Green Cheek Conure?

[SolarEclipse]

Hi all!
I was thinking on possibly getting a green cheek conure.
I want to give it the best home possible, and that includes doing research right? And what better place to do it than a forum 8D
Could yall tell me the habits of the GCC? Note this is only a possibility
Could you tell me
The pros?
The cons?
Their diet and cage size, and stuff like that?
Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[Phlox]

GCCs are my favorite conure, personally. They aren't without flaws, but for me those flaws are easily manageable.

Now, mind you, every bird is different but in general GCCs are known for being playful and energetic, funny as well as cuddly. They are quiet (for a conure) and are usually forward and brave.

However, they are forward and brave and that also means aggressive. This can be tempered, but they are territorial and pair bond birds, so they can get over protective of their chosen mate. They are also known for being nippy and beaky, but that is usually something older birds grow out of if properly socialized.

All in all, they are a nice small bird and I think quite a good beginner bird.

 

[SolarEclipse]

GCCs are my favorite conure, personally. They aren't without flaws, but for me those flaws are easily manageable.

Now, mind you, every bird is different but in general GCCs are known for being playful and energetic, funny as well as cuddly. They are quiet (for a conure) and are usually forward and brave.

However, they are forward and brave and that also means aggressive. This can be tempered, but they are territorial and pair bond birds, so they can get over protective of their chosen mate. They are also known for being nippy and beaky, but that is usually something older birds grow out of if properly socialized.

All in all, they are a nice small bird and I think quite a good beginner bird.

Thank you! I had actually done a little bit of research awhile back, and thank you for knowing what to expect. I can sometimes get caught up in other things but will always put aside time for a gcc

 

[SilverSage]

Ok, so, first of all I LOVE GCCs! They are my FAVORITE kind of pet, even though I am a huge dog lover and horse fanatic, I would recommend them as a first pet, last pet, and every pet in between!

Ok, First, pick a color. Look at the mutations and find one that you just CANNOT live without. For me that is all of them There is no personality difference between colors, though I have noticed that the turquoises I have seen tend to be a little bigger, but that could just be by chance.

Ok, yes, good job, research the PANTS off of this before you dive in. Decide if you want to rescue/adopt, buy from a breeder, pet store, whatever. Many people will tell you to go hand fed, and that is fine, but it is not the be-all-end-all of pet birds, taming one yourself is very special if you have the time and patience for it. My snuggliest, bravest, cutest, funniest GCC is a turquoise named Buddy who was never handle for the first 2 years of his life. You will get bitten, yes, and it will break your heart but earning trust is worth it. So research and choose, but keep in mind no matter where you get your bird they might not feel safe, and you might have to "tame" them even if they have been hand fed.

Ok, find a cage. Pick the biggest one you can afford and then save up until you can double it. We all love our fids and want them with us as much as possible, but there are going to be times when your bird is confined to his cage, like when you are on vacation, at work, or if you have other pets like dogs and cats that could potentially KILL you baby, but who also need attention. For me, I try to make sure my birds have room to actually FLY across the cage, like, at least 3-5 wing-beats. People who have Macaws probably cannot realistically do that and still live in the same house as their birds, but with a GCC it is not too hard. Pick a cage with bars close enough together that your bird cannot stick his head out between them. I like to get long cages rather than tall, so I can put perches on either end and leave flying space in the middle, but I also like my birds to be flighted rather than clipped (big can of worms I won't get into here, I do believe in clipping in some situations, in fact I clipped one today. I just dont think it is best most of the time).

Speaking of clipping, decide if you will or not. Read material on BOTH SIDES of the argument, think about your lifestyle and living situation, etc, and make a choice whether you will clip or not. Ask advice from other people, but ultimately you need to choose.

