should i get a green cheek?

chukkaj

New member
Oct 25, 2014
13
0
malta
Parrots
6 month old yellow sided conure
Hi all,

I would love to get a green cheek but I dont think that my lifestyle is healthy for the bird. I did a lot and a lot of research on this type of bird and the more I research the more I get attached lol

My bedroom is very large and its the same room where I will be keeping my bird..the only problem is that I have no natural light coming in from the window so its a dark room. I can always buy some UV (spectrum) light and that will solve the problem I suppose.

The only thing that is concerning me is that i will not have enough time to spend with him. I have 4 days a week which i am able to give him 5-6 hours a day but on the other 3 days I will arrive at home late and will only be able to give him an hour before i go to bed.

I cant keep him in any other more busy and active rooms in my house since my mother has a cat that goes crazy when she sees a bird..

Do you think that it will be bad for the bird to spend a day alone in a room with no natural light?

I also have a female budgie in my bedroom which is very quite.. So i dont think that she will be of any good company to him.. Lol :)

A petshop near me has 3 green cheeks for sale at the moment and they are about 3.5 months old.

What do you think pls?
 

a_osborne

New member
Feb 17, 2013
121
0
Ohio
Parrots
Green cheek conure - Eva
Lutino Indian Ringneck - Adrian
Blue head pionus - Milo
Hmm...not so sure about that. I think the amount of time is okay because my GCC is happy and healthy though my husband and I both work full time. However, she is in the living room near a large window and we always leave the light on during the day for her. I don't know anything about the special lights so I'm not sure whether that would be sufficient or not. As far as everything else, as long as he/she has plenty of toys and things to occupy him/her during the day, you won't really have to worry about boredom. The amount of time you are able to spend seems okay to me. Having the budgie in the room seems like it would help, even though she is quiet. She may not continue to be quiet once she has a friend to chatter with. The only thing that concerns me is the lighting and the fact that being in that room and only that room all the time might be a little isolated for him/her. What would happen if you came home and decided to just hang out in the living room with your mom or something?
 

a_osborne

New member
Feb 17, 2013
121
0
Ohio
Parrots
Green cheek conure - Eva
Lutino Indian Ringneck - Adrian
Blue head pionus - Milo
I guess my main question is just that if she's not in a main area of the house, will her only interaction with you be when you are in your bedroom? I see you said 5-6 hours a day but it that actual interaction time?
 
OP
C

chukkaj

New member
Oct 25, 2014
13
0
malta
Parrots
6 month old yellow sided conure
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #4
I can let him out of the room and take him with me in the living room and in all other rooms as long as the cat will not be in the same room .. But while I am away he will need to stay in my room obviously..
 
OP
C

chukkaj

New member
Oct 25, 2014
13
0
malta
Parrots
6 month old yellow sided conure
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #5
I guess my main question is just that if she's not in a main area of the house, will her only interaction with you be when you are in your bedroom? I see you said 5-6 hours a day but it that actual interaction time?

I can let her out and intereact with me and my family in other rooms but as I said before only when I am home .. When i am away she will need to stay in my room though
 
OP
C

chukkaj

New member
Oct 25, 2014
13
0
malta
Parrots
6 month old yellow sided conure
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #6
When I get my gcc I was going to have him in at the afternoon, so I was thinking you could take him outside while your busy {but then you talked about the cat}. The amount of time each day you spent with him is fine :) but you need to give him sunlight, also consider the cat :/ hoped this kinda helped

It did help yes. I see what I can figure out.. Even maybe take him out on the terrace for some few hours every week..i think that will help him. I am sure that I will be able to keep the cat out of reach.
 
OP
C

chukkaj

New member
Oct 25, 2014
13
0
malta
Parrots
6 month old yellow sided conure
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #7
As longboard as you accidentally don't leave any doors open... Maybe just maybe you could get a bird harness or something... And take him outside. I honestly can't wait to get my green cheek conure. And if you have may other questions you want to talk about we can talk over private message or something :) {ps: if you end up getting the conure make sure to send us puctures}

I will for sure send you some pictures..

Last thursday I went to visit at the pet shop and i put my hand with their cage.. Two of them just stared at my hand while the other one came biting my finger and he bit quiet hard lol any idea of what does that mean? :D
 
OP
C

chukkaj

New member
Oct 25, 2014
13
0
malta
Parrots
6 month old yellow sided conure
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #8
Maybe the one that bit you was a bit territorial? {hope I spelt that right}. The other 2 probably seems more tame... Are they hand tame?

According to the pet shop owner they were hand raised when they were young but have been for some weeks in a cage in a pet shop.. But I have a lot of patience so hopefully I will be able to tame him :)
 

Dinosrawr

New member
Aug 15, 2013
1,587
8
Saskatoon, SK, Canada
Parrots
Avery, a GCC born on March 5th, 2013 & Shiko, a blue IRN born on February 25th, 2014
I would just like to toss in the fact that being by a window where there is natural light does not mean the bird is receiving the UV rays they require. Most windows block 97-99% of those rays. I live in a basement suite where very little natural light comes in, and I am of the personal belief that man-made lights are not yet at the level where they can substitute natural sunlight.

Ideally birds should receive at least 10 minutes of natural light daily. But, for folks like me, I can't always provide that. So to compensate I take Shiko (my IRN) out in his harness and my GCC out in her carrier and we go four hour long weeks 2-4 times a week. I bring water and snacks for them. During the winter I bring my birds in my car for car rides, as car windows do not block UV rays. So on cold, sunny days we go for car rides around the city :) It gives them a chance to see the outside world in different ways and to get them the natural sunlight they need.

