Should i get a bird?

[spoink]

I want a green cheeked conure but I don't know if I really want one or not. Are GCC naturally aggressive or is it only certain birds? Advice would be very appreciated.

 

[chris-md]

Hello and welcome!

The key with any bird is handling. If you take the bird out of the cage daily and actually handle and interact with it, it will be a wonderful, loving Velcro of a companion who won’t be aggressive.

If you leave the bird in the cage for weeks at a time and the bird never gets attention or handled, yes there is very good chance the bird will become cage bound, territorial, and aggressive. If you’re doing life in solitary I doubt you’d be very friendly yourself.

 

[Jen5200]

Welcome! It’s great that you are doing some research before getting a bird. All birds are pretty individual - I wouldn’t say that GCC are naturally agressive at all. My personal opinion is that bird behavior often depends on how they are raised, who they interact with and how they are kept.

Why don’t you tell us a little bit more about yourself? Personal circumstances like available time, money, living arrangements, other pets, etc would be big influences on whether or not this is the time to get a bird. Birds are messy, demanding and are a time commitment for many years - and are also wonderful and rewarding companions .

 

[wrench13]

ditto to all the above. Parrots are NOT easy care pets. Depending on the species, they live anywhere from 25 to 65 YEARS. They ain't cheap, to get or keep. They need a couple of hours of your time every day. They can bite, hard, if you don't pay attention to what they are trying to tell you. BUT they reward 10x over those who put the time into them.

 

[Tinax]

When I thought about getting a bird I visited local bird stores and found out as much information as I could and spent time with a lot of different breeds before I decided. I am absolutely in love with birds and wish I would have been around them long ago lol. They are a ton of work but as stated above so rewarding. If properly cared for they will love you like nothing else. There are certain things you can no longer do once they live with you. Not a lot but you can’t use Teflon products, cook wear or space heaters and stuff. You can’t smoke around them or burn incense. They are sensitive to strong smells like cologne and cleaning products. They also can be quite loud. They told me all this at the store and also to watch videos on you tube. Not just of the cute stuff but of everything. This forum is also great for information all the people are super helpful and honest.

 

[clark_conure]

I can't say if they are aggressive by nature, like in the wild. But a GCC is a VERY social bird. They probably say this about every species in the books...but any reference to Gccs will call them the "clowns of the parrot world," due to their attention seeking behavior. (like I said though probably every breed has that written somewhere).

If I had to describe my conure in a few words....lovey, too attached, insane, sometimes a little beachy. Teaching a conure not to bite is easy enough once you bond with them, the tough part is getting them to control bite pressure once they are fully tame and you want to wrestle with them. They might need a few reminders here and there but that's how me and clark roll. (also he always gets to win). But I wouldn't describe him as aggressive. When I first got him maybe defensive, but not aggressive, a GCC isn't going to come running out of is cage trying to bite, he will just get mad if you reach to soon without introducing yourself.

 

[PickleMeDickles]

Hmmm, kind of like the question of wanting kids or not. I was ambivalent and or close to not wanting kids. I did all the research I could and then just had to make a choice. I came up with 2 ( a boy and girl) and THANK GOD they were terrific kids. No temper tantrums or any major behavioral issues. I now have 3 conures, 4 dogs, a bunch of sheep and 3 horses. The conures and horses are by far the most demanding/difficult to care for / require the most time. But since my human children have fledged the nest these ARE my kids....and each one is completely different.

Winston (sun conure) is like Evil Kinevil on steroids, both in activity and volume, but is also the most snuggly. Ripping strangers ears off, I could go on but am afraid I would scare you out of a bird.

Lady (sun conure) is as her name applies. She is a lady. Not too playful, would never think of biting anyone, loves to talk, and puts up with Winston until he has gone one step too far.

Pickles (GCC) is the easiest of all my birds. She is like a bloodhound on wings though when she is out. She will search out the entire house until she has found a trusted human and then she just wants to hang out and preen each other. She is pretty snuggly and likes to play. She cracks me up to no end.

I am 47 and my goal is to be around long enough for my fids and my 5-year-old Paso Dino. They are all super dependent on me and to place them in another setting would be abuse, just as it would be with a child.

At least with the birds and horses, you can get a general idea of personality before making things permanent, not so much with kids. But when considering bringing a conure home, make sure you will be able to be mom/dad throughout its life. If I had gotten a conure while I had little children it would have been disastrous.

Good luck with your decision regardless of what it is. I will have to say that I feel I "owe" Pickles a little more as she is by herself while the Suns are housed together in a huge cage and play great with each other, but I would never ever ever ever have 2 Suns together just because of the noise, but again, I made that bed...

 

[GaleriaGila]

Great, great advice!
Good for you reaching out and being receptive!