GCC: Long-Term Commitment

[KatieGCC]

So recently I've been interested in getting a green cheek conure (still have a lot of research to do) but something that worries me is the long-term commitment.

I currently have the time, money and commitment needed to take care of one but whether or not I will in the future is another thing. I'm 18 now but I don't want to put the responsibility of a bird on my 30-40-year-old self as I'll have hopefully started a family at that point. Late-twenties is probably when I wouldn't be able to commit anymore.

I thought adopting an older bird would be a good option but I'm not sure what the implications of that are and the oldest GCC I've found online in the UK was only 6 years old.

 

[expressmailtome]

@webchirp is very experienced with green cheek conures. She may be able to give you some insight on keeping older green cheeked conures. In the mean time, she has many wonderful threads that you can look through.

 

[webchirp]

I love older babies. But you likely would need to look at those in their late teens and then it could be a toss up on life span. Or you could get a guy or gal that has had horrid living conditions which harms their internal organs and shortens life span. But sometimes these guys can really surprise you and live to 30. My girls are usually sweetie pies and my boys brats. Parakeets are super adorable and would probably be closer to commitment time-wise.

Right now Hachi is end stage with heart disease so I really have to stick to her medication schedule. And I always have a missed day of work for them when they get sick. Extra vet checks and Hachi is on a ton of meds so budget is a concern late in life. 60 grams and about 100 for meds. That doesn’t include some that have been donated.

 

[JLcribber]

I'm 18 now but I don't want to put the responsibility of a bird on my 30-40-year-old self as I'll have hopefully started a family at that point. Late-twenties is probably when I wouldn't be able to commit anymore.

Then you better not start a family and have kids because it's absolutely no different. Once you're in, you're in. After having that bird for so many years it will be a piece of cake. They become family just like your kids.

In my personal old fart opinion you are too young to consider having a child (which is what a parrot is). Especially because you are already doubting it and you haven't even got one. When you are 25 (the "beginning" of adulthood) you will have a much clearer vision of your life and situation. I would wait until at least then to make a decision.

Standard response to young people getting birds.

You're very well spoken for such young person. You're no doubt very intelligent but one thing you do not have and can not have at your age is life experience. You can't possibly know how bumpy and twisted that road is until you've travelled on it for quite a while and that's once "you" are driving and not just along for the ride.

You have many, many years ahead of you to fulfill all kinds of dreams. You are but a child that is thinking of getting another child. Imagine if you were to get pregnant now or get a girl pregnant now (sorry I don't know if you are a boy or girl?) and had to become a parent at your age. It would be overwhelming and something you will need to deal with for the rest of your life. On top of that the "child" you are thinking of getting is never going to grow past the age of 3 and is "never" going to move out. This child is going to need as much space, time and enrichment as you do. Not just a cage.

Live some of your life first and get those all important experiences under your belt. Become independent, stable and have a much more defined path before you make this life time commitment. You are going to want to meet and share your life with a special person also. This bird will be a factor in that even happening. There is no rush to do this because you are so young.

You just don't know what you don't know until you know. A lot of us old farts do know because we've been there, done that.

You sound like a very committed person but there is no rush.

 

[KatieGCC]

Thanks for the reply
Around what age is considered late teens for a GCC? I really like the idea of helping out a bird that needs it the most but I'm completely new to this and going out of my way to buy one with health problems sounds like a bad idea in case I can't keep up with their specific needs, but I guess it depends on what problem they have.
I'll do some research on parakeets and see if they'd be an appropriate fit for my situation.
Sorry to hear about Hachi, I'm glad she has someone to take good care of her though

 

[KatieGCC]

Then you better not start a family and have kids because it's absolutely no different. Once you're in, you're in. After having that bird for so many years it will be a piece of cake. They become family just like your kids.

Yes, I understand birds are a big commitment and have no intention getting one until I'm certain I'll be able to care for it as long as it lives. The thing is you hear parents talking about how when you have kids you have no spare time let alone adding a bird into the equation. Like you said I don't have the experience to judge whether I could handle that so I'd rather not risk it by getting a bird that could live that long.
I also get that birds require a lot of time and attention and that was one of the main reasons I started looking into getting one, I have a lot of spare time on my hands and want something to take care of and devote that time to

 

[MommyBird]

I agree with Chandra that a Budgie or two might work for you. I love budgies and even though I have my bigger birds my heart is not complete without a budgie's happiness chatting away there. Not to give the impression they they are "starter or throw-away" birds. I initially stated with larger birds because I would be totally broken when my budgies died. They don't live as long.
As John said, they become family and you accommodate them with a family as you would if you had a second kid. They are much less likely to give a kid a bad bite and they enjoy a companion budgie should they have one.