As for time, hours on end outside of the cage does not necessarily reflect quality time out of the cage. So long as you make a conscious effort to teach your bird that their cage is just as much fun to be in as outside (ie. teaching self-entertaining skills, providing plenty of foraging opportunities, a variety of toys and materials, with lots of space to move), then the time inside the cage won't be seen as a punishment to them. When you get home, always make a conscious effort to say hello, have some one-on-one conversations (that's the favourite part of my GCC's day, she just loves it), and mentally exhaust them with training or physically exhaust them with flight. Having a bird come out of its cage "just to be out" is often no different than having them inside if it's not a stimulating experience (unless of course they're naturally perch potatoes, in which case they're perfectly content).

I think as long as you're dedicated in providing a healthy, happy life, then you should be happy to bring such a wonderful addition into your family. :)
 
OP
C

chukkaj

New member
Oct 25, 2014
13
0
malta
Parrots
6 month old yellow sided conure
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #10
Thank you all for your help ..

I will keep you updated and will post some pictures if I decide to get a GCC home :)
 

EAI

New member
Jul 25, 2014
867
2
Honolulu, Hawaii
Parrots
Budgerigar: Arrow, Esther, Kratos, Cora, Ducky.


Lovebird: Izzy, Gizmo.
For the light, I'd go with Birdlover07's advice. UV light's still can't make up for natural sunlight, so having him or her outside (for about an hour with careful supervision) will be great for the health. There's so many options for this, ranging from: a simple travel cage to a harness, that would take some time and training, to even making an aviary for your birds to go outside daily.

Also, being that you already have a budgie, you need to make sure you quarantine your new bird to prevent any incoming diseases that can be spread. Do you have any other rooms for a GCC for 30-45 days (thats the bare minimum, some people quarantine for 3-6 months for extra security)? But when there's another bird, after some adjustment, they'll start to communicate. Actually, right now my lovebird and my parakeets are having a conversation.

For the Pet shop, make sure that the birds and animals are healthy and lively. Carefully evaluate their setting and ask A LOT of questions to ensure that the people your'e buying from are aware of what they're doing.

Being that they haven't really been interacted with, it's natural for them to be curious about people and stay on the side or really adventurous and go right up to them. I think the one that bit you was more on the adventurous side, wanting to test out the new "toy" and see what it is. Green Cheeks are also known to get nippy at some point of their life, so it might just be a trait too.
Do you know if they're interacted with often?
 
OP
C

chukkaj

New member
Oct 25, 2014
13
0
malta
Parrots
6 month old yellow sided conure
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #12
Thanks for the tips :)

Today I found a breeder and I called him and he have some tame ggc about six months old.. so I would prefer to go and buy them from this breeder rather than from a pet shop. I am going to see them tomorrow.

Do you think that a cage similar to this size will be suitable for him or its small?

2cp556e.jpg
 

Dinosrawr

New member
Aug 15, 2013
1,587
8
Saskatoon, SK, Canada
Parrots
Avery, a GCC born on March 5th, 2013 & Shiko, a blue IRN born on February 25th, 2014
That looks suitable for a finch based on the vertical bars, and size-wise I would definitely suggest going as big as your budget can allow. Have you looked into Flight Cages? They're very spacious and are great for birds like GCC's:

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Prevue-Products-Wrought-F040-31-Inch/dp/B00176F5L0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414360399&sr=8-1&keywords=flight+cages]Amazon.com : Prevue Pet Products Wrought Iron Flight Cage with Stand F040 Black Bird Cage, 31-Inch by 20-1/2-Inch by 53-Inch : Birdcages : Pet Supplies[/ame]

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Wrought-Divider-Cockatiel-Black-Vein/dp/B00CTTCBKW/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1414360399&sr=8-4&keywords=flight+cages"]Amazon.com : Large Double Flight Bird Wrought Iron Frame Double Cage With Slide Out Divider 3 Levels Bird Parrot Cage Cockatiel Conure Bird Cage 63"Length x 19"Depth x 64"Height W/Stand on Wheels *Black Vein* : Flight Cages For Birds : Pet Supplies[/ame]


I definitely recommend those cages. They're well priced, spacious, and great for giving your bird the space they need when you're not home. I used to have a small 22x18x22 cage, and then I moved her to this one:

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Prevue-Products-Dometop-3162BLK-Hammertone/dp/B002YLSSOI/ref=sr_1_33?ie=UTF8&qid=1414360475&sr=8-33&keywords=prevue+hendryx+bird+cage]Amazon.com : Prevue Pet Products Medium Dometop Bird Cage 3162BLK, Black Hammertone : Parrot Cage : Pet Supplies[/ame]


In the upcoming years, I plan to purchase an even larger cage for her because she uses every square inch of her current cage. But that's just my preference :)

As us bird lovers always say, get as big as your budget will allow you! You'll soon learn that your budget will never, ever be enough, haha! ;)
 
OP
C

chukkaj

New member
Oct 25, 2014
13
0
malta
Parrots
6 month old yellow sided conure
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #14
now those are some great cages :D

i will start will something similar to the one I have shown you and then eventually will go bigger heheh

Thank you so much for your help! I really appreciate it :)
 

Most Reactions

Latest posts

Top