Nine month old green cheek

[jeffisme]

I have been visiting my local bird shop and playing with their pineapple green cheeks with the idea of buying one.

The bird in question is nine months old, will step up on my finger and seems to even like scratches on the head after just a few minutes of holding him.

Here's what I am wondering. I know about conures and noise and that green cheeks are relatively quiet for conures. I work at home, and the bird would be in and on a cage maybe six feet from where I work. He'd get plenty of attention and plenty of time where I hope he'd amuse himself.

The shop has a lot of other conures, and as expected they're noisy, ear splitting at times, but these two pineapples are extremely quiet. I've heard a loud brief whistley sound maybe once or twice in the total of an hour I've played with them. At nine months, are noise patterns established, or should I expect him to get quite a bit noisier when he establishes himself in the house.

I understand that all parrots make noise (I raised a yellow nape when I was in my 20s), but at their age, the fact that they're so quiet in the shop, is that an genuine indication of how they'll be at home, or maybe it's a sign of their discomfort.

I'm also curious about how Green cheeks are at amusing themselves, so that during the time when I need to really buckle down at the desk, he can be in with his toys having a good time.

thanks for any info,

jeff

 

[Flboy]

Over all, GCC are quieter than most....But.... It is real easy to teach them to be a screamer! We made this mistake with our first Tango!

 

[jeffisme]

Interesting, so what mistakes did you make?

 

[ZephyrFly]

To be honest, my green cheek, if he's out, he's a velcro bird. wants to be in the way/center of attention. love him all the same but he isn't very independent most of the time. BUT if he's in his cage he will sort of settle down, though he does like to hop on the spot looking at me for ages at a time (like right now as I've put him away for the night).
Not all green cheeks are the same but it's something to think about.

As for noise, flip a coin. If they seem happy (not anxious) and comfortable in the store and they're not being noisey buggers then you could be safe? But if you get them then you'll be taking them to a new environment, less other birds for company and less customers poking at them. Wont know how they act til you do it really. You can teach quieter behaviour though, takes time but it can be done.

Most of this is wont know til you try it, they might be clingy birds, but not necessarily (but green cheeks are known for being clingy more often then not). Same for noise, conures are known for being noisy but green cheeks are generally the less noisy of them. You can to some degree train more desirable behaviour, like being more independent or quieter.

 

[jeffisme]

great advice, thanks, makes a lot of sense.

 

[Piasa]

Loudest green cheek call is nothing compared to almost any other bird. If you're in another room with the door shut, they're probably not going to bother you.

Green cheek is pyrrhura genus, they are all quiet, not like the raspy loud calls of aratinga conures like suns.

My green cheek is quiet most of the time. He calls usually out of spookiness, like seeing a dog outside or hearing crinkling plastic bag noises. Sometimes, if he gets going he will continue to squawk. Sometimes he will contact call me, but he has never been obsessive. If he wants attention, he's more apt to talk and dance around than be noisy.

He's happy to sit with me, or sit on the tree near me and do bird stuff. He's not a big player, but likes pinata and bitey/shreddy type toys to nail once in awhile, and wheels and balls to throw around. I think he is more interested in watching what's going on as a form of entertainment, and climbing, dancing, strutting around being tough! He loves to eat.

YES on all Zephyr said! Clingy, but in the most wonderful way

 

[jeffisme]

argh, you're making it tough, and I see you also have a pionus, which is my other choice. I played with a Blue Headed for a long time last week in another bird store. Decided I just wanted to think about it overnight. When I went back to get her, she was already gone.

 

[Piasa]

Pionus are great too! They are very different from green cheeks in my experience, but both are wonderful, wonderful companions. Green cheek can't be LOUD loud. Pionus has a piercing scream (high pitch and clear, not like the ragged raspy loud) but tends not to use it. I've had both in an apartment and never problems.

 

[jeffisme]

They are also hard to find these days. I've been touch with a few breeders, and no one has any. Nesting season isn't for a few months, but I've also checked around for an older bird but no dice. Everyone seems to have a green cheek, though. the challenge is finding the right one. I loved the bird at the shop near me. She was happy to sit on my hand or visit with her buddy. I just worry that after a few weeks of settling into his new digs, he'd be a different bird.

