Product Description
African Greys have a deserved reputation for extreme intelligence and ability to repeat words. They make fascinating pets and companions.Books in the Complete Pet Owner's Manuals series present basic information about pets for new or soon-to-be owners. Advice and instruction covers feeding, housing, health care, training, grooming, protection against hazards, and more. Texts emphasize pet care basics and are easy for all readers to understand, but most titles also present facts that even experienced pet owners and breeders will find new and useful. All books in this series are filled with high quality full-color photos and instructive line art. Length averages between 64 and 104 pages. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

parrot book
I love this book, simple and easy to understand.I can make quick referance.I use it frequently.

Practical Guide Book
This book is a perfect mix of technical information and practical tips on caring for African Grey Parrots.I am a first-time owner of an African Grey, so I scoured the reviews for this type of balanced book.I have not been disappointed with my selection. It is much more than a beginner's book but it doesn't overwhelm the reader with information that might be found only in technical research papers.

Great Book!!
This is a wonderful book on Greys.Must have for a beginner.You can never have too much information.I've had my Timneh for 9 years now and this book is one of my favorites.

VERY GOOD BOOK
It is a great book, answering everything an owner has to know for an African Grey parrot.

Kim Bloomer, co-author Whole Health for Happy Dogs
I recently read Maggie's book and was very delighted with it. I have never owned a bird, but have always been fascinated by them. This book really put some things in perspective for a complete novice on the nature of these birds. I think it is a very good guide for those of us who know absolutely nothing about them but would like to. Maggie was recently a guest on our online radio show and it was wonderful to hear her birds talking in the background as we spoke and listen to her share her complete love of and admiration for these wonderful birds.

This book has beautiful photography to go along with Maggie's simple to understand and implement writing in this book and I highly recommend it.
... Read more

Product Description
Titles in BarronÂ's popular series of Pet Handbooks are filled with reliable information and helpful advice on animal care. Written by breeders, veterinarians, and other pet experts, these photo-illustrated books instruct on housing, feeding, healthcare, and where applicable, grooming. Titles devoted to dog breeds also discuss exercise needs and training methods. BarronÂ's Pet Handbooks resemble BarronÂ's alternate series, the Pet OwnersÂ' Manuals, but each of the Handbooks has a larger page count and includes more detailed advice and instruction. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (28)

Love it!!!
This book should be required for all people buying an African Grey.It tells you everything you need to know from caging to nutrition to behaviors in a well written, easy to understand format.Excellent book!!!

African Grey Parrot Handbook
Excellent reference book for African Grey owners - and prospective owners. Well written and lots of pictures to support the text.

If you have a Grey, Buy This Book
Excellant book for anyone who is planning to adopt a Grey or for anyone who already has one and struggles with behavioral problems.I picked up many significant points of information.

african grey parrot handbook, mattie sueathan & dianalee deter
very informative. a grey is a very emotional bird, I did not know this.There is alot of things you really need to know before purchasing a grey and this book is a source of the best information of many of books i have read. Mattie sue has been in the business for years and knows the ins and outs of an african grey. a good read.

Well written work
The book is good. It has detailed information as well as stories that encourage the reader and Grey owner to 'do whats right' with their grey. I did not like how you had to jump back and forth through the book to cover one topic. If you can deal with jumping pages and chapters (at times) then no worries. This book is very thorough and will help both the novice and give great reminders for the breeder. ... Read more

Product Description

All aspects of caring for African Grey parrots are covered in this comprehensive book. The Guide to Owning an African Grey Parrot contains information about housing, feeding, and training these sensitive and intelligent birds. An in-depth section on health care, in addition to a thorough discussion of the species' natural history and behavioral traits, is certain to prove useful to experienced owners as well as those just beginning to know and love these spectacular parrots.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

That's my first great book I've bought.
It's simply way to study about african grey including all nescessary matter that we need to know.
combine with easy reading style of this book.
So I love the way to explian and example,

Try it
Take one and you will know that's importance book for all african grey owner.

Must have for the Grey Owner!!
This is a wonderful book.It's easy to read and has great pictures.A must have for the beginner.I've had my Timneh for 9 years now and I got every book about Greys that I could find.I really like this one.

