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

[April]

The attributes listed in this thread are the experiences of each individual and your experiences may differ with your individual bird.

The Good~ Nala is by far the sweetest and most loving bird out there,she is happy to snuggle with me against my neck or hand for hours,or just content to sit on my shoulder snoozing while I watch tv,read or play on the computer. She gets along great with my dog Penny and loves to sit on her soft fur and run it through her beak,she is very playful and loves to be on her back in my hand,or to roll over like a dog and lets me pet her belly. But she doesn't like scritches,and will get annoyed if I touch her neck by mistake,but doesn't care if I touch the rest of her. Now that I have getting her more interested in toys{when I adopted her 6 years ago,she didn't know how to play or chew wood} she is more then happy to play in her cage for hours chewing and bashing her toys around. She is very quiet whitch is something I am very thankful for since I have rather sensitive hearing and her voice is just perfect for what I can handle.


The Bad~ She is very picky food wise,and still after trying for over 6 years,I can't get her to eat any fresh fruits or veggies,but go figure she loves juice. She does have one piercing shriek that she will use when she is alarmed or wants out of her cage,but thankfully its few and far between but when she does let loose I have to leave the room because its so painful. ETA,it doesn't bother me but I know this can be a make or break thing for some people, she can be nippy but only when she is playing on her back or specifically with my fingers,other wise she never uses her beak on me,unless its some gentle preening.


The Ugly~Well honesty I can't think of anything "ugly" per say,she is my heart bird and I wouldn't change a thing about her,for anything in the world and just cause,here's an adorable pic of her

 

[webchirp]

Love Nala!

 

[carkam]

Lucky loves to be on his people (DH is his favorite< but since I am the one who allows him on me..he is my cling on).
He tries not to poop on me and will make a certain sound when he needs to go..such a good boy! (Big Bird poops on me several times a day!)
He is a talker and he tries to sing..it always makes me laugh. He also dances when he is excited to see you or to a song he likes.
He is not generally destructive and although very nippy in the beginning, he rarely nips and when he does it is very gentle!
Not too dusty!!

He is loud if he knows we are home and do not get him out of his cage right away! He gets louder and louder. He acts like a two year old throwing a fit.
He is always up early and will screech until you uncover him and get him up. He RARELY sleeps in.
He is a picky eater and fresh foods and veggies are not something he will eat..I continue to try.
He rarely plays with toys. He is not a clown like some GCC's. He thinks us humans are his play gym!
He gets easily startled and will take off flying frantically over some noise or sometimes an unknown thing.
He is very needy and although I have tried to teach him, he will not occupy himself.
He is the aggressor with Big Bird so I have to watch them closely. He could get hurt that way!!

I love him to death! But he is way more demanding and louder than Big Bird!

With all that said..he is fairly easy!

 

[birdies yaaay]

Charlie loves people! He has taken more interest in men, but I am still his favorite . He also tries not to poop on people. He dances and bops his head when he's excited and when he sees me. Recently, he started making kissing noises and started saying 'hello'. He loves tubes. I cut a Pringles can in half and sometimes he sleeps inside it. He's generally good at keeping himself occupied. Destroys every toy in his cage! He goes nuts over bells and these plastic chains I have in his cage. Loves bath time. He's a cuddle bug. When I get the blanket out he lays on his back and waits for me to tuck him in and he'll nap.

He nips once in a while. He only seems to do it when when you rub his belly. Normally when you touch his belly he rolls onto his back and "wrestles" with your fingers, so I think he just does it out of play. Though lately, he's been especially nippy and a little cranky. I blame it on the molting. He has got A LOT of pin feathers coming in. He also does an ear piercing shriek. Only does it when he wants to be out of the cage. I usually ignore it since he gets 3 or more hours a day out of the cage.

Nippy and sometimes loud, it doesn't matter. I love him to bits!!!

 

[Suchabetty]

Thanks April for starting this thread! Dixie is my Cinny turquoise GCC and i call her my country Dixie chic . She is choosy about who she lets pet her in our house but when we go out or visit family or the vet she is a perfect angel and will step up for anything. Dixie is not a girlie picky bird AT ALL. She looks at life like Mommy? Fav human/Mate, Toys? they're all mine go away i destroy them, Food? Gimme Gimme Gimme put down my crock dont touch its all mine give it all to me NOW, Any water dish with cold water? Gotta take a bath i love my baths they are so fun. She loves all food and doesnt need a silver platter served to eat it. She continually disgusts Betty with her barbarek ways ie. Baths and food all over her face.
I also love to stick my nose on her and smell her frequently because she has such a sweet smell mixed with food smell that i find so warm and cozy. She loves my Youngest Maddy but tells my older 2 girls to stay back . She protects me now from all when she is on me and gives me kisses at least 20 times a day. She also says Luv u, hello, good birdy, night night, kiss kiss.....of course she never does it in front of new people . Dixie would never ever poop on a person, in fact she does everything she can to get off or get away before she drops the bomb. Her BOMBS are huge for such a little girl, especially that morning one sheesh you can tell by her face she feels better after letting that one out. She loves to play I toss it off and you pick it up and bring it back, she gets all fluffed up and feisty and quacks at me and is fast as lightning so im always on my toes. Dixie is the most Determined parrot ive met yet, If she sees something and wants that something you can distract her she will do everything possible to get it. Eventually you have to just throw it away or take her in a different room and even then i think she plots on how she will get it next time. She is very easy going and learns tricks as long as you have food, she will do anything for food and it doesnt matter what kind it is.
Dixie is also my heartbirdBoth of my Fabies are different parts of me and they continue to amaze and shock me each day.

