Don't have a bird yet, thought it is is a good time to get info!

BirdAddictK said:
Oh and also do you think a GCC will be able to live a good life with my situation: 11 years old, online school, apartment. I want the bird to be okay with my parents interacting with it and handling it.
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yes i would think it would seeing how much researsh your doing conures are very social animals and will interact with alot of people let your parents offer treats and maybe even train him remember that birds will always pick an idevsual to like better then others and you wont be able to change that when u are at a pet store/breeder offer the conure u like to step up and se what he does about it and get a conure at a young age after its fully weened.
 
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BirdAddictK said:
Yes this is exactly what I have heard that conures are not for kids but I have done tons of research and I am ok with biting bc I know it will happen at some point. But I have gone through every single detail and I have only been attracted to these birds. Now that you have read this could you give me your opinion and if you think a GCC is not right for me so what bird do you think is right for me?
Click to expand...
its alr for you tbh have you looked into pionuses?
 
Tikitiel said:
yes i would think it would seeing how much researsh your doing conures are very social animals and will interact with alot of people let your parents offer treats and maybe even train him remember that birds will always pick an idevsual to like better then others and you wont be able to change that when u are at a pet store/breeder offer the conure u like to step up and se what he does about it and get a conure at a young age like two days after its fully weened.
Click to expand...
What do you mean by fully weaned?
 
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BirdAddictK said:
Yes this is exactly what I have heard that conures are not for kids but I have done tons of research and I am ok with biting bc I know it will happen at some point. But I have gone through every single detail and I have only been attracted to these birds. Now that you have read this could you give me your opinion and if you think a GCC is not right for me so what bird do you think is right for me?
Click to expand...
myrightbird.com

Find Your Right Bird | myBird

Which bird is right for you? The #myBird interactive quiz will help you find your new best bird friend! #MyRightBird
myrightbird.com myrightbird.com
you can press on other birds to see how much they suit you at the end
 
Hi I took the quiz and it said Pucker the Green Cheeked Conure
 
Welcome to the forum! You have come to the right place to ask questions, we have many members with years of experience here. I love how you are asking questions prior to getting a parrot. Here is a link with some things to think about:

What students should ask before getting a bird

I disagree with some of the info you have been told, and would like to give my perspective.
I don't agree with multiple things in the copy and pasted section from Bird Eden.
  • They can bite those who try to touch them, but this happens mostly when they’re young. Overtime this can cease completely once they grow up.
  • Tricks are their forte, where they’ll perform many of these on several occasions.
Click to expand...
I find that baby birds bit less when they are young. With my conures, the biting gets worse once hormones kick in, and will often happen each they are hormonal. My GCC bites even when he isn't hormonal.
Some birds will do tricks, and some won't. To say that all GCCs will do tricks is to set someone up for disappointment.
Let it out of the cage once in a while
Click to expand...
I take issue with "once in a while'. Birds need to be let out of their cage every day, for as many hours as you can.

As far as the diet of veggies listed, we have a much better list here:

https://www.parrotforums.com/threads/bird-safe-fresh-foods-toxic-food-lists-sprouts.24213/
Tikitiel said:
dont introduce the main cage till bed time and if it doesnt want to come out lure it with treats a last resortis pulling the cage appart-forcing it out
Click to expand...
I have never left a bird in the travel cage when first bringing them home. If they don't step up then I open the travel cage in front of their open cage, and stand there holding it until they enter their cage.
None of my birds have ever been more aggressive by introducing them to their cage when I first bring them home. I give all of them a chance to settle into their cage, everything is new to them. All birds are different, and some want to some out and interact right after they get here. Others may take time before they feel comfortable. You should always go at their pace.
Tikitiel said:
depends on what diet u get it in
on seed diet: keep it for 1-2 weeks then start diet conversion
on pellet diet: offer vegies
on a good diet: keep it going as long as possible
Click to expand...

Veggies should be offered from the beginning. I have had many birds (including my GCC) who have taken months to start eating their veggies. Don't ever give up! Some birds will start eating them if they watch you eat them. Others may take their sweet time before they try. It is well worth it when they finally realize that veggies are good:)

My birds all get a fresh dish of pellets/seeds every morning, and they get veggies twice a day. They should always have food in their cage available.
Tikitiel said:
weened means he is off his formula and is starting to eat solid food
Click to expand...
Just want to clear this up...weaned means fully eating solid food, not just starting to.

I wish you the best, and I am so glad you joined us to ask questions.
 
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Terry57 said:
Welcome to the forum! You have come to the right place to ask questions, we have many members with years of experience here. I love how you are asking questions prior to getting a parrot. Here is a link with some things to think about:

What students should ask before getting a bird

I disagree with some of the info you have been told, and would like to give my perspective.
I don't agree with multiple things in the copy and pasted section from Bird Eden.

I find that baby birds birds less when they are young. With my conures, the biting gets worse once hormones kick in, and will often happen each they are hormonal. My GCC bites even when he isn't hormonal.
Some birds will do tricks, and some won't. To say that all GCCs will do tricks is to set someone up for disappointment.

