Gus' Gallery

Gus loves playing with his toys. Every day he gets some floor time during which his collection of toys gets scattered around the lounge floor and he jumps on them, squawks loudly at them , and generally has a really good time.

On a recent trip to the Yorkshire Dales we were lucky to find a traditional rope-maker who let us have some shortish lengths of barricade rope for Gus to use as toys. He was absolutely entranced by them and they've quickly become a firm favourite during his floor time, happily lying on his back to explore it with talons and beak.

Shortly after we got Gus we managed to acquire this superb macaw cage for him, and it now resides in our lounge. Here he's just finished his floor time and is contentedly preening himself on the top of his cage prior to going to bed. We live in a large Victorian terraced house on the outskirts of Manchester. The house has huge 12' ceilings throughout, so there's plenty of room for this monster cage, which has plenty of room for different width perches, a multitude of toys and climbing apparatus, but is still easy to clean. Naomi (alongside, enjoying a sly cigarette) gives some idea of the scale of the thing.

Gus gets a very varied diet, effectively consisting of one third fruit and veg, one third complete-food pellets, one sixth parrot seed mix and one sixth whatever we're eating. His favourite tipples are pizza crust, mushy banana, and, above all, grapes! Here he is demolishing a fruit salad at Naomi's mother's house in Scotland.

We were very lucky in that Gus was 100% hand-tame from the word go. We acquired him when he was only 14 weeks old and have always tried to introduce him to strange people and things, in the hope that he will accept new things with less suspicion than is normal with African Greys. He loves travelling and particularly enjoys TV (Home & Away and Neighbours are his favourite soaps!).

Gus in a fairly regal pose on the top of his main cage. We also have a smaller travelling cage for him which lives next door in the dining room, and where he comes to join us for meals. We also have a play stand for him down in our cellar for the times when we're at the computers.

If there's one thing we all have in common, it's the fact that no creature more complicated than an amoeba can resist having the back of its head/neck scratched. Gus is no exception and, like most Greys, demands a cuddle now and then by placing his beak on the ground in front of you and ruffling his neck feathers!