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

[westvan gal]

@westvan gal Marley has done the same cuddling in bed when I wake up...I'm terrified to fall asleep because he gets tucked into my neck then steals some blanket. I'm around 185lbs and know me napping would end tragically. He sleeps in a travel case near my bed that I bought on Chewy and they misrepresented the size...no biggie but it could carry a full grown macaw easily. I did find a really neat case on ebay by a company called colorday. The only problem was they put film on the plastic to protect against scratching and they stitched over it...such a pain to peel off. I agree about the sitting since Marley freely roams the house and nervous he'll fall behind me and I'll squish him as I sit in chairs. Marley is a good mix of active and cuddly...I think he was slightly underweight because despite the feather trim my little can fly albeit with far more effort. The cuddles is great because of hip and back issues I have. The slower pace makes me a happy young boomer(in my 30's but slowing down lol).

I think I have that same carrier, and getting the film off is next to impossible but I don't want to leave anything that could be swallowed. I always kept a small pet carrier like the sort to use on an airline. I put a natural branch in it and used it to transport the Py. I would never let her sit on me while I was sleeping, just too dangerous due to her tiny size. A cockatoo or amazon would be different as they are large enough to defend themselves.

 

[Beatlesfan]

@westvan gal Definitely a no for me and sleeping too. After my dog, I didn't think I would find this type of relationship again so i'm an over protective papa...I even got pet insurance so I don't have to stress. After this first vet visit I'm glad I have the insurance....Marley's doctor is more expensive than my jack russell's. I had only a few choices with good reviews within 25 miles of me and some in Boston were more of an emergency vet. Oh, and that case took me an hour nearly to make sure I got all the plastic off. the vet thought it was so cool, don't think they've seen one before like that.

 

[mothhteeth]

Frankie

The good- Frankie loves to snuggle and to preen everyone's hair, feathers and fur. He likes to purposefully entertain our kitten by flying back and forth from the kitten to the living room couch and having her chase him, he is incredibly social and trusts everyone. He says his own name when he wants something. He sometimes says "go poo" when he wants to go poo.
The bad- He's a thief with a taste for blood, cat food, and anything on anyone's except his own bowls. He goes after crumbs on the carpet and absolutely refuses to stay away whenever anyone's eating. The only deterrent is big scary stuffed animals to guard us while we eat.
The Ugly- He's a big mean bully, he likes to sit on the ground lure our kitten in to try to get her to play with him and when she gets near, he bites her until she screams. He attacks my hands while I try to clean up my tortoises' enclosure just because im wearing gloves. He pushes my baby bird Rocky off of my shoulder when he wants up.

this is him


Rocky
The good- He's a cute little baby bird with very big eyes. He's very snuggly, likes to lay on his back to sleep, and is learning to fly and succeeding. He has always preferred to eat his baby food, and now his veggies completely on his own. He likes to crawl up sweatshirt sleeves and chatter until he is flipped over so he could sleep.
The bad- He looks up to Frankie quite a bit. He tries to steal, he doesn't know how to though yet.
The ugly- He's a pretty good bird so far, maybe its just because he's young but hopefully he stays good.

rocky and frankie being friends

 

[Kamostrinha]

The good:
Toto is not hand-raised, but he's super friendly anyway. From the very first day, he acted like he'd known me forever. No stress or fear at all.
He's also a goofball and a little acrobat. He sneaks everywhere, sticks his beak everywhere, eats hanging upside down... I could watch him 24/7 and he still amazes me with his creativity Toto is not the biggest cuddle bug I've heard of but he still likes some scritches and sometimes snuggles a bit.

The bad:
Noise. It's not that bad, but still... Sometimes drives me crazy, but most of the time I can tolerate it. Mess - same story. Could've been worse, but still, there's quite a lot to do around the cage to keep everything clean.

The ugly:
Biting and episodes of aggression. I'm trying to handle that but I know they're known for their nipiness and it will be a challenge. Still, sometimes the problem is really demotivating, when Toto acts like an angel and then he bites.


+ he's only 1 year old (11 months to be precise), so everything can change Also, lots can change when he meets his new girlfriend (and it's gong to happen really soon)

 

[WalnutKing]

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!

