New owner requesting advice

Hi there! So i've recently set my eyes on owning a green cheek conure but i have never owned a parrot before. I have been reading alot about parrots, mostly about their diets and toxic fumes and have watched plenty of videos. i was just wondering if i can get a few tips on getting prepared on owning my first bird.

i have my room in the basement and this is where i would like to keep my bird (away from the kitchen and my parents.) in the basement we have the laundry room and the water heater. I'm curious of the safety my bird will have in my room since this is where i have my makeup, hairdryer/flat iron, and a few electrical cords plugged into an adapter. i'm just wondering to what extent i should bird proof my room. i am also concerned about the temperature in my room because during the winter it gets quite cold. theres also a really old sink in the basement that sometimes emits a rotten egg odor due to sulfur.

other things that should be mentioned:
the basement is all carpet
we have a honeywell air purifier
my parents smoke in a single room upstairs with open windows


so that's pretty much the layout of the living condition for the bird. not the best but i'll make it work. even if that means taking everything out of my room! X3

one last question, whats a good sized cage for the conure?

any and all tips will be greatly appreciated.

Welcome to the forum. I'm too much of a noob myself to give you any advice, except that I'd have that drain looked at for your own sake, not just for any potential parrot friend.

Well, there are a couple of issues that you will face. First, fresh air and sunshine are very important. The birds life cycle depends on sunlight. That is what regulates hormones. If you keep it in the basement and it does not get the normal day/night cycle you will have issues.

Temp is another issue, conures are tropical creatures and will not tolerate cold very well.

All the power cords and other stuff that can be dangerous to the bird should be put where the bird cannot get it if it gets out.

The sink, that is probably a minor issue that you can cure by making sure to run a little water in it every day so the p-trap does not get dry and let the gasses in.

The biggest issue I see is still the daylight. It is so very important to have your bird able to regulate itself with the season and be able to nap in a sunny spot.

Considering where some feral flocks of conures live (San Francisco and New York - to name a couple of places), they can indeed handle below freezing temps! Now, I wouldn't suggest keeping your bird at such a gold temperature, but that if they are accustomed to cooler temps, it wont harm them. If the basement stays above 50° F, and your bird doesn't appear to be suffering, then your bird will be fine! The next issue is safe heating... items with PTFE can be dangerous (this includes the heating coils on dryers, hair dryers, and other things that may heat up).

Light and darkness is also important, as Steve mentioned.

Birds and carpet aren't very good combinations!!!! Birds are messy (i.e. messy carpet!) and birds may pick around on the carpet, ingesting things they probably shouldn't be. If you can't remove the carpet, then try to keep your bird off the floor!

Honeywell Air Purifier should be fine as long as it doesn't have an ionizer feature on it, or if it does, it can be turned off.


As long as your parents don't smoke around your bird, nor do they handle your bird with nicotine/tar on their hands, your conure should be fine! (same goes for you! even if you don't smoke, if you are around it smoke and you get it on you, and you transfer it to your bird, it could bother your bird)

1. Get a full spectrum lamp.
2. a good floor protector might be a good investment.
3. In the end your bird will likely go with you out of the basement, (you won't be able to say no.)
4. I'd say minimum for a green cheek is about 20x20x30 (preferably long) But Pip the green cheek I fostered has the cage I had and now my mum has due to his sadly having Beak and Feather disease....(I wasn't willing to contaminate my budgies :c) is about a 30Lx36Tx18W... and that would be an awesome size for any Greencheek!

Does the water heater run on gas? I would be worried about any gas leaks with the bird being in that area. Remember, they used to use canaries in the coal mines to detect gases. If the birds die the men knew to get out. By the time we humans smell anything a bird can be dead before we know it.

Thank you for the advice! it's very helpful. But considering the living condition that I'll be putting my bird in, I'm thinking I should just wait to move out. It'll be for the best! Also I trust this info is directed to all types of birds? Incase I decide to get a budgie or cockatiel instead?

Welcome to the forum : )

If your HWS is gas, a smaller bird might be even more susceptible. I'd definitely wait until you're happy with the home you can provide. You want to be able to enjoy the good stuff like playing and cuddles, you don't want to be focussed on hazards or potential problems.