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

alshgs

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I have a female yellowsided who is the most people oriented as well. She loves to be with me, but she also loves her own space. I'm fostering a normal, so we are still getting to know each other, but so far he/she loves snuggles, but also loves to nip
 

Parakeet88

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Boys can be nippy. My turquoise conures all display the same non-touch inquisitive side. They like kisses and nose rubs but not much else. However, @Parakeet88 has a lovely, snuggle bug (Ben).
Ben is a turquoise and he CAN be cuddly on his terms. He has free roam of the room and if he wants scratches or cuddles he comes to me, I never force it on him and if I do I pay for it lol he is really nippy but he's my first and only GCC so I have nothing to compare to. He certainly has his feisty side and will sometimes trick me into thinking he wants scratches only to bite my finger when I approach lol Also, he's not DNA tested so I can't be positive he's male, his vet actually thinks, based on his pelvis size, he could be a female. At this point I have no reason to DNA him.
 

Coldbreeze

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9/22/18
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New York
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Alana
I have a 3 month old Yellow Sided Green Cheek. Got him sept. 25th.

Pros.

ALWAYS happy to see me and gives me a lot of snuggles and kisses. Not highly energetic.. but he does have his playful modes. He is a totally velcro bird. Loves to sit on my shoulder or snuggle up under my chin while I watch TV and get pets. Not too nippy but had some aggression with his cage it seems which I am working on. Zazu loves me very much... if I leave the room and he is in it he will literally fly to the ground and waddle after me giving chirps to let everyone know hes there. (Smart too so that way I dont step on him but I'm always looking down when he is out of the cage cause I know he does this) Not too picky with food.. will eat veggies and fruit. Goes crazy for Millet and sunflower seeds. Quite talkative. No words but if he is happy he will let you know by chirping, making alarm calls and honking.

The bad.

He seems to like to poop just about anywhere.. even on me. While I started clicker training I just havent followed through. I can't seem to figure out how to have him step up.. click and give treat all with one hand. (The other is the step up hand) so I just let Zazu be a parrot and will just clean up after him. Hence why I got 250 pack of baby wipes ;)

The ugly. When he gets nippy it can hurt.. nothing that broke skin though. But I dont enioy it. But I have a plan. A grand master plan. I'll buy him more chew toys... a lot of chew toys! He loves to shred up the newspaper and I just got a paper toy perch that he can stand on and RIP apart. But I mainly use that for when we are out in the TV room I put that paper perch on the table with newspaper and other little toys and a bowl of fruit and veggies to keep him entertained while I watch a movie.

He is my heart. I had my best friend come over to meet him and he was amused for maybe half an hour before he got bored. He said he didnt understand what was so great about him. My jaw dropped to the floor. But I guess he just isnt a bird person. Lol but Zazu was nice to him. Stepped up and sat on his shoulder which is great.

 

Farlie

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Central Arkansas
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Rick
I don't understand it either. Why some people just don't care for birds.
The pet shop where I bought Farlie has an employee who just doesn't like birds.
 

lillie

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SoCal
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lillie
Toto!

The good:
Absolutely loving and trusting. Knows what he wants. Has the fluffiest softest feathers I've ever felt! Nice to people outside. Tolerates his sister. Playful. Talkative (he has a few phrases he says!) VERY excited about his favorite people. Loves his vegetables and is super smart!


The bad: He enjoys taking over my things. He will take my straw out of my drink, and the drop it just to bite me for approaching HIS straw. It's the worst when it's the keyboard... he bites HARD for a green cheek.. My dad's face has gotten quite a few good ones 20181129_144531.jpg .. hes only made me bleed once! He hates new people inside the house. And he knows they're scared. He uses it against them.

The ugly: my baby is adorable!... when he's not attacking the inside of your nose
 

Lesley Yeung

Sprinting down the street
Joined
10/1/16
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409
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Vancouver, Canada
Real Name
Lesley
I don't understand it either. Why some people just don't care for birds.
The pet shop where I bought Farlie has an employee who just doesn't like birds.
My dad is a super great guy. But he is terrified of birds. He doesn't dislike them, exactly. He just has a crazy bird phobia.

Different strokes for different folks.
 

d_msparkles

Rollerblading along the road
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One of my friends came over a couple weeks ago and spent 2 hours just playing with Waffle! It was so cute. Eventually she had to leave because Waffle was getting so sleepy from all the excitement.
But that’s definitely a rarity. Most of my friends think I’m a little crazy. Ha ha. I mean you have to be to have a parrot, right?? :lol:
 

Appolosmom

Jogging around the block
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12/12/15
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896
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Toledo oh
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Bev
I have a 3 month old Yellow Sided Green Cheek. Got him sept. 25th.

