Thinking of a Green Cheek Conure...

[KaylaD8528]

Hello!

I live in a small space - 5 room apartment size duplex - and am thinking of a small bird. At first, I was considering a parrotlet, but after talking to a local shelter, I am thinking of rescuing a conure - preferably a green cheek, but any small breed would be fine, whichever gender.

My main question is: what are their lungs like? How loud do they get? I don't live in an ACTUAL apartment building, but it is a small space, and the houses are close together. Any screaming would be bad, but other forms of vocalization would be fine. I've read that the more you teach them to talk, the less likely they are to use loud vocalizations. Is this true?

Other than this...

What are some great conure basics? What is their favorite kind of feed, and the most entertaining type of toys?

Are they a safe bird for a first time owner?

Thanks very much!

[Emmilyy]

Hi Kayla,

Green Cheek Conures are considered one of the quietest of conures.. But that doesn't mean they don't or won't make their fair share of noise - just that they're quieter compared to other parrots. I wouldn't consider my GCC quiet, but then again I've never owned any other large parrot to compare her with. I dont know if teaching her to talk would make them less likely to use loud vocalizations, but even if that were the case, not all GCC's will end up talking in the first place.

Hmm. There's alot of opinions going around about the best thing to feed your parrot - so I'll let someone with more experience adress that question. My green cheek conure doesn't play with many toys, but when she does she prefers ones with wood she can chew on, and i've also heard most GCC's love foot toys.

I don't think any bird is "safe" for a first time owner, you should pick the bird you like, and learn with it. Any way you go your making a huge commitment, so you should go with whatever bird you think will go best with you in the long run.

What are your reasons for ruling out parrotlets? My sister has a parrotlet, and she's ALOT quieter than My GCC. They're very entertaing to watch, and I've heard they can become very loving members of the family if socialized propery.

I think your best bet, if you're planning on rescuing, would be to visit a rescue and let the bird pick you! you could be surprised!

[brdfvr]

I say go for it! I live in a one bedroom apartment and have 2 GCC's about to be 3. They can get pretty loud (quieter than a lovebird I had though), but it's all relative. They are pretty vocal (flock calls) in the morning and mine aren't very loud at night. But if I leave, or come back they like to vocalize for a minute or two. I am sure since I have 2 that it's twice as loud. But when I had only one I don't think it was any quieter, just less frequent. For the majority of the day though I don't even know they are there, especially if they are out of their cage. With any conure you can expect some screams, but it all depends on the frequency of those screams. I would say go to the rescue and spend some time with the GCC's I'm sure they will wiggle their way into your heart.
Not sure about the talking, since mine don't talk, but I taught my first conure to whistle, which she does often, just louder than when we are whistling together. I think she is trying to call me to come back, LOL! Favorite food? They can have a bunch, mine like corn, cucumbers, apples, peas, carrots and they also love their pellets! Give them a variety of food and they will most likely like everything you give them, however it might take some persuasion to get them to try it at first
Best toys, shredder! any kind of paper. I just made a foraging toy out of an empty egg carton, they love anything that they can rip up! And of course mom is the clean up crew always! LOL!
I would say they are a safe bird, just be careful around little kids that like to grab things (i.e. bright red tails). They can nip at times, but so can any other bird, whenever mine is being a brat, she gets a time out on the coffee table or anywhere that is not touching me (about a minute or so) and then gets more cuddles. They always want to be with you or on you so a good discipline technique is just to take them off of you, they usually act better then. If she continues, she goes back in her cage.
Skyy likes to hang upside down by one foot!
They are really great birds, very fun silly little clowns, I have no complaints, in fact I am adding a baby to my flock this weekend!

[KaylaD8528]

I've 'ruled out' parrotlets only because I do not want to buy one from a pet store. Or, rather, because the only parrotlet in town seems very unsocialized (had to be chased and caught, and held without being able to see out of a person's hands, etc). The bird breed itself is very attractive to me. However, I am currently seeking a bird as a depression-augmenting companion; something to talk to, pet, hold and interact with besides my laptop.

When I talked to the Colorado Parrot Rescue, I was told that they very very rarely saw parrotlets come through their facility, but that he had an amazing excess of conures, quakers and lovebirds. I've determined that lovebirds and quakers are not the right kinds of birds for me, right now, but from what I've observed of conures, I feel that adopting one would be perfect. Emotionally, I am more in need of a friend than I am of a specific, hard to find breed of bird. I could wait months and months to discover the right parrotlet, but it would be easy to go about and visit many of the shelter's current conures to see if one takes to me in particular.

No kids around here. Just me and my mom chilling in our little apartment, so. :)

PS. I've definitely heard of birds picking people. :) This is definitely how I would like to adopt.

[Emmilyy]

Oh, well, i wasn't trying to tell you parrotlets are better than GCC, i LOVE my conure. I'm sure you'll have your heart stolen by one at the rescue! And who knows? Maybe someday you'll find the right parrotlet and you can add to your flock!.

[brdfvr]

That sounds great! FYI, there aren't a lot of Green Cheek Conures that are given up for adoption either. I would say fewer than parrotlets (well at least here in the Midwest). I guess that's a testament to their great personalities and adaptability to your lifestyle. I know mine aren't going to go anywhere they have homes for life!

[idrial]

Originally Posted by KaylaD8528

PS. I've definitely heard of birds picking people. :) This is definitely how I would like to adopt.

That is what motivated my husband to surprise me with my sun conure Delenn. I had been going to visit her several times a week just to hold her. She flirted with me in her cage in anticipation when I would visit her. I annoyed the employees because I wanted to interact with her for more than 20 minutes at a time. The last time I held her before she was purchased I said "I am almost afraid I won't find another conure that likes me so much."

I had been considering a GCC because I live in a townhouse, so it made "logical" sense to choose that. But I just wasn't bonding with any of the GCCs I held. I must have held at least 6 of them but all of them just didn't give me "that feeling" that Delenn did.

My husband must have seen our connection because he surprised me by bringing her home one day. It was just meant to be! It was like even he couldn't deny that Delenn clearly wanted to own us.

So yes certainly look around until you find that strong connection with a specific bird. It makes the whole experience very satisfying.

[Wandalemur]

Do you have any trouble with the noise from your Sun, since you are in a townhouse?

[idrial]

Originally Posted by Wandalemur

Do you have any trouble with the noise from your Sun, since you are in a townhouse?

No, actually. I think, however, that perhaps my sun conure is quieter than most. She only shrieks when you open/close the door to the room she is currently quarantined in. She only does that 2-3 times and then settles down.

She's even gotten progressively quieter over the past 2 weeks. She shrieked for about 10-20 minutes in the morning for the first 4-5 days but now she she shrieks thrice tops.

I've also spoken with my neighbors and they have stated they can't even hear her, or they simply don't notice.

I also have a huge flock of sparrows, crows, blue jays, etc. that live outside and never shut up. I live by a creek with a decent amount of wildlife so I think that helps lol.

I can certainly understand why people tend to say "don't get a sun if you live in a condo/apartment/townhouse/duplex." If my neighboors didn't blast their music, scream at football games, and throw parties nearly every weekend perhaps I would have a different response.

So I think it depends heavily on your neighborhood and what relationship you have with them.

[KaylaD8528]

Those are some awesome stories! They definitely sound like wonderful birds. I'll look for one as best I can.

And, I would love to hear any other endearing stories or advice. :) <3