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Question:

July 12, 2023

African grey


Can african grey if its the male 18 years old and the female 6 years old can breed together


Answer:

Hi,

It’s more of a question of will they breed. An 18 year old Grey might be very young or very old. It depends on his genetics and how he has been cared for – diet, housing, vet care, etc. The 6 year old may or may not be sexually mature yet. If you put an older bird with a younger one, and the younger bird isn’t ready to breed, the older bird may attack and even kill the young bird. So you need to introduce them gradually and only while observing them. Start with cages side by side and eventually introduce them to the same cage. If they seem to get along, give them time to get to know each other before placing them in a breeding situation. The birds need to be bonded as mates before you even think about giving them a nest box. They need to spend most of their time together, grooming each other and feeding each other. The male will get protective of the female if he considers her to be a mate. Only then should you give them a nest box and then it’s a matter of waiting to see what they do. From introducing a pair to actual breeding can take a year or more.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda

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