A African Grey Parrot typically lives 40–60 years. Most of what determines whether it gets there is routine care rather than anything dramatic.
Planning for about 50 years
A African Grey Parrot is with you for about 50 years. Budget and routine both need to survive that, including the last quarter of it when a tiny bird needs more veterinary attention than it did young.
Balancing highly intelligent against talkative
Breeds described as both highly intelligent and talkative need the two managed together rather than separately. With a tiny bird that usually means a predictable routine first and training second - the routine is what makes the training stick.
A breed from Global / Various, living in India
The African Grey Parrot was developed in Global / Various. The part that travels badly is rarely temperament - it is the coat and the tolerance for heat. Plan the year around that and most of the rest follows.
Find an avian vet before you need one
Many small-animal clinics do not treat birds at all. Establish who does, in your city, in the first fortnight.
Air and environment
Fumes from non-stick cookware, incense, aerosols and smoke are genuinely dangerous to birds.
Birds conceal illness
A bird sitting low, fluffed up and quiet, or with changed droppings, is already unwell and needs to be seen quickly.
What “highly intelligent” means day to day
The African Grey Parrot is described as highly intelligent, talkative, sensitive. Of those, highly intelligent is the one that shapes an ordinary day most. It is easy to read as a selling point and harder to live with than the word suggests, because it does not switch off when you are busy.