Pros.

ALWAYS happy to see me and gives me a lot of snuggles and kisses. Not highly energetic.. but he does have his playful modes. He is a totally velcro bird. Loves to sit on my shoulder or snuggle up under my chin while I watch TV and get pets. Not too nippy but had some aggression with his cage it seems which I am working on. Zazu loves me very much... if I leave the room and he is in it he will literally fly to the ground and waddle after me giving chirps to let everyone know hes there. (Smart too so that way I dont step on him but I'm always looking down when he is out of the cage cause I know he does this) Not too picky with food.. will eat veggies and fruit. Goes crazy for Millet and sunflower seeds. Quite talkative. No words but if he is happy he will let you know by chirping, making alarm calls and honking.

The bad.

He seems to like to poop just about anywhere.. even on me. While I started clicker training I just havent followed through. I can't seem to figure out how to have him step up.. click and give treat all with one hand. (The other is the step up hand) so I just let Zazu be a parrot and will just clean up after him. Hence why I got 250 pack of baby wipes ;)

The ugly. When he gets nippy it can hurt.. nothing that broke skin though. But I dont enioy it. But I have a plan. A grand master plan. I'll buy him more chew toys... a lot of chew toys! He loves to shred up the newspaper and I just got a paper toy perch that he can stand on and RIP apart. But I mainly use that for when we are out in the TV room I put that paper perch on the table with newspaper and other little toys and a bowl of fruit and veggies to keep him entertained while I watch a movie.

He is my heart. I had my best friend come over to meet him and he was amused for maybe half an hour before he got bored. He said he didnt understand what was so great about him. My jaw dropped to the floor. But I guess he just isnt a bird person. Lol but Zazu was nice to him. Stepped up and sat on his shoulder which is great.
all my kids think i have a few marbles missing because of my passion for birds oh well different strokes for different folks:omg:
 

katebf38

Sprinting down the street
Joined
2/17/19
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423
Location
Phoenix, AZ
We recently brought a little pineapple conure into our lives and he certainly is exciting. Our first attempt at raising, living with and loving a very fiesta boy. He is almost 3 months old and has personality to spare. I love him madly already, but he has one little area of concern... he bites.

And, he bites hard - drawing blood and leaving blood blisters and bruises. The folks at the bird store keep telling me he is “nippy”. Except when I stopped in again today they said, “We’ll, you got the meanest bird in the shop!” I’ve had him 3 weeks and we are doing better, ie. less bites, but I do look forward to really bonding with him and having no bites. Glad I found this forum and this thread about gcc’s behavior so I don’t feel like such a failure. Thanks!
 

Lodah

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Welcome to the forum! Lots of great advice here! Just a tad of advice... avoid the bites as much as you can! However you can! Don’t let it become behavioral!

:fairy:
 

katebf38

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Thanks for the advice and I will do my best to not reinforce his biting behavior.
 
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Vmax

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Waco, Texas
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Vanessa
I have had Gus for almost 4 years. He's the picture in my avatar. We got Max (GCC crossed with black-capped conure) almost 3 years ago.

Good: Both are affectionate and playful. (My mom was stunned that birds want to wrestle, play, and snuggle when she was visiting one time.) I love them both. They both speak a couple of phrases. Max is my velcro bird. He's on me or nearby wanting to get on me. Gus loves to play. He's the more social of the two. When people come over, Gussy greets them and snuggles under their chins. He's a great salesman! Max isn't into strangers at all. He hides just below my neck behind my head. It's kind of cute, but I'm not sure if it's a phase he is going through or just how he is. I want to hang out with them outside of their cages as much as possible.

Bad: Max can be mean to Gus. He chases Gus off his food and has lunged at him in a very defensive manner. They both can get cage territorial, from time to time. Gus's attempts at attracting a mate, with all of the vomiting and what not is not my favorite time to be with him. They get fussy and can get into "screaming" contests. Sometimes, I look at my spousal unit and ask "Do you hear anything?". Nippy, oh yes, nippy. We are "working" on that with gentle "no's", praise/rewards for not biting, and sometimes a time out in the cage. Cages must be cleaned frequently. Water dishes are frequently vessels for the making of poop soup. We have a lot of bird supplies, and they take up space in our home. It's part of the landscape.