Thank You
Anything that helps us to understand and care for these amazing birds is welcomed.This is one of the books that is on my night stand.What a lucky person who has an African Grey who owns them.

Good Resource
This book is one of the best Grey books I have read. Ms. Moustaki does well in being simple, frank, yet detailed enough to guide the reader in how to care properly for an African Grey. Specifics would have been good in the housing your african grey chapter, but she painted a broad enough stroke and gave enough guidelines to guide the owner in their decision. This is a basic book, and meant for new-owners. It fits its purpose well!

Excellent Reading!!
This book has great information especially for the new bird owner.I would highly recommend reading it to anyone who is even just thinking of getting an African Grey!It gives alot of insight into things a first time bird owner might not think about ahead of time. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK!
Pease do not buy this book!My avian veterinarian advises that any book published prior to 1995 is so full of inaccuracies that you could actually damage your parrot following suggestions from the old book.DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK! Ask your avian veterinarian to reccommend helpful books to read about parrots!

Out of Date and Dangerous
This book contains information that is know to be wrong today.I would never recommend this book to a new parrot owner or anyone else.There are much more informative and accurate books and periodicals on the market.I was extremely disappointed as I thought it would teach me how to teach my parrot to do tricks, etc., but instead it teaches you about "taming" your wild-caught parrot.

Outdated Material
This book is very unreliable and possibly offers some disastrous information for a first time Grey owner that does not know any better...the material is very outdated. With all the new information that is available today, this book suggest things that we know now to be harmful--such as clipping only one wing, keeping a bird out in winter, etc...in it's time (1979), this book might have been imformative, as not much was known about Greys then, but is no longer of any use. I was very disappointed. For a more up to date book, with excellent and up to date information, I suggest "Guide to a Well-Bahaved Parrot" by Mattie Sue Athan.

Nice pictures, but some what out dated
I have found this book somewhat out dated in it's information. It has color pictures that are nice but some , not all of the training methods are out of date. For the most part the book talks about training wild caught /wild Greys, not hand weaned Greys that now can be bought almost at any petstore. If you are going to be a new African Grey owner, or you own anAfrican Grey keep looking for another book. Wrong information can beharmful to your pet bird. For a good book with good pictures check out"African Grey Parrots" by Annette Wolter. So far out of the threebooks I read on African Greys this one was the most up to date.

Grossly Outdated Material
While this may have been a very good book in 1979, the, avian information gained over the last 20 years makes these older book obsolete, if not down right dangerous.These older books should remain out of print.I wouldrecommend a more recent publication including periodicals such as"Bird Talk" magazine with up to the minute articles from today's(1999) experts.I've kept African Grey's for almost 10 years now. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Outstanding edition for any library.
I have been breeding parrots since 1981. In my opinion this is the best book available for Greys. I have given a copy of it with every African Grey I've sold.

Outdated Material
While this may have been a very good book in 1984, the avian information gained over the last 15 years makes these older book obsolete, if not down right dangerous.This is a field in which leaps and bounds are made daily. I would recommend a more recent publications, with up to the minute articles fromtoday's (1999) experts.I've kept African Grey's for almost 10 years now. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Grey Disappointment
This book is very hard to navigate due to its layout. The pictures get in the way of the natural flow of words. It is rather difficult to discern paragraph distinctions and there are a few typos. Some of the information in this book is suspect, and the author contradicts himself several times. I feel vastly disappointed with this book however, there are some fantastic photographs of the African Grey parrots.

Regards,
William R. Culver Jr. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Great tips for nail trimming and wing clipping
Even thought this is an older book it has great pictures to show nail trimming technique. Shows how to calm the bird and hold for trimming and medical procedure.
Great photos of how to sprout seeds in a tray so your bird can have fresh green.

Don't buy it
This book stinks. It has poor and outdated information. It's like an outdated cliff notes for Grey's. There are many better books out there, save your money!

Keep looking, because your Grey depends on you !
This book was originally published in 1979, and contains much outdatedmaterial, particularily in the area of diet. This book could have had focused more on ilnesses of the African Grey parrot. It is outdated, but itcontains extensive information on Greybasics. You would be well advisedto purchase a more up-to-date book and I would suggest "African GrayParrots" by Annette Wolter, because your Grey depends on you !

