Meet Pepper, a very special 9 year old African Grey with a big personality and a story of resilience. Pepper came from a difficult beginning, where he was neglected and mistreated. With love and care, he has come such a long way. Though he still plucks due to past trauma and medical needs, his feathers are slowly filling in, and his spirit shines brighter than ever.

Pepper is a talented whistler and singer! He enjoys classics like Old MacDonald’s Farm, Pop Goes the Weasel, the Addams Family theme, and even the Andy Griffith Show tune. He loves music and will happily join in when you sing. He also likes to play by spreading paper and hiding under it, and he’s always curious about what you’re eating. His favorite treats include bananas, pistachios, apples, and even scrambled eggs in the morning.

Pepper is a bit timid and prefers not to be handled much, but he will step up from his left side when needed. He is very territorial about his cage but does enjoy being near people — especially when there’s laughter or music around. Pepper has some medical needs, including a history of BV-AGAA, and he has been under the care of an avian vet. He’ll need a patient, loving home that understands African Grey quirks and is committed to continuing his care.

Age: 9

Sex: DNA Male

Prefers: Males or Females

Other Bird Aggressive? Haven’t had him around other birds for their own safety.

Cage Aggressive? No.

Adoption Fee: $ 1500

Cage Available: Affordable used cages available to purchase starting at $100-to 250 up to 1000.

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS: None

***Information that is universal to every bird:

1) Birds are typically not family animals. They usually choose a favorite and at best you can expect them to tolerate everyone else.

2) Birds are not great with kids, dogs, other birds, and are not cuddly with everyone, nor can they really be trained to be. Birds are flock animals, who are social creatures that need to be in a communal area where they can see the rest of the family, or you may experience serious vocalization and behavior problems. We’ve never met a bird who is great with kids, but we have met kids who are respectful of birds.

3) Birds bite. But, you shouldn’t “take the bite”. If you’re getting bit, you haven’t earned the trust of the bird, and are pushing the bird past his/her limits. You must figure out what the bird needs, and make what you’re asking of the bird more attractive than what they are already doing.

4) Birds are not “dominance” based creatures. Your only option for birds is to earn their trust. If they are, say…on top of a cage and don’t want to come down, that is where they feel safest, not a dominance thing. They are not trying to exert dominance, they just don’t want to come down. Your job as a parrot owner is to figure out what you can do to help them trust you, and whatever you are asking to be more attractive than what they are already doing.

5) NEVER send money over the internet for adoption with any individual or organization for the adoption of an animal you have not met in person. That is almost always a scam.