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Tuesday, October 20, 2009 | 
The African Grey is undoubtedly the most gregarious of all parrots. In the wild, he lives in groups of a hundred to two hundred individuals and remains in same group during the mating season.
He lives in the tropical forest between 50 and 80 feet from the ground. As an almost exclusively arboreal bird he's an excellent climber, but only rarely comes to the ground, so he's not much of a walker. He only comes down to drink from the lakes and rivers around which his colony has settled.
In the forest, his food is rich in vegetable fat and proteins, as well as in vitamin A. The African parrot is fond of palm nuts, of coffee seeds and of palm fruit. His digestive tract is perfectly adapted to this diet. So what do you feed an African Grey in captivity?
Well when it comes to feeding a Grey, remember he needs vitamin A and calcium. As Greys are subject to hypocalcemia (calcium deficiency) it is important to feed him calcium rich foods. Enough lighting and a vitamin D3 supplement will also help him assimilate calcium.
In captivity, African Grey parrots are among the most studied birds and among the most popular with bird lovers, chiefly because of their calm personality, their intelligence, their remarkable skill to reproduce sounds, human voices and their ability to speak in order to communicate. Furthermore this bird is appreciated for his sensitivity and his incredible empathy with humans. It seems he can really sense our emotions and state of mind and react accordingly.
However the flip side of the African Grey's thoughtful temperament is that it makes him more timid than other types of parrots. He seems to classify all humans or objects around him in two categories: possibly dangerous or familiar and without danger. Unfortunately, anything unfamiliar to the bird automatically ends up in the first category. This suspicious nature is chronic with African Greys. They will always have difficulty accepting novelty, whether it takes the form of a new human, food, toy, object, etc. But don't be discouraged, after a while curiosity will get the better of him. The main thing to remember is to give him the time he needs to accept the new element into the familiar and non-threatening category. But be patient: this may be a slow process!
He lives in the tropical forest between 50 and 80 feet from the ground. As an almost exclusively arboreal bird he's an excellent climber, but only rarely comes to the ground, so he's not much of a walker. He only comes down to drink from the lakes and rivers around which his colony has settled.
In the forest, his food is rich in vegetable fat and proteins, as well as in vitamin A. The African parrot is fond of palm nuts, of coffee seeds and of palm fruit. His digestive tract is perfectly adapted to this diet. So what do you feed an African Grey in captivity?
Well when it comes to feeding a Grey, remember he needs vitamin A and calcium. As Greys are subject to hypocalcemia (calcium deficiency) it is important to feed him calcium rich foods. Enough lighting and a vitamin D3 supplement will also help him assimilate calcium.
In captivity, African Grey parrots are among the most studied birds and among the most popular with bird lovers, chiefly because of their calm personality, their intelligence, their remarkable skill to reproduce sounds, human voices and their ability to speak in order to communicate. Furthermore this bird is appreciated for his sensitivity and his incredible empathy with humans. It seems he can really sense our emotions and state of mind and react accordingly.However the flip side of the African Grey's thoughtful temperament is that it makes him more timid than other types of parrots. He seems to classify all humans or objects around him in two categories: possibly dangerous or familiar and without danger. Unfortunately, anything unfamiliar to the bird automatically ends up in the first category. This suspicious nature is chronic with African Greys. They will always have difficulty accepting novelty, whether it takes the form of a new human, food, toy, object, etc. But don't be discouraged, after a while curiosity will get the better of him. The main thing to remember is to give him the time he needs to accept the new element into the familiar and non-threatening category. But be patient: this may be a slow process!
Laurene Arroyo is a long-time parrot enthusiast. Learn more facts about African Greys and sign up for her FREE Parrot Care mini-course by visiting http://ParrotBirdCenter.com/the-african-grey-parrot
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