This book was a great help with raising my African Grey
This book may be outdated, but it contains extensive information.It was quite helpful with teaching my Grey the basics.The book could have had focused more on ilnesses of the species.Overall I enjoyed this book andwould recomend it to a new African Grey owner.

Book outdated
This book was originally published in 1979, and contains much outdated material, particularily in the area of diet for your African Gray parrot.You would be well advised to purchase a more up-to-date book if your parrots health is important to you ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

A joy for young bird lovers to read.
Written by Pierre's owner Dr. Fran Smith, Friendly Feathers: Life with Pierre, an African Grey Parrot is a charming, true-life softcover picturebook about a family's day-to-day routine with Pierre, a talkative African Grey Parrot. Pierre is a surprisingly intelligent bird who has learned to use many human words and phrases appropriately - from telling the family poodle "How you doing, good girl? SIT!" to commenting "You're right, Pierre. It's raining!" when he sees a downpour to "That's hard work!" when he sees meatball and spaghetti prepared. The only thing Pierre never says is "Good night" when it's time for lights out. The simple color illustrations bring Pierre to life, and the very last page features a photograph of Dr. Smith and Pierre. A joy for young bird lovers to read. (It should be noted that African Grey Parrots require a hefty amount of time and energy to properly care for, live for up to 60 years, and should not be purchased as pets unless the owner is up to the challenge!) ... Read more

Product Description
In CONVERSATIONS WITH COSMO: AT HOME WITH AN AFRICAN GREY PARROT, Betty Jean Craige tells the story of her parrot's education in the language and culture of her human friends. Cosmo is a seven-year-old female Congo African Grey Parrot who by the age of six had learned more than a hundred words and had uttered more than two hundred different phrases, makes up her own phrases, and is still learning. Craige recounts how Cosmo learned to talk, developed social skills and a sense of humor, and became an adorable feathery little person, a real party animal. Cosmo is funny-her first joke was "Telephone for bird!"-and so is Craige. Craige's purpose in writing this very entertaining book is not only to report and explain her parrot's acquisition of language and it's cognitive abilities, but also-through Cosmo's story-to awaken readers to the mental activities of all the animals with whom we humans share space on our planet. The book has a preface by Irene Pepperberg, author of THE ALEX STUDIES and ALEX AND ME, and two appendices: a list of "Cosmo's Utterances" and a list of "Forty-Four Tips for Living with an African Grey" and an index. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Entertaining, moving, sometimes profound book
The relationship Betty Jean Craige describes in Conversations with Cosmo (Sherman Asher Publishers, 2010) is not a simple owner-pet bond. It is a much closer connection, almost as if she and her parrot have become partners in life, a symbiotic animal-human relationship. Although in the early chapters Craige describes how she acquired and began adjusting to life with her African Grey parrot, and how the parrot began talking, her most interesting and thought-provoking discussions come later in the book when she contemplates Cosmo's acquisition of language and how it defines her not only as a parrot but as a member, in a certain sense, of a human linguistic community. Cosmo's ability to talk back and forth with humans brings into question traditional conceptions of how birds can acquire speech, and of whether their speaking is mimicry or something more significant. These discussions touch on such issues as the meaning of consciousness, identity in both human and parrot form, the rights of animals to exist in a human-dominated world, the obligations of humans to protect and secure the survival of animals in the natural world. Cosmo can communicate in English in a way that often seems to use some of the more advanced features of language.This distinguishes her from parrots who live in the wild, and from most non-human animals in general.

Craige is careful to explain that she acquired Cosmo from a domestic breeder, not from someone who caught her in the wild. Raised in captivity, Cosmo would not survive in the wild. She depends on her owner for food, protection, and companionship. Craige makes clear that Cosmo provides a close and meaningful companion for her. I am not well read in some of the issues Craige considers in this book, but I have never read a discussion of the animal-human relationship that approaches its subject in precisely this way. This book is entertaining from beginning to last, at times quite moving, and in the final chapters often profound.

[...]

Life with an amazing African Grey
For several years, I shared my life with an African Grey parrot. Therefore, I know firsthand that you must be truly devoted to your African Grey to appreciate this avian equivalent of a sometimes unruly and destructive, but often clever and loving toddler. Betty Jean Craige is just such a companion to her grey, Cosmo.

