The Good, The Bad and The Ugly about Green Cheeked Conures

[PenguinJoe]

As Pepper is my first green cheek and him being only about 11 weeks old, I can only give you my first week's experience:

GOOD:
This bird is a cuddle bug. I've had a Lini parakeet in the past and found him to be reasonably handleable but was not a cuddler at all. Pepper is the polar opposite - He demands all the snuggles and as much handling as I can give him as soon as the cover comes off his cage in the morning. Love sponge does not begin to describe this little guy. he is not happy unless he is nubbling on your fingernails, snuggling against your neck or getting his feathers scruffled.

BAD:
He was marginally nippy the first day or so, but grew out of that with some gentle teaching. He knows now that biting on skin is a no-no, but does on occasion get carried away in his playing and slip (never particularly hard though).

It is pretty tough to get him trying various veggies and fruits. He doesn't mind small bits of hard cheese, but turns up his beak at most fruits and veggies except corn. He loves nuts and halved sunflower seeds is his favorite 'trick' treat. Hoping he gets a little more curious about other foods as he gets older.

UGLY:
Can't say there is much that is ugly about this little fellow except maybe it is his voice. Pyrhurra Conures have very harsh voices and Pepper is no exception to that. He is trying hard to talk but his voice is so rough that it is hard to figure out what he is trying to say. He has no problem perfectly imitating the numerous Blue Jays hanging around our house though - at just about the same volume (not something you want him doing while sitting on your shoulder next to your ear ). And he gets the same morning, noon, night rowdiness that most birds are subject to. That last is not necessarily ugly, but is something that anybody that keeps a bird as a pet needs to understand & expect.

Being just 11 weeks old, he is still a baby and his personality will most certainly grow/change as he gets older. I just hope his cuddliness is not just from the 'mommy bond' (the breeder that handled most of his weaning care was male so he has taken an instant liking to me) and that it continues after he reaches his sexual maturity in about a year or so. I also hope his food tastes also mature so that he learns the joys of a more varied diet.

 

[Samurai]

What a great idea for a thread, so much useful info. I think I need to spend more time listening to these guys as the videos I've watched don't make them sound as shrill as several people have said. I had love birds, is their noise similar at all?

 

[Debdeb]

The Good: Kobe has bonded with me very well. He does pretty good at targeting already and has gotten the jest that ringing his bell will make me come see him over the sharp piercing scream he used to use.....smart lil guy. He likes to sit on my shoulder for eons if Id let him and makes very contented chirps. He has left my ears alone so far!!! I try my best to keep them out of his way. He has only given me one bruise...and it didnt really hurt when he nipped me. I think he was trying to see if Id pull my arm away. I didnt...lol. He loves pecans and apples so his diet is a bit more varied than some picky GCCs...Kobe seems to dislike most people food though...and I am ok with that.

The Bad: The ear piercing shriek this little bird produces when he hears the door squeak as Im letting the dogs out (new puppy) at 3 am. But...a little WD-40 goes a long way to remedy that. I tune Kobe out but guests are not so understanding at times and yell back at him which makes it a game of who gets the last word...lol. Biggest Bad of all....he absolutely hates my hubby right now. Im hoping that will get better with time.

The Ugly: Only one thing....his little bratty attitude with other people...mostly male. As far anything else?...Kobe is a beautiful bird and Im hoping that with some training and patience that he will become enjoyable to everyone...not just me.

 

[SureAsNone]

The Good
Most of the time, River is a complete sweetheart. She loves to cuddle, and will make the most adorable little chirping noises while doing so. If you move your hand away while petting her she'll follow your hand until you get the hint, and if you let her, she'll fall asleep in your hand. While she is very into using her beak, as are most GCCs, she's usually very gentle about it and even her roughest nips haven't even broken the skin. She's a wonderful eater who will eat just about anything. River is wonderful about entertaining herself when she needs to, and loves just about any toy you put in front of her. She's also incredibly intelligent.

