African Grey Parrot Care Guide

African grey parrots are medium-to-large African parrots known for their mimicry. The MSD Veterinary Manual calls them the most intelligent parrots and notes that they often develop behaviour problems as a result. Two health issues set them apart from other parrots: they depend unusually heavily on diet and UV light to keep their blood calcium up, and they show beak and feather disease differently. They suit an experienced keeper who is home most of the day and plans for a bird that can outlive them.

Care requirements

Need	What to provide
Enclosure	Cage at least twice the bird’s wingspan in height, width and depth, plus at least 6 hours a day flying free in a bird-safe room (RSPCA)
Temperature	Within about 54–79°F (12–26°C), away from radiators and draughts (RSPCA)
Humidity	Normal indoor air, kept free of tobacco smoke and aerosols (MSD)
Lighting	A UVB lamp made for birds, run for natural daylight length, with shaded perches. Greys rely on UVB more than other parrots (RSPCA; MSD)
Diet	About 75–80% pellets, 20–25% vegetables, fruit 10% or less (VCA)
Lifespan	30–50 years (MSD)
Social needs	High daily human contact. Never cage two greys together; separate cages in one room let them see and hear each other (VCA; RSPCA)
Legal notes	CITES Appendix I since 2017, which ended commercial international trade in wild-caught greys (World Parrot Trust). Buy captive-bred birds with paperwork.

Congo vs Timneh African greys

VCA now treats the two as separate species rather than subspecies.

	Congo grey (Psittacus erithacus)	Timneh grey (Psittacus timneh)
Size	Larger	Smaller
Body colour	Lighter grey	Darker grey
Tail	Bright red	Dark maroon
Beak	All black	Lighter grey on the sides of the upper beak
Wild range	Central Africa	West Africa
Trade status	CITES Appendix I	CITES Appendix I

Both need the same care: everything below applies to either.

Calcium, UVB and seizures

The MSD Veterinary Manual says African greys can develop an acute low-calcium syndrome (hypocalcaemia) linked to low vitamin D3. MSD lists weakness, wobbliness, tremors, seizures and fractures as signs of calcium deficiency. In young greys, MSD notes, calcium shortage can show up as bent long bones and spine.

Two things cause it:

• Seed-heavy diets. VCA says greys pick the sunflower seeds and peanuts out of a mix. These are high in fat and low in calcium and vitamin A. Pellets, at roughly three-quarters of the diet, fix most of the imbalance.
• No UVB. Birds need UVB light at 290–315 nm to activate vitamin D3, and MSD reports that greys depend on UVB more than Amazon parrots do to hold their blood calcium. Glass and plastic block the useful rays. The RSPCA recommends a flicker-free bird lamp, checked with a UV meter and replaced on the maker’s schedule. Unfiltered outdoor sun in a secure cage, with shade, also works.

Don’t add a calcium or vitamin D supplement as well as pellets without advice. MSD warns that excess oral vitamin D3 can deposit calcium in the kidneys.

Feather-destructive behaviour

Feather-destructive behaviour covers plucking, chewing and over-preening the feathers. VCA warns that boredom in greys leads to feather picking and screaming, and MSD links their frequent behaviour problems to their intelligence.

Prevention is mostly about how the bird spends its day:

• Chewable wood branches and parrot-safe destructible toys, rotated so they stay novel (VCA).
• Food spread across foraging toys rather than one full bowl.
• At least six hours a day out of the cage (RSPCA).
• Early exposure to visitors, other pets, car trips and vet visits. VCA says this helps a grey stay calm when things change.

Plucking isn’t always behavioural. Infections, parasites, liver or kidney disease and poor diet can all cause it, so a grey that starts pulling feathers needs a vet work-up before you blame boredom.

Screening a new grey for PBFD

Psittacine beak and feather disease (PBFD) is a circovirus with no treatment. In greys it often doesn’t produce the classic deformed feathers or beak. VCA says African greys more often show general illness, anaemia or a very low white cell count, because the virus attacks the bone marrow. A bird can look normal for weeks to years before signs appear.

VCA recommends screening every new bird with a blood test or oral swab. If you already own parrots, test both the newcomer and the resident birds before they share air or equipment. The virus is shed in droppings, crop secretions and feather dust, and can travel on your clothes and hair. Buying from a seller who offers a health warranty lets you return a bird that tests positive.

Five things new grey owners get wrong

• Feeding a parrot seed mix as the main diet. In greys this leads to hypocalcaemia, which can cause seizures (VCA; MSD).
• Lighting the cage through a window. Glass filters out UVB, so the bird gets light but not what it needs to make vitamin D (RSPCA).
• Treating it as a one-person pet by default. A grey that only ever sees one person can become aggressive towards everyone else (VCA).
• Skipping the PBFD test because the bird looks healthy. Greys often carry or develop the disease without the feather changes owners expect (VCA).
• Not planning for the bird outliving you. A 30–50-year lifespan means many greys need a new home in their owner’s lifetime. Name a carer in your will.

Avoid

• Non-stick (PTFE) cookware, irons and some heat lamps. Overheated PTFE gives off fumes that often kill birds before any other sign appears (MSD).
• Avocado is toxic to parrots (VCA).
• Chocolate, caffeine, alcohol and salty or fried food (VCA).
• Grit and sandpaper perch covers. Parrots hull their seeds and don’t need grit. Some overeat it and develop gut blockages (VCA).
• Galvanised wire and toys, mirror backings, curtain weights and costume jewellery. These are sources of zinc and lead poisoning (MSD).
• Smoking, scented candles and air fresheners near the bird. Tobacco smoke causes chronic respiratory and skin disease in pet birds (MSD).