Maybe it’s a texture thing? For a while I couldn’t get juniper to eat his lentils until I mashed them up with a hand blender and mixed quinoa in with it

 

[bobatea]

The Good!
Boba is a curoious brat. He is a rescue, he flew away from his last owner, so he is a bit crazy. He is scared of loud sounds. He cuddles in my hair, and it feels so warm. He eats his veggies (most of the time) And acts like a baby. Since he is a rescue, we haven't found out his age yet.
The Bad
I wouldn't call this "bad" But idk- As I said above, we don't know his age or gender yet (i call him a boy anyways, he has that personality) he eats out of peoples mouth like a baby bird. I put him on my couch in the family room, and I sit down and chew on my food. Then he waddles over to me and tries to get the food that is in my mouth! It's cute and funny.
The Ugly
He is having a tail problem. He is picking and ripping his tail feathers. I have been worried about it, but I am a bit calmer now, thanks to @Mizzely and @SeñorBirb
(they give great info!)

 

[barbs0nly]

personally i love my baby, but she does have a lot that i wasn’t expecting even with the research i put into it,
but as for the good she’s the best pet i’ve had in my life, and one of the most hard to win over, i got her at a petland lmao, not the most ideal but that’s how it worked out for me! a little bit before, i had a gcc who passed away the day i got him due to illness i wasn’t told about and didn’t know if i’d get into birds again but i did and she’s the one i had my sights on, she was the prettiest of the bunch but had a lot of issues and bit one of my family members who came with me and drew blood, we took her home that day. she still bites but she’s still a baby and she’s gotten a lot better! moral of the story, i love her to bits even though she’s problematic at times but i think people don’t rlly give gcc credit for how similar the care is to a big bird, they’re labeled as beginner birds when in my opinion they shouldn’t be. people kinda make them seem like they’re no work at all, same with budgies. as well as the stereotype of them being quiet- they’re quiet for a conure, but for a non bird person they’re ear piercing, i think the worst thing abt gcc is the lack of information from gcc owners who are realistic about how their bird is. (edit) i forgot to add how picky and hard to switch she was! i had to try three diff brands of pellets before she chose harrison’s lmao, and she still had issues with eating her greens (i have to mix it with banana and raspberries to get her to eat it lol) but overall i don’t regret it and i’d do it again a million times over.

 

[Wardy]

I havent had Mojo for long so have sort of been avoiding posting here but i would say i have a clear opinion now

Good
clever,inquisitive and forgiving very lively and will keep you on your toes acrobatic and funny and when they want to be very tactile and loving, when they dont want to be still tactile and loving. she
I got Mojo from a UK breeder who had hand reared her however had to add her back to the aviary as due to lockdown he couldnt sell her so was she was not as tame as it apppears a lot of of greencheeks are ( that was a massive thing for me s we both went on a journey together and it could have gone either way but so far so good i earned her trust cos she isnt stupid ) but loved spending time with her and getting her onboard. happy with both me and my wife scritches from both of us.


Bad


Not bad as such but need a lot of attention and if you cant give them that as life is getting in the way they let you know ,havent been to toilet on my own when Mojo is out of her cage she has to go everywhere with me. ( not bad really is it )

I want more conures ( is that bad)

In Liverpool we have a saying Little man syndrome ( small blokes who give it large cos they are small ) Mojo has got that i am 6ft2 85kg and she would gladly fight me



Ugly

Only person in this relationship that is ugly is me

She has been a total delight hard work at times but the hard work is most rewarding

still early days so i will update this in 6 months or so time and see where the land lies then

 

[Spearmint]

Everyone's GCC's are so cute!

The good- Spearmint is adorable, he's very smart, too. He isn't much of a fussy eater, and will eat just about anything put in his bowl. He's great on a harness, and loves to cuddle! He gives a lot of gentle warning signs, unless he's in a mood, pretty sure that's to do with his hormones haha. He mimics almost everything I do, and gives to lots of little kisses! He chews on a lot of stuff, but if I tell him "no" he'll stay off of it for at least 10 minutes before trying to see if I'll let him eat it again.
The bad- He's young, so very nippy. He was hand raised and I've known him since he was a week or so old. He is very clingy, and loud when he wants out. He flies a lot, as he's not clipped and I don't plan on clipping him, personally i disagree with clipping! I plan on free flying him in 5 or so years with proper training . He is very anti-cage (Not sure what the right word is), he has loads of different toys, fresh food and water daily and tons of natural perches and he just doesn't want to go into his cage no matter what! I hate doing it but sometimes I have to gently grab him to put him in, because we have to go somewhere. I'm not sure why he does this . I've spent weeks to months trying to train him his cage is okay, but he just wants to be with me 24/7. I swap out his toys, clean his cage and perches very often. If anyone has advice please let me know.

I love him so so much though, he's everything I could want in a friend <3. Don't have any pics on my computer, but he's a yellow sided GCC.

 

[Walnut001]

Everyone's GCC's are so cute!

