Well