Ugly: Messy. They have messed up the wall near their cages. The floor around their cages, despite the seed guards, gets covered with a variety of things: "poisonous" foods, toys, poop, shredded paper...you name it, they can make a mess of it. The other thing I would say is the vet bills. Max and Gus are both fully flighted so no feather trimming; but, we go in for regular nail trims (drimmeling?), as well as the regular check ups. I have found that avian vets are hard to find and hard to afford. We can't travel for any length of time without planning for them. Last spring, we took a group of pre-med students down to the Dominican Republic for a medical mission trip for spring break. We have a good friend who knows and loves birds and he agreed to take them and care for them for that week. He played with them and allowed them out of their cages at his home. I am super fortunate to have his friendship. The entire time I was in the DR, I missed Gus and Max terribly, despite enjoying being with my students and experiencing some significant events in their lives. Again, it's part of the landscape.

Sometimes I panic and think I should find a better home for both of them that would give them a more perfect environment: more time out of their cages, more room to fly, better enrichment opportunities. I've snuck them up to my office from time to time, usually when the university is out of session. Freshmen can be rather clueless about taking care of their health and will show up in my office with flu or what have you. I don't want to risk my "FIDS" becoming infected, so I try to be a conscientious as possible. I also try to keep them as healthy as possible with a wide variety of good foods and lots of toys and activities and java wood perches in and on their cages. Strangely, their morning calls help with my depression. They seem to joyfully greet the morning and it helps to lift my spirits, even in the really low times.

I am immensely grateful that they are in my life, good, bad, & ugly included. They have included me in their inner lives and I have loved gaining their trust and affection.
 

Nobirby

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Joined
6/27/18
Messages
711
Jesse has been with us since June of 2016. He was found in parking lot in Indianapolis. I feel sorry for the person who lost him.

The good...Jesse is my hubby's bird. He cuddles in Scot's red beard. Jesse is not a loud bird at all. He says he loves us. He can be a clown at times. Since his broken leg, he has become affectionate to me too.

The bad...Jesse would bite me without cause. That is his he his got broken. He bit my finger when I had it behind my head. Of course the pain caused me to shake my finger, causing him to go sailing into a salt shaker.

The ugly....seeing him with the cone of shame on for almost 4 weeks while his leg healed. It is off now but he still cannot be in his cage for 2 more weeks. He has been living in a large, clear tote....equipped with a very low perch, water and food bowls. Oh and plenty of things to chew up. Cannot wait to see him flying around the house again!
 

Miwwies

Moving in
Joined
7/7/18
Messages
5
Location
Quebec
Real Name
Karyn
THE GOOD

I can only speak for Kiwi, my oldest green cheek conure as I just got Maya a few days ago and she's a baby. Kiwi is very active, she loves to play, she loves attention, she's very curious and chatty. She talks often and has her favorite words or phrases that she likes to say. She's not a shoulder bird but she likes to snuggle in my hand or in my elbow crease when I hold my arm at a 90 degree angle close to my chest. She follows me around the apartment. I love when she flies to me.

She's not a screamer, she's a chatter. She gets louder when I come home from work from excitement but it's nothing. My neighbours don't hear her.

THE BAD

She's sassy and has strong opinions about many things. You can't make her do something she doesn't want to or she'll show you who's the boss. It's a quality that I like but it could be considered a bad thing by some. I don't have experience with other parrots besides budgies and green cheeks so I'm comparing her temperament to the 2 budgies that I had.

She requires a larger cage than you would think considering her size. I find a 32'' x 23'' is a good size. Right now she is in a 24'' x 21'', it's the cage I bought when I got her. The larger cage I want is back ordered at my local shop so I have to be patient. She is very active and constantly moving when I am not home (I spy on her with a camera).

Costs associated with parrot care is high. Toys are expensive, even if you make them and buy the parts in bulk. Depending on your GCC's will to destroy, toys can last a few minutes. Vets are not cheap, exotic vets are even more expensive. Food or treats aren't that expensive, I feed her Harrisson's high potency and even the 1lbs bags last me a long time. She eats the same veggies and fruits I do, so I just buy a bit more. Speaking of food, you can't ever eat alone with a flying parrot around. So keep that in mind if you are eating something that is toxic to them. I put them in their cages if need be.

I had to get rid of a lot of stuff prior to getting them home. Like many toxic plants, all my Teflon cooking ware, my scented plugins, candles, cleaning products.

Vacuuming wasn't an issue to begin with. I have a dog and a cat so I'm used to cleaning every day or every other day. But it's a thing to consider.

I don't have a SO, so I can't comment on hormonal season and a rival.

