Green Cheeked Conure- need some info

[Stitchex]

Thinking of getting one of these guys in three months or so, I've been researching them. How did you start to tame them, or train? This will be my first bird, so I want everything right. So far, here's the list of things I know/think I'll need.

Scissors for wing clipping-have
Bird Cage, good size-picked out
Cuttlebone-Need to get
Food/water bowls-comes with cage
Zupreem pellets-Need to get
Fruits, vegetables-have
Perches, wood-comes with cage
Cornstarch to stop bleeding in case of a blood feather broken-have
Toys, toys, and more toys- need to get
Treats for training-have



I'm probably missing a few, because right now I'm not thinking straight. So, anyways...what type of food is poisonous for this type of bird? How much attention a day do they need? I'll keep on the radio/TV when I'm gone at school or soccer, and the toys will be in the cage for her/him.
Does anyone know of GCC breeders near Ocala, Florida? Should I get a young bird, or older? Thanks for reading all of this!

 

[breanna-banana13]

i dont have one, nor have ever had one but my only advice is spend the extra $$ and get a hand-raised one.. i used to work at a petstore that had them and they were the greatest birds ever!! (im afraid of birds so it takes alot for me to say that haha) these ones would literally beg to come out and once they were out all they wanted to do was be with you.. they were awesome!

 

[Alusdra]

Please please please adopt, don't buy one from a breeder. Parrots are euthanized in shelters due to lack of homes. Plus then you skip the (really annoying) teenage years. GCCs are relatively common in rescues- the one I work with always has at least one. A lot of people who spoil them as babies turn them in when they get bratty, so there are lots of young GCCs around. They don't tend to be super vicious and painful like some parrots can be.

For a GCC you should get at least a 20"x20" cage and the perches that come with most cages are crap. Rope perches are nice, as are the 'pediperch' that is basically molded concrete. Basically you want a variety of diameters and materials to give the bird's feet different things to perch on. Zupreem is an ok pellet, Harrisons is the BEST, Lafeber is second best and more readily available. You don't need a cuttlebone with a parrot on a well balanced pellet diet. Toys are usually more economical to make or buy online, as the ones at chain stores are really expensive, destroyed in a few seconds, and drenched in dyes. Conures also tend to like things like swings and boings and that sort of thing.

Also- consider not clipping the bird's wings. If you can keep the area safe- that is, not much traffic though outside doors and/or an airlock system, no ceiling fans and careful of open water, having a flighted bird is great! They can be trained to fly away from you and poo in a designated spot. Which is of course really nice. Added bonuses are they get more exercise than is even possible for a clipped bird, way more mental stimulation, and are less likely to bite (instead fly away). You can also get birdy harnesses for outside (look up the Aviator harness) and/or travel and backpacking cages.

If you insist on getting one from a breeder, then make sure they at the very least allow the bird to fledge and give it plenty of interaction as it grows. Hand-raised are not as great as the propaganda makes you think- sure they are friendlier as babies, but then when they hit puberty they try to mate with you. Getting them from pet stores is generally a bad idea as they tend to come from the same places those sorts of stores get all their other merchandise from. And it's not pretty. There are NO laws to protect birds at all, so they can be worse than puppy mills. Plus there are periodic disease outbreaks, some of which are contagious to people.

Poisonous things include (but are not limited to): Teflon (non-stick) of any sort (fumes when heated), avocado, chocolate.

Thanks for doing your research first, though!

Some good links:
Forums:
http://www.secondchancebirds.net/forum/
http://parrotstrut.net/forums/
Feeding: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/FeedingFeathers/
Training/Behavior:
http://www.aemv.org/Documents/AAV07smallbookfinal.pdf
http://www.thegabrielfoundation.org/friedman.html

 

[Stitchex]

I'm not sure if there's a bird shelter here; very doubtful, in fact. Would they be in the dog shelters? I'm a bit scared of getting one from a rescue. What if it is always biting and breaking the skin, because of the past owner, and never bonds with me? This will be my first bird. I'll look into the shelters. Thanks Breanna and Alusdra for the info and opinions, I'll definitely think about it^^

 

[Alusdra]

It's a total myth (probably propagated by marketing) that only babies will bond. I adopted my parrot at 7 and we bonded really closely. Older birds tend to be more stable personalities. If you work with a rescue they can make sure that there is a good match between bird and you. Sometimes people get sick of babies, too- it's depressing, but some <1year old parrots have already had 2+ homes. Here's a list of Florida rescues. I'm sure there are more- Florida is HUGE into exotics. And where there are a lot of a certain kind of animal, there will be a ton to rescue. Added bonus of going with a rescue is that a good one will have discount cages and supplies and support networks for training of all sorts.

