Introduction

“My name is Charlie and I’m a beautiful African Grey looking for my forever home.”

Charlie is a beautiful, fully feathered African Grey with a sweet and gentle nature. His exact age is unknown, but he is a sensitive soul who thrives on patience, kindness, and understanding.

He loves company and enjoys being out of his cage as much as possible. Charlie is a very peaceful bird who simply wants to be part of the household and spend time near his people.

History/Background

Before coming into our care, Charlie wasn’t allowed out of his cage very often because another bird in the home did not get along with him. As a result, when he first arrived, he could barely fly.

Thankfully, with time and encouragement, Charlie has regained his confidence and is now a capable flyer. He also enjoys climbing and exploring at floor level, although he has a particular fascination with electrical cables, so these will need to be kept well out of reach.

Personality/Behaviour

Charlie is very much a pacifist and has never shown any aggression. However, he is a hands-off bird and will bite if he feels he needs to defend himself.

He can sometimes be difficult to read. On occasion, he may lower his head as though asking for scratches, but appearances can be deceiving — Charlie does not enjoy being touched!

He is fearful of hands and will not step up, even onto a perch. However, once he trusts you, he does enjoy receiving a gentle goodnight kiss on his beak when he is safely back in his cage.

Despite being on the larger side for an African Grey, Charlie is not particularly brave and needs time to build trust with new people.

Charlie is generally very good with other birds and always seems keen to make friends. Unfortunately, he isn’t always the best at reading social cues and can be a little relentless in his pursuit of friendship!

Diet

Charlie enjoys a healthy and balanced diet consisting of:

• Chunky vegetable chop each morning
• Harrison’s High Potency Coarse pellets (recommended by his avian vet)
• Occasional fruit
• A small amount of Lean & Fit seed mix in the evening

His evening seed mix also helps encourage him back into his cage.

At bedtime, Charlie enjoys a couple of pine nuts, which he gently takes through the cage bars.

Favourite Things

Once relaxed, Charlie loves sitting near his people and being included in daily life.

His favourite activities include:

• Listening to stories being read aloud
• Dancing when people sing to him
• Shredding paper and cardboard
• Destroying soft wood toys
• Helping with the housework (whether invited or not!)

Charlie is particularly fond of these treats:

• Cashews
• Pine nuts
• Walnuts in their shells (although he appreciates some help cracking them!)

He is also wonderfully entertaining. Charlie has a good vocabulary and uses words in context. He performs impressive sound effects, whistles the Indiana Jones theme tune, and occasionally comes out with the odd naughty phrase!

Summary

Charlie is a sweet, gentle, and sensitive African Grey looking for a patient and understanding home that will allow him to build trust at his own pace.

While he is not a hands-on bird, he offers companionship in abundance. He loves being near his people, listening to stories, dancing to songs, and becoming involved in everyday life.

If you can offer Charlie the time, patience, and understanding he deserves, he will reward you with his unique personality, gentle nature, and wonderful company.

If you think you could offer Charlie his forever home, please apply below.