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

[GaleriaGila]

Welllllllllll, you're doing this RIGHT! Reaching out, learning, sharing.

I'll give you my usual "newby" chat below.
But most of all, stick with us. A great Community is soooooooooo important!




Here's some reading on bonding for you.

Tips for Bonding and Building Trust

Parrots rarely bite each other, because they convey their feelings beforehand or fly off to avoid physical contact. If it feels cornered and frighten then need to bite will be from the natural instinct of self -preservation. The cage is the Parrot safe haven and any attempt to enter, add or...

www.parrotforums.com

General Parrot Information

Post here for general parrot related topics

www.parrotforums.com

http://goodbirdinc.blogspot.com/2012...n-parrots.html

Most of us swear by our avian vets in the event of health concerns.
Certified Avian Vets

Find an ABVP Specialist - American Board of Veterinary Practitioners

Find a Specialist ABVP Diplomates have proven knowledge and expertise above and beyond what is required to practice veterinary medicine. Beyond that, they have earned the privilege to specialize in the treatment of one or more categories of animals. Diplomates are in 49 of the 50 US states...

abvp.com

If none are near you...
Avian Veterinarians

http://www.aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803

In my opinion, any of the vets listed here should be better than a regular vet.
International contacts, too.

What's the diet? That's critical for health. Too many are kept on seeds or other poor-nutrition things. They need veggies, legumes, grains... pellets are a good staple. Here's what I use.

HARRISON’S BIRD FOODS – CERTIFIED ORGANIC BIRD FOOD

See what's new at Harrison's Bird Foods: Certified organic, non-GMO diets for birds. Nutritionally complete for all life stages.

www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com

I feed Harrison's, supplemented by fresh healthy treats. My first, and later, my current avian vet recommended it. My bird loves the pellets now, but to get him converted, my avian vet suggested putting pellets out all day, and putting seeds (his old diet) out for two 15-minute periods a day. That would sustain him but leave him hungry enough to try new stuff. I presume the same technique could be used to get him to eat other healthy stuff, like fruits and vegetables! My guy was eating pellets in a couple of days, and now I can feed a good variety of other stuff, knowing he has the pellets as a basic. Pellets are out all day... fresh treats a few times a day. I also like Harrison's via mail because I never have to worry about out-of-date products.

Since you're a new parront, I'll just drop a note about avoiding teflon pans, which can be lethal to birds if overheated.

I'm glad you're here. Lots to learn and share and enjoy!

 

[BirdAddictK]

Welllllllllll, you're doing this RIGHT! Reaching out, learning, sharing.

I'll give you my usual "newby" chat below.
But most of all, stick with us. A great Community is soooooooooo important!




Here's some reading on bonding for you.

Tips for Bonding and Building Trust

Parrots rarely bite each other, because they convey their feelings beforehand or fly off to avoid physical contact. If it feels cornered and frighten then need to bite will be from the natural instinct of self -preservation. The cage is the Parrot safe haven and any attempt to enter, add or...

www.parrotforums.com

General Parrot Information

Post here for general parrot related topics

www.parrotforums.com

http://goodbirdinc.blogspot.com/2012...n-parrots.html

Most of us swear by our avian vets in the event of health concerns.
Certified Avian Vets

Find an ABVP Specialist - American Board of Veterinary Practitioners

Find a Specialist ABVP Diplomates have proven knowledge and expertise above and beyond what is required to practice veterinary medicine. Beyond that, they have earned the privilege to specialize in the treatment of one or more categories of animals. Diplomates are in 49 of the 50 US states...

abvp.com

If none are near you...
Avian Veterinarians

http://www.aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803

In my opinion, any of the vets listed here should be better than a regular vet.
International contacts, too.

What's the diet? That's critical for health. Too many are kept on seeds or other poor-nutrition things. They need veggies, legumes, grains... pellets are a good staple. Here's what I use.

HARRISON’S BIRD FOODS – CERTIFIED ORGANIC BIRD FOOD

See what's new at Harrison's Bird Foods: Certified organic, non-GMO diets for birds. Nutritionally complete for all life stages.

www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com

I feed Harrison's, supplemented by fresh healthy treats. My first, and later, my current avian vet recommended it. My bird loves the pellets now, but to get him converted, my avian vet suggested putting pellets out all day, and putting seeds (his old diet) out for two 15-minute periods a day. That would sustain him but leave him hungry enough to try new stuff. I presume the same technique could be used to get him to eat other healthy stuff, like fruits and vegetables! My guy was eating pellets in a couple of days, and now I can feed a good variety of other stuff, knowing he has the pellets as a basic. Pellets are out all day... fresh treats a few times a day. I also like Harrison's via mail because I never have to worry about out-of-date products.

