African Greys are often considered to be one of the best talking parrots, rivaled only by a few species of Amazons. Domestic greys natural calls are generally fairly quiet, and I think quite pleasant. They are basically whistles and soft "jungle" noises. However, imported greys can growl and make some very unpleasant and unfriendly sounding noises, and are not easily tamed, so you will definitely want to get a domestic handfed baby grey. Their ability to speak, often in different voices of different people, can be quite amazing at times, although many greys have very soft voices that people with hearing problems might not be able to hear or understand. They also have any uncanny ability to mimic other sounds - telephones, doorbells, barking dogs, alarms - and with amazing accuracy. (Don't be surprised to answer your phone and find its not ringing.) One thing to remember about young greys though, is that they don't usually learn to speak as early as some other birds. You often will not hear them speak their first word until they're ten months to a year old, and some people are not patient and want their baby to learn to talk right away. However, once they begin to talk, they will pick up things very quickly, and will spit out long phrases or sentences right away. Most other parrots usually learn one word at a time. It's as if the grey has been listening and waiting a long time (sometimes practicing when you're not in the room!) before they get the nerve up to actually say something when someone's around. But once they start talking, they keep learning, and the things they pick up will amaze you.
If you get them as babies they are generally very affectionate and enjoy having their head scratched, and they very much enjoy being around their favorite people. However, it has been our experience that most handfed greys tend to bond more with one person. They can be extremely lovable to that one person, and show definite aggression to anyone else, often to the point that no one else can handle them. More often than not, they can be handled by most other people, but will not tolerate petting or affection from them. However, in my opinion, greys are not particularly predictable when they should decide to bite. I've seen many a grey, mine included, that will lower their head to have it scratched, seem to be enjoying it immensely, and then strike out with a good solid bite without the slightest warning. It's almost like it's some sort of game, and they get some perverse pleasure out of fooling you. It's not that greys are mean, in fact they're really precious pets and very intelligent, they're just a little mischievous and hard to figure out sometimes.
Many greys tend to be easily frightened, or phobic of new things in their surroundings (a new toy, new drapes behind their cage - anything can set them off into a panic or a feather-plucking rage), so any new objects should be introduced to them gradually. If your grey seems afraid a new toy, place it across the room but within his sight and gradually move it closer to his cage until it will accept it just outside his cage. Then you can safely place the "dreaded" object in their cage, and they will accept it without a problem. Some greys are worse than others with this "dreaded object" phobia - some will accept new toys with no problem. However, you should be aware of when your bird is suspicious of something and allow them time to get used to it. Often an owner will buy a wonderful new toy, put it right in their cage, and come home to find the bird has plucked out all his chest feathers. You can probably lessen the severity of this phobia if you try to introduce your bird to all kinds of new objects, people and situations while they are still very young, but it's hard to correct once they have become phobic. This will also help them to allow handling by all members of the family.
You should resist the temptation to take your new baby grey home, take vacation time off work, or otherwise spend every waking moment with your new baby (I know its tempting). Your baby will become confused and feel abandoned when the time comes for you to get back to a normal schedule. This confusion can frequently lead to feather-plucking, which is very hard to break once it's become a habit (kind of like biting your fingernails!) Try to establish a schedule, or semi-schedule at least, that you know you'll be able to continue from now on. Greys will do fine with working families, but they need to learn early on how to entertain themselves in their cages while you're away. Also greys do have a small amount feather dust - not a lot if you just have one, but they could pose problems for people with severe allergies or asthma. If you follow these guidelines and don't spoil your baby too much, the grey just may be the "perfect" parrot for you!
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