I am new...advice, please?

Hi there!

I'm knew to this forum and have decided to get another bird. I used to own a cockatiel for years and loved him to death It's been awhile since I've had him and I'm really interested in Green Cheeked Conures.

First of all, I would love to know as much about them as possible. I have spent hours researching them, but I think it is really valuable to get some more opinions from those with first-hand experiences with them. I'd love to know how much time you spend with them every day, do they get startled easily (I'm worried about them flying/falling off my shoulder out of fright in a house w/ three cats), are they super cuddly (please say yes), etc.

Also, with my old bird I used to put newspaper down as his litter and took out the wire bottom of the cage because I heard they liked having non-wire bottoms better....Does it really matter? And is newspaper suitable?

There is one local breeder in town and I hope to purchase my GCC from her, but she has not replied to me yet. If she doesn't have any birds available, is it alright to purchase one from Petsmart/Petco? I hate the idea of buying one from those big stores, but if it's my only option...?

Those are all the questions I have for now! Thank you!

Welcome to the group. I'm fairly new here and a new owner of a 6 year old Peneapple GCC. I'm sure you'll get lots of replies and advice, probably starting with... "Every bird is different".

Mine is very sweet, seldom nips and I can read his body language well Enough now to tell when he's getting ready to pinch me. Skipper is not terribly affectionate but I've only had him for three or four months and I expect that he might become more cuddly as he becomes more comfortable. Same thing with playing - he's not very playful but I hope that as time passes he will start playing with his toys more often.

I think you're very smart getting a baby Conure, especially if you can find a local breeder who will let you come visit their flock and let you find one that will be a good match.

Welcome to the forum

I have two GGC, one a male, one a female.... I spend all day with my birds, I never close the cage. Most people don't get to enjoy their birds the way I do, but they can get spoiled.... If you give them daily outdoor time they should not startle easily but depends on bird. Tyson was scared at first but now he is ok with stuff . I got lucky with Cooper my female she isn't afraid of anything They are SUPER SUPER cuddly. Mine love to snuggle and love kisses. Loving is extremely advised I actually learned something from you I use to use wood pellets but changed to newspaper to watch their droppings for sickness but I still put the wire grate on bottom. Tomorrow I'm going to take it out. Thanks for the advice I bought Cooper my female at Petsmart and she is this best bird I could ever ask for. Tyson I got from a mom and pop store and wasn't given much attention but now I turned him into a mama's boy They are just like little people to me. You will do just fine Good Luck and Enjoy

Welcome to the forum!!!! Any bird can get startled so I would highly advice you to bring the bird out while in a closed off room from the cats as cats are predatory animals, if they see feathers flopping, they would chase. All it take is one bite then you'll be in the ER vets office.

There's a ton of GCC owners in here to give you plenty of advice you need!

Thank you everyone for your wonderful advice!!....Kern2012-I'm glad I could help you! I've always loved using newspaper (or material like it) because it's so easy to clean up (just toss into the garabage), replace, etc.!
I went to Petco today and checked out some cages...how do these look? Dimensions ok?
Petco Designer Green Dome Playtop Parrot Cage at PETCO
Petco Designer Black Standing Cockatiel Cage - Cockatiel Bird Cage and Bird Cage from Petco.com

Also, while I was at Petco I browsed some of the food options and there are SO many.....what do you use or what brand do you think is the most healthy?
Thank you guys!!

I would keep the wire grate at the bottom so they don't get into their feces and my bird loves to play on the bottom. I to have a green cheek conure.