 

[KatieGCC]

Do budgies make a lot of noise? While I personally wouldn't mind the noise at all, my family members wouldn't appreciate it. From what I've read and seen, GCC's are fairly quiet in comparison to other birds. Something that also really draws me to GCC's is how much personality they have, are budgies the same?

Not to give the impression they they are "starter or throw-away" birds.

I'd only really be getting one small bird and devote as much of my time to it as I can. I'm not really interested in gradually getting birds that are harder and harder to care for, as cool as some of the bigger birds are, I think it'd be too much.

 

[MommyBird]

Budgies do like to chatter, but it is not a piercing noise. Also, a hand-fed young male is quite likely to learn to talk and they will talk /garble rather than screech.
I have had some amazing talkers and once they learn a few words they crack you up with the new things they put together.

Go to youtube and check out some videos of "Disco parakeet," he was exceptional.
there are also videos of regular non-talking budgie noises.
I can hear my large birds down the block with windows closed. I don't hear my budgie but he's chattering about half the time.

The personality of a budgie can be as huge as any bird. It is all up to how much time you spend with them and have them out to interact with you. If he's an only bird you will become his flock as so you'd better spend a lot of time with him or you will have a sad budgie. You can train them to do little tricks as well as talk, and they love to be where the action is so you'll need to be careful about open doors and windows, ...........well, if you decide to get a bird, please check back with us for safety concerns and also cage advice. Those horrible things in pet stores are too small by far. oh and toys, yes we can tell you about toys!

 

[Jas]

I'm 18 too and have GCCs and Budgies they are all my babies and i love them all very much, busbee is my oldest budgie at 6 years and he and his flock mates are all very cute, energetic, playful, inquisitive, messy and yes, they are noisy at times usually early morning and afternoon it is just general chatter. I've heard budgies are good talkers, matching and perhaps surpassing African Greys. Their diet is mainly what the conures get however the budgies get more grains and seeds and no nuts but lots of veggies and some fruits with pellets (though my budgies don't really like their pellets.

The GCCs are quite but they can be loud when they want, their playful, inquisitive, can be a little beaky at times, not as energetic as the budgies they do sometimes just sit and chill with me ( though they are still are quite active), extremely messy and have a lot of sass.

As for perches and toys my guys get similar toys and perches, however the conures have a stronger bite so they also get some medium size toys in there as well to destroy as well as foraging toys as my budgies aren't interested in them, though they get home.

I have a flight cage for the budgies and for the conures with lots of toys and different perches.

 

[KatieGCC]

Go to youtube and check out some videos of "Disco parakeet," he was exceptional

Hahaha , it's hard to believe that's even coming from the bird, I thought it would be a lot more incomprehensible. So cute

...........well, if you decide to get a bird, please check back with us for safety concerns and also cage advice. Those horrible things in pet stores are too small by far. oh and toys, yes we can tell you about toys!

Yes I'll definitely be posting plenty of questions as I learn more and get closer to adopting one, I love how active and helpful people are on here!
If/when I get one I do plan on getting a fairly big cage, but toys I need to learn a lot more about, what materials are safe etc.
Thanks for the help!

 

[KatieGCC]

I'm 18 too and have GCCs and Budgies they are all my babies and i love them all very much, busbee is my oldest budgie at 6 years

Oh cool what age did you get them? Have you found it fairly difficult taking care of them?
With the mess is it mostly them pooping everywhere? Can you potty train them?
Sorry for all the questions I still have a lot to learn, thank you for all the info on GCC's and budgies though

 

[Jas]

I got Busbee when i was about 12 (i first got budgies when i was about 8-9) and my GCCs in June this year, then the rest of my budgie flock in August this year. Well my life revolves around my birds and uni. i clean them out twice a week, hover my room 6 times a week, prep their morning food every day which takes 20 minutes, change water twice a day, they have time out their cage for a minimum of 4 hours everyday (their bed time is 6 so its lights out and do not disturb, i open curtains around 8 and then they get their veggies, grains and fruits depending on the day at 9). I feed less fruit do to the sugars, but cantaloupe makes your room smell so good.