The Bad
While green cheeks are "quiet" compared to their aratinga cousins, they are in no way silent. While I haven't experienced any calls quite as piercing as some of the sun conures I've come across, the noises she makes can still be incredibly grating to some people and she makes them often. If I leave the room, she'll call for me from anywhere from 5-30 minutes, depending on what she can hear going on in the house. I've been lucky that I've been able to get her to the point where usually, if she wants to contact call, she'll whistle more quietly for me first and it's only if I don't reply that she starts shrieking. But even her "quiet" calling can be heard across the house. If something comes into her room that she doesn't like, she'll scream at it. If something loud/obnoxious is going on in the rest of the house, she's not going to shut up until it does. I got to sit through two hours of it just this afternoon because someone had their music turned up too loud.

The Ugly
I really wouldn't say there's anything ugly about River. She fits in really well with our family, and even the noise isn't nearly as bad as it could be. I love my little GCC

 

[pacoparrot]

With Bella and Jack who are both adult rescues:

The Good: They are both cuddly and love attention. They will sit on my shoulder for as long as I let them. They both love being pet and held on their backs. The noise is minimal compared to my other birds. It doesn't bother me or affect my day in any way and I am sensitive to noise. When they do get going it doesn't last long and the noise doesn't hurt my ears. They eat with their feet and act like real parrots. They also are good at staying on their playstand.

The Bad: Jack picks and chooses who he likes. My mom and brother are practically hunted by this bird and he can do a lot of damage to someone he doesn't like. He isn't a one person bird because he likes my recently introduced friend. Bella will go to anyone. She gives love nips but is generally trustable with other people. They are extremely picky with food. I have tried everything and they still ignore anything they don't want like it isn't even edible. They also both have little interest in toys or interacting with their environment. I think this is the fault of the person who raised them, not a species characteristic. Since I see so many in videos playing away.

The Ugly: The POOP! They make an unreasonable amount of it. They go right to my shoulder when I get them out and once they are up there they just go and go and go. Another thing is they would rather be on my shoulder than do anything else. They won't stay down on a table or anything for that matter if there is a way they can get to my shoulder.

 

[pinkyisblue]

The good: My little Mochi is a total cuddle bug. She won't snuggle in my shirt or anything but she has to be near me like 80% of the time shes out of her cage. I've discovered I can use my ample bosom to give her a place to play with toys though, so she has something to do. I know it sounds silly, but it totally works. Shes very good about stepping up and going back in her cage when prompted about 95% of the time, even from shoulders.
Shes also a very quick learner, and prefers praise and scritches, over food as a reward. I have her pretty well potty trained and today she pooped on command for me 5 times in a row, and only had one accident! Hopefully soon, I can get hear to learn to go to the bathroom in safe areas on her own without prompting.

The bad: She tolerates my husband, and sometimes just outright attacks him. We are working on this, but its slow going. She can also become moody when I have a work schedule change. I recently started working mornings and she is not pleased that we don't have as much playtime before work.

The ugly: She has a terrible attraction to facial blemishes. Ouch! I know she is just trying to preen me, but holy cow, it hurts.

 

[Thilak]

I got him when he was 3 months old and named him Rambo despite his sex. Have thought him how to do free flying but many a time he has landed on top of trees and refused to come down. I have to pretend to go away and he will suddenly swoop down and land on my shoulder erasing all the anger I have on him for not coming down sooner and that is my sweet sweet Rambo for you. Very mischievous, playful and adamant at times but very attached to me.
There were times I could not understand him at all like sudden nipping ,screeches, afraid of brooms, dustpans, vacuum cleaners and the list goes on but I quickly realized that he needed his own space too.
Sometimes he does not want to come out of the cage at all. I leave the cage door open and close all windows and doors and will sleep with him and when I wake up, he will be snuggled at my shoulder sleeping, how not to love him.
No matter how bad or good he behaves, I will never give up on him for GOD has most definitely sent me an angel .
Take care people and have a blessed day please

 

[DancingFeathers]

Two weeks with Triton! I'll give my say on him.

The good: He's a very funny and clever little guy. I'm constantly laughing at his antics. Triton loves every member of the family. Triton is a great mimic. He picks up super quickly.He started to talk recently and his little robot voice isn't too hard to understand. He's super social and loves scritches in his cage. If you stop petting him, he'll grab your finger and make him! Triton has already learned several tricks, such as spin, wave and fetch and picked up most in a single session. He's also and excellent bather and a total pig! He wants to eat everything, even his veggies! Also, he hates to poop on me , which is a plus!

