My dog managed to put a tooth into our African Gray in between the cage bar. It did bleed from the below the eye. Since then the bird does not make any noise and is lethargic can’t seem to be able to keep his eyes opens and we noticed he hasn’t eaten or drank water. […]
My grey of 9years, she suddenly laid an egg . (No male bird / mating) . What should be done ? Not sure what i should do
Is voice change normal? My African gray talks a lot. Lately I’ve noticed it sounds like his voice is kind of a broken record and it seems like his voice has changed. What could this be?
I had called your office and talked to a representative about my African grey that I have been baby sitting. she was very informative. she mentioned I might try a reactangular perch my husband could make but she was not sure about the kind of wood that would be safe for the bird. Also recommended […]
Can a lovebird, African grey and Blue and gold macaw be in the same room in separate cages?
Please help educate me. My Best friend died. And willed me her African gray parrot. What is the best way to get him used to me …and I him. As he used to bite her husband. What can I do to build a good relationship . I know nothing about birds. Thank you ( He […]
My 21 year old African Grey has suddenly become afraid of being in her cage. I haven’t changed anything. I can’t see anything around the cage that looks different. What can I do?
Hello, I have a question my African Grey will be 12 years old this December 21. My question is when can I feed senior lafeber food to him what age is a African Grey a senior. Thank you and have a great day.
Hi, I have a 5 years old African grey male parrot, at this tome I would like to look for his pair, should I get a female with the same age ? Which I think difficult to find or can I choose any mature younger or older female?
We have an 18 month old African Grey hen (she lives with our 4 year old male). When she came to us she would step up when she wanted to, ie if she ended up on the floor. Now she is able to climb and fly she will not step up at all, she either […]
Hello! My search keeps bringing me to your site (which I quite love, by the way). My baby Timneh is learning to climb…she hangs by her beak!!! It’s frightening – is it safe??
I have a 6months old African grey…i bought her on Dec 12th..since then she was very chirpy and loud and was adopting to all of us in the house . A very active bird I must say!A week before,it happened for a persian cat outside my villa to get inside my home where this bird […]
I have a female African Grey parrot who is 29 years old. She is quite active, talks a lot and generally is a joy to own. I’m wondering about her diet as she grows older. She loves fresh veggies, mostly green and leafy. She seems to have grown tired of the typical seed preparations which […]
I have a rehomed African Grey female (Timnae) and wondered how she would take to another African Grey (Congelese) in a seperate cage yet in the same room. Would this be traumatic or would this become a friend.
I am Muhammad Faizan Zafar from Pakistan, I just visiting your website(LafeberVet). This is very informative for me, I need this type of information for my grey parrot chick. I wana know about my grey chick, I give nick name as (Smokey). I m curious about health, weight and temprature of room. I dont have […]
My CAG feather plucks like mad when she eats peanuts. She’s a senior. As far as I can tell you only make one kind of pellet berry without peanuts which I buy. Please make another variety without peanuts. Or is my African Grey the only one with a peanut allergy?
Grey parrots may sometimes be impulsive—think about how often you may have had to give your bird multiple timeouts for the same behavior (like chewing on your sunglasses) in a very short time period. However, my students and I have shown that our parrot, Griffin, can actually exhibit quite a bit of self-control. We found […]
I recently got an African Grey. He is 4 years old and now rehomed to me. We love him! However, if we try to get him to step up onto our hand when he is in or on top of his cage, he bites and won’t come to us. If he is on the floor, […]
Devising new ways to test parrots’ cognitive skills is the exciting part of Dr. Irene Pepperberg and her staff’s work. The challenging part is finding the exact words to sum up a study — and the even more challenging part is finding creative ways to inspire people to donate to help fund the lab’s research. Fortunately, the parrots can usually be relied upon to “lend a wing” to the cause. African grey Griffin and his fellow greys have been going on epic “outings” to inspire donors to flock to the lab’s Facebook and Tumbler pages.
Can I offer licorice root as a treat for my African Grey to munch on or tear apart ?
Hi, Lafeber. My birds love your avi-cakes. I have a question about how long a bird who was once PBFD positive but turned negative should wait before he could mingle with other birds in his household. Let me explain the situation: One of my friends has an African Grey, who is now 2 years and […]
Process of elimination and inference are two powers of reasoning, and Dr. Pepperberg conducted fascinating tests to determine the existence of inference in African greys.