I take issue with "once in a while'. Birds need to be let out of their cage every day, for as many hours as you can.

As far as the diet of veggies listed, we have a much better list here:

https://www.parrotforums.com/threads/bird-safe-fresh-foods-toxic-food-lists-sprouts.24213/

I have never left a bird in the travel cage when first bringing them home. If they don't step up then I open the travel cage in front of their open cage, and stand there holding it until they enter their cage.
None of my birds have ever been more aggressive by introducing them to their cage when I first bring them home. I give all of them a chance to settle into their cage, everything is new to them. All birds are different, and some want to some out and interact right after they get here. Others may take time before they feel comfortable. You should always go at their pace.


Veggies should be offered from the beginning. I have had many birds (including my GCC) who have taken months to start eating their veggies. Don't ever give up! Some birds will start eating them if they watch you eat them. Others may take their sweet time before they try. It is well worth it when they finally realize that veggies are good:)

My birds all get a fresh dish of pellets/seeds every morning, and they get veggies twice a day. They should always have food in their cage available.

Just want to clear this up...weaned means fully eating solid food, not just starting to.

I wish you the best, and I am so glad you joined us to ask questions.
Click to expand...
Wow, so useful, thanks Terry57
 
You're very welcome!
 
Tikitiel said:
just spray them from far away so only the mist is touching the bird and let the bird enjoy it dont force it to like it or offer them a bowl some birds (like my tiel ) absoultly hates bathing so dont force bathing you can train a bird to enjoy it but its up to you (dont use ANY shampoos even if says its for birds)
Click to expand...
GCCs (and all conures in general) LOVE dishes of water. They loooove bathing in general. Rather than just misting, I highly suggest just leaving a dish with water. They'll jump right into it!
 
Skarila said:
GCCs (and all conures in general) LOVE dishes of water. They loooove bathing in general. Rather than just misting, I highly suggest just leaving a dish with water. They'll jump right into it!
Click to expand...
Oh yes, I have seen a few vids on YouTube, I will definitely try both of the methods, see which one works best. Thanks Skarila.
 
I'm honestly very wary with getting a GCC at such a young age while in school. We all know the online school will cease in a few months, maybe a year. these birds easily live up to 20+ years. problems start once someone goes off to College to another town/state/country, and in those cases 99% they cannot bring the bird with them, so the parents have to take care of it. In my case, I attended uni in my hometown, so never had to go anywhere, but when I moved out to another country, later on I took the bird with me. Your parents must be ready to accept that perhaps the bird will fall onto their shoulders. They must be ok with that.

Conures hate changes. They are really sensitive to changes, and I could see it with my own eyes compared to all other birds I had.
A badly socialised conure can be a living hell. While it might be cute to have a clingy bird at the beginning, if you're gone anywhere for the day, or just go to the kitchen, they can shout. And I mean bark endlessly. Not fun. Make sure everyone in the house works with the bird equally. Everyone gives a treat, everyone makes a training session, people joining you if you're the one doing it, this way if you do have to go to somewhere, other people in the house can take care of the bird. Often it happens is that the bird gets attached to one person and refuse to work with the other people in the house. Conures are not as sensitive as African Greys for example, but they sure can get depressed and become problematic if their favourite person is not there.

I have a tiny Emma's conure which is smaller and more easy going than a GCC, and even then he's such a handful. Compared to a cockatiel, who is twice their size, conures are most certainly much needier, messier, everything -er. They are like big parrots in a small body. What I loved about cockatiels is how laid back they are. They love just chilling with you, and they often do not bite immediately but rather just flink their beak as a warning. Conures go for the bite (My Pascal is an exception - he never ever bit me out of agression, but out of fear he can sure bloody my hands). Another issue with Conures is that they need MUCH more attention in comparison to a cockatiel. They are little funny clowns, but they need hella lot more work and stimulation. I'd never suggest conures at such a young age to be a full responsibility. The parents should be part of the flock too, and it can get really hard to convince the parents to do something out of the ordinary.

And getting a bird usually means changing a lifestyle. No dogs or cats in the future while the bird is alive. Cleaning more often, making sure fresh veggies and fruits are there, accepting their furniture might be chewed up, mom's favourite figurine crashed because the bird liked it flying off the shelf, your textbooks chewed up because useful books taste so good. And closing the bird in the cage more often because it is "misbehaving" is so damaging for the bird. Unless they have a humongous aviary at home.

Reason why I'm more of cockatiels is because of their laid back nature. They are super rarely one person birds, they can have favourites, but not as strongly as a conure. They do not bite as much or hard, are SUPER cute with their little crests (How can you not love it???) and the males can whistle so CUTE. I love their calm nature so much. A handraised cockatiel can be such a great pet. Very easy going and not so prone to destroy everything. I have to admit, our Archie (the cockatiel) wasn't as much distracting as Pascal. And I remember the post regarding the dander - Unless you have a whole flock of tiels, you should be fine. Air purifier in the house, and all should be ok.