 

[sodakat]

I'm very surprised that all GCCs don't like fresh foods!

 

[Mizzely]

The Good

Green Cheeks can be very affectionate, cuddly birds. They tend to be goofy, comical, and generally enjoy being silly and playful. Many consider them a good apartment bird because compared to larger species, they tend to be quieter, both in frequency of screaming, but also in volume/pitch. They are intelligent, and can be taught to talk, do tricks, and wear a harness. Many seem to enjoy tents or huts to sleep with in their cage, and toys that are rotated frequently. Some green cheeks are velcro birds, never wanting to leave their human's side, while others tend to be more independent and happy to do their own thing. They also seem to really enjoy taking baths in fresh, cool water!

The Bad

If you plan to clip your bird, please note that many green cheeks can still fly with a proper clip. To ground them completely means taking a dangerous amount of feathers out of the equation, which can lead them to hurt themselves by falling. Green cheeks are also prone to being nippy, and will need to be worked with to ensure that this behavior is curbed. They can be stubborn and get an attitude, which can be frustrating for new owners especially.

Because they are very high energy, they do need larger cages relative to their size than you might imagine. A flight cage (usually with dimensions of 32x21) is a good size for these little guys. They also may consume more food than other birds of their size. (Note: While some people report their green cheek is picky, I have not found this to be the case with Koopa; she will happily eat anything I put in front of her).

The Ugly

Green cheeks can be bird aggressive, particularly to other, larger species, meaning that if beak sizes are mixed, they can get themselves into serious trouble. If they decide they do not like a particular bird, you may have to permanently separate the two to prevent injuries to both.

While Pyrrhura conures in general are considered "quiet", this does not mean that they are always quiet, nor unable to make extremely loud/high pitched noises. They can and will go into screaming fests, alarm calls, etc, and they can be quite loud while doing it. Here is a sound clip of Koopa; she can and will do this for an hour if she feels like it:

 

[April]

The Good

Green Cheeks can be very affectionate, cuddly birds. They tend to be goofy, comical, and generally enjoy being silly and playful. Many consider them a good apartment bird because compared to larger species, they tend to be quieter, both in frequency of screaming, but also in volume/pitch. They are intelligent, and can be taught to talk, do tricks, and wear a harness. Many seem to enjoy tents or huts to sleep with in their cage, and toys that are rotated frequently. Some green cheeks are velcro birds, never wanting to leave their human's side, while others tend to be more independent and happy to do their own thing. They also seem to really enjoy taking baths in fresh, cool water!

The Bad

If you plan to clip your bird, please note that many green cheeks can still fly with a proper clip. To ground them completely means taking a dangerous amount of feathers out of the equation, which can lead them to hurt themselves by falling. Green cheeks are also prone to being nippy, and will need to be worked with to ensure that this behavior is curbed. They can be stubborn and get an attitude, which can be frustrating for new owners especially.

Because they are very high energy, they do need larger cages relative to their size than you might imagine. A flight cage (usually with dimensions of 32x21) is a good size for these little guys. They also may consume more food than other birds of their size. (Note: While some people report their green cheek is picky, I have not found this to be the case with Koopa; she will happily eat anything I put in front of her).

The Ugly

Green cheeks can be bird aggressive, particularly to other, larger species, meaning that if beak sizes are mixed, they can get themselves into serious trouble. If they decide they do not like a particular bird, you may have to permanently separate the two to prevent injuries to both.

While Pyrrhura conures in general are considered "quiet", this does not mean that they are always quiet, nor unable to make extremely loud/high pitched noises. They can and will go into screaming fests, alarm calls, etc, and they can be quite loud while doing it. Here is a sound clip of Koopa; she can and will do this for an hour if she feels like it:

Love this post Shawna! And the sound clip especialy,Nala's is such more piercing then Koopa's. I find it fascinating how different their individual voices as a species can be.

 

[Anne & Gang]

I love these posts!!!!!

 

[Cyreen]

I'm very surprised that all GCCs don't like fresh foods!

