Mitpet
A African Grey Parrot

Photo: Florettesokeng · CC BY-SA 4.0

African Grey Parrot species icon

Bird

African Grey Parrot

Psittacus erithacus

Expert care levelLives 30–50 years

Extremely intelligent, long-lived, high enrichment and social needs.

Have this ready before you commit

  • Enclosure size

    Needs a large dedicated enclosure or dedicated room space (space demand 70/100).

  • Habitat setup

    Needs a purpose-built habitat with substrate, hides and furnishings prepared before arrival (habitat complexity 70/100).

  • Group housing

    Should not be kept alone; plan for appropriate same-species company (social group need 80/100).

  • Secure containment

    Needs escape-proof containment and a secured room for any time outside the enclosure (escape risk 70/100).

  • Specialist vet

    Requires access to a veterinarian who treats this group before you acquire the animal (specialist vet dependency 95/100).

  • Flight space

    Needs daily out-of-cage flight or foraging enrichment, not cage time alone (enrichment need 100/100).

What this animal needs from you

Scores are normalised 0–100 for comparison across very different animals. They are product-normalisation values with a stated confidence, revisable through expert review.

Your time and attention

Daily care/time commitment90/100confidence 60%
Human interaction need95/100confidence 60%
Enrichment/mental stimulation need100/100confidence 60%
Typical handling tolerance70/100confidence 60%

Space and environment

Space/enclosure need70/100confidence 60%
Habitat setup complexity70/100confidence 60%
Environmental control need45/100confidence 60%
Escape-proofing need70/100confidence 60%

Household impact

Noise/vocalization55/100confidence 60%
Typical cleaning/mess burden70/100confidence 60%
Typical odor burden with proper care30/100confidence 60%
Nocturnal/late activity20/100confidence 60%

Care complexity

Diet complexity60/100confidence 60%
Exotic/specialist vet dependency95/100confidence 60%
Difficulty arranging travel/care90/100confidence 60%
Likelihood of legal/import/CITES complexity95/100confidence 60%

Suitability

Beginner suitability with correct care30/100confidence 60%
Typical fit for calm supervised family households35/100confidence 60%
Need for same-species/compatible social group80/100confidence 60%
Long-term commitment95/100confidence 60%

Still deciding?

The right animal is a question about your life, not about breeds

Answer a few questions about your home and your week, and see which companion animals genuinely fit — with the trade-offs stated up front.