African Grey

I've bought all three of my birds from Karen at The African Grey, and all three have come to me as happy, extremely healthy, and well adjusted birds. Like many others, the first time I walked in the store I did not have a good impression either. I was not greeted, and in fact did not feel welcome at all. As I've come to know her better though, I've realized that Karen saves her "gush" for her birds, which is what I'd rather she did. She loves and cares for those birds as if they were her children. She's in the store every morning cutting up fresh fruit and vegetables to feed, then goes home at night to cook a meal to be heated up the next day. If Joe Stranger off the street thinks the end result looks like "watery mush," that's too bad. There are a lot of birds in Colorado who are happy and thriving on Karen's "watery mush." Mine happen to be three of them. I know of no other "Pet Store" that goes that extent to ensure the animals are fed a nutritious diet every day the way she does. Additionally, the birds receive nuts once or twice a week to supplement their meal, and birds who *require* a seed diet receive a premium mixed seed diet every day. Two or three times a week, every bird in the store is treated to a drenching spray baths or an extra deep water dish for the birds who like to "soak." A customer who walks into the store one time for 20-30 minutes is unlikely to see all of these things. There is a reason the store doesn't open until 10 or 11 o'clock in the morning each day. Staff begins arriving at the store at 0630 every morning to begin the daily routine of cleaning the cages; peeling, cutting, and chopping, fruits and veggies; feeding and bathing birds; scrubbing floors and more cages; feeding again; playing; loving; talking; sweeping; mopping; and everything else that goes along with taking care of a bird. Are there things I would change if I could? Sure. I'm pretty sure there are things Karen would change if SHE could, but maybe they're not options right now. Regardless, I think she's doing a magnificent job. I will be buying my next bird from Karen at the African Grey, and every bird thereafter.

BEWARE this store has an Amazon that had Psittacosis and the bird was out in the open for three days before the owner finally put it in the back room (if you can call that isolation). This store has also had issues with many birds that have died when they are being boarded and with birds that have died in their so called "nursery". The owner really cares about the birds -- but not enough to keep them in good condition and/or to take them to the vet when they are first ill. She thinks she can treat them on her own and ends up with dead/injured birds. PLEASE think twice before purchasing a bird here -- there are many more options - do your research as there are lots of wonderful parrots that need to be rehomed through adoption agencies and/or through more reputable bird stores.

Anyone who knows anything about bird nutrition and care or maintaining a well-organized business operation will find African Grey to be exemplary in both of these. The owner, Karen, absolutely excels in each of these areas! It is no wonder that she receives glowing reports from the Boards of Health and Agriculture.



My husband and I owned an extremely successful six-million dollar business for over 16 years, and he has helped business owners across the country open and operate successful stores. I was a graduate professor at a major university where my teaching included topics of management and interacting with the public. With the background both of us have, we see many positive things about Karen and African Grey.



The first time my husband walked into African Grey, he was very impressed with the large and diverse inventory of birds, toys, nutritious food, cages, and educational material on proper care and feeding of birds. Many business owners are frequently absent from their stores, leaving everything to a manager and calling in periodically to see how things are going. Not Karen. She is at her store from nearly sunrise to sundown seven days a week. That's devotion and wise store ownership!



Many hours before her store opens each day, she has employees cleaning floors and bird cages and putting fresh water out for all of the birds. While this is happening, Karen is preparing food for the birds and formula that she hand-feeds to the baby birds.



The food most of us feed our families cannot hold a candle to the nutritious food that Karen prepares and feeds to her birds daily: fresh vegetables (or fruits) of numerous kinds are pureed together and combined with a wide variety of cooked grains. She has extensively explored the pH values and mineral content of various sources of water and gives her birds only water that assures a healthy pH balance for them.



Karen is constantly available to her customers to help with concerns about bird health (emotional and physical). She deals exceptionally well with the public and is very good at helping her customers find a bird that is just right for their home and family situation, rather than steering everyone to only high-priced birds.



When customers return frequently for many years to have their birds groomed, Karen's eyes light up when she sees the birds come in. She loves to follow the growth of the birds that she has so lovingly cared for before they went to be with their human families.



