Help!

[Jolene Rice]

I've been planning on getting a budgie for awhile, but today at petco I saw a cinnamon gcc, and I've always wanted one but I've heard there loud and nippy My situation is me and my sister are home schooled so I'm home a lot, but I have dogs, we have a yard that they like to be in, so it will be able to get it out for at least two hours a day on top of being there and talking to it, I would also get a hanging cage so the dogs couldn't get to it So how nippy are they? Noise level? Personality? How much out of cage time? How big should the cage be? Also could I put a budgie with it and they would both still be friendly? Anything you can tell me is helpful.
Thanks

 

[Sweet Louise]

Welcome to the board! Not sure any hanging cage will be large enough for a GCC. A GCC is a major life commitment, they live for over 20 years. There will be some experienced GCC owners who can offer excellent advice.

 

[Lady Jane]

Petco carries many Gcc because the catch the attention of customers. Honestly, did you want another bird when you went into the store?

 

[Jolene Rice]

I don't have a bird yet, and I know petco isn't a good place to get it but I live on Maui so I don't have tons of options

 

[Lwalker]

A hanging cage would not be big enough for a GCC and two hours a day, I think, is not enough. I would say they need at least four. The smaller the cage, the more time they need out. GCCs can be very needy in terms of attention and social interaction and as @Sweet Louise said, they can live up to 30 years. It is a big committment if you are a minor and vet bills, cages, and toys etc. can be expensive so you would need full support of your family.

I would not house a budgie and GCC together. The GCC could seriously harm the budgie.

 

[Jolene Rice]

Thanks

 

[Lady Jane]

Are you getting a budgie?

 

[Jolene Rice]

Depends on if I get the gcc, just trying to figure out what would be best. I would prefer gcc, I felt like me and him had a good connection but I want to make sure it's a good fit for me and him

 

[zoo mom]

Do not house a GCC with a budgie. It could hurt or kill the budgie. Also a GCC should have a fairly large cage. Most people here would recommend a 32 x 21 flight cage. Which would be too heavy to hang.

 

[Skipper]

Do your research. Read all the threads on this site back several pages to see what owning a bird is about. Conures (actually all Parrots) at the pet stores are usually babies and very docile. Many do not stay that way. Just like any kid, they get rebellious as they get older, except instead of 13 years, it is about 13 months with birds. They are great pets if you are willing to put in the time and accept that they are not dogs or cats. Having a parrot means daily bowls of fresh fruits and vegetables as well as dry pellets. Clean water and a mess to clean up. They take way more time than a dog, and sometimes show their gratitude by biting you. They are very smart and have very complex personalities, which is why we love them. I just want to be sure you know what you are getting into.

Take your time and good luck.

 

[Jolene Rice]

Thanks

 

[Parakeet88]

I have a parakeet and just got a GCC about a month ago. I think a parakeet is a much easier first parrot than a GCC especially if you were planning on a hand raised one. My parakeet is much less messy than my GCC and isn't as needy. A parakeet can have all the personality and goofiness of a larger parrot but they are much easier to care for. My parakeet can talk and he has such a funny little personality. They are also very smart and can be taught tricks. My keet has a little cup in his cage as part of a foraging toy. He found out that if he talks/ sings into the cup it makes his voice sound different and now his favorite thing to do is to talk to his cup lol I've had my conure for about a month now and am still overwhelmed by him. I actually have a thread on here about being depressed after getting him home. I'm doing better with him now but I was really scared of how needy he is compared to my other birds and I want so badly to give him the best life I can. You'll be giving up a lot of your freedom and time by getting any bird but especially if you choose the conure over a keet.

To answer some of your questions based on my short experience with my GCC: He is very nippy but he is only around 7 months old. He is not very well trained yet and likes to test his boundaries. He also gets in moods where some days he will bite me almost anytime I go near him and there are other days that he just wants scratches all day long.

My particular gcc isn't very loud. He only has two modes, quiet grumbling or yelling, but he doesn't yell very often and it's not the loudest noise I've heard out of a bird lol my cockatiels were actually much louder and it traveled further. I actually work night shift and he doesn't wake me up nearly as much as I thought he would. He usually starts yelling a few minutes before my alarm goes off like he knows I'm supposed to be getting up soon lol

I keep him out of his cage as much as I can. If I'm in the house and not sleeping he's out. When I do put him back in his cage before I go to bed I pack his cage full of foraging toys and I swap his toys out a lot to keep him busy. Get the biggest cage you can afford and go especially big if he can't come out often.

You can have both a budgie and a conure but definitely not in the same cage. After being bitten by my GCC I'm pretty sure he could snap my keets leg off no problem.

Overall I would say start with a keet, you can always get a conure later on and the keet will be a good way to test if you're ready for a bigger commitment. I always suggest parakeets as a good first bird. In my experience they are very forgiving of mistakes you may make. They are fairly quiet, don't make much mess and are easier to deal with due to their small size, but they have all the personality and genius of a larger bird packed into that fluffy little body.

Good luck with whatever you decide and keep us updated!

 

[Jolene Rice]

Thanks for the advice I think I'm going to get a keet or a tiel, which would you recommend?

 

[Parakeet88]

Thanks for the advice I think I'm going to get a keet or a tiel, which would you recommend?

If noise is a concern then definitely a keet. I don't have much experience with tiels but they are more demanding than keets. Are you planning to get hand raised or pet store? I hate giving business to breeders but I got my keet hand raised because I never trained a bird before and figured getting hand raised would help with that. I can definitely tell the difference between pet store keets I've had and the hand raised keet I have now. Pet store keets can make good pets but they are very difficult to train and can easily become cage bound.

 

[Jolene Rice]

I would get a hand raised one but I live on Maui so my only option is to get one from a pet store, they are three months and are not tame but hopefully with patience and perseverance we will get there

 

[Donna turner]

I have a gcc and I think everyone is giving good advise. Cheeky takes up hours of my time everyday but I'm retired so I have the time. She has a much bigger cage than you could hang and she uses it all. I've had parakeets in the past and they were very loving and cute. I think a parakeet is an excellent choice if you want a bird. They are easier , not as messy, and make excellent bird pets. I had a tiel also and couldn't give him the attention he needed and he plucked. I will always feel bad about that and didn't get my gcc until I had plenty of time to give her and the money to take care of her right

 

[Parakeet88]

I had a tiel also and couldn't give him the attention he needed and he plucked.

Is it just me or do tiels seem especially prone to plucking/ behavior issues?