Grey
Parrot and the slightly smaller Timneh African Grey Parrot. As their
names imply, both subspecies are predominantly grey. They have dark
grey wings, and a pale-grey rump. A featherless rim of skin around
the eyes is whitish to light grey. The head and neck feathers have
paler margins, giving that part of the body a scalloped appearance.
The Congo African Grey has a red tail and the Timneh African Grey
has a dark-maroon tail.
Congo African Grey Parrot, (Psittacus
erithacus erithacus):
This is the dominant subspecies, larger than the Timneh being about
13 inches long, with light grey feathers, cherry red tails, and
an all black beak The Congo grey parrot is found on the islands
of Príncipe and Bioko and is distributed from south-eastern
Ivory Coast to Western Kenya, Northwest Tanzania, Southern Democratic
Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Northern Angola. In aviculture,
it is often called a "CAG".
Timneh African Grey Parrot,
(Psittacus erithacus timneh):
These are smaller in size, have a darker charcoal grey coloring,
a darker maroon tail, and a light, horn-colored area to part of
the upper mandible. The timneh grey parrot is endemic to the western
parts of the moist Upper Guinea forests and bordering savannas of
West Africa from Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone and Southern Mali east
to at least 70 km (43 mi) east of the Bandama River in Ivory Coast.
In aviculture, it is often called a "TAG".
A common medical issue found in African greys is calcium deficiency.
Consult with your avian veterinarian about the proper diet for your
African grey.
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