Green Cheek Conure

[jack1991]

firstly im sorry if this is in the wrong forum

but anyway, about one month ago, nearly 2 maybe we found a green cheek conure (or he found us) on our back door of our house, we didnt know much about him but we are learning

we bought him a fairly decent size cage which is fine and he seems happy but theres a few things i would like help with

what sort of toys do green cheeks like to play with
he has this sort of, i dont know, flaking on his beak? its like it is chipping away and theres layers
also is there any way of telling how old he is

he is quite a clever bird, he dances to music, says hello, does a jackhammer like thing with his head and lays on his back which i found quite irregular, is that normal?

any help to do with these types of birds is greatly appreciated

thanks, Jack

[Xen]

The beak is normal... so don't worry about that unless it's super long, then you'd need a vet to help, but the 'flaking' look is normal.

My green cheek likes the wood/leather/rope/paper type toys to beat up, but then she also likes the harder wearing acrylic type toys too.
Feeding, puzzle and trick toys are good to keep them active too.

I don't think there is a way of telling an age just by looking at them... I might be wrong though. Does he/she have a leg band?

Is he/she your first bird?

[jack1991]

yeah this is our first bird

the is a band around his leg, which is blue (for a boy) but it has the number 16 on it, vets say there isnt a way of identifying him so, i dont know

also whats a good way of stopping them chewing the wrong thing, like my laptops power cord which i just wraped tape around

[Xen]

Hmmm... all you can really do is a firm 'No! and moving him away from it or trying to occupy him with foot toys. You'll learn that conures are stubborn little birds that like to do what they want ,when they want.
You'll get used to giving him little 'time outs' when he's nippy too... which is another green cheek trait. That said, they are awesome birds and you're so lucky he chose to drop by your back door.

What are you feeding him right now? Is he on pellets or seed? Loads of vegetables and some fruit are pretty much a must... but I'm guessing you know all that jazz eh.

[jack1991]

hes on pellets and seeds, millet, water, and corn, with the occasional bit of tomato, cucumber, anything left over like the end bits, i gave him pineapple last night

he seems to love orange juice and always flies over to me when i pour a glass

i weighed him last night, he is 70 grams, but has appeared to gained alot of weight quickly just in looks, i think he was very under fed when he arrived

thanks for all of the help

[huntress]

Just because the band is blue does not mean its a boy (lol, who told you that?) I buy bands by the color so I know which is size for bird - makes it easier to know what goes on what. I choose blue for one size and green for another and so on. The bands are pt on when the baby is so tiny and RARLEY are these babies sexed before banding as it requires blood. Eggshell DNA testing is rarley done as it is too expensive for most breeders on the small birds. Some might do it on more rare and expensive birds.
Have you checked around to see if someone lost it? I had one of my clients lose there little green cheek once and was heartbroken. Someone else came into my shop to buy stuff for a green cheek they found. I recognized the band and bird. The people didnt want to give the bird up so I sent my husband to his house with the birds "papers" which I had a copy of and claim his bird. The man was nice but the lady was a meaner. Ultimatly I got the bird back to its owner who was so happy he bought him a huge new cage. Moral of my story is he may be lost and missed.

[jack1991]

yes i am sure its a boy, a vet told us, and in australia they use blue for boys and pink for girls

we have tried everything to find his owner, we handed out fliers, asked vets if anyone was missing one, put him in the paper but there was no response, so we decided to keep him

also could you please just post things about caring for and looking after him

[huntress]

Excuse me. I wasnt trying to step on any toes here. My post was all about caring for and looking after. You didnt state all of that in the first place and Im sorry my post came across to you the way it apparently did.
I would also have to hear other opinions on the boy girl thing. Unless its an open band and they put it on later...

[rockybird]

I think he landed on the right doorstep! It sounds like you are doing everything right.

My gcc loves balls with bells, hanging bells, water bottle caps (he scratches his head with them, stacks them, and plays with them in the water dish). He also likes the hanging pink pyramid with blocks of different shapes in it. He loves knocking things off the counter and pushing his hotwheels car around. He sleep on top of a bird buddy surrounded by hanging toys. Some like the cloth happy hut. He also sleeps in a smaller night cage that is parially covered. He loves baths. I have to leave two water dishes for him, because he will run out of water bathing in one dish while I am at work. Like your bird, he loves juice! He also likes corn and pasta. To ensure that he gets vitamin A, I buy baby food squash.

These birds can be very affectionate and sweet. They can also be nippy, but they can learn that this is not tolerated. When he nipped, I would put him down on the table or counter or back in the cage and walk away saying NO. I would not leave him alone in a room for more than a minute, as he would start to whimper. He rarely if ever nips now.

THroughout the yrs., my little Rocky has become the best pet...he is affectionate, smart, quiet, comical.

[jack1991]

haha your Rocky sounds like quite the character

we recently bought buddy a happy hut, and hes fallen in love with it, whenever he bites, or poos outside of his cage i put him back in close it and tell him to go to bed.

my bird has never really liked the water dishes, but now i cant keep him out of the shower when im going for one, one night i forgot to close his cage completely, and he flew on my shoulder when i was in the shower. before that he wouldnt go near water and had some sort of dandruff, but he seems to love the water and when hes done he flys onto the towel rack to dry off, but it takes a good hour until he is completely dry

we also got some branches and put them into his cage and got rid of the dowel, he loves picking the bark off of them. also ive noticed he loves museli. we too have a bell toy in his cage which he uses often to get our attention

he is quite cheeky aswell, i was doin some homework a few nights ago and chose to peck at the pen, then grabbed it in his beak and flew off

i totally agree, ive had buddy fora bout 2-3 months now and hes an awesome pet, infact right now hes laying on me!