crash course on parrot care
 

i think this topic has been raised a number of times.. but i'd like to ask about it again if its ok. Just how do u tame a parrot? Wil having one from young be better? Ok I basically need a crash course on parrot care to ascertain if it is easy to care for one. My grandpa is recovering from a traumatic accident and has to spend most of his time in bed. He finds nothing to do when he gets out of it. When I mentioned a pet to him.. i was thinking abt sth not too difficult(cats out-too much cleaning/grooming etc) and which still can provide a certain amount of companionship. He finds the idea of an african grey, appealing. My grandma(other side) has one..and intelligent as he is, he still bites cos she doesnt really know how to handle him. So if someone could please kindly spare some time to answer my question, it will be greatly appreciated. Btw torphaine recently posted about sale of african greys from breeders.. can i ask what does the bird come with?do they need vaccinations? "microchipping"? lol.. i have no idea when it comes to birds. thanks in advance ;)

Most parrots from reputable breeder will bear a leg ring which indicate their origin which includes the breeder's initials. CAGs tend to bond to 1 owner and it is good you start off with them young. So far, no known vaccination is compulsory for birds.

thanks torphaine.. btw how old shld the youngest chick be allowed to leave to a new owner? i've had some offers thru pm from other places and I'm nt too sure about some of their ages.

A CAG chick is weaned a 90 days from day of hatching. If the new owner knows how to hand feed a bird, the new owner can collect it before weaning, or else, it is better to collect the chiclk after the 90 days and make sure that the chick is already independent of the handfeeding formula.

Just to add regarding legring..
A legring can trace who the breeder and how old the chick, just like our identity card. Only reputable AVA registered breeders/farms will have legrings on their chicks. It also indicates that the bird comes from a legitimate place. And these breeders are only used "good bloodline" for their breeding.

thanks silvanus n torphaine.. the good bloodline nt so impt la..hehe.. as long as its sound bloodline and hv no problems. gtg read up more before making such a commitment also. :p