As for the mess GCC have messy poos compared to the budgies especially since it changes colours depending what they've eaten (my poor carpet ), there are feathers from moults, seed hulls, and just bits from toys that they destroy. yes the can be potty trained, they do fly back to their cage to poop sometimes so i give them a treat.

Yucca is amazing all my fids love it, wessco bird kabobs are fantastic! make sure toys that have metal parts are stainless steel and they have Quicklinks which are safe for birds. no large loops as toes or even necks can get stuck. sisal, hemp and cotton rope that's untreated is safe, so is pine, balsa and cork. Dyes should be natural and bird safe, no acrylic paint, if it runs in water that's a good sign.

If you are from the UK check out scarletts parrot essentials as they have really good products and at good prices.

 

[Mizzely]

A budgie holds the world record for most words know by a parrot

They definitely have tons of personality, but they only live until about 10.

They chatter but it is a lot quieter than a GCC. My GCC did ear piercing screams that rivaled my Hahns, and was the source of the only noise complaints I ever got.

 

[tka]

I currently have the time, money and commitment needed to take care of one but whether or not I will in the future is another thing. I'm 18 now but I don't want to put the responsibility of a bird on my 30-40-year-old self as I'll have hopefully started a family at that point. Late-twenties is probably when I wouldn't be able to commit anymore.

It's worth thinking about your plans for the next few years. If you're planning to go to university then you'll probably be in a hall of residence for your first year and sharing a house with friends in subsequent years. Many young people inthe UK share a rented house or flat with friends in their twenties. Halls of residences will almost certainly not allow you to keep a pet and many landlords won't allow pets either. In addition, there are lots of household things that are enormously bad for birds - teflon pans, candles, incense, cleaning products, air freshners and so on - so you have to live with people that you really trust not to accidentally kill your bird.

I would recommend getting a little more settled before you get an avian companion. At the very least, you need to be living in a place that will let you keep a pet and either on your own or with people who take your bird's welfare seriously.

 

[KatieGCC]

How was caring for them when you were 12? Do you wish you had waited a bit longer or was it ok?

hover my room 6 times a week

Wow a lot more vacuuming than I would've expected, does having multiple birds play a big part in that or would that still be necessary with just one?

As for the mess GCC have messy poos compared to the budgies especially since it changes colours depending what they've eaten (my poor carpet )

So I'm guessing stay away from red berries? I suppose either way it'll probably stain. Is there a lot of time that's put into poop removal or is it mostly just the debris?

Yucca is amazing all my fids love it, wessco bird kabobs are fantastic! make sure toys that have metal parts are stainless steel and they have Quicklinks which are safe for birds. no large loops as toes or even necks can get stuck. sisal, hemp and cotton rope that's untreated is safe, so is pine, balsa and cork. Dyes should be natural and bird safe, no acrylic paint, if it runs in water that's a good sign.

If you are from the UK check out scarletts parrot essentials as they have really good products and at good prices.

I see that wesco bird kabob is a toy but what is yucca? Google just showed me a plant, do they chew it or something?
Alright I'll keep this post in mind for the future when buying toys, thank you

 

[KatieGCC]

A budgie holds the world record for most words know by a parrot
/QUOTE]
Fun fact! Impressive

They chatter but it is a lot quieter than a GCC. My GCC did ear piercing screams that rivaled my Hahns, and was the source of the only noise complaints I ever got.

I may be wrong but I remember reading something about GCC's that only started screaming once they started living with birds that would do the same, could that be the case?

 

[Mizzely]

I've never heard that personally. She didn't scream often, but it was loud and shrill from day one

 

[KatieGCC]

@tka I don't plan on going to university and I'm aware of the dangers of certain household products, I would need to do more research on the specifics of that though. Would, for example using cleaning products in areas of the house the bird wouldn't enter be dangerous for it?
My family is currently living in our own house and if I did get a bird I would make sure they were all informed about things like that, they're not the kind of people that would risk anything, we're all animal lovers.

 

[Jas]

Yeah, little excessive but They are all moulting so there are more feathers around, plus I try and keep dust down as my mum has asthma and they're in my bedroom so I don't want to end up with respiratory problems.

Tbh I put down old bed sheets and clean poop stains with baking soda lime juice and vinegar, then wash it out. I also steam the carpets as well. Budgies poop every 15minutes and I have four so yeah so much poop. The conures aren't so bad it's just bigger but less frequent.

I believe they use the trunk of the plant? It's very soft and easy to shred depending on the type of toy get. Tbh I didn't even know Loofah was a wood.