In her book, //Conversations with Cosmo//, Craige carefully details her life and interactions with this exceptional bird, including quoting long passages of dialogue with Cosmo. Indeed, at times the intended audience for this book is somewhat unclear because Craige seems to approach her task almost as if she is a scientist recording research. For example, she includes over five pages of Cosmo's utterances to date at the end of the book.

Nevertheless, Craige provides a very portrayal of life with an African Grey for anyone contemplating the purchase of one or just curious about these amazing creatures. While she addresses with honesty less appealing traits such as biting, feather dust, and mimicking phones and microwaves, Craige's descriptions show just how much a grey can blossom with the right care and attention. More importantly, //Conversations with Cosmo//provides evidence of the depth of satisfaction and companionship the bond between a grey and a human can bring both.

Reviewed by Annie Peters

fantastic
i thoroughly enjoyed this account of cosmo. such a beautiful bond between carer and parrot. alot of the funny things are so relatable to my own cheeky "scarlett" that i laughed and read parts out loud to my family .

Reading all about Cosmo
Professor Craige tells the story of Cosmo, an African Grey parrot, who is intelligent, funny and creative. The book is both entertaining and informative. Those folks who already share their lives with a parrot will not be surprised by how bright Cosmo is, but they will love reading the story of her development and her brilliant use of language. Those who have never lived with a parrot will be amazed by how intelligent and complicated parrots are, and learn a new respect for these truly amazing creatures.

As someone who shares her home with parrots I just love a book that shows how smart, funny and creative birds are. I enjoyed reading the lists of all of the clever things Cosmo says and the stories of her often mischievous sense of humor.

Good job, Dr. Craige!
Anyone who has ever lived with an African Grey parrot will tell you how awesome they are... how intelligent and observant... how cunning and manipulative... and how very loving they are.In CONVERSATIONS WITH COSMO, Dr. Betty Jean Craige takes the reader through her journey of learning to live and converse with Cosmo, her beautiful African Grey companion.

Like many of us, Dr. Craige originally chose an African Grey pet because of the specie's communication ability; but again, like many of us, she quickly discovered how incredibly loving and endearing they are to us "pet humans."She takes us through her process of teaching Cosmo to have conversations.She follows many basic principles for teaching Cosmo to talk, such as: 1) looking directly at the bird while speaking; 2) using the same words and phrases repetitively to describe the same situations; and 3) focusing on "power" words and phrases that teach Cosmo how to manipulate and control her own environment. For example, Betty Jean taught Cosmo the power, action word "wanna" to help her Grey companion learn to request objects, such as, "Cosmo wanna water," "Cosmo wanna peanut," and "Cosmo wanna cuddle."She also played games to teach labels.One of her favorite games was called, "what's that?" which gave Dr. Craige the opportunity to teach the labels of different objects in the house... and as a result, Cosmo learned the names of things, such as "clothes" and "television."It also provided Cosmo with a verbal tool for asking, "what's that?" for any object or activity that intrigued her.

African Grey parrots are so incredibly smart!They have minds of their own and can teach themselves on their own, too!For example, my African Grey, Merlin Tewillager, turned "bye-bye" into a power word when she wanted the bird groomer who trimmed her nails TO LEAVE!Not ALL Greys are talkative; however, that does NOT mean that the less talkative ones are not smart.We learn to talk to communicate our needs, and a less-talking or non-talking Grey may not always need to talk to communicate when they are closely attuned to their human companions.I think even deeper than their ability to talk, African Greys have an ability to get into our hearts and souls and connect with us humans on a level that most other entities cannot reach.Therefore, if you have a Grey, and whether or not your Grey is a talker, you are among one of the luckiest humans on this Earth!

The key reason that Dr. Betty Jean Craige wrote this book was to sensitize humans as to the fact that animals are sentient beings capable of thinking, feeling, and communicating.They have purposeful lives, just as we do.When we learn to see this glorious dimension in our pets, it opens us up and reminds us of the magic and wonder that surrounds us every day.That's what life's all about!Good job, Dr. Craige!

