Congo African Grey Parrot

Question
Hello ,
            I hope eveything will b fine over there. N i like to thank u ppl for solving our problems n answering our questions.
Sir i was always interested in owning an African Grey. Last week my friend gave me a CONGO AFRICAN GREY. its age is round about 3 years. (i know that there is no gurantee of any Grey to start speaking, n i have not owned it only bcoz of its talking ability, but still i want to know whether a Grey of 2, or 3 years can b tamed to talk ??? i m asking this question only bcoz if it is impossible to tame a mature Grey to talk, i won't try, or waste my time to tame him to talk. (NOTE: My grey is a wild one)
My second question is something for which i m worried. Bcoz my Grey is a wild one, so he is not eating anything except SUN FLOWER SEEDS. I have given him lots of Fruits n Vegetables, but to no avail. Sir how can i turn my grey to fruits or vegs ??? Plz answer my question bcoz my grey will become so unhealthy if he keeps on having only seeds.  Thank u v much for giving ur precious time.
                                         God Bless U.    Take care. Bye


Answer
Let me address your 2nd question first because it's probably the most important. Your Grey is eating nothing but sunflower seeds because he has sunflower seeds available. Once you really make them unavailable - he'll eat something else.  You have to outlast him when it comes to determination.
 Any pelleted diet would be a great start. Mix the plain ones with colored ones and some fruity smelling ones - it really doesn't matter - any pelleted diet is better than a sunflower seed diet by far.
 Sunflower seeds should be reserved for occasional treats, rewards and limited to no more than 2 to 4 a day! The fatty liver disease that the bird is prone to by eating too many of these things is a devastating medical issue that can cost you dearly.
 Two or even three times a day offer fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes.  Make sure to remove them from the cage after a couple hours or the bacteria that may form in the bowls could be a problem.
 Oatmeal with some chopped up dried fruits (natural, no additives) and perhaps some sliced fresh banana or apple will likely become a favorite.  

About 20% of the birds diet should be seeds (no sunflower). Since this is a picky bird, we suggest offering the seeds on certain days rather than every day.  We feed our macaws seeds (with their pellets and fresh food) on weekends.  During the week they eat pellets, oats, fruits and veggies without problems.  

 As for the talking, he's still young! We've seen them wait until 4 or 5+ years before talking.  If you consider that he'll live a long "human" lifespan of 65 or more years, at 3 - while he may LOOK all grown up - he's still a baby!  And since he's new to your home, he's still adjusting and frightened even though he may not show it.

Take a look at our site for birds - you'll see pictures and find other hints at how to get them talking and trusting you, plus more about diet.  It's all free - no signing in or anything.   There's just not enough room to list everything here.  
You can write to me from here or there with any more questions and I'll be glad to help.

Congratulations on your new companion!  

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