Since you're a new parront, I'll just drop a note about avoiding teflon pans, which can be lethal to birds if overheated.

I'm glad you're here. Lots to learn and share and enjoy!

Thanks a lot!

 

[Danuofr12]

Hi everyone in the forum! I don't have a bird yet. I'm planning to get a bird this November or so. I used to read many threads on the forum and since I knew that the forum is the best way to get info, I joined. Pls give all info because I am novice and I live in an apartment. I want info on GCC because that's the bird I wanna get. I have lots of time because I only go to school(online school) I am 11 yrs. I have no other activities. Pls give all advice you can. Thanks!

Honestly I'd start with a cockatiel. When you've successfully raised it for a few years, you can let it go and then buy a GCC.

 

[LaManuka]

Honestly I'd start with a cockatiel. When you've successfully raised it for a few years, you can let it go and then buy a GCC.

I'm sorry but this is terrible advice. Birds should never simply be let go under any circumstances. It is cruel and usually fatal to the parrot concerned. Our parrots are beloved members of our families and should not simply be discarded just because something a little fancier or more exotic comes along. There is no such thing as a "starter" parrot.

 

[Scott]

Honestly I'd start with a cockatiel. When you've successfully raised it for a few years, you can let it go and then buy a GCC.

Honestly, I'd carefully research and cherish my first bird for remainder of its life. Unconditional love of companion parrot is two-way proposition, letting a parrot go is symptomatic of manifest cruelty.

 

[obeck]

And could you pls give me tips on how to bathe a bird?

I put mine on a perch in the shower and let them do their thing. I tried the misting in the cage and it was not good for the bottom of the cage and my birds didn't like it. I got them a shower perch.

 

[TheVolk]

Hi everyone in the forum! I don't have a bird yet. I'm planning to get a bird this November or so. I used to read many threads on the forum and since I knew that the forum is the best way to get info, I joined. Pls give all info because I am novice and I live in an apartment. I want info on GCC because that's the bird I wanna get. I have lots of time because I only go to school(online school) I am 11 yrs. I have no other activities. Pls give all advice you can. Thanks!

I have a yellow sided GCC. She’s amazing. I don’t know that it’s a girl but she most certainly acts like it. Very protective and jealous around hooman females.

GCC is the way to go for an apartment. Mine screeches every now and then but mostly she can only be heard from inside my room. Her bedtime noises are hilarious.

Birb will be your life. My (ex) wife I would have traded in for my bird in a heartbeat. Unconditional love is what you’ll receive in return for your vigilance, care, and spoilage of said bird.

Happy Trails.

 

[TheVolk]

Honestly, I'd carefully research and cherish my first bird for remainder of its life. Unconditional love of companion parrot is two-way proposition, letting a parrot go is symptomatic of manifest cruelty.

Haha wow… this is a good human

 

[mochi.the.ysgcc]

And could you pls give me tips on how to bathe a bird?

I have four GCC. They're natural at bathing. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU DON'T SPRAY THEM EVER. Spray bathes are best only for large birds, macaws, Amazon's etc. Place a shallow bowl of cold water and I guarantee you they'll figure it out and have a blast bathing in a bowl, or some trickle water in their sink so they can play in that. They're naturals at it. I read you're 11 years old. I'm not trying to be a nag but taking care of just one bird is extremely costly, a lot of work, and constant attention. There are SO MANY green cheeks that need rescuing as people don't realize how hard bird husbandry really is. I think it's great that you're doing your research. Six months prior to getting my first bird I was on a YouTube craze. There's so many great videos out there. Please don't buy them at a pet store or breeder if possible. You'll need a very large cage, with different types of perches (nothing with sandpaper, or those cheap ones that come with the cage as they're really bad for their feet), lots of shredding toys, Google parrot safe toys, as lots of the toys they sell are actually quite dangerous, NO HIDY HUT unless it's fleece only. Now for the diet. NO avocado, chocolate, onions, garlic. Don't feed them a seed only diet. You'll want to invest in a good pellet, I use Harrison's which is kinda pricey but worth it. If you can't afford that, you can try the natural zupreem for "cockatiels". Never get the pellets with color in it. They need lots of fresh greens, some fruit, and clean water all the time. Getting a bird is nothing like getting a cat or dog. You need patience. I highly recommend you not clip their wings as birds should be able to fly. There's so much more I wish I knew, but the key is research, which I'm glad you're doing. I'd be more than happy to help you along the way if interested. Feel free to message me anytime. My name's Miyeko, I live in LA with my two cats and four birds. Take care and have a great week!!

