Are african grey bird a good house pet? How much are they normaly and can you ge tthem in a local pet store?

Answers:
i paid $900 for my Congo Grey, he likes my husband and i, tolerates my children and hates other birds. he is 5 months old and he is very used to us. i have left him alone (no more than 12 hours though) and he was fine, he just hates it when i close his cage(he is pretty much free around the house, full flighted too.) i paid $200 for a huge cage for him that he loves because it opens on top. he is not too into toys yet, but he is young, im sure he will get there though right now he prefers flying around the house. he is very quiet, except if angry or startled then he squawks kind of loud but not too bad though. he already whistles, laughs, says hello, makes kissy sounds and does the monkey sound. i didn't want a Grey but i love him now, he was supposed to be my husbands bird, ha! the only issue i have is that i have to clean and cook for him as if he was another child and i already have 3 of those! oh, he is also practically velcroed on to my head and shoulder, he would sleep with me if he could, never leaves my side unless i make him, but i finished hand feeding him so i knew we would be close already . hey,nobody said it was going to be easy.

**** im in no way recommending that you hand feed your bird, i had to because of unfortunate circumstances involving his breeder, but trust me is much more work than people think.

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If you have the time to spend with them yes. If they get attached to you and you have to get rid of the bird they will pluck out their feathers, and get very depressed, they are a life long commitment and are like children. If you are married and the bird gets attached to you it will hate your husband or wife. It's a huge responsibility. They are at least $1500, you should look into a rescue or a breeder but pet stores usually won't sell them.

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An African Grey is a lifetime commitment. If you were to get one and eventually stop paying attention to and taking good care of him, he will get neurotic and could feather-pluck and become severly depressed.
These birds live from 40 to 80 years.
The African Grey (or smaller Timneh) is also an extremely dusty bird. No good for allergies/asthma/respiratory problems.
They usually start at 1500.00 or so- although you can find them in the paper from time to time with cage included for less than that.
Keep in mind a bird being sold in the paper is going to need special %26 KNOWLEDGEABLE care and attention- these (and most larger birds) birds do NOT handle changes in ownership well.

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African grey's can be great pets, if you can provide for their needs. They are very senstive and intelligent and they need at least an hour a day of attention from you. And out of the cage time. They need to be part of the family as well. They cost around 1000-1200 and the cage will cost around 500-600 and then another 150 in toys, perches, and food. They are a larger parrot and therefore their toys cost more, and thye go through them jsut as fast. So you will replacing toys monthly. And a favorite toy might be gone in 2 weeks. You can get them at the petstore sometimes..but I'd advise you find a breeder in your area or even one that ships that isn't too far away. You will pay less if you buy from a breeder AND the baby will be mroe socialized and probably even have a guarantee. Do lots and lots of research so that you are prepared for a grey. They are very sensitive and therefore are more prone to feather pluck. If you don't do your research and can't meet their requirements you and the bird will be very miserable.

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If you like birds but haven't owned parrots before, African Greys might not be a good option. The first posting is accurate, they require LOTS of attention and DO become very attached to their owners. If you would like to start keeping birds as pets try cockatiels, they are generally friendly and sociable, can imitate sounds (some learn to talk clearly, most learn to at least mimic whistles/noises). 'Tiel's also grow fond of thier owners but are okay to be left alone for longer, whereas a Grey needs much more interaction with you to be healthy.

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having a African Grey parrot is allot like having a baby. it pretty much a life long commit except your baby stays two year old. they can provide allot of love and affection ,but to get from them they have to receive it. they can be very jealous as well and tend to attach to one person, and nip at others they see as rivals. my advise is if you are well settled and can take the time,( lots of time )then they are good pets, but if you have a busy schedule, talk to your pet store and do research on line, there are many other birds, like Quakers, that would be better suited for you.

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If you have no previous experience with birds, NO.
Do as much research as you can before you even consider getting one. Buy books, read up on the internet etc.
If you did decide to get one, DO NOT GET IT FROM A PETSHOP! Get one from a good breeder!
They can be shy, they may bite, (and they have strong beaks) They can be noisy and very messy.
Birds are harder to look after properly than most other pets in my opinion. They are delicate and people tend to know nothing about them when they get one. For example any bird needs a large cage, regardless of the birds size. They need to be able to fly freely. I have two budgies in a huge cage.
They cannot live on just seed.
Harrisons Organic bird pellets and fresh fruit and veg EVERY DAY is the best diet anyone can reccomend.
If fed on seeds alone it will cause the early death of a bird or huge vets bills because of fatty liver diesease, etc.
If you read the average life span of a budgie it usually says something like 5 to 7 years. Budgies SHOULD live to at least 10 - 15 years! At LEAST! These premature deaths are because of bad diets. Birds fed on just seeds. Budgies are just an example. The same goes for African Greys.
Your bird will live a normal happy long life if fed on the diet I formentioned. And African Greys do live for a long time, about 80 years. So take that into account when contemplating getting one!

In short, I would not reccomend you get one. A good house pet is a dog, cat, even a rat. If you must have a bird, start with a budgie or cockatiel. I find them to actually be friendlier than big parrots, more playfull, funnier, bites not nearly as sore, just better in my opinion. Bigger is not always better.
Don't mess around with big birds if you're not completly and utterly educated on them.