Description
My name is Daisy and I’m a very special bird. Apparently I am quite small for an African Grey and I am a beautiful silver colour, not dark pewter like some of the less pretty ones.
I get on well with other pets but I don’t like birds much. I will tolerate them if they stay away from me and my cage. I am territorial when I’m in my cage but I am happy enough if my mum sorts out my food, water and toys. No-one else is allowed to touch my cage if I am in sight of it as I will fly back and defend it.
I hate other African Greys. Some I will even attack, as I do get very angry with them. I can be destructive if I have access to anything made of wood and I have nothing else to chew. I like to chew my own wooden boxes which my mum gets me and I also like to bite into a cardboard box and sit in there for a while if I want some peace and quiet. I love to join in with music, so I sing and whistle and dance a lot. I also like my family to copy my large repertoire of whistles – that keeps me occupied for ages. I am quiet if everything around me is quiet and I only have a few words of vocabulary – halloooo, bye, kiss kiss and three-four. If I am walking on the ground I make a noise like an egg frying in a pan to alert my family that I am there. I also like to make a telephone answer machine ‘beep’ noise to make my mum answer it.
My mum is very upset about me moving on but her personal circumstances have changed recently and she says that I will not have the attention I deserve when she is working and living away, and therefore I would be happier with a family who will spend lots of time interacting with me, by talking and whistling and singing with me. Although I am happy to be sitting with my dad, my mum is definitely my favourite and I need a female to handle me. I particularly like sitting on her shoulder or on her arm for about 15 minutes, having my neck tickled and generally been fussed. After about 15 minutes I like my own space.
I have my own cage, and also a separate travel cage (which mum puts me in to spend an hour in the garden with her when the weather is nice and warm). I also have lots of toys and a small wooden box to chew. I’m quite happy staying in my cage but I really like sitting on my cotton rope perch in the kitchen window watching the world go by and the wildlife in the garden. I also like sitting on a clothes rail in the dining room when my mum is working in there and also sitting on top of the door in the lounge when the family are watching tv. My wings are not clipped so I can and do fly but only in the house and therefore not very far.
Looking after me is a bit like looking after a dog. I love company but I don’t need constant attention. I like my play time with you but I am also happy to be quiet and entertain myself. Most of the time I will do what you tell me to do, especially if I get a treat and I will keep you endlessly entertained given the chance.