Everything I am writing about here I have experienced first-hand. We have owned two birds that we got from Karen; both very healthy, happy, and playful. Our first bird had lived a long and healthy life for her breed, and last year while we were traveling out of state, she passed away. We were not returning to Colorado for three more months and missed the companionship of our bird, so we visited numerous bird shops to consider getting another bird, only to conclude that, without a doubt, we wanted to get our next bird from Karen at African Grey. There were no stores and no store owners among the many in the state where we looked that even came close to the service and knowledge and care provided by Karen. She helped us select the right bird for us and allowed me to come in each morning to hand-feed our new baby, who is now growing, learning new things, and very playful and healthy.



Karen's work at African Grey is truly a labor of love and service for anyone who is open and capable of seeing the high-standard of care and well-operated business that she has been so successful with for many years.



Visit African Grey and give yourself the chance to see the wonderful things and feel the "alive" and joyful and caring energy that so many others have experienced there! This store is truly a gem with an owner that is beyond special and extraordinary in her knowledge of and care for birds!!

We were lucky enough to find out about Karen at African Grey from our avian vet. Karen lovingly raises the healthiest, most well socialized birds you can find. Her careful attention to proper nutrition means when you purchase your bird from Karen, he or she is already on a healthy diet. I bought a very sweet and very sociable baby parakeet from her. When he came home with me he was already eating pellets, cooked food and fresh foods. Yeah!



Karen is really careful about several things, including making sure that her birds go to good homes, providing time for bird parents and their new birds to bond by encouraging visits with baby birds before they ready to come home, and educating bird parents. I looked forward to the frequent visits I had with my little guy as he was "growing up" and getting ready to go home with me. I was able to teach him to step up before he came home!



Karen also offers free lifetime grooming for all the birds she sells, and that has been saving me a lot of $$. There are often a lot of customers in the store, so the store can get a bit crowded at times which tells me that many other customers have had the same experience with African Grey as I have. I see very experienced bird owners frequent the store, as well as people who are buying their first bird. You can't help but notice that there are many loyal customers at African Grey.



Karen is an expert, and her customers appreciate it.

I have been going to African Grey for 5 years. I first went with an older cockatiel that I had adopted from people that didn't want him any more. Thanks to Karen's help and mentoring for this brand new, inexperienced owner (who had not even purchased the bird from her), I was able to re-socialize him and get him on a better diet, and enjoyed 4 wonderful years of companionship, which turned me into a true bird lover. I now have four birds, three of whom came from African Grey. Two are Karen's hand-raised babies and one was a rescue she took in. The fourth is a conure adopted from some people who had to give him up. They all go to her for grooming and eat her fresh, cooked food which she prepares every week.

One time one of my babies broke a blood feather on a Sunday, when I couldn't get him to the vet. I took him to Karen, who removed the broken shaft and then spent an hour (on her busiest grooming day) making sure the bleeding was stopped and that he was safe to go home.

The two bad reviews that appear below are patent falsehoods. I don't know if they are business rivals or maybe someone that came in and was disgruntled because they were asked to leave. Karen does not tolerate anyone ignoring the store rules for not feeding/handling the birds without leave. At any rate, DO NOT take them seriously! Anyone who could write that is a malicious liar. Karen's store is often crowded with people and messy (it's full of birds after all), but the birds are happy, healthy and well cared for. The diet that she feeds her birds is optimal and the proof is in the birds themselves. All the birds she raises are bright-eyed, bouncy and beautiful, and all the birds she's rescued are getting there with her help.

SHAME on whoever made up those bad reviews, and anyone reading these, just come see for yourself!

African Grey's owner (Karen) is unparalleled in her avian knowledge, dedication, and care of ALL birds. We are owned by parrots hatched from Karen's loving hands. We have boarded, purchased supplies (from cages to feed), and sought her spot on instruction and direction for 10 + years. Meet Karen, listen to your instincts, feel her solid hand shake and observer her direct demeanor. This woman is the real deal, practicing the American dream in her love of birds. We drive 100 miles to experience Karen’s trusted knowledge and business. We would drive 1,000 miles if required! We REFUSE patronage anywhere other than the African Grey for all our avian needs. This business has heart, soul, integrity, ethics, and character; all built by Karen over decades. The person spreading poor business practice rumors about Karen and/or the African Grey on any internet post should be horse whipped! Please do your own homework; ask your local vets and any other avian enthusiast. Our birds are our lives; we will NEVER go anywhere else. Thank you Karen and African Grey!

