can a green cheek fit my life style?

hello to everyone!
my name is ariel and im a 26 yearold foreign vet student (in italy).
my former goffins cockatoo got stolen a couple of months ago and it broke my heart
it happend at my friends house that kept marley for me because i leagaly could not take her with me to italy. ive had her for almost four years.

since then im seriously concedering buying a green cheek conure in italy.
the thing is im a bit worried that my life style will harm the little one.

i have a girlfriend that lives 2 and a half hours train ride from my town.
i visit her every second weekend.
with proper training and socilizing do you think that a ggc could handle it?

also in the city she lives in its hard to find apartments, right now her apartment is okay with pets, but what if she has to move and she wouldnt find an adaquete place?
i live with my brother who could babysit the little guy some weekends, but i dont want to ask him for to much. also im affraid that it might ruin my relationship...

my girlfriend and i love animals and parrots in particular but were a bit hasitant because of our future.

i think i can be a great bird owner and make my parrot very happy.
my schedule may change but i can always have at leassssttt 2-3 hours per day, in very hectic days.

so i guess my question is what do you guys think? can a parrot handle a 2-3 hours train ride with appropriate care? (every two weeks or so) also a weekend at my girlfriends apartment.
should i get a ggc in your opinion? why?
thank you guys so much! (also sorry if my english isnt perfect, im an israeli)

Your English is great!

This is my opinion only - I suspect you’ll be a fabulous green cheek person. My suggestion would be to wait until things are a little bit more settled in life. You named a few complete unknowns, all of which could have dramatic impacts on your bird. They can be very unique in what they are comfortable with - one bird might be great at travel, another may not be. It sounds as though your living situation is still fluxuating and it could be very hard on a bird to be rehomed because your living space may not accept pets. Also - it sounds like you could be transiting between countries, which can be very complicated (as you know). My recommendation would be to wait for a few years, settle into life and then consider adding your bird .

Jen5200 said:

Your English is great!

This is my opinion only - I suspect you’ll be a fabulous green cheek person. My suggestion would be to wait until things are a little bit more settled in life. You named a few complete unknowns, all of which could have dramatic impacts on your bird. They can be very unique in what they are comfortable with - one bird might be great at travel, another may not be. It sounds as though your living situation is still fluxuating and it could be very hard on a bird to be rehomed because your living space may not accept pets. Also - it sounds like you could be transiting between countries, which can be very complicated (as you know). My recommendation would be to wait for a few years, settle into life and then consider adding your bird .

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thanks for your comment!
my living space will not change because my apartment is permanent (my parents bought it).
the bird and i will be mostly at home, thogh my girlfriends situation may change in time.
i understand why you think i should wait but woow its so hard...
miss my marley so much

Welcome!!!! Aside from the travelling, I would consider the risks of bringing a bird back home with you to Israel (assuming that is your home)...I mean, you will need to figure that out, as re-homing would be quite unfair to a bird that bonded with you..Plus, there are other lifestyle concerns as well (see below):

Here is my copy-and paste for potential owners:
I am going to write a ton here because it sounds like you are very new to this and there is a lot to learn. I don't mean to overwhelm you!

One really important thing when keeping a pet bird in the house is that you cannot use scented products or chemicals/fumes in your home (even things that smell nice to us(---things like smoke, perfumes, air freshener, standard cleaners, vaping, burning food, incense, cigarettes, glue, paint, window sealing kits, polishes, aerosol sprays etc can harm your bird's sensitive respiratory system (which is not the same as mammals'). Using products that heat or are heated which contain Teflon/PTFE/PFCs = very very dangerous. These products off-gas and can kill a bird in under 5 minutes. Teflon/PTFE/PFOA/PFCs are most commonly found in the kitchen (pots, pans, cookie sheets, drip trays, air fryers, popcorn poppers, baking mats, crock pots, toasters, toaster ovens, popcorn poppers, waffle irons, electric skillets etc. They can also be found in space-heaters, curling irons, blow-dryers, straighteners, heat lamps, heat guns, irons, ironing board covers etc. These fumes have killed birds through closed doors and on separate floors of a home, so you should replace your cookware with stainless steel, cast iron or ceramic. You may be thinking-- well, I have used them before and my bird is fine, but they kill very inconsistently and it depends on what you are cooking, the age of the pot/pan, the specific bird etc. There was a member who lost many of her birds from a pan she had literally used for years...then one day, her husband cooked an egg (without burning or overheating) and many of them died, while the rest showed signs of respiratory distress.