 

[mochi.the.ysgcc]

Hi everyone in the forum! I don't have a bird yet. I'm planning to get a bird this November or so. I used to read many threads on the forum and since I knew that the forum is the best way to get info, I joined. Pls give all info because I am novice and I live in an apartment. I want info on GCC because that's the bird I wanna get. I have lots of time because I only go to school(online school) I am 11 yrs. I have no other activities. Pls give all advice you can. Thanks!

One thing I forgot to mention. If you get a bird, say adios to anything Teflon, pots, pans(buy ceramic non stick pans, or steel), hair straightener/dryers, nothing artificial, like candles, air freshener, plug ins, perfumes, and more. For cleaning just use vinegar, baking soda and hot water. Works like a charm!! They love hanging out in the shower with you, and the steam is great for their feather's

 

[mochi.the.ysgcc]

just make sure to buy atleast 1-2 foraging toys

You'll realize how much you spend on bird toys, just to have them prefer to play with boxes, plastic bottle caps, news paper, your rubber bands....your clean trash basically, lol.

 

[mochi.the.ysgcc]

Yes I will. And could you give me advice on what to do when I get the bird home, the first few days so that I can take it form a bond with it?

Me again, lol. The day you bring home your new bird. Put the cage in a corner. Feel out the birds mood. But I'd just sit there next to him talking, singing, offering a treat through the cage, just be there with him. Some people prefer to leave the bird in it's cage so it can acclimate to it, and some let them out the same day. I'd check out "Manda and Rio the GCC" on YouTube. She helped me tremendously!!!

 

[CreativewKids]

And could other Conure owners pls put in their advice for me? All advice appreciated thanks!

Hi there. I'm so happy to hear that you have been doing your research! It's the most important part!
My 1st green cheek, unfortunately, died b4 he turned 8 and we don't know why. I have a new one now. She's a bit over a yr and a half.

So I don't want to make this too long but you can feel free to ask me any questions.

1) green cheek conures are known to be nippy in general and it is worse when they are little. There are ways to teach them so they don't bite as often. I recommend looking up older videos on YouTube if your parents let. It's called Mandy and Rio. Not all of her stuff worked for me but she has lots of good advice.

You can potty train them. Never 100% bc they are birds but so far, w both of my green cheeks I saw rt away that they prefer not to poop on you so I trained both of them.
(Actually, my first one I trained mostly bc if he waited too long,instead of flying off of me to go he would become really aggressive and bite me. so training him was good for both of us.)

 

[CreativewKids]

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.

You can train your green cheek to be social w everyone and you definitely should. What I always do is, in the beginning I hold my bird perched on my finger facing the person. I introduce my bird to the person and let them kinda feel out the situation. I'll say yes, Leah's one of my friends. She's so nice. Etc.
Then I would calmly take the person's hand and have them put their finger out as a perch. Slowly. Then I would say do you want to step up on Leah? And see what happens. They know which ones they want to step up on and which ones they don't.

It's more of an issue of the other ppl. Human natural tendency is to put their finger out, or try to pet them etc bc most ppl are used to dogs and cats but it doesn't work that way w birds.

But conures are generally not known for favoring one human and becoming aggressive w others. ESPECIALLY if you train it to be social from the beginning.

You'll see, it's more like having a 3 yr old Human around than a pet. The more you include them in your daily life the better it is for everyone.

 

[CreativewKids]

And could other Conure owners pls put in their advice for me? All advice appreciated thanks!

Hey. I'm trying to catch up on so much and would love to help you as much as possible but I think I can only do this one more for tonight.
Okay so one question I have is if you will go to pick out your green cheek bc usually, you'll find that you and one of the birds are attracted to each other. My first one we picked each other. My second one picked me and I'm so so happy she did.

If you find one that you connect w in the store you are already ahead of the game in terms of bonding and such.
You can see in the picture. This was when I decided to get her at the store.

