Any recommendation for where to get a nice grey parrot for, preferably near Zurich?

Oh, if you're living anywhere with neighbours nearby, you'd best check, first, if having a noisy pet will be permitted.

Good point.
OP, hopefully the parrot will also not be alone i.e. that it will have another parrot companion

Pretty sure parrots belong to the list of species that is is illegal to keep alone (for any birds acquired after the law came into effect).

OP - please think carefully about this - imo parrots very much do not belong in cages and should not be kept as pets. as an absolute minimum please make sure the bird is captive bred as wildlife poaching is driving them close to extinction in their native lands.

http://www.care2.com/causes/why-you-...-as-a-pet.html

Can't understand how anyone in this day and age would want to keep a bird captive, tbh

This is from a "qualified site i.e. a nice photo


Attachment 125472

But their lives afterwards - unimaginable.

Another link: the trade is illegal:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/grrlsci.../#1362920514ff

Yes, I also think this is the case, though I could not find a link to the law about it. Anyone?

I did find this, which says that, if kept as a pet, a grey parrot should live

• with a partner,
• in a cage that measures at least "2 metres x 2 metres x the height of the room"
• with access to fresh branches, and that
• the baby bird should be allowed to stay with its parents for at least the first 8 weeks (otherwise it is more likely to develop psychological problems, later, which could include plucking out its own feathers).

Yes! However, perhaps birds which are already here, born in captivity, are permitted? I'm with you, though ZuriRollt, I just can't understand why anyone would want to do this.

The EF parrot expert is Mrs Doolittle - you should speak to her about all aspects of living with parrots before you go any further.

And yes, parrots are considered a 'social species' by nature, meaning that under the Swiss animal welfare law they may not be kept singly, they must be kept in pairs or groups. There is an exception to this, however. Individual parrots who have show that they cannot live with a conspecific, where pairing has proven to be too stressful, are allowed to be kept singly, provided other aspects of their welfare are in place. The purpose of the animal welfare law is to ensure the animal lives a happy, species correct life - but it recognizes that there are individual variations where meeting the 'happy' means some degree of flexibility must be allowed, the animal's sake.

This is not a loophole to be exploited, however - do not for a moment think that.

Mrs D has such a parrot, and after a trial to introduce a second it became clear that her bird was unhappy with a partner and has been granted an exception. She can fill you in on the details of what that required.

The animal welfare law also requires sufficient space - look up the TSchV, I'm not at a place where I can link at the moment, will return with that info. But it's not a small space.

Also please consider the longevity of parrots. You are taking on a responsibilty for another 50+ years.

And understand that moving a parrot internationally is not easy, if the species is listed under CITES (I think), there are many hoops to jump through and lots of money needed. Again, Mrs D is the expert here.

I bring this up because as an expat you must always consider the consequences to your pets if a move outside of Switzerland is even remotely possible - and birds are one of the more difficult species to move.

Because of their longevity, it isn't easy to find new homes for them either - again, you must be prepared to commit to your parrot, no matter what happens in your life, no matter where the winds of fate send you, for the next 50+ years.

So... PM Mrs D, she knows all there is to know about living with, caring for, and globe hopping with parrots.


ETA:

From the BLV, considerations and legalities around keeping parrots:

https://www.blv.admin.ch/blv/de/home...papageien.html

Under the 'PubliKationen' link, click on 'STS-Merkblatt, Kongo Graupapagaien'

Oh, another excellent post. Once again, meloncollie, blessings on you for sharing knowledge and info and for your persistence in the matter of keeping animals properly!

Maybe if you spent the weekend locked in your bathroom, you would begin to understand the committment the parrot will be making, simply to amuse you?

i would be really careful. the are many dodgy pet shops like the one below.

Hi Khawer,

It would be great to receive your feedback!

Maybe it was the 10 posts??

Hopefully the parrot in question will not be impacted

I know this thread is inactive for quite some time but if anyone is considering getting a medium to large size parrot, head down to the Auffangstation (parrot rescue) near you to see if adoption is possible and of course, check out the potential noise parrots make before confirming if a parrot is really a right choice for you.

Since the grey parrot is on CITES I at the moment, it is rarer to see one for sale, if any. If you’re lucky, someone’s breeding pair might have an offspring but then again, you are not going to see a for sale ad and it’s probably sold through close connections. Best chance is importing captive bred or finding one older than before the CITES I status change.

Good luck!

But it still remains true that parrots need to be kept in pairs.

You can only get a CITES certificate if the bird was bredin captivity. If it was captured in the wilds you have no chance of getting a cerificate (although realistically many countries in which parrots would be caught in the wild are not known for their squeaky clean administration...)

I‘ve got an exception from the canton to keep mine alone as she was kept alone before. Since she was handraised, she is bonded to human beings and refuse to get along with other birds. We tried finding her a partner before moving over. The Swiss authorities have accepted that and we are allowed to keep her by herself.

Most parrots sold, at least in Singapore, are captive bred. We have multiple breeders and there are facilities which breed the parrots in captivity and they are found all over the world. I happen to know reputable European ones as well. I cannot imagine anyone wanting to keep an untamed, wild parrot as a pet? Wild african greys only exist in Africa and since they are bumped up to CITES I, you can no longer trade wild African greys, which means captive breds are your only choice. It is still possible to get them despite the CITES I.

I still have a Goliath black palm cockatoo, Umbrella cockatoo and Green-winged macaw back in Singapore. I only took my grey with me. Cheers.

bloody Dyslexia. I read "where to get a gay parrot in Zürich?"
Or was it a freudian slip of the brain?