Maggie Wright
Author & African Grey expert ([...])
Bringing Back The Magic ([...])
African Grey Parrots: A Complete Pet Owner's Manual ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: African Grey Parrot, Senegal Parrot, Red-Fronted Parrot, Meyer's Parrot, Poicephalus, Cape Parrot, Vasa Parrot, Lesser Vasa Parrot, Un-Cape Parrot, Seychelles Black Parrot, Rüppell's Parrot, Red-Bellied Parrot, Greater Vasa Parrot, Brown-Headed Parrot, Yellow-Fronted Parrot, Niam-Niam Parrot. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 57. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: The African Grey Parrot (Psittacus erithacus) is a medium-sized parrot endemic to primary and secondary rainforest of West and Central Africa. Experts regard it as one of the most intelligent birds. They feed primarily on palm nuts, seeds, fruits, leafy matter, and have even been observed eating snails. Their overall gentle nature and their inclination and ability to mimic speech have made them popular pets. This has led many to be captured from the wild and sold into the pet trade. The African Grey Parrot is listed on CITES appendix II, which restricts trade of wild caught species, because wild populations can not sustain trapping for the pet trade. There are two subspecies universally accepted: Some aviculturalists recognize a third and even a fourth subspecies, but these are not distinguishable in scientific studies. Timneh African Grey Parrot (wings clipped)Rarer than previously believed, it is uplisted from a species of Least Concern to Near Threatened in the 2007 IUCN Red List. A recent analysis suggests that up to 21% of the global population may be taken from the wild annually, primarily for the pet trade. The species is endemic to primary and secondary rainforest of West and Central Africa. Grey parrots depend on large old trees for the natural hollows they use for nesting. Studies in Guinea and Guinea-Bissau have found that the preferred species of nesting trees are also preferred timber species. There is...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=164655 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

This is nothing but a reprint of wikipedia
This is not a book, just a complete scam. All this, is a reprint of the text readily available on wikipedia but they don't tell you that. Completely pointless waste of money. ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: Chicken, Lovebird, Monk Parakeet, Amazon Parrot, African Grey Parrot, Red-Tailed Black Cockatoo, Budgerigar, Cockatiel, List of Amazon Parrots, Northern Cardinal, Fischer's Lovebird, Chaffinch, Yellow-Headed Amazon, Scarlet Macaw, Alexandrine Parakeet, Domestic Pigeon, Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo, Yellow-Crowned Amazon, Eclectus Parrot, Common Hill Myna, Sun Parakeet, Zebra Finch, Toco Toucan, Rose-Ringed Parakeet, Galah, Rosy-Faced Lovebird, Gouldian Finch, Domestic Canary, Mitred Parakeet, Military Macaw, Tanimbar Corella, Blue-And-Yellow Macaw, Green-Cheeked Parakeet, Major Mitchell's Cockatoo, European Goldfinch, Keel-Billed Toucan, Blue-Fronted Amazon, White Cockatoo, Hyacinth Macaw, Palm Cockatoo, Cuban Amazon, Mealy Amazon, Diamond Dove, Red-Lored Amazon, Bird Talk, Long-Billed Corella, Talking Bird, Golden-Collared Macaw, Salmon-Crested Cockatoo, Red-And-Green Macaw, Asian Blue Quail, Barbary Dove, Red-Shouldered Macaw, Blue-Winged Macaw, Blue-Throated Macaw, Domestic Duck, Chestnut-Mandibled Toucan, Chickens as Pets, Brambling, Sparkie, Red-Masked Parakeet, Yellow-Shouldered Amazon, Barred Parakeet, Lilacine Amazon, Brown-Throated Parakeet, Nanday Parakeet, Turquoise Parrot, Chestnut-Fronted Macaw, Lilian's Lovebird, Yellow-Collared Lovebird, Orange-Winged Amazon, Orange-Fronted Parakeet, Red-Fronted Macaw, Red-Crowned Amazon, Jandaya Parakeet, Little Corella, Panama Amazon, Citron-Crested Cockatoo, Bourke's Parrot, Lilac-Crowned Amazon, Solomons Cockatoo, Eleonora Cockatoo, Java Sparrow, Yellow-Naped Amazon, Western Corella, Pacific Parrotlet, Burrowing Parrot, Harz Roller, Star Finch, Blue-Streaked Lory, Estrilda, Mini-Macaw, Urban Chickens. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 481. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Chicken : Rooster (m), Hen (f) The chicken (Gallus gal...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=37402 ... Read more