READ READ READ but make sure you are reading GOOD stuff, not random garbage from people who don't really know. This forum is GREAT for advice, but do other research as well. I highly suggest reading everything you can get your hands on by Dr. Steve Hartman of Hartman Aviary. This is the only man in the world running a breeding program aimed at ACTUALLY DOMESTICATING parrots, he also is the inventor of the Aviator Harness which I swear by. I would post the link but his site has things for sale so we are not allowed to post it here. The Parrot University is the other thing he runs, google them and read away! This is the one in Ohio, the one in SC is not related as far as I know. Also read everything you can by Barbara Heidenreich, of Good Bird Inc. She is a world-renowned animal behaviorist and trainer and offers a lot of REALLY good advice. Sign up for her free stuff! Like how to train your bird to let you clip his nails, or give him medicine! A lot of people claim to be experts, make sure you read things by people who actually ARE experts!

My GCCs are mostly quiet as long as they get fed on time. They yell in the morning and evening as the sun rises and sets, and Flick flock calls if she is left in a room alone. Typically the bird's noise level will mirror that if the house. If my husband and I are trying to have a conversation from two different rooms, Flick ALWAYS interrupts. When we yell, she yells! My IRNs are always loud when there are kids over, but then again the kids are always loud. They are generally considered a good bird to have in an apartment, but you can never make that promise that the bird you are getting will fit that stereo-type.


As for diet, there are some main schools of thought. Most common right now is the idea that a bird should be on a pelleted diet as the main food. Others feed only seeds, and some feed only fresh food. Most people believe seeds alone to be far too fatty, but I have also heard that a high quality seed diet is much more natural than pellets. We know that for humans the less processed the food, the better. Personally I prefer to feed fresh veggies (fruits only as treats of when transitioning a bird to fresh food) as the main food and supplement with pellets (especially during breeding season or stressful periods) and feed seeds as treats along with fruit.

ok as far as deciding if the GCC is the right choice:
Pros: Small, inexpensive, quiet, smart, curious, not that big of a beak, not "too messy" as far as parrots go, they come in SO MANY colors! They have a reputation for being really snuggly, but they can be acrobats as well. None of mine are "one person" birds, or even "one bird" birds.

Cons: They have a reputation for being "nippy" however none of mine are. We had a period of time when Flick was, but as with any behavior problem, there was a cause. Always look for a cause when there is the problem, rather than assuming it is the animal's fault. An old boss of mine used to say about horses that if something was going wrong you ask yourself 3 questions "Is it me?" Am I doing something to cause this? "is it the equipment?" I substitute health here, get a problem bird check out by the vet ASAP, and consider whether the bird i getting enough sleep, play time, and the right food. And then he would say "Is it the horse (bird)" and he would always emphasize that it almost never was the animal just being a jerk for no reason. Ok, I admit, the only real "con" to a GCC is if your heart is set on a different bird. Really, if what you want is to "work your way up" to another bird, dont get a GCC because they can live 30+ years and they deserve to be your bestie that whole time, not be replaced by a bigger/flashier bird, or one that is more likely to talk. GCCs can learn, but many never do, btw. Generally as volume decreases so does talking potential.

Do you have any specific questions?

 

[SolarEclipse]

That actually helped me ALOT. I mean i was like wow there is like no other way to explain this better. Im taking notes on what i have researched. Thank you, SilverSage!

 

[SilverSage]

No problem I love all my birds, but the GCCs steal my heart every day. They all have different personalities but "cheeky" is the word that comes to mind to describe them best. I have one who wants to lay on her back in your hand and take a nap all day, another doesnt care what happens as long as he gets FOOD! RIGHT NOW! GIVE ME THE FOOD!! Another is a velcro bird - if she could spend all day on your shoulder getting in the way of everything, she would. Also, your drink is her drink, no matter what it is. I have 2 that came together and I am the 5th place they have lived: breeder, pet store, first home, second home, then me. The second home was with a filthy mean woman who I believe to be a hoarder, and I believe she sold me the birds because she was out of food money. These two are STILL sweet as can be! One of them does not like my husband very much for some reason, but even then is not really nippy, just kind of snappy if Josh tries to pet him. They are so smart and eager in life!

The best advice I can give is to go and play with one, or twelve, or however many it takes to know if you are in love with that species. If you arent, pick a different species and start over. I have several kinds of birds, but to me the GCC is a dream come true. However I have friends who really want a "parrot parrot" meaning one that will say a bucnh of things, sing, and look big - that is not the GCC, so if that is what you want look elsewhere, but again, I dont understand how anyone could not love these guys.