I've been doing business with Karen and African Grey for the last 20 years! African Grey is widely recognized as THE PLACE for people who know birds--and love birds.



Karen has an in-depth knowledge of birds and bird care that is extraordinary. She constantly researches care and nutrition of birds, and that is so evident in her birds.



She also takes in birds who need a home or who have been injured and nurses them back to health. If someone ever sees a bird at African Grey that has a feather picking problem or doesn't look totally fit---DO NOT BE CONCERNED. THAT'S SIMPLY A BIRD THAT KAREN HAS RESCUED AND IS NURTURING BACK TO HEALTH. She also is very loyal to bird organizations, such as the Gabriel Foundation.



I'll tell you--everyone who is a TRUE BIRD PERSON knows African Grey---and once they know Karen, they become 100% LOYAL FANS OF KAREN AND AFRICAN GREY.

I have been doing buisness with the African Grey for just about 16 years. I buy all my food there, and have taken abandoned and abused birds home. There have been times when you walk in and it is crowded. But take a minute to truly look or even ASK why. Birds being boarded, abandoned, abused they are ALL there. Why are they? Karen turns down nobody. I have seen her with sick birds and they go DIRECTLY to the vet. The birds who do not look real good are birds that are cleared by the vet and are waiting for new homes. A true bird owner knows it takes alot to care for them. I would leave any and all my birds with The African Grey in a heartbeat. I know they will be cared for.

I've had birds for years, most of them rescues, or birds that just needed a new home. A few I have bought from pet stores. The African Grey was by far the best experience I've ever had in getting a bird. Both of the birds our family have brought home from the African Grey are not only in excellent health, but have loving, wonderful personalities. I'm not sure what the two bad reviews are all about (I wonder if it's the same person?). Karen gives a health guarantee and refers all her clients to Dr. Jerry LaBonde, one of the top avian veterinarians in the country. Some of the bird's feathers are a litle ragged, but this is because they are playing with one another all day, not because of malnutrition! And please keep in mind that some of the birds are rescues that she is finding homes for. I've seen what Karen feeds her birds and they have an excellent diet! Karen has helped me with all sorts of questions and one of the reasons I love going into her store is that her birds are so friendly. Friendly, playful birds are happy birds. I would highly recommend the African Grey.

I have already posted a review of African Grey on Google Maps, but when I looked closer at the owners response to Malie's review, I realized the certain person she's referring to might be me (since I can't tell what date this response was made and in a letter to me, she mentioned this website though I've never posted here). I'm just chiming in to assure the owner that the review she responded to on this page was not written by me, but by yet another unhappy customer of her establishment. - CV

Karen and Megan saved my budgie's life last month and he wasn't even purchased from there. It happened on a weekend when I couldnt reach any avian vets. They told me to bring him right over, revived him, made room in the nursery and kept him there for a week till the antibiotics were done. Karen even called me with an update later that night when she went back to check on him. When he was well she insisted that there was no charge, that they were just doing their job. I would have gladly paid. In addition to the loving, healthy birds that they sell African Grey takes in abandoned, neglected and unwanted birds - some that are dumped off and others that they rescue. If the store seems crowded at times and some of the birds look a little ragged it is only because they will always make room for one more. They will never turn any unwanted birds away. They do what they can to rehab the rescues, which are always kept separate from their birds for sale, between proper nutrition and any necessary medical attention. You will not find a place more caring and dedicated to the welfare of birds.

I was appalled at the lack of knowledge this petstore provided. The birds were in poor condition, crammed together like they were ready to be auctioned off! The owner of the store claimed that she knows birds, but my experience demonstrated otherwise! She talked of nutrition, but did not even see the birds in her store that were clearly malnourished. One of them had a horrible respiratory problem.I guess she thought that was just a normal thing. I would think the health department would shut this place down. Does she have a consience? Do not even consider boarding your bird with her, as it will probably get an incurable disease.