Getting a new family member

**labnjab** · 04-13-2012, 11:22 AM

My mom is getting out of a bad relationship and moving in with her sister. My Aunt has a small child so my mom can't take her bird, so we volunteered to take him until she can get into her own place again, but she says if it works out and we like him, we could keep him.

His name is Gonzo and he is an African Grey and he will be moving in tomorrow afternoon. He was originally my Aunts who gave him to my mom 3 years ago shortly after having my cousin. He grew up with our Sun Conure, Indie, who was also my Aunts before having the baby.

My mom hasn't been able to spend as much time with Gonzo as he needs because she's been working late, so we were perfect for him because we are home at 5 most nights. Plus Indie and Gonzo get a long great so they will keep each other company while we are at work. Gonzo says dozens of things and makes dozens of sound, so he should be just as entertaining as Indie, lol, and will hopefully warm up to us in short time.

Here is a picture of gonzo taken from my moms website. I'll get a better one of him once he's settled in and will keep you updated on how he settles in with us. Our biggest issue is just finding a place for his huge cage next to our other 2 bird cages, lol

**Ramsarecool** · 04-13-2012, 01:00 PM

Birds are very difficult pets, know what your taking on.African grays can live for a long time. I myself don't know much about them expect that they are like 2 years old's for life. You might want a bird book.

Anyway I hope all is well.

**Rue** · 04-13-2012, 03:05 PM

Congrats on taking on Gonzo. At least your AG has feathers...

Mine will not leave hers be...I've given up hoping she would...so now I just try and keep her happy and occupied...

...she came to us plucked...

**gm72** · 04-13-2012, 03:12 PM

Gonzo is a handsome boy. I don't know anything about them but make sure you research the heck out of the animal so you do what is right for the bird!

**labnjab** · 04-13-2012, 03:38 PM

Thank you. Luckily we have a good amount of experience with parrots, weve had our sun conure going on 2 years and hes happy as a bird can be lol. We did alot of research b4 taking him on. Before that my mom had a blue and gold macaw that I helped care for, but she lost to her ex in her last breakup.

Originally Posted by Rue

Congrats on taking on Gonzo. At least your AG has feathers...

Mine will not leave hers be...I've given up hoping she would...so now I just try and keep her happy and occupied...

...she came to us plucked...

Thank you. Your grey sounds like our conure. Hes plucked all his life and nothing stops it, and hes always been happy. He went 3 months without plucking once but now he plucks, lets it grow and plucks again.

Ill keep you updated on how he settles in and maybe post a video of him cause hes pretty funny

**Cliff** · 04-13-2012, 07:57 PM

Nice looking addition to the family

I've always thought about getting a bird, mostly from how much fun it was to bird-sit for a friend of mine.

**labnjab** · 04-13-2012, 09:55 PM

Originally Posted by Cliff

Nice looking addition to the family

I've always thought about getting a bird, mostly from how much fun it was to bird-sit for a friend of mine.

Thank you. Birds are fun but they are a big commitment. Most parrots need a lot of attention but if you can give them the time they need they will give you decades of joy. Our conure should live another 15-20 years and the grey probably has a good 50+ years to live.

**cardiocentric** · 04-14-2012, 05:13 AM

I am so jealous!

**Cliff** · 04-14-2012, 01:35 PM

Originally Posted by labnjab

Thank you. Birds are fun but they are a big commitment. Most parrots need a lot of attention but if you can give them the time they need they will give you decades of joy. Our conure should live another 15-20 years and the grey probably has a good 50+ years to live.

If I thought we could give a bird the full attention they need, I would get one in a heart beat. Hopefully that will change some day soon

**labnjab** · 04-15-2012, 04:48 PM

Gonzo arrived last night. We haven't been able to handle him yet, but he's been talking up a storm, which is a good sign, so hopefully we will be able to handle him soon. He seems most talkative when we leave the room. He must be shy, lol. Our conure is very jealous as I expected, but that should subside once the newness goes away.