Introduction

African Grey parrots are very strong and they can bite with their strong pointed beak and scratch with their claws. African Grey parrots have a high intelligence and they are generally thought to be the best mimics of all parrots. Pet owners often refer to their relationship with their hand reared pet African Greys as being "like having a five-year-old child".

African Greys can have a lifespan of up to 80 years, so the choice to include one as a companion deserves much considerationAfrican Greys as adults have an intelligence level of about a 9 year old human child. Needless to say, living with a 9 year old for close to 80 years isn’t for the faint of heart.

History

The history of African Grey parrots kept as pets dates back over 4,000 years. Some Egyptian hieroglyphics clearly depict pet parrots. The Greeks also highly valued the African grey parrot as pets, as did the Romans who kept these intelligent birds in highly ornate cages and parrots were prized for their ability to talk.
King Henry VIII of England also had an African Grey. The Portuguese sailors kept them as companions on their long sea voyages today, many African Grey parrots are hand reared by breeders for the pet trade and they make wonderful and very affectionate companion parrots; however, because they can be unpredictable at times, they may not be compatible with small children.
Today, the African grey parrot is still kept as a prized pet.

The two types

There are two popular subspecies of african greys. The Congo and the Timneh.

Congo African grey parrot:

• the nominate subspecies
• larger than the Timneh
• at about 33 cm (12-14 in) long and weigh around a pound
• with a white leather-like featherless mask around their eyes, a brilliant crimson-red tail that is generally only a few inches long 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:

• smaller in size
• have a darker charcoal grey colouring, a darker maroon tail, and a light, horn-coloured area to part of the upper mandible
• 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.
• It is often called a "TAG"
• Timnehs are also much less expensive then congos, but still make fine companions
• As pets Timnehs begin learning to speak earlier than Congos, and are often said to be less nervous around strangers and novel situations. 

Some aviculturalists recognize a third and even a fourth subspecies, but these are not distinguishable in scientific studies.

Sosialization

African Grey parrots, like any pet parrot, can require a large commitment as they require a lot of attention. If you are working and not at home much, a grey will not be for you. Greys left to their device, alone in a cage all day long, will become aggressive, quite loud and more then likely a feather plucker (out of frustration or poor nutrition).
While numbers vary with each source, most agree that three hours out of cage daily and 45 minutes of physical interaction is the minimum attention required for good mental health. African Greys have the tendency to bond to only one person if they do not interact with different people regularly.

African Greys require a lot of stimulating toys due to their high intelligence and to avoid boredom. Toys should be rotated and switched regularly to keep the stimulation constant and diverse. A companion African Grey should be kept in a bird-safe environment and placed in a busy part of the home, such as the living room, where the bird can occupy himself (or herself) in watching the household activities.When in a bad mood or threatened, a grey can and WILL bite. They do have a vicious bite and care must be taken to avoid any serious wounds (to the human). Once they learn that their beaks aren’t just for cracking foods, it’s best to always approach a grey with respect until you have developed a relationship with the bird.

Diet

African Greys have special dietary requirements and should be fed with calcium and Vitamin A rich foods such as leafy greens like mustard greens, broccoli etc., almonds or little amount of cheese. It is usual to give African grey parrots carefully calculated quantities of calcium and vitamin supplements.

An excess of these added vitamins and minerals in an African Greys diet can lead to health problems.
They feed primarily on palm nuts, seeds, fruits, leafy matter, but have been observed eating snails.

Foods toxic to parrots:

Chocolate, Avocado, Caffeine, Alcohol, Apple seeds (as they contain cyanide), Peach pit (contains cyanide) and Cherry pit (contains cyanide).

Clipping feathers

Should you decide that clipping is necessary, take your bird to a qualified avian vet.  Have the vet show you the proper way to clip a bird’s wings.  This involves removing a certain amount of the flight feathers while leaving the smaller balancing feathers inside the wing closer to the body uncut.  If your grey is a baby (only months old) I would recommend that you hold off on his first clipping until he is fully capable of flight and has developed his confidence as a young bird.

Only a few feathers should be clipped from the wings of an African Grey since they are heavy birds. Clipping too many of the Grey's feathers can severely impair flight and may lead to injuries as they may have a tendency to crash to the ground. If very young birds are wing clipped they may never gain full coordination and agility in flight.There are strong arguments both for and against clipping your bird’s wings.  A clipped bird is perhaps more free to be out on a play stand among his people since he won’t be able to fly around and cause havoc.  If a clipped bird happens to get outside he is easily caught and returned to a safe environment.  Additionally, clipping a parrots wings often times settles them down in the case of an aggressive, poorly behaved bird.To sum this up, clipping your birds wings is a personal decision based on several factors.

Common diseases

From feather plucking to calcium deficiencies many of the common health problems of African Grey parrots can be resolved with the proper amount of full spectrum lighting.

Diseases include: Feather Picking / Plucking / Mutilation, Hyperkeratotic Swellings, Malignant Tumors,
Tapeworms and Blood Parasites, Bad Feather / Beak Condition,  Missing and Misshapen Feathers, Toe Deformities (genetic), Hematuria and Hypocalcemi (Calcium Deficiency).

African Greys by nature give off a fine white powder called dander and there is a chance you could be allergic to this. They must be misted with either pure water or a dander-down solution each day to assist with feather hydration and the removal of this dander.