conure question!

[everythinganimal]

Hello,
I am new here and anxious to get started!

I am hoping to add a parrot to my very large animal family and have been doing some research, i have fallen in love with green cheek conures, i think its their playful personalities and adorable faces!

my question though, On weekdays I will be out of the house from 7:45-6 and would a single conure be alright all day with a large cage and plenty of toys, i would also leave a radio on?

if i had too get two is there a way to bond them to me? could i get one and then get another a couple of months later?

what size cage would you recommend for a single and pair of conures?
I am looking at this one,
Oregon (SH2020)

If you think a conure inst suited to my lifestyle please suggest alternatives,

sorry for all the questions!

thanks in advance

 

[JerseyWendy]

Hi there, and welcome to the forums.

Many of us work every day, and still have happy, healthy, and well adjusted birds (or bird). It's not necessary to get 2 birds.

As long as you can provide quality time with your future GCC, things should be just fine.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Like JerseyWendy said it's not necessarily how long you are away from them, but rather how much attention you pay to them when you are home.

If you provide your GCC with a variety of toys as well as the radio like you said, your conure will be fine as long as you find time each day when you are home to play with it. Whether that be allowing it out of the cage to be near you or what not.

You don't have to give constant undivided attention when you are home - many conures are just as content being near their owners.

As for a second bird, while it's not impossible to have them both bond with you it certainly makes it more difficult. Especially if you are gone for a long period of time. If you want a bird to bond just to you, stick with a single GCC and do as you planned. It should work out fine.

PS, it's hard for me to say about the cage since it's measured in mm and not inches. For a sun conure, which are slightly bigger than GCCs, they recommend a minimum of 22"wide x 24" tall x 20"depth. The bigger the better is the way to go. But just be sure you have at least the minimum size. Especially if your bird will be in the cage for a large portion of the day.

This is the cage I got for Skittles and he is out of the cage most of the day on most days. The dimensions of this cage are 24x22x37. [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Giantex-Large-Parrot-Cockatoo-Supplies/dp/B00TDF2240/ref=sr_1_4?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1450839328&sr=1-4&keywords=bird+cages"]Amazon.com : Giantex Bird Cage Large Play Top Parrot Finch Cage Macaw Cockatoo Pet Supplies Black : Pet Supplies[/ame]

Just to give you an idea as far as 'size'.

 

[Tykenolm]

PS, it's hard for me to say about the cage since it's measured in mm and not inches.
.

It's 59.52 inches High
36.51 inches Off-Stand (Whatever that means)
30.95 Inch Width
20.63 Inch Depth
The Bar Spacing is .36 Inches
The Bar Thickness is .089 Inches

Did the math for you, I don't really know anything about bird cages but those are the conversions.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

The 59.52 would mean the height from floor to top of cage when the cage is on the stand. The 36.51 would be the height from the bottom of the cage itself to the top.

As for the dimensions, I'd say that's a good size for a GCC. I'd just check the bar spacing. I'm not sure what the recommended spacing is for a GCC. But I think the spacing is fine on that cage from what I see of it.

EDIT: Given that it's 2 budgies in the cage in the picture, I'm going to assume the bar spacing is fine.

 

[everythinganimal]

Hi All,

Thank you so much for replying,
that has put my mind at rest, it reason why i was a little anxious was because i emailed a couple of breeders and one of them said you shouldn't leave a bird alone for more than a few hours.

regarding the cage, would the bar thickness be large enough? do green cheek conure have strong beaks?

thanks again

 

[MikeyTN]

With a Green Cheek Conure, the bar thickness is the same as a Cockatiel.

Some things you could do for your bird while away is by leaving on radio or tv for them to watch while your away. Be cautious on what you let them watch though as they can pick up on what is being said on tv. We usually leave the kids channel on. Someone left MTV on one time and Willie picked up some songs I wish he wouldn't sing....lol

 

[ZephyrFly]

The bar thickness on that cage is fine for a green cheek, about 10mm/1cm is good for green cheeks

 

[Flboy]

The bar thickness is good, as long as you are careful! On my wife's cage, hmm, not a bad idea! Bongo's cage has the same thickness and using heavy perches is a challenge. I found I need to use the biggest fender washers I can find! Also, I am unable to wedge branches.

 

[everythinganimal]

thanks guys, i think i will go ahead and buy this cage when the time comes!