Life After Polly: the Life
Commitment of African Grey Ownership, and Things You Should Think About Before
Buying a Bird
The emphasis on having a happy, healthy bird that is a good match to your
personality is no small feat when picking out your new friend. However, you may
get so caught up with the excitement of owning an intelligent, exotic pet that
you may not thoroughly think through the effects it may have on your life. Here
are some points you may want to consider.
The thousand or so that you pay for your bird isn’t the end of all the expenses.
Sure, there are vet bills, the cage, and the like, but what about food? If
you’re a junk food junkie, you must also consider you will be buying fresh
fruits and vegetables and a reputable seed blend on a regular basis. And the
toys? At 10 – 25 bucks a toy, combined with a sharp beak and persistent
personality, will prove to add up to a couple hundred a year in expenses.
Goes hand in hand with expense. If your bird damages your property and
furniture, are you willing to have it repaired? Do you mind replacing even an
expensive piece of electronics equipment or heirloom chair because your bird’s
beak went to work with it when you walked away to sort the laundry? While
writing this, my bird just popped 3 holes into my fairly-new office chair, so I
put her back in the other room to play with her toys. Would you peacefully
handle this situation?
Chances are, your bird isn’t the only person you interact with all the time. You
may have children and other pets. Will getting a bird make your other animals
mortally jealous, possibly destructive and a completely different animal? Are
your kids mature/responsible enough to respect your Grey, or do you have to
worry about poking, teasing, screaming, and the bird’s angry reaction? Can you
refrain from swearing around your bird, so that it doesn’t repeat it to company
or other caretakers? How will you behave when the bird bites you out of
irritation, frustration, or fear?
Not everyone is an animal lover. Are you willing to accept your bird over your
casual boyfriend or girlfriend if it came to it, or are you going to turn your
bird into another statistic of being rehomed several times because “so and so
didn’t like the bird?” Now, your boyfriend or girlfriend just dumped you and you
rehomed your bird 8 months ago for them. Congratulations.
I am not going to be self-righteous - - I didn’t think it through 100% when I
bought my Grey, and forgot that I was immigrating to another country in a year.
Don’t despair, the bird IS coming with me – for a $3,000 pricetag that includes
two government vet visits, new bands and microchips, a long-haul flight, and
quarantine. However, think it through – will you need to travel frequently, and
if so, do you have someone trustworthy who will take care of your bird and seek
appropriate treatment if necessary? If not, are you willing to drive long
distances with your bird, or pay the extra fees to get your bird as carry-on or
cargo for your flights? Will you be able to give the bird the appropriate time
of day or will he/she never see you because you go straight from working
overtime to happy hour at the local club? If your bird is lucky enough to live
its full lifespan of 75 years, can you make arrangements in a will or last
testament to ensure that someone else responsible and caring, like yourself,
will take good care of it?
African Greys may have the personality of a small child and the intelligence of
one, but the amount of attention and assets they require also approach those of
a small child (although we don’t recommend sticking your small child in a cage
all day while you’re at work). If you can read through this list, and see a way
in each situation to satisfactorily accommodate for your Grey’s needs, then
awesome! However, if you see that this gentle, intelligent creature may become a
crutch in your life in some way you are not willing to accept, please do you –
and the highly dependent, innocent bird – a favor. Don’t buy it! There are many
pets out there in the world that need homes, and there is a perfect match for
you and your lifestyle waiting somewhere.
