Hi !

I just got a green cheek conure about 3 days ago ! We got him from Petsmart, which i know isn't the best place to get an animal, but I had limited options. We named him Paperclip and he loves to nibble. This is my first bird so if anyone has any tips, I would love to hear them.
-Alex

Welcome to you both! I LOVE his name . There’s tons of great info in the conure sub forum on a variety of topics. If you haven’t seen this thread http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html, it’s a good one to get your relationship off on the right foot. Ask any questions you have...no dumb questions here, and lots of people willing to share.

Hello and welcome! We would love to see pictures of your new little guy. The link above (tips for bonding and building trust) is an excellent first step in starting off your bond right with your new parrot.

Welcome alexgtc and Paperclip! That's such a cute name. I love names like that. With every new bird owner, I tend to say the exact same things. If you don't mind, I'm going to copy and paste another post of mine with the relevant information! I hope you enjoy your new companion and Paperclip enjoys you as well!

As for some things you might not know yet, but are very important:
There are lots of hazards for parrots. If you do know, great!

• Be careful of any contact with bodily fluids of other animals with parrots. It can be harmful. Also be careful of any interactions between different animals.
• Birds are very sensitive to chemicals and smells. There are a plethora of household smells that can kill the bird. Teflon or PTFE/PTFOA in cooking pots/pans and sometimes appliances are a death sentence to birds. If anything is "non-stick", there's a good place to start looking. Cast iron, stainless steel, or PTFE/PTFOA free stuff is okay.
• Overheated cooking oils can also be dangerous to birds. Frankly, I'd recommend just not letting them in the kitchen at all times.
• No aerosols, perfumes, sprays, incense, candles, smoking, around the bird. Not only is it toxic for them to ingest but just the act of spraying can cause them major problems. If you or anyone in the house smokes, wash your hands with soap before handling the bird.
• Ceiling fans have killed more than one bird.
• Open toilet bowls have caused birds to drown.
• Ionizers in air purifiers are also not recommended.
• If anyone else can mention anything I've missed, I'd appreciate it!

Birdie body language can be hard to decipher so don't worry about it! As you get to know the bird more, you'll be able to pick up on more things. Depending on the species of bird, they may have slightly different body language.

From the body language you were describing, he seems to be checking you out! It looks like he's also preening you. So he does seem to like you. Tail shaking can either mean releasing tension from the body and/or excitement.

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Be careful on feeding him too much fruit!

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Fruit isn't good for most birdies because it's high in sugar and not as much nutrition as vegetables. Also citrus in high quantities can be bad for birds.

As for your questions...

• Can I place the cage (once i obtain one) in my room? It depends. Birds awaken very easily at night especially due to movement. Ideally they need 10 - 14 hrs a night of undisturbed sleep. If you wake up early for work, toss a lot in bed, or maybe stay up late, it might not be good to keep the cage in your room.
• How do I know if he/she is happy? Honestly this varies from bird to bird but there are general signs. When my bird is happy, she's very quiet. She'll preen, play with her toys, or beak grind if she's a little sleepy. Of course it may differ depending on the sex of your birdie and their personality.
• He sleeps with his head on his back, is that a good sign or a bad sign? This is good! Birds sleep with one leg tucked up and their head nestled into their back feathers. It's to help keep the warmth in.
• Will he get lonely once i go back to work and only have a chance to be out 2 hours instead of 5+ hours? It's good to raise an independent bird for these situations. Make sure they're playing with toys, they can entertain themselves, and you could put on the radio/tv. It's not ideal though honestly. I feel like bare minimum should be at least 4 hrs out every day but more quality time is always encouraged.
• What can i do to encourage him/her to eat on his/her own (too scared to give adult parrot food since I don’t know his/her age)? Pellets & fresh vegetables with small amounts of seed tend to be the most recommended diet. Personally, I use Harrison's pellets. They have a high potency version that is meant for weaning baby birds or older birds who haven't eaten pellets before switching to their adult formula. Again, I'd consult more people about this as I know absolutely nothing about weaning.
• I’ve been looking at cages online and some home made ones out of armoire wood, etc. What size is a good size? Wood isn't ideal frankly. It's going to get destroyed. Those beaks can easily demolish an armoire. Please please consider buying a proper metal cage. With armoires and what not, on top of the wood, if there's glass, it can severely restrict airflow. As for the size, the bigger the better. The bare bare minimum for Amazon's is around 30"x36"x48".
• He/she sneezes 2-3 time a day, is that a concern? As long as they're not constantly sneezing. Birds sneeze to clear out their nose canals.
• He/she had heavy breathing this morning for maybe 2-3 minutes (only happened today), should I be worried? If he was doing any physical activity beforehand, it's normal. Luna wheezes up a storm when she does a joy fly around the room. If she was playing with her toy roughly or maybe just clambering down her cage to come out.
• What temperature is too hot or too cold? It depends on the species but if it's a pleasant temperature to you, it generally will be for them. If they're open mouthed breathing, it's too hot. If they're fluffed up constantly it's too cold. The one thing with birds though is that they don't handle sudden change in temperature too well. So keep that in mind.
• -He/she naps throughout the day (taking a nap as I am writing this), is thatnormal? (Does get 9-10 of sleep a night) Perfectly normal. He should be getting 10 - 14 hrs of sleep and a few naps during the day. Luna particularly likes sleeping after she's eaten a big meal.