THE UGLY

Oh boy does she bite hard when she wants to... I'm much better at reading her now, but it's not 100% fool-proof and I still bet bit from time to time. They have small beaks but don't be mistaken, they HURT and will cut you and make you bleed. I had a very challenging 3 months with her. She was very mean and somewhat bipolar. One minute she was fine, the next she wanted to murder me. And she was cruel about it... she would send me kisses and as I would put my finger for her to step up, she would bite hard to make me bleed. She was a psychopath!! It was around when she turned 1 year old. I increased her sleep to 12hrs a day and it made things easier over time. Now she seems to do well with 11hrs of sleep and the occasional 12+hrs. I'm still wary when she makes kissy noises when I ask her to step up LOL
 

d_msparkles

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@Miwwies My girl is turning 1 this month and boy could I relate to your summary! I refer to Waffle as my sassy girl now because she is OPINIONATED, has a strong will, and makes her own decisions about where she wants to be and what she wants to do. I was puttering around the house with her on my shoulder earlier and she ran down and bit my hand. I calmly told her “no bites” and she looked right at me and went “HONK” in my face!
I love her sassy personality though. Of course I miss the baby cuddles, but it’s nice to be able to pee in peace. And she still loves her cuddles, scritchies and kisses—it just has to be on her terms.
And yes, she is very busy. I made a job change recently that has me no longer working from home and she’s great at keeping herself occupied. But her foraging toys pretty much have to be replaced once a week!
 

ornithophile18

Strolling the yard
Joined
4/23/19
Messages
124
Real Name
Honey
Aweee.. Pekaboo!

:heart::heart::heart:
 

CareyinOhio

Sitting on the front steps
Joined
4/24/19
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Real Name
Carey
I absolutely adore my littler Aero. He's an 8 month old YSGC. I got him at 5 or 6 weeks old and finished handraising him. We started clicker training around 7-8 weeks and he very quickly learned how to wave hi, turn around, and fly to me.

The good--
*SMART, funny, quiet, GREAT eater (since I finished handfeeding him, he was weaned onto chop, fresh veggies, sprouted seeds/lentils/legumes, birdie muffins, Tops pellets and a little bit of seed mix with fruit occasionally and nuts for training-- he has never had the opportunity to be picky)
*learns very quickly, cuddly, affectionate, inquisitive...He's already a great mimic and has picked up a few words and phrases (his favorite is asking "What are you doing" from his cage in the evening when he's bee put away for supper and whispering "pretty bird" to himself as he goes to sleep at night. He also mimics me when I laugh and as soon as I get up in the morning he mimics the sound of the bathroom door closing since that is the first place I go lol).
*I don't think he's very messy at all, he is mostly potty trained, and would be more so if I kept up with the training. He used to naturally hold it all night when he had a sleeping cage and I'd get him up in the morning and take him to the toilet or trash can for his poop- I literally only had to change the paper in his sleeping cage maybe once monthly because he simply didn't soil it). Now he's in a giant mansion cage and no longer in a sleeping cage overnight so he poops as he pleases in his cage.
*his colors are just gorgeous.
*He loves taking a shower with me and gets this totally ZEN look on his face while he's on his shower perch.
*He isn't a one person bird....I mean, *I* am his person, but he has free flight of the house most of the day and he will happily fly over to visitors, my boys, my husband (when he's home, he's a truck driver, so frequently gone but that doesn't dampen Aero's love for him, surprisingly).
*He likes my dogs (ALWAYS SUPERVISED, of course)
*He has only nipped me, and rarely at that. He has never drawn blood, though I know hormones are coming and would never rule that out, but in general he is not a beaky bird.

The bad--
*he's SMART, lol. Which means that he can tell by my body language or putting on my shoes or whatever that I'm getting ready to leave the house and will need to put him back in his cage, so he refuses to come to me at times. It's my fault, tho, as I haven't been training him consistently lately. I'm going to be consciously working on this now as I don't want to engrain bad habits.
*He went through a period of HATING my 14 year old. He would dive bomb and attack him. My son absolutely adored him and never did anything to him but one day Aero just decided he hated him. I have worked with him with clicker, target and stick training and they now can be in the same room together which is a huge improvement.
*He does not enjoy cuddles or petting/scritches from anyone but me. He will happily perch on others, and even perform tricks for them, but cuddles are only for me.
*He is small.....I wish I could order him in about 200-400 gram size :-D

The ugly......He cannot ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever have millet. It turns him into a raging velociraptor. I learned that the very hard way!!
 
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Dturgeau

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Joined
1/11/20
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1
Real Name
Donna
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:

Oh my I played your clip and my GCC went crazy!
 

d_msparkles

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@CareyinOhio Good points about the eating and the showers. I have mentioned a few times on AA that I was told when I got Waffle that Cheekies are VERY food motivated. There are very few fresh fruits & veggies she won’t try.
I know the “zen” shower face well, too.:)

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