 

[BalloonzForU]

Alusdra hit all the points very well. I would also however get something to clip his/her claws, as they will need to be done. Also luggage locks may be something you'll want to consider for doors on the cage unless they are spring loaded, because these little suckers are smart and escape artists that will learn how to open their cage!!

Conures are great parrots and some of the funniest you'll find. Suns being best known for some antics. Not to discourage, but keep in mind they literally demand a lot of attention and seem to think their needs should come over anyone else's and will voice this opinion. They can and will be very loud and vocal, especially when you're on the phone!! LOL Don't try to even consider trying to sneak into your house, because you will get a vocal welcome home and what at times may seem like a scolding for being gone so long. LOL Depending on how stubborn your conure is you may have to keep them out of view from where you eat. Mine would always demand MY food when it was dinner time, he didn't care what his dinner was he want "mommy" to share what was on her plate. He couldn't always eat what I was eating so I had to move him so he didn't realize mommy got something different.

 

[Stitchex]

What should I get to clip their claws? I just looked at that list(thanks Alusdra), didn't see any bird rescues close enough to me. I don't mind getting an older bird, I would just like the experience. What's the minimum hours a day I should interact with my conure? I know they can't ever have "too much" time, lol. There's also a problem that I'm really worrying about...I have a dog who loves to hunt, he's a Chow/Terrier mix. How can I deter him from the bird? Thanks Felicia and Alusdra!

 

[BalloonzForU]

We have two bird dogs that actually go out in the field and hunt, but they only "point" at the parrot. The Parrot has learned to bribe the dogs with food, he throws it at them. lol

I use a clipper like you'd use for a small dog or cat.

 

[Stitchex]

Okay, thanks^^. I'm just scared of Duby getting a hold of the Conure, but he's fine with my Leos. But, seeing that you have trained hunting dogs, I bet it could work. How'd you introduce your dogs to the bird?

 

[Stitchex]

I emailed someone about a GCC and a cage, and this is what they replied with..



"not sure of the sex the bird was my moms and she passed away last month. I know the bird was part of a breeding pair but lost the mate. We did not really mess with the bird much since it was part of a brood stock"

I asked for pictures, and waiting for that. I don't know anything about a bird who lost a mate, are they usually aggressive/very timid? I'm thinking of going to look at it.

 

[Alusdra]

It really depends on the bird. They could have been well-loved pets that she also bred, or 'just' breeders and not interacted with much (and thus wild). It sounds like a good situation to get the bird from, potentially, depending on how debilitated the mother was before dying it may be more or less neglected. You will probably have to really clean out the cage and/or replace it.

I forgot about the food thing, yeah- they are little boogers. I gave up the ghosta nd just made all of my meals bird ok (little to no salt, no caffeine or forbidden veggies) and let mine eat whatever she wanted from my plate. Haha.

At least a hour a day, I would say. I made sure at least that much time was spent by taking the bird in the shower with me every morning (~1/2 hour) and then gave part of my dinner in the evening (~1/2 hour). Make sure to set up in the beginning how much time you are going to spend for years and years if possible. If you spend every moment with the bird the first couple weeks, then it will assume that's how much time is 'routine'. ESPECIALLY important in young birds, but important in the 'honeymoon period' for older birds, too.

 

[Stitchex]

Okay, thanks! Also...a Senegal picked me, but that's not the type of bird I was looking at. He lets me flip him on his back and scratch his back/head. Is a Senegal a good starter? I don't want to get into something that I'm not ready for.

 

[robin]

we have two green cheeked conure, they are great but i would suggest getting a tame one or mostly tame. brood animals a lot of times have never been handled and are very hard to tame. conures are great and funny. cute lil boogers they are. we feed zupreem and roudy bush plus fruits and veggies, sometimes i make them oatmeal or rice and sometimes egg or chicken. sengals are real sweet (at least the ones i have know). i do not know about their personal care and characteristics but they are sweeties hehe

 

[Stitchex]

Thanks, robin! It turns out that we're getting a three year old Sennie named Luigi next weekend! I met him in person, he's a real sweety!

 

[Alusdra]

Aw, I love Senegals. From what I've heard, they are actually a bit better as "starter" birds, though that term is sort of bad as it implies you're going to later "upgrade" to a "real bird"...

I hope you two learn a lot from each other. Just remember to laugh when you find yourself doing some really strange things because the bird has you well-trained. Heh.

 

[Stitchex]

Thanks, Alusdra! There's a possibility of picking him up on Sunday, I'm so excited! I don't like the "starter bird" term either, so I'm just saying he's my first bird lol.