Another thing I forgot to mention, is when you get your bird make sure you have a plan for how it will sleep. They need to be around the activities of your daily life, not isolated, but they also need 12 or more hours of DARK, QUIET sleep time per night. People ay they are nippy, but I think sometimes that can be due to not enough sleep; I know I am nippy when I am sleep-deprived!!

Most of the things I have said pertain to many kinds of birds, not just Green Cheeks. Congrats on entering this journey, I can't wait to hear about your new bird, regardless of species!

 

[SolarEclipse]

No problem I love all my birds, but the GCCs steal my heart every day. They all have different personalities but "cheeky" is the word that comes to mind to describe them best. I have one who wants to lay on her back in your hand and take a nap all day, another doesnt care what happens as long as he gets FOOD! RIGHT NOW! GIVE ME THE FOOD!! Another is a velcro bird - if she could spend all day on your shoulder getting in the way of everything, she would. Also, your drink is her drink, no matter what it is. I have 2 that came together and I am the 5th place they have lived: breeder, pet store, first home, second home, then me. The second home was with a filthy mean woman who I believe to be a hoarder, and I believe she sold me the birds because she was out of food money. These two are STILL sweet as can be! One of them does not like my husband very much for some reason, but even then is not really nippy, just kind of snappy if Josh tries to pet him. They are so smart and eager in life!

The best advice I can give is to go and play with one, or twelve, or however many it takes to know if you are in love with that species. If you arent, pick a different species and start over. I have several kinds of birds, but to me the GCC is a dream come true. However I have friends who really want a "parrot parrot" meaning one that will say a bucnh of things, sing, and look big - that is not the GCC, so if that is what you want look elsewhere, but again, I dont understand how anyone could not love these guys.

Another thing I forgot to mention, is when you get your bird make sure you have a plan for how it will sleep. They need to be around the activities of your daily life, not isolated, but they also need 12 or more hours of DARK, QUIET sleep time per night. People ay they are nippy, but I think sometimes that can be due to not enough sleep; I know I am nippy when I am sleep-deprived!!

Most of the things I have said pertain to many kinds of birds, not just Green Cheeks. Congrats on entering this journey, I can't wait to hear about your new bird, regardless of species!

Um i was gonna put him/her in my room cuz i have 2 dogs ._.
But i will also be spending quite a bit of time with him/her so do you think yhis js acceptable? Guess i need to do a lot more research than i thought lol

 

[SolarEclipse]

Was also wondering your guys' opinion if i chose to use a flight suit so that i could take him/her around the house?

 

[SilverSage]

I do NOT suggest keeping your bird in your room, unless you are someone who spends ALL their time in their room. Birds are incredibly social creatures. Different people have different ways of dealing with other pets, I highly suggest searching the forums and gathering info on what will work best in your case. If you keep the bird isolated in your room, do not be surprised if you find yourself with an angry biter, screamer, plucker, or terrified bird. I personally have a dog as well, and right now we are dog sitting for a friend so we have 2 dogs in the house.

What do you mean "take it around the house"? Your bird should not need any kind of suit to accompany you around your house, in fact it should spend several hours a day at least doing just that. Birds are not like fish; they cannot just be left in their enclosures, even if you sit by them and talk to them. If you mean you want to take him OUT of the house, you could TRAIN him to wear a flight suit, but I MUCH prefer the Aviator harness. It is MUCH safer! Also, the Flight Suit comes with a little cartoon for instructions, the Aviator comes with a 45 minute DVD teaching you how to TRAIN your bird to wear it. If you rush, skip, or in some other way mess up the intro and training, your bird my NEVER submit to wearing a harness.