When I went in today, they had just gotten a blue front amazon in, and you could tell the bird was just terrified at the new surroundings. Her owner had gotten sick and needed to rehome her. She'd step up but no petting. I'm sure when she finds a comfortable home, she'd be a different bird as well.

 

[Flboy]

Interesting, so what mistakes did you make?

By letting her train us. We always responded to the yelling for attention, so she learned to yell even louder! No different than any child! With JoJo, if he is loud, he stays in his cage, I will mimic some of his calls, but not take him out! My daughter says he can be a bit stubborn durning the day, I never see this, but we are a bonded pair!

 

[jeffisme]

I guess you just have to steel yourself when the screaming starts. I remember a friend who had a screaming cockatiel. It was ear-splitting. I don't remember if it ever stopped.

 

[kimbell]

My green cheek is very quiet for the most part, and I live in an apartment. he's his loudest in the mornings when he hears other birds outside or when he reacts to me turning over in my sleep. but when I respond to him "Pico PLEASE be quiet!!!" he will grouch at me and then stay quiet until I wake up. so I'd say it depends on the bird, but my GCC has always been content and well behaved when being "ignored" while I'm doing my own thing in the same room as him.
however, my housemates somewhat frequently tell me that when I'm gone (specifically in the mornings) Pico tends to scream a lot. but personally I've never heard him be too terribly loud, even when I feel as his he is at his loudest.

 

[jeffisme]

Thanks, do they say he screams for a long time or a few calls and quiet?

 

[JellyBean]

My GCC never screams - when we wants attention he talks... saying JellyBean (his name!) repeatedly or JellyBaby baby baby... very very cute!!! He is an absolute cuddle-bug... likes to be with you... if I cage him in the house - you hear the odd chirrup and squeak.. specially if I call to him..

 

[jeffisme]

this has all been helpful. I just got a call from a local breeder who has the bird that was my first choice, a pionus, so it looks like she'll be on her way here soon.

off to say hello to the pionus group.

 

[jeffisme]

so after weeks of more visiting and thinking about a GCC, or amazon, grey, quaker, it all slid back to my first choice. In a couple of weeks, I shall have a newly weaned green cheek. funny how my original instinct was the right one.

excited and grateful for all the good advice on this forum and elsewhere on the site.

 

[TacoNTiki]

I am so excited for you! We have had our gcc for 10 months now and got him when he was just 6 weeks old. He is such a baby towards my daughter and I, although he bites the heck out of my husband! I don't want to encourage everyone to only get newly weaned babies, as there are very sweet already loved older conures out there, but for us, I feel we have a strong bond with our Tiki having adopted him at such a young age. He trusts us completely and is very loving. He still bites... It's just their nature (especially at this age) but I love that he knows only us as his loving family and knock on wood that nothing ever happens that he can't stay with us until his time ends.

 

[dhraiden]

Congratulations, I hope you two make great companions for each other!

 

[jeffisme]

Any thoughts on the suitability of this cage? I like something that is wider than deep. I figure I could add a t-perch to the top with some more toys, that the bird might enjoy that more than a closed top:

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OLAPCLM?psc=1"]Amazon.com: Bird Parrot Cage 32"x18"x64" Overall Size Chinchilla Sugar Glider Cockatiel Supplies Color Optional(White Vein): Pet Supplies[/ame]

 

[dhraiden]

Any thoughts on the suitability of this cage?

Amazon.com: Bird Parrot Cage 32"x18"x64" Overall Size Chinchilla Sugar Glider Cockatiel Supplies Color Optional(White Vein): Pet Supplies

The link didn't seem to work, I'd try editing the URL and replacing it with this 'http://amzn.com/B00OLAPCNA ' (found by Googling the title).

It looks good, however, I have to plug the one I bought, for not much more, that is much sturdier: http://amzn.com/B000FRV3M2

When I bought it back in July '15, it was only $30 than the one you're considering. Now it's actually gone up another $20, so that may be a significant difference for you. For a GCC, the 'NA' size option is what I bought, and suits Mochi fine so far.

EDIT: Reread your request, saw 'wider than deep', your choice definitely fits better in regard to that criteria.