It does explain why Hana seems to think I'm trying to poison her when I give her fresh food. I've only had baby Hana for one week and I'm reading this thread to further my education, but I'm not giving up on the veggies, I can out stubborn anyone!

 

[wonderb]

I'm very surprised that all GCCs don't like fresh foods!

My GCC always loved fresh foods. Easily the best eater out of any bird I've owned.

 

[lexalayne]

Our sun conure is soooo sweet and she loves almost everyone.

Bad? really nothing except maybe her high pitched call, especially during cleaning. I don't know why her call pierces my ears. And I have to admit the sunset calling of our 4 macaws is fine compared to hers. I think I'm the exception to this though.

 

[carkam]

I'm very surprised that all GCCs don't like fresh foods!

He likes fresh junk food! lol. He just will not eat much of anything else. He used to eat carrots at least but now will not!

 

[lexalayne]

Our sun conure is soooo sweet and she loves almost everyone.

Bad? really nothing except maybe her high pitched call, especially during cleaning. I don't know why her call pierces my ears. And I have to admit the sunset calling of our 4 macaws is fine compared to hers. I think I'm the exception to this though.

Duh, sorry didn't realize I was on green cheeked conures instead of sun conures...

 

[Mizzely]

My GCC always loved fresh foods. Easily the best eater out of any bird I've owned.

Same with mine

 

[Suchabetty]

I'm very surprised that all GCCs don't like fresh foods!

Dixie LOVES ALL foods including but not limited too fresh, frozen, cooked, raw, bagged, sliced, diced, minced, or dried

 

[zuzanqa]

Mizzely, great post. Thanks for the sounds clip. I think it gave me a VERY good idea of what a GCC sounds like.

 

[OzzieTheAlex]

Nala is sooo adorable!!!

 

[mrstweet]

I think Shawna covered it - but I need to get a copy of my 2 greenies going at it when they are alarmed or generally being obnoxious. WAY louder and goes on forever.

In my experiences (5 greenies have crossed my path):
good: Little clowns! So fun, cuddly, fluffy, perfect size, more of the "parrot" personality, can sometimes talk, better eaters of fresh than some species, play/chew toys very well, great bathers and rather silly
bad: get into EVERYTHING, bites can hurt and they will grind and/or not let go, can get very territorial/cage aggressive, very messy eaters/wasteful
ugly: jealousy/territorial & switch preferences easily (one gcc was besties with my LB and now attacks her any chance she gets), conure sounds can be piercing

I will admit that Paris, my green cheek, is my favorite. I love my whole flock but for some reason she is perfect for me!
[video=youtube;Shy15iAEaMI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Shy15iAEaMI&amp;list=UUboXEZ2NK_3zwJHJzDAAFFg&amp; index=33[/video]

 

[Inheavenlygrass]

The Good
My little 3 month old GCC Kiwi is just the sweetest baby girl. She doesn't bite even when scared, although she is an enthusiastic nibbler when she's happy. Although she's a total velcro bird when I'm home she can entertain herself when I'm at work so long as I leave some radio or TV on for her to listen to. She's a total clown and hilarious to watch as she charges around the kitchen table looking for something new to explore. She's incredibly affectionate and loves to curl up under my chin and snuggle or preen my hair while we watch a movie together. She's starting to talk and it's so exciting to listen to her try new words even if she's not quite getting them yet. She's even learned that when I say "Good night Kiwi, I love you," it means it's time or her to go to her sleepy corner (she sleeps in a polar fleece corner at the top of her cage).
The Bad
Although she's getting better she's still a pretty picky eater at this point in her life and only wants to eat sweet things or whatever I'm eating even if it's not birdy safe food. If I turn my back for one second I'll find her drinking my orange juice out of my glass or in my cereal bowl or dinner plate covered in food. Even her favourite foods she'll throw across the room if she's in the mood, she loves making a mess. She will also toss anything that she doesn't like and give me her best "what is this crap?" look. Even though she's clipped she still tries to fly which scares me to death especially when she does it unexpectedly off high places. Also, the poop. She poops constantly. She's very good about not pooping on the parts of my that she likes (my head, shoulders and chest) but everywhere else is fair game. Including my phone, laptop and camera. The keyboard of my computer is her favourite, she'll run back and forth across it when I'm typing and then poop on it when she feels like it.
The Ugly
When she's over excited or cranky she won't stay still and all she wants to do is climb all over you and try to chew on your face. She'll keep doing it no matter how many times you put her down and she'll scream at you if you put her back in her cage. When she knows you're in the house and not paying attention to her she'll yell, and yell and yell. I've posted a video down below from an afternoon when I was sick and needed a nap, the blanket only covers the inside part of the cage, she has a full view out of the window, which she normally loves. You can hear her trying to say "pretty bird" at a few points but she's not enunciating as well as she can.

Overall despite her faults I wouldn't trade Kiwi for anything. She's my sweet little girl and she makes every day brighter just by being her.