Reply With QuoteWell hello! And glad you are considering a grey. I`m new here (my male CAG Thirsty made his first post last night - and this is my first post as well. I DO need to restrict his access to the `net!)...
Anyway, let me tell you about my CAG Toby. He just turned 6 on July 12th. Last night i read some posts about advice on what to do when you just bring your new baby home. I agreed with some, and disagreed with others. Here is what I did. I got Toby at only a few weeks old. I handled him all the time. As did my husband. However, his first DAY home was - what some would consider - TOTAL CHAOS. I had to bring him home on a Thursday night, not Friday like i planned. It would give me some time over the weekend to play with him, get him accustomed to his cage, etc. Well, that was not going to happen. Friday morning I was up at 6:30am feeding him his Gerber rice and apple cereal with a spoon, put some food in his dish and toy, put him in a carrier and off to work we went - for the next 10 hours! Yes, he went to work with me. Every day. For a year. (until i quit!) Everyone loved him there, and he was passed around from person to person - i barely saw him! The president of the company had him a great deal of the time and would play with him.(it`s amazing how many people would say `I always wanted an African Grey!) One guy, after a couple of weeks said i was raising a `wimp` and he need to be `rough housed` a bit!. Everyone could handle him and he LOVED IT...yes, he found someone he *really* liked. An elderly gentleman who took a lot of snack breaks. Toby would get down on the floor and run after him into the kitchen - luckily the guy only worked part time! Every morning when we would get to work Toby would go over to his chair, climb up on it and wait for him. But anyone could come and get him and we would play with them. My husband handled him at night and weekends as well. Toby went shopping with me, (he learned very quickly on to say `go bye bye car!`...oh - he also started speaking at 5 months of age)...He loved everyone! He goes visiting with me - well, let`s just say Toby goes EVERYWHERE and loves everyone! He talks and plays and does lots of tricks. He will lay on his back for HOURS (even sleeps!) - gets thrown up in the air (he`ll try to do it if i or someone else doesn`t give him a little `toss`)..he stands on his head, etc. He is the most social bird. People who meet him are amazed. (Especially pet store owners and one day i ran into his breeder one day after a year or so and he was amazed how he turned out! and quite pleased! - and no, at first he didn`t know it was one of `his` - and no, i didn`t buy toby from a breeder)..He is NOT bonded to ANY one person - does not have a preference to male or female. (in fact when he talks to guys he uses my husbands very deep voice - otherwise he uses my voice).
Toby is very trusting and doesn`t disciminate.
I don`t believe in parrots being `one-person-birds` at all. None of mine have ever been. No, Toby is not my only parrot, and not my first.
It is how they are raised. how they are handled.
As for the `toy phobia`. Some parrots are afraid of a new toy - just like a new food. If that is the case, put the toy near them and let them watch it for a few days. Take baby out (or adult if older bird) - and play with the toy yourself. Play peek-a-boo with it, or anything to show your grey you like the toy. Other birds love anything new.
I could go on, but don`t want to write a monstrous post!
You can check out www.tobynet.com - however, it only works right now in Internet Explorer - not any of the Netscape browsers. And there are some pictures, but only a few video and audio files. (and not the best ones, either )...I have over 10,000 UNNAMED video and audio files to go through - and rename! Plus the site needs updating. I just wanted to put something up since i paid for it! :-).....
But you will see Toby at play. Soon you can hear his extensive vocabulary and some of the tricks he does.
One other thing: Every night Toby and i cuddle. Yes, EVERY night since he came home - 6 years ago! He lays next to me, head on the pillow, blanket up to his chin - (on his back of course), and we talk and he generally falls fast asleep. My husband plays with him every night when he gets home from work, and on the weekends spends hours and hours with him. If anyone comes over, even strangers, he will go right to them - young, old, male, female - nothing matters. He is well adjusted, healthy - both emotionally and physically. He adapts well to any new situation. - in fact, doesn`t even realize it is a `new situation`.
Okay - enough for now. Look for a baby, preferably. If he/she is from a pet store and over a year old, he may not have been handled much, and if he/she has picked up any `bad habits` in that time, a little patience, love and some work on the negative behaviors should take care of that.
They don`t say CAG`s are cognitive, intelligent and lovable for no reason!
Hope this helps. leicarose
. Her new owner made a point of coming by almost every other day while I was hand-raising her and help feed her. I think that helped alot. 