I am so sorry this has gotten super long lol. With every new parrot owner, I just want to make sure they're as informed as possible.

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Welcome welcome!

Great advice above. I'll happily answer questions, but I can't think of anything generic to add except this...

Get used to doing stuff with just one hand, Paperclip will occupy the other one.

alexgtc said:

I just got a green cheek conure about 3 days ago ! We got him from Petsmart, which i know isn't the best place to get an animal, but I had limited options. We named him Paperclip and he loves to nibble. This is my first bird so if anyone has any tips, I would love to hear them.
-Alex

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Welcome Alex and Paperclip...I see our teammates have given you heaps of info to get you started on the wonderful journey of parronthood. I love the name and simply must know how you decided on Paperclip? It is priceless...

I got my green cheek Ta-dah, from pet smart, no regrets! I've had her six years and she is a wonderful healthy girl!
Congratulations! I too love the name Paperclip
Non stick cookware is deadly in an instant. Please throw all if it away. I use cast iron, glass, or stainless steel, ironing boards and irons can have the nonstick coating as well, as electric heaters, and many things. Please check here is a link with some safety info
https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/household-hazards-and-dangers-to-birds

Welcome to the flock!

Welcome, you two!
I'm glad you found us!

Welcome to you and Paperclip! We have an extensive conure-friendly membership.

Think of your purchase as liberating yet another bird from Petsmart!

Hi Alex--- I apologize ahead of time for the length of the following post. As a new parrot owner, I hope it is welcome and doesn't come off as "preachy"- It is so important, so here we go (the forum is great btw--welcome, welcome, welcome!!!):

Here is a NOVEL of information that I copied and pasted from another "new bird owner" post. Sorry it's so long!!!

When you have a bird, any sort of heated mechanism (anything that heats or is intended to be heated) and contains PTFE/PFOA/PFCs/Teflon will be out of the question (and most things that heat up or are intended to be heated DO contain these chemicals)--This includes things like pots, pans, cupcake trays, cookie sheets, cake pans etc, but it will also things like include hair-dryers, straighteners, curling irons, curlers, rice-cookers, SLOW COOKERS, popcorn poppers, air fryers, microwave meals (including certain types of microwave popcorn), steamers, irons, ironing board covers, electric skillets, griddles, George Foreman Grills, drip trays, toasters, toaster ovens, poaching pans, electric blankets, humidifiers, heat lamps, SPACE HEATERS, Scotch Guard etc etc...Here 2 links about it: https://www.ewg.org/research/canarie...on-kills-birds
To find out what contains PTFE/PFOA/PFCs/Teflon, you have to call and be a bit insistent about it over the phone (and in some cases, you won't get far--but sometimes it is a matter of how you ask). Almost always, it will take a few days (and numerous holds) for them to get back to you and you must provide the full chemical names, abbreviations and brand-names. Shopping when you have a bird is super annoying because cannot visually ID these chemical coatings, as they can be colored, transparent, or mixed into metal/fabric during the manufacturing process. Teflon and chemically similar products have killed birds on separate floors with the doors shut. Similarly, while DuPont claims that off-gassing only occurs at higher heats, there have been myriad bird deaths (even within academic circles) at temperatures well within the 300 degree F range! There is a reason they used canaries in coal-mines and it is because they die very easily due to even low levels of fumes of any sort. Some specific accounts: https://www.ewg.org/research/canarie...-death-diaries
Here are the abbreviations and full spellings of the chemicals you need to ask about when inquiring about a product (give the name, spelling and abbreviation of each):

Teflon= common brand-name using the chemical types in question
PTFE= Polytetrafluoroethyline
PFOA= Perfluorooctanoic acid (sometimes known as C8)
PFCs= Perfluorinated chemicals

Sleep=essential to hormonal and immune function. Different species have different requirements, but 12 is pretty much the average. This means that someone must be there to cover and uncover the bird at the same time each night and that your home must be conducive to sleep.

