Met an African Grey

I met my first African grey today. I had seen greys before, but I've never gotten the opportunity to hold or interact with one. Now I want one more than ever.

We had gone to a different pet store than usual today because we were in a different part of town. Before we got to the cat food, we got stopped by a pet food representative (watch for a different post about that...probably tomorrow...I'm pretty excited). While we were talking to her, my nephew and little brother decided to go look at the ferrets. A few minutes later, my mom and I were still talking to the pet food rep, and my nephew and brother come back. My nephew excitedly tells me there is an African grey back there and he got to hold her.

So after we finished talking to the pet food rep, we got the cat food and then went to the birds. The store employees had the grey out on a playstand and were misting her. She didn't like it too much, and so she was kind of irritated when we got over there. We stayed there for a few minutes talking to her and to the employee who was with her. This grey is a Congo African grey. She was five months old. She is already mimicking noises, and it sort of sounded like she was starting to try to say words. After she calmed down a little, I got to pet her and hold her.

The employee stepped her up from the playstand and then I offered her my hand. Before I could even tell her to step up, she was coming right to me. I held her and just looked at her. My heart melted. She was so cute, so calm, so willing to go to a complete stranger. She made cute little noises. I passed her off to my mom and she went to her just as willing.

This meeting reaffirmed the fact that I want a grey, but it did more than just that. Up until meeting this grey, I wanted to get two more birds (not now, but in the future)--a brown-headed parrot or a Meyer's and a grey. But after seeing, holding, and interacting with that grey today, I think I've decided that I just want one more bird, an African grey. I'm not saying that wouldn't like a poicephalus of some sort, but I want the grey more and feel that I would be content and happy to just have a grey and my lovebirds.