You will need an avian-safe cleaner to use within your home (both on the bird cage, but also, around the house). Again, chemical cleaners cannot be used in the home unless avian safe. F10 SC (the yellow/clear concentrate) is a great, avian-safe disinfectant. Other (less effective) options include products such as "poop-off", white vinegar + water, grapefruit seed extract + water, baking soda etc. Peroxide is also fairly safe for disinfecting places like your bathroom, but you do not want your bird to come into contact with it.

Some foods are toxic to them--avocado, coffee (even decaf), caffeine, rhubarb, alcohol, onions/garlic/leeks/chives, mushrooms etc. Salt is also very bad for them, as is most human food. They love it, but it's not healthy.

They should not just eat seed--you will want to feed lots of washed fresh vegetables. Fruit is fine in moderation, but too much can lead to obesity and behavioral issues due to sugar. I feed my bird a mix of high-quality seed (no sunflowers, no peanuts) and pellets (in addition to fruit/veg). Fruit pits are toxic, as are apple seeds. Corn cob and certain nut shells (if swallowed in big pieces) can cause blockages, so you should be very cautious if you give your bird nuts in the shell. Peanuts can harbor aspergillosis, and should be avoided altogether (even they you often see them marketed towards parrots).

It is important to make sure that your bird's toys and cage are made of safe metals. Stainless steel is safest. They can get metal poisoning from playing with or mouthing objects made of unsafe metals.

They need a set amount of sleep each night (at least 10 hours) and the largest cage you can manage with lots of different perches. You want to avoid the totally smooth/round ones as they can lead to a condition called bumblefoot. Never place a cage near drafts and never allow cool air to blow on a bird. They are sensitive to drafts and any temperature shift greater than 10 degrees can cause a shock to their system.

They need lots of safe toys and safe wood to chew. Not all wood is safe, so don't just assume you can give them any kind you want.

They hide illness and so you have to watch them to make sure they are eating normally and pooping normally etc. You should try to find an avian vet (certified avian) if at all possible and take your bird AT LEAST 1 x yearly for an exam. An avian vet is NOT the same as an exotics vet who sees birds--- so if a certified avian vet is available within a few hours of where you live, you will want to set up care.

All parrots can easily confuse the relationship with their human for a sexual one. You don't want this to happen, even though it seems sweet at first. Stick to petting on the head and neck only (the rest is sexual) and do not allow your bird to play in shadowy places, like boxes or under furniture, as these spaces are similar nesting sites and are hormonal triggers. NO SNUGGLE HUTS/TENTS!

Food and water should be replaced daily--- wash the containers daily. Never leave wet food out for more than a few hours (as it can lead to bacterial growth). Never try to medicate a bird via drinking water and never add vitamins to water. Vitamins can be over-dosed easily and harm a bird. Plus, when you add things to water, it makes it impossible to know how much they have gotten and it also encourages bacterial growth. Sometimes it can prevent them from drinking adequately if they don't like the flavor of whatever it is you added.

These birds have the intelligence of a 4-year-old human, but they are wild animals (not domesticated like dogs). This means that they see the world (and humans) in a very unique way and so you must learn about their behavior in order to prevent problems (screaming, plucking etc). They need lots of time out of their cage daily and a lot of interaction (at least a few hours). At the same time, you don't want to spend TOO much time with a bird of they will become overly dependent and not know what to do with themselves when you go to work etc.

Finally, baby birds are ALWAYS sweet compared to adult birds. When your bird hits puberty, expect that it will exhibit some annoying and problematic behaviors (much like a teen). A through knowledge of behavior and setting expectations at an early age will make your life easier when that time comes, but do prepare yourself and expect that things will not always be so smooth-sailing. Think about a baby human compared to a teen...