The bad: Triton is pretty anxious. If we leave the room, he'll let me know that he's afraid of it. Lights ,sounds and objects make him spook pretty easily, and if I'm holding him, he'll let me know how much he doesn't like it . Luckily he adapts quickly, but with him, everything needs adapting.He doesn't usually try to hurt me but he's a rough preener.
The ugly: Triton doesn't bite very often but he's good at it. He's had practice in his previous home, I can tell. Triton always bites where the skin is the most loose, usually heading straight for a vein, and then simultaneously twists his head and pulls away. He's only bitten like this twice, but it draws blood and gives a nasty bruise.

In my single experience, greenies are super sweet given time and patience. As long as you don't take their moodiness or noise personally and remain very patient, progress has shown. Triton is still a bit difficult, but at this rate, he'll be amazing. Even now, he's still my faby. He is as socially needy as my two year old cousin, but I'd swear he's just as smart and just as sweet.

 

[Enzos Mum]

The Good
Most delightful creature to be sure. Fun, frivilous and fiesty. Loves to snuggle under my chin or in my hair, have woken from a nap with lots of apple scraps in my hair. Believes he is a very big bird; he will charge my Cane Corso Mastiff when it gets too close. Shreiks an alarm when my husband is around. Pretty funny actually. Named him Enzo after Enzo Ferrari he is so speedy on the ground. His favorite hiding place is in my cleavage; well he cannot really hide there but he thinks he is. He will take treats out from between my lips, and then will try to "preen" my lips. He beaks me as often a he thinks to. He makes this little hissing exhaling sound directly into my ears and sometimes holds my ear as well. Kind of cute really. And the sweetest little quiet chattering you have every heard.

The Bad
Still trying to get his flight suit on so that he can go more places with me. I'd let him fly free but we have an outstanding number of predatory birds in the area and I would not like to see something nasty happen to him. He is quite expressive when he is not happy, sometimes loud other times long. When he pulled all the chest feathers out I was worried that he had lost it, but very quickly new pinfeathers popped out to replace those that were missing almost over night. Very cranky then until all the lovely feathers were freed from their sharp cases, which he allowed me to help with every now and then. Does nip a bit but when I am able to let him do so without indicating that it is painful, he stops. Repetition of this cause and non-effect effect has led him not even try to use his beak in an offensive manner. How lovely.

The Ugly
I cannot think of anything significant for this heading. Yes he is a messy eater. Yes he wants to be with me constantly. Yes he shreiks and calls looking for me. But when you live in a home with 3 dogs and a bird, the bird is the least of your problems. I refer to him as portable love and enjoyment with minor inconveniences

 

[lalagimp]

I have three so I was bound to get an awesome one, it's just the odds!
Jak was always a shy bird and used to contact call us constantly when we left her sight, so I got her a bird. Koi came along at a very young age. I was with her through her weaning so I got a lot of hands-on with her. I used to be able to flip her over in my hand, tummy side up, and went "gimme good poke! Pooooooke" and poke her tummy and she'd curl her feet up and say POOOOOke. I can't do that with her anymore. The only time she gets on my hands is when she's jealous of Idris or I have her bird, Jak. She'll jump on my hand to compete. Otherwise she likes to bite me now. She even puts herself in the cage to avoid stepping up. She says to me "gimme kissy" and we blow kissies. We still do pokes through the bars when she's in the cage at night. It's just not the same.
But with Idris!... she's a really cool little girl. She loves hanging out with you and she's not really bonded to a bird like Jak and Koi are together. She doesn't speak but mimics kissy sounds. She'll go poop when we ask her "you need to go poop?" and hold her out away from us. She keeps flying to me in the kitchen to ride my shoulder around. She likes new people and seems very indifferent to the children. Jak and Koi do not like children.

They eat whatever I give them. Mash is usually made up of cinnamon quinoa, veggies with corn, rice, sweet potato, chicken and beans. I put crushed chili pepper in their rice this time. They really love chips and french fries.

This relationship has been evolving for a few years now. Idris is a great bird. Koi is a good manager. Jak is reserved.

 

[Blupogu]

I have had Blu for 1.5 months, i do not know if i qualify for this post or not, but still i cannot stop myself.
THE GOOD:
As mentioned, maybe still we are in honeymoon phase, but all seems good, He eats good, sleeps good
also in 3 days he got hand tamed, he was not hand fed, nor had much human interaction.
But he craves human interaction with me, friendly with every single family member. He is the perfect pet
bird, more like a rat or possum or miniature dog, he stalks me everywhere.