Make sure you aren't using any unsafe products around the bird. This is pretty much everything with a scent (and some things without).
No perfume, carpet cleaner, flea shampoo, aerosols, solvents, air fresheners, paints, smoke of any kind, vaping, sunscreen, bugspray, candles of any kind (organic or non), insecticides, certain soaps/shampoos, fire-places, burning or heated oil/fat, self-cleaning ovens, gas and any household cleaners (e.g., bleach, windex, lysol, fabreeze, scrubbing bubbles, kaboom, pine-sol etc)...You will seriously have to re-think your entire home and your cleaning routine will change a ton.
NEVER use the self-cleaning oven function or try to season cast iron around birds.
The list goes on. Birds have VERY sensitive respiratory systems. Essential oils are also fairly unsafe due to their ability to be absorbed into the blood-stream and due to a bird's sensitive air sacs.
In terms of safe cleaning alternatives: White vinegar + water (as long as you don't heat it), grapefruit seed extract + water, baking soda (for scrubbing), some (but not all) natural cleaning products sold in pre-mixed formulas, and then avian-safe veterinary disinfectants, such as F10 SC (the yellow/clear concentrate has to be mixed with water but it is super safe and more effective than vinegar at killing bacteria etc).

Fumes make traveling with a bird complicated, as it is very unsafe to bring your bird with you into a location where teflon or chemical cleaners are being used. My bird does travel with me, but it is important to consider the safety of your final destination, as well as car temperature and any stops along the way (if you plan on bringing your bird inside).
I would recommend getting an air purifier (non-ozone producing/non-ionizing) to help with dust/mold etc (which can harm birds). Please note- a purifier will not protect birds from cigarette smoke, vaping fumes, teflon/ptfe/pfoa etc. It will only help increase the quality of the air to some extent. You cannot use unsafe chemicals around the bird just because you have a purifier.

Generally, you should only pet birds on the head/neck and you should not allow any shadowy spaces in the cage (boxes, bedding, crumbled paper, tents, blankets, low furniture, in clothing etc)...and so are tents/huts/hammocks etc. These things are hormonal triggers and they can cause health and behavior problems and snuggle huts can also entangle birds and cause blockages.

Birds hide illness like crazy, so there is nothing intuitive about their diseases. You have to be ready to study your birds poop and behavior daily, because even the slightest change can be a huge indicator. Blood work must be done yearly (at minimum) and should be done soon after you get a new bird. Birds can carry and spread deadly illnesses without showing any symptoms, so play-dates and exposure to boarding facilities etc come with risks of their own. PBFD, ABV and PDD are all very serious and very contagious diseases that can be spread by things like feather dust in the ventilation system. These diseases are also notorious for producing false negatives in infected but asymptomatic carriers (when tested).
Bottom line: make sure that you have a certified avian vet (CAV) near you. Exotics vets who see birds are not the same thing. If you don't have a CAV near you, your life will be much more anxiety-ridden than if you do (and the difference between a CAV and an exotics vet can mean the difference between life and death for your bird in certain instances).

Birds are very sensitive to temperature changes and drafts. Any temperature change of 10 degrees or more puts significant stress on their systems. If you have to take your bird out in the cold, make sure you carefully cover the cage and pre-warm the car. Also, make sure you don't have any air-fresheners in the car or vents blowing directly on the bird. Extreme heat can also be harmful. Over time, birds can adjust to a wide ranger of temperatures, but this adjustment has to take place over a long period of time. Anything too quick is going to shock their systems.

Dowel perches that are smooth/even in texture lead to a disease called bumble-foot. Textured perches prevent this---look into dragonwood, manzanita and pummice perches. There are numerous guides to appropriate sizing online.

Birds move in slow motion and especially and establishing real trust can take many months.

A baby bird will generally be friendly to all (much like a baby human), but teen and adult birds experience significant hormonal changes which impact their personality and preferences. Puberty is particularly bad in many cases. Although it passes, an adult bird will never be as nice as a baby and it will come with a whole new set of preferences, desires and rules.
It is very important not to engage in behaviors that will eventually be inappropriate for the bird as an adult, as this sets an unsustainable precedent. You must teach independence, refrain from allowing the bird to graft itself to you all day, do not spend excessive time with your bird due to the fact that they are a new and exciting new pet (because you will be expected to keep it up long-term), pet on head/neck only and do not provide your bird with access to fleece huts, huts in general, tents, boxes, blankets, pillows, bedding etc, ignore screams for attention and attend to the sounds you will be able to tolerate long-term, ignore biting when it happens and do not scold/react.