I am sure there is more...but that is a basic overview of caring for birds.

Here is an excerpt from another post (which you may want to reference when shopping/ calling about Teflon:
The most insidious is the Teflon/ptfe/pfoa/pfcs because you have to call the company to verify that anything that heats or is intended to be heated does not contain these substances ("PTFE free" doesn't mean PFC free and so there are a lot of marketing gimmicks out there to make people buy what seems like healthier cook-ware, even though it still contains a version of the same chemicals). Also-- these chemicals can be woven into fabric, mixed into metal during the moulding process, applied as a powder, applied as a clear-coat, or mixed with a colored coating. You cannot assume that you will be able to identify them visually, so, when you call, you must provide all abbreviations and full names + spellings of each chemical compound (and then they usually give you "the run around" for a week or so IF they ever answer your questions at all---because sometimes it's a "trade secret"). It's all very sketchy and DuPont (manufacturer of Teflon) claims that off-gassing only occurs at really high temperatures, but there have been numerous documented/scientific and anecdotal reports of birds passing away at temperatures in the 300 F range (and again, it kills through closed doors and on different floors).
FYI- Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)
A perfluorinated compound (PFC)
Teflon (a common brand-name of non-stick cookware containing these chemicals)

10- 12 hours nightly for sleep, so if you get up at 6 and make a bunch of noise, you will wake the bird up (even if they are still covered). If they wake up at 6, bed should be between 6-8. You want to keep it around the same time if possible (because that's how it is in nature).

Food- I leave a high quality mix of pellets and some seed in my bird's cage (no peanuts, no sunflowers, avoid fillers like corn etc)..Fruit/veg daily (more veg than fruit if at all possible--and not too much fruit). Citrus and fruits high in vitamin C should be given in extreme moderation because they can cause "Iron Storage Disease" (for a cockatoo, 1 small tangerine slice 1-2 times a week was okay, according to my vet). She gets something interesting/ cooked (no salt or sugar or unsafe spaces-- like a grain) 2x daily as well but she is picky as heck, so you have to watch it because some birds will fill up on one thing and not get proper nutrients or they will eat too much and become obese.


OH-- something I didn't mention in my last post-- stainless steel is really one of the only safe metals for them. Research the heck out of your cage and make sure that if it uses a powder-coating it is truly non-toxic. Birds can get metal poisoning from playing with sketchy toys (many made in China do not adhere to best practices) and just mouthing things like money, bolts, locks etc can cause toxic impacts...A man I know allowed his bird to play with un-used toothbrushes and (unbeknownst to him) there were small copper bits that held the bristles in place-- this nearly killed his bird even though the bird didn't actually swallow the pieces.

ALSO- AND NEVER EVER BUY A BABY THAT IS UNWEANED!! IT WILL NOT HELP YOU BOND BETTER. THIS IS A MYTH!!!! SERIOUSLY!

The 2 hour train could be very stressful initially...

Also-- your girlfriend would need to adhere to all of the rules above in terms of chemicals cleaners, air fresheners, scented anything, aerosols, candles, oil burners, essential oils, PTFE/PFOA/PFC/Teflon use etc.. because when you bring the bird to her house, the dangers will be just as real there...This will mean she will have to call to make sure any of her hair straighteners, blow-dryers, pots, pans, etc etc are free of these harmful off-gassing chemicals...and that is not a quick and easy task.

I know you miss your bird, but I do not think that now is the time, as you are travelling a lot and because you are not a citizen of Italy, which means you will have to eventually leave, which means you will have a very complicated time with the bird---again, these guys bond for life, so even giving it to a trusted friend would be unfair to the bird, given the fact that you know you are in a transient state.

Additionally, you live in an apartment--and that is not ideal either...In terms of sounds, but also in terms of neighbors smoking, vaping, using teflon etc etc...

Plus, as a vet student, you are going to be super busy and when you start to actually practice, you are going to be even busier...I would wait until you are done with school and have settled where you plan to live forever...with a steady job (as loans and things get very expensive to pay off when you graduate and finances can change a lot).