 

[CreativewKids]

And could other Conure owners pls put in their advice for me? All advice appreciated thanks!

One of the things you want to train them to do is step up. They catch on pretty quickly. From there, as you get to know your bird, you'll see what works for them to come out of their cage in the am. This one will not come out on my finger. She comes out to the top of the cage, waits for me to open the curtains and then tell her the weather. And yes I'm serious. Lol. Then she goes to her basket and goes to the bathroom.
(When they say big personalities in a little body.... they are not kidding)

 

[CreativewKids]

And could other Conure owners pls put in their advice for me? All advice appreciated thanks!

You should also know that parrots are very stubborn and you can't discipline them like you would other pets. First off they don't understand. They see you getting worked up so they become more animated as well and could see it as a game.

Since they usually want to be w you, the best way to show them you do not the behavior is to put them down away from you and say no. And try not to react too much which is know is difficult when they are biting you.

I will also tell you from my own personal experience is that I didn't want to clip her wings in the beginning but I had to for safety reasons. In the end it had taken 3x but now I think she is mature enough to have full flight. I didn't want to believe it's true but it is harder to train them when their wings aren't clipped bc they can become the dominant one.

 

[CreativewKids]

And could other Conure owners pls put in their advice for me? All advice appreciated thanks!

Also, I have never responded to anyone ni hope,if you do have a question, that I'll find out by email or something.

In any case the last thing I'll say is that they should be out of the cage as much as you can when you are home. I got a gym for the kitchen so when she's in here she has a place to hang out w toys and food and water . And when I'm in the main room (I'm also in an apt) She has her cage w some toys attached on the outside of the cage and the door is open.

They are loud compared to parakeets but it's not all the time. Also, the key key thing is to be in tune with your bird and learn its behaviors. They do small things that tell you something if you are aware and attuned to it. It's what they do w their flocks in the wild.

It won't stop everything but it will cut down on screaming/biting as you learn what they are trying to tell you.
It also helps when you identify it to them w a word. Like, do you want to go to the bathroom? Do you want to go to your gym? This way you both have the same vocabulary. They are very smart and understand more than you think.

There's just so much to share but feel free to ask questions and hopefully I'll be notified and I'll try to help you.

I personally don't have a separate cage for sleeping. And even if I would, it doesn't really work in my apt. So if I need her to stop something I won't always put her in her cage so that she doesn't associate bad w the cage
Sometimes she just needs a break and I do put her in and that's important too.

 

[Briburd]

Hi everyone in the forum! I don't have a bird yet. I'm planning to get a bird this November or so. I used to read many threads on the forum and since I knew that the forum is the best way to get info, I joined. Pls give all info because I am novice and I live in an apartment. I want info on GCC because that's the bird I wanna get. I have lots of time because I only go to school(online school) I am 11 yrs. I have no other activities. Pls give all advice you can. Thanks!

Hi, I have a GCC. He is just 6 months old and I got him from a very reputable breeder. He was hand fed so he bonded with me immediately. I did a lot of research leading up to getting him and got all the supplies I needed before bringing him home. I suggest the Prevue wrought iron cage model 3151 it is what I have and it’s perfect for a GCC and apartment living, you can find it on petco or chewy. I also got a travel cage, conure bird seed, lafeber's nutriberries, and conure safe fruits and veggies to make for his “chop.“ GCC needs lots of fruits and veggies just make sure you follow a bird safe food list. You can check out my cage set up on my profile for an idea on perches, toys, etc. Here is a quick list of what to expect from my experience so far with a young GCC. Very cuddly/love bug, a tiny ball of energy….like a lot of energy!. Can be mouthy…mostly nips but can get bratty and bite hard when he doesn’t get his way. Wants to be with you all the time and is very needy but makes up for it in cuddles. My biggest advice is that make sure you are ready to devote 30 years of your life to your GCC. Also, be prepared to provide a lot of attention and interaction with him/her. I am head over heels for my GCC and already love him so much. He is a handful but brings so much excitement and joy to my life. I am so excited for you and will give anymore advice if you need.

 

[Zoruace]

You'll realize how much you spend on bird toys, just to have them prefer to play with boxes, plastic bottle caps, news paper, your rubber bands....your clean trash basically, lol.

im a bird spoiler-
my bird is very spoiled wouldnt touch a bottle cap lol