ooblick@intercon.com (Mikki Barry) (06/26/90)
Whenever you ask about Grey prices, it helps to keep in mind that there are two major species of Greys - Congo and Timneh. Within both there are even more sub groups. Congos are the ones that are the more expensive. They are purported to be more intellegent, nicer, and better talkers, although many Timneh owners would disagree with this. In any case, the price difference SHOULD be quite great. I say "should" because many sneaky dealers sell Timnehs as Congos. Many unknowing buyers are duped into buying Timnehs at Congo prices. When you put a Timneh next to a Congo, the major differences are size, tail color, and beak color. Timnehs are smaller, have DARK tails, and horn color on the top part of their beaks. Congos have RED tails and black beaks. Another variable to consider is the age of the bird and how long you will have to hand feed it. Babies that are weaned usually start at about 1000 dollars (ball park). They are cheaper before weaning because they are more work for the owner. I would not recommend buying a bird that is under 60 days old, since the younger they are, the more prone to disease, and the more hand feedings per day are necessary. NEVER buy a bird less than two weeks old!!!! They can't regulate their temperature, they are VERY prone to disease/death from weird causes, and transporting them any distance is very iffy unless you have a portable brooder and a full sized one at home, and care to devote hand feeding time about every 2 hours from 6am until midnight or so. Keep in mind that hand feeding is not a tough thing to do, but it does take some getting used to. Grey babies are among the easiest of all birds to hand feed. You have to be careful, but a novice can learn how to do it very quickly. If you have to hand feed 2-3 times per day, that isn't bad at all, and the bird will bond to you as "mommy". $650 is an excellent price for a Congo grey a few weeks away from weaning. If you haven't owned a baby before, don't buy one any younger than that, or one that is on more than three feedings per day. $650 is also an ok price for a weaned domestic Timneh. Just keep in mind that you can probably do a bit better for Timnehs, and it is really tough to be sure that the Timneh you buy is domestic instead of imported. If it's still hand feeding, you can bet (but not be totally sure) that it's domestic. They sell imported adult Timnehs for $199. Mikki Barry