THE BAD:
He screams a bit, specially in the mornings and evenings. He flings food and likes only sunflower seeds.
He doesn't touch veggies or sprouts.

THE UGLY:
He bit me initially, drew blood 3/4 times. But learned very quickly its not something to do on a regular basis,
he craves scritches very bad.

 

[Mer Boy]

Awesome thread! Very useful.

 

[Jennyday]

Loving this forum! And this thread! Very new GCC parent and I repeatedly find google sending me to this forum when I search for questions or topics.

Junie, our GCC is almost 4 months old and has been with us about a month(!). We haven't DNA tested her but I'm gonna just call Junie a "she"!

the GOOD: Super friendly with everyone. She quickly stole my parents hearts being introduced to them. Extremely playful and cuddly (when she wants to be!). She jumps up and down on both feet when she's excited, which is what first caught our attention at the pet store. Such a clown, she loves to climb, play on her back, snuggle in my hair and tunnel into any crevice she can find. Also, a surprisingly fast learner during training. No diet problems here, she loves her Roudybush natural pellets (although she does leave a lot of "pellet powder" behind, this is normal, right?) and loves to try any new veggies mommy shows her. She has a thing with red/orange, so if there are any red/orange veggies, those are the first to go. I love all her squeechie noises! Shoulda called her Donald Duck!

the BAD: She's still young, and so hasn't figured out how to play in her cage. This means lots of "I'm dying in a FIRE, WHERE ARE YOU?!?" screams when she's in there for more than 5 min. Her curiosity and desire to be in the middle of whatever we are doing is a challenge sometimes. Anybody here take a one-handed shower ? Still a little nippy, but almost always while she's in play mode.

and the UGLY: Well, those morning bombs are still pretty mind-blowing. And consistently outside of her cage. Well played, June-bug, well played.

I'm still navigating the forum.... anybody have a thread on GCC noises/behaviors and their interpretations up on here? I'm curious about her "bird culture"!

 

[sea]

I've had Tali for 5 years now. I got her from a Petco, and she is the only bird I've ever bought at a pet store instead of a breeder.

The Good:
She is VERY friendly with everyone. She loves to meet new people. She loves kids too. She is a very good bird as far as stepping up and interacting with all sorts of people. She likes men best, but she will go to anyone. There's never been any person she has outright hated. She doesn't seem to go through hormonal issues either. She is even tempered year round, and has yet to lay any eggs. She is also VERY cute...she has really adorable little quirks, like just holding her head with one foot and cooing and fluffing up. She is also probably my silliest. She is extremely playful, loves to play with little cat bell balls - she will hold them in one foot and just shake them. She likes to play fetch (with humans as the fetcher). She is very affectionate towards my parrotlet and loves to preen him. Even when he is being hormonal and trying to hump her (doesn't work too well because he is so tiny), she just kinda stands there like "what the heck are you doing?" and has never gone after him.

The Bad:
She is very very stubborn, and so am I, so our personalities clash a little. She has bitten me more than any of my other birds. She's broken skin a couple times. She is readily handled by me but I'm not her favorite person by any means and I never have been. She can be very naughty for being put back in her cage and nail clipping. She definitely has a busy beak and will gnaw holes in your shirts.

The Ugly:
She is my loudest bird in terms of consistency. While she cannot approach the volume of my sennie or BCC, she makes up for it in constant vocalizing, and I really hate the squawking of a GCC! Even during the periods where everyone else is dead silent, she gets going, and then she gets my parrotlet going, and he's almost as bad. She's also the one that starts reaaaaaaally early in the mornings. The others will be quiet until they're uncovered. Also, she is very aggressive towards my sennie. She has flown onto his cage and attacked him a couple times, and my sennie has drawn blood on her as a result, but nothing serious. We are more vigilant about that now.