Will African grey parrots share food or ask humans for help? The latest experiments at Dr. Pepperberg’s lab give some interesting answers!
I have few tame n talking parrots like, correla cockatoo and indian ringneck along with African Grey. my African grey is learning and trying to speak…
To test a parrot’s ability to understand probability, Dr. Irene Pepperberg’s cognitive behavior research lab recently presented African grey parrot Griffin with a task similar to what a 6-8 year-old child might be tasked to do — using three of one item and one of another, if one item was removed, what was the removed item likely to be? Griffin’s answers might surprise you.
“What’s mine is mine and what’s your is mine.” Does this sum up your feathered friend’s antics? Dr. Irene Pepperberg explains not only how this parrot quirk is based on natural behavior, but she also shares how we can use it to our advantage in the home.
As companion animals, parrots are unique in that they can use human language to verbally communicate with us. Dr. Irene Pepperberg knows first-hand the advantages of working with such communicative subjects. African grey Griffin, for example, can verbalize requests to Dr. Pepperberg and her research assistants, such as when he wants to go back to the cage (“Wanna go back”) or sit with them (“Wanna go chair”). But this command of words also creates some interesting dilemmas on how to talk in front of a parrot that understands what you are saying.
Inviting a film crew into a research lab devoted to the study of cognitive behavior in parrots involves not only prepping the lab, but the parrots and the filmmakers. Dr. Irene Pepperberg shares her account of having a film crew join her in the lab.
The inspirations for topics of Dr. Pepperberg’s African grey studies come from many different sources, and all add up to fascinating information being revealed.
After a certain age, children are able to understand conservation of amounts. Can birds also understand that a change in shape might not change the amount?
Our youngest bird, Athena, can present some interesting challenges to our research. We sometimes joke that she doesn’t have an “off switch.”
I rehomed a 4 yr old female Gray She came in a 23x23x34 cage with 1/2 in perch I tried to replace them with 1 in. perch she wanted nothing to do with it hung on the back of the cage until I removed it…
Dr. Pepperberg reveals some unconventional, and unsung, activities needed to get data from the African grey parrots in her lab.
The talkative African grey parrots Dr. Pepperberg works with in her research lab communicate in English, and sometimes they surprise lab staff. See why!
With cognitive abilities matching that of a 5-6 year old, African grey parrots can likewise come up with some creative distractions to delay bedtime. This month, Dr. Pepperberg gives us a look back at the bedtime antics of Alex the African grey, as well as how current greys Griffin and Athena attempt to throw a wrench in attempts at a good night routine.
Research with parrots leads to some unexpected results. Some pleasant, like learning words that weren’t trained, and some unpleasant, like acting out.
Curious to know what an average day is like in Dr. Irene Pepperberg’s research lab on the Harvard campus? Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at a day in the life of African greys Griffin and Athena!
The story of Nigel, the African grey parrot that returned home speaking Spanish, is a good example of how a microchip can facilitate a happy reunion for lost pet.
The Grey Parrot Anatomy Project aims to create an accurate physical and digital anatomy reference, including a standardized basis for avian anatomy nomenclature, of the African grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus erithacus).
Parrots can be categorized according to Old World psittacines and New World psittacines. Are your parrots “Team Old World” or “Team New World”?
Sharing seems to be less common in our nonhuman primate relatives, and appears to occur only under some fairly specific conditions. But what about creatures that are not primates? Our recent studies suggest that African grey parrots also can engage in sharing behavior.
The African grey parrot’s ability to talk and mimic sounds makes this medium-sized parrot a captivating companion. African grey owners often report that their greys oftentimes talk in context and seem very attuned to their people’s emotions. The African grey parrot is not just a top talker — this bird is also known for its extreme intelligence, which gives them the moniker “The Einsteins of the Bird World.”
Can you imagine a parrot perched in the White House? It’s probably happened at some point during our country’s history; after all, some of our past presidents had parrot companions during their presidencies. Here is a list of presidents who really did have parrots during their White House days.
Five years after Alex’s passing, he is still sorely missed; by me and, I believe, by Griffin and Arthur, the other African grey parrots in my lab. Days still exist, particularly when I return after a long absence, during which I walk into the laboratory, glance at the cage in the far corner of the room, and expect to be greeted by Alex’s familiar, imperious “Come here!”