Lost story short - the whole family must agree on getting the bird, at such a young age, it must be everyone's responsibility, as they are not cats or dogs, these are still exotic animals which are not fully domestic. Sorry for being a Debbie Downer, but my parents go a ringneck couple of months before me being born, and they've taken care of the bird in such an awful and bad way, later in my 20's I've realised that, and ever since then I am at war with my parents regarding it as they cannot to this day understand what it means to keep a bird and how a bird should be kept.
 
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Skarila said:
I'm honestly very wary with getting a GCC at such a young age while in school. We all know the online school will cease in a few months, maybe a year. these birds easily live up to 20+ years. problems start once someone goes off to College to another town/state/country, and in those cases 99% they cannot bring the bird with them, so the parents have to take care of it. In my case, I attended uni in my hometown, so never had to go anywhere, but when I moved out to another country, later on I took the bird with me. Your parents must be ready to accept that perhaps the bird will fall onto their shoulders. They must be ok with that.

Conures hate changes. They are really sensitive to changes, and I could see it with my own eyes compared to all other birds I had.
A badly socialised conure can be a living hell. While it might be cute to have a clingy bird at the beginning, if you're gone anywhere for the day, or just go to the kitchen, they can shout. And I mean bark endlessly. Not fun. Make sure everyone in the house works with the bird equally. Everyone gives a treat, everyone makes a training session, people joining you if you're the one doing it, this way if you do have to go to somewhere, other people in the house can take care of the bird. Often it happens is that the bird gets attached to one person and refuse to work with the other people in the house. Conures are not as sensitive as African Greys for example, but they sure can get depressed and become problematic if their favourite person is not there.

I have a tiny Emma's conure which is smaller and more easy going than a GCC, and even then he's such a handful. Compared to a cockatiel, who is twice their size, conures are most certainly much needier, messier, everything -er. They are like big parrots in a small body. What I loved about cockatiels is how laid back they are. They love just chilling with you, and they often do not bite immediately but rather just flink their beak as a warning. Conures go for the bite (My Pascal is an exception - he never ever bit me out of agression, but out of fear he can sure bloody my hands). Another issue with Conures is that they need MUCH more attention in comparison to a cockatiel. They are little funny clowns, but they need hella lot more work and stimulation. I'd never suggest conures at such a young age to be a full responsibility. The parents should be part of the flock too, and it can get really hard to convince the parents to do something out of the ordinary.

And getting a bird usually means changing a lifestyle. No dogs or cats in the future while the bird is alive. Cleaning more often, making sure fresh veggies and fruits are there, accepting their furniture might be chewed up, mom's favourite figurine crashed because the bird liked it flying off the shelf, your textbooks chewed up because useful books taste so good. And closing the bird in the cage more often because it is "misbehaving" is so damaging for the bird. Unless they have a humongous aviary at home.

Reason why I'm more of cockatiels is because of their laid back nature. They are super rarely one person birds, they can have favourites, but not as strongly as a conure. They do not bite as much or hard, are SUPER cute with their little crests (How can you not love it???) and the males can whistle so CUTE. I love their calm nature so much. A handraised cockatiel can be such a great pet. Very easy going and not so prone to destroy everything. I have to admit, our Archie (the cockatiel) wasn't as much distracting as Pascal. And I remember the post regarding the dander - Unless you have a whole flock of tiels, you should be fine. Air purifier in the house, and all should be ok.

Lost story short - the whole family must agree on getting the bird, at such a young age, it must be everyone's responsibility, as they are not cats or dogs, these are still exotic animals which are not fully domestic. Sorry for being a Debbie Downer, but my parents go a ringneck couple of months before me being born, and they've taken care of the bird in such an awful and bad way, later in my 20's I've realised that, and ever since then I am at war with my parents regarding it as they cannot to this day understand what it means to keep a bird and how a bird should be kept.
Click to expand...
Wow, thanks a lot for your advice Skarila, and yes, I have thought about everything that you mentioned and I will make sure to socialize my bird properly. And yes my parents are very willing to get a bird. I will surely keep your advice in mind. The thing is, I had considered cockatiels but the dust had very much concerned me and the thing is I don't want my bird to be all that chill, I want it to be very acrobatic. But yes, I have taken into consideration every thing you mentioned and have discussed it with my parents, they have analyzed my research and have said I'm ready and that they will help and will handle the bird in my absence. Thanks Skarila.
 
BirdAddictK said:
Wow, thanks a lot for your advice Skarila, and yes, I have thought about everything that you mentioned and I will make sure to socialize my bird properly. And yes my parents are very willing to get a bird. I will surely keep your advice in mind. The thing is, I had considered cockatiels but the dust had very much concerned me and the thing is I don't want my bird to be all that chill, I want it to be very acrobatic. But yes, I have taken into consideration every thing you mentioned and have discussed it with my parents, they have analyzed my research and have said I'm ready and that they will help and will handle the bird in my absence. Thanks Skarila.
Click to expand...
If you and your family are keen on getting a conure, here's my piece of advice - get a curtain or a washable wallpaper which will be behind the bird's cage. Trust me. These birds fling their fruits and veggies EVERYWHERE. Not our cockatiel, budgies, ringneck nor the senegal did such things. As soon you offer red fruit/berries, you can say goodbye to the clean walls. xD
 
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