 

[2torts1bird]

I've had Baby for a bit over 3 months now so here I go:

The Good: Baby loves snuggling and he's very easy to handle. He does curl up under my shirt or under a blanket (with full supervision of course) and eats anything. His breeder raises their birds on a fresh food diet, so it was no trouble getting him to eat fresh food. He also accepts any kind of pellet. He's just an adorable bird, especially when he's trying to snuggle up next to me. He has only drawn blood once (when I first got him: it was my fault, too) and doesn't bite very hard. Mostly love nibbles, but I don't mind. He prefers me to anyone else but others are able to handle him without any problems. If you are a stranger he will just sit on your shoulder and chew your hair. Also, Baby doesn't poop on me! I never trained him either. He will fly to the floor or a table and poop there before coming back and it is absolutely wonderful

The Bad: When I said he eats everything, I mean ANYTHING. I have to make sure he doesn't eat the crumbs on the floor and such. Baby can get a little angry if he's on my shoulder and I need him to step up. This has gotten MUCH better since then and he steps up much more readily than when I first got him.

The Ugly: Baby loves to scream in the early morning when I am getting ready. It's more of a "I'm hungry and I ate all of my overnight seed (I give a little seed mix as an overnight snack)! Feed me!" When we were taking care of my friend's GCC, they would contact call back and forth and it was really loud and annoying. Otherwise Baby is amazingly quiet. The two were kept in seperate rooms because the friend's GCC was very aggressive towards Baby.
Baby has really bonded to me since I first got him and he has become much more sweet. Let's see how this changes when he reaches sexual maturity

 

[Jaguar]

Baby has really bonded to me since I first got him and he has become much more sweet. Let's see how this changes when he reaches sexual maturity

Indeed! It is a bit concerning to me that so many people comment on these threads after only having their bird for a few weeks... that's hardly even enough time for them to settle in. I would like to see their updates after a few years... I wonder if still feel the same way

 

[NeuroticAlpaca]

So I suppose I should finally post one about my two boys since I've had Arya over a year now, and Thorin for almost 8 months:

The good:
Arya is incredibly people-socialized. He loves cuddles, though more on his terms now that he's going through puberty. He's incredibly quirky and funny, and never lets me leave the room without flying after me. He's incredibly quick learning tricks, and even some words, and is very food motivated.

Thorin is a bit more laid back. He gets cuddles when he wants but he's more than happy to hop on my shoulder and just chill and preen my hair for hours. Surprisingly, he rarely bites. He's super cute and mostly just makes these adorable little chirpy noises to himself.

The bad:
Arya is very food motivated. By any food. Always. And he always prefers to go after the things that are bad for him than the good stuff (lemme try this onion piece rather than the cooked chicken mummy is giving me). So we have to put them away when we eat certain things, which means he screams the entire meal. Temper tantrums EXTREME. If Arya wants something, Arya will scream and throw things until he gets it. Even if he never gets it and we ignore him. We are hoping he is just pushing his boundaries cureently. He also hates my feet and has a bad tendency to bite them for absolutely no reason.

Thorin is mostly calm, but the moment he feels slightly uneasy, its a complete 180. He completely shuts down. And though he rarely bites, when he does, it does real damage. Luckily, its easy to see when he's in one of those moods and act accordingly.

The Ugly:
To be honest, I don't think there's anything ugly I can say. Though they are a majour pain in my toush sometimes, I wouldn't trade them for anything.

 

[Scott Norman]

 

[Shmall]

My two little conures, Remi (Remigia) and Maia:

The good: They are very sweet and cuddly. They are also very smart and they are always happy to see me. Remi is the sweetest little girl and Maia takes care of her and everyone in the family. Only Maia is able to bother or mess with any of us but none of us is able to bother anyone else. She will go and sit there to defend a member of HER flock (Maia isn't even one year old, but she made herself the boss).

The bad: They can get hormonal and nippy. Picky with food. That's about it.

The Ugly: Maia seems to come from a loving mafia family. She says things like "Hi baby" with the sweetest voice, but demands total control of the premises.

 

[webchirp]

My two little conures, Remi (Remigia) and Maia:

The good: They are very sweet and cuddly. They are also very smart and they are always happy to see me. Remi is the sweetest little girl and Maia takes care of her and everyone in the family. Only Maia is able to bother or mess with any of us but none of us is able to bother anyone else. She will go and sit there to defend a member of HER flock (Maia isn't even one year old, but she made herself the boss).

The bad: They can get hormonal and nippy. Picky with food. That's about it.

The Ugly: Maia seems to come from a loving mafia family. She says things like "Hi baby" with the sweetest voice, but demands total control of the premises.

And knows very well how to use that little foot to push other peeps around.