The good- Spearmint is adorable, he's very smart, too. He isn't much of a fussy eater, and will eat just about anything put in his bowl. He's great on a harness, and loves to cuddle! He gives a lot of gentle warning signs, unless he's in a mood, pretty sure that's to do with his hormones haha. He mimics almost everything I do, and gives to lots of little kisses! He chews on a lot of stuff, but if I tell him "no" he'll stay off of it for at least 10 minutes before trying to see if I'll let him eat it again.
The bad- He's young, so very nippy. He was hand raised and I've known him since he was a week or so old. He is very clingy, and loud when he wants out. He flies a lot, as he's not clipped and I don't plan on clipping him, personally i disagree with clipping! I plan on free flying him in 5 or so years with proper training . He is very anti-cage (Not sure what the right word is), he has loads of different toys, fresh food and water daily and tons of natural perches and he just doesn't want to go into his cage no matter what! I hate doing it but sometimes I have to gently grab him to put him in, because we have to go somewhere. I'm not sure why he does this . I've spent weeks to months trying to train him his cage is okay, but he just wants to be with me 24/7. I swap out his toys, clean his cage and perches very often. If anyone has advice please let me know.

I love him so so much though, he's everything I could want in a friend <3. Don't have any pics on my computer, but he's a yellow sided GCC.

Spearmint sounds adorable! Free flight isn't recommended for a single bird, nevermind a small one!

 

[Spearmint]

Im fully aware of this, dont worry . By then i'll probably have a buddy for him. I have a spot to free fly him, and its somewhat enclosed. I just want to give him freedom of flight ^^

 

[Walnut001]

That's good. If you really have your mind set on this then good luck!

 

[Wardy]

Im fully aware of this, dont worry . By then i'll probably have a buddy for him. I have a spot to free fly him, and its somewhat enclosed. I just want to give him freedom of flight ^^
[/QUOT
That doesnt need to be outdoors my feathered spitfire bombs around my house no threat from predatory birds or other potential predators

 

[Spearmint]

as of now i dont have a large area to fly him without being hurt, im going to plan it carefully to make sure where and when i fly him is right. If i can find a large area for him to fly, thats inside, i def will!

 

[Marisa K.]

I've been having Mac and Linux, both hatched mid-April this year, since early August. Currently most of the things go pretty smoothly

The good:
- Curious little birds that enjoy interactions with humans. Although they're like only semi-tame and still don't allow me to touch them, they enjoy clinging on me and eating from my hands. That's good enough for me When I'm away for groceries etc they'll typically wait for me on a perch near the door; when I came home they fly onto me. Amazing.
- Playful and fun to watch lol. I actually captured the second Mac accidentally dropped the sola wood puffball from his foot earlier this Friday lol.




The bad:
- WARNING: Electronic device destroyers. And they're ... smart enough to remove your cover (I really don't know if I should laugh or cry on this point). I know they enjoy chewing keyboards so I typically cover my laptop keyboard with a whiteboard when I'm away. However, somehow, Linux the cinnamon girl mastered how to push the whiteboard away to expose the keyboard below out of nowhere. I was preparing their outing cage for the vet visit and came back too late, only to find a well-chewed keyboard as in the picture below. After that I started to add an extra mug on top of the whiteboard -- thankfully up till now she have not yet shown signs of knowing how to tackle that. Man, I assume the IT folks at my current company won't be happy about this...


- Probably should be listed as a follow-up of "keyboard destroyers"? Linux is a pretty determined little girl and will happily try to take a chunk out of you if you're stopping her from doing something she wants. Including stopping her from chewing the laptop camera. But else she's quite sweetheart. This is my hand after a two-and-a-half hour video interview earlier this Wednesday, nudging Linux away when she tries to get her beaks on the camera all the time. Even the NutriBerries can't distract her from the camera... I can't put them in the cage as both she and Mac will be screaming like crazy to get out, nor can I put them in the bathroom as it's too cold and damp there. No need to worry about me, though -- I already have an offer from a way better paying company at the time, and was just attending that interview out of curiosity instead of hoping to get the job.


The ugly:
They're a bit messy lol and love to drop stuff on the floor -- remainings of their veggies/fruits, bits of chewed toys, seed husks as treats, etc. But I've got the floor around their playground and cage all covered with newspapers, so that's not much of a great deal for me.

 

[Aksarben]

After that I started to add an extra mug on top of the whiteboard -- thankfully up till now she have not yet shown signs of knowing how to tackle that.

Curious, you have a laptop why don't you just close the lid on the laptop?

 

[a_conure]

adorable

 

[Danybirb]

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

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

That is adorable