 

[MissLarissa]

I personally feed my bird seeds and add fruits and veggies as an add on during the day because if he eats too much of it he gets diherreah, but he is also really picky. When I was looking them up I saw someone describe them perfectly....conures are huge personality in a little body, kind of like a terrier...and that's true. I let my bird sleep in my roo., but I also take him down stairs to visit with my family and other pets. He is ALWAYS out of his cage unless I'm sleeping or out, believe me he prefers it that way. He will throw a fit if I leave him in his cage while I'm around the house.
My conure has no problem with dogs or cats. He's not afraid at all, he thinks he is bulletproof, so while I have to make sure he is safe from getting squished or bit, he is definitely not afraid of them. Put his cage out there with them while you can watch him and let them get use to eachother.
While they definitely come with a wide range of how touchy they are, they are all definitely sweet little things that know how to get their way. If you think you've seen persistent wait until you have one of these fellows. Lol

 

[MissLarissa]

And you can do all the reasearch possible, but nothing prepares you until you actually have one. They are smart, they'll help you out a little and we are here for the rest. I wasn't even planning on a bird, I just walked by and my little guy caught my heart.

 

[SolarEclipse]

SilverSage- my dogs chase wild birds for the fun so idk how that would work out....
MissLarissa- i will try to get my parents to keep it in our living room if at all possible if i get the bird.

 

[SolarEclipse]

I mean my dogs are Sheltie and Sheltie/shepherd and they are VERY smart so im sure i could retrain them to leave the bird alone (LMAO the Sheltie is afraid of my parakeet!)

 

[MissLarissa]

I think having the cage as protection and letting them smell each other and letting them get use to the idea is each other is a good way to start. I ha e 4 dogs and a cat ans they all get along well. The 4 small dogs kind of watch him but nothing more after they sniffed him and our standard poodle wants to be friends so badly but he is just too big and too much of a puppy to be trusted.

You never know how they'll act around each other until you try.

And while socialization is very good for your bird there isn't a problem with having him in your room sometimes to spend one on one time with him. You could always have the bird in the livingroom with you during the day and move him to your room for birdy bedtime

 

[SolarEclipse]

how about this for a cage;[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Prevue-Products-Wrought-Hammertone-3151BLK/dp/B000FRV3M2/"]http://www.amazon.com/Prevue-Products-Wrought-Hammertone-3151BLK/dp/B000FRV3M2/[/ame]
what are your thoughts and do you have a suggestion that might be better than this?
also I am in love with the cinnamon mutation
and I like the name Eclipse I have no idea why but I came up with it XD

 

[SolarEclipse]

Here is another cage
its fairly cheap so does that mean its not as good quality?
Your thoughts on the cage?
here is the link:
[ame=http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002SMC25E/ref=dra_a_sm_mr_hn_it_P1400_1000?tag=dradisplay-20&ascsubtag=4a251a2ef9bbf4ccc35f97aba2c9cbda]Amazon.com : New Large Play Top Bird Cage Parttot Finch Macaw Cockatoo Birdcages : Pet Supplies[/ame]

 

[SilverSage]

My dog also chases wild birds, but not my birds, but that was a VERY INTENSE training process that started with a LOT of study, and a lot of hard work and consistency and I am NOT saying you will be able to do it with your dogs. However, harsh as it may sound, if you do not have a safe way of giving your dogs and your birds enough attention, perhaps this is not the time in your life to be getting a bird? They live for 30 years, they are not something you can just "try out and see how it goes." I can't look at the cages right now but hopefully later.

 

[SolarEclipse]

Its all done. I planned EVERYTHING out and even if it ended up in my room im the kind of person who has almost 0 friends and spends alot of time in my room. But my parents said no and im heartbroken to not be able to own one of these clowns :'(

 

[amjokai]

SilverSage- my dogs chase wild birds for the fun so idk how that would work out....

MissLarissa- i will try to get my parents to keep it in our living room if at all possible if i get the bird.

I have a vizsla. She is a trained bird hunting dog. With a lot of training she learned really quickly that Inside birds were part of the pack but outside birds were hers to chase and point.

 

[RavensGryf]

One thing that comes to mind whenever I hear about when someone who lives as a minor under their parents rules, is that I always HOPE that the parents want the bird just as much as the member who is inquiring.

Most of the time I imagine, parents aren't 'bird people' and don't necessarily want to deal with much inconvenience after the bird arrives, which is why they tell the kid they need to keep it in their room. I would hate to hear that the owner's parents for whatever reason say "you need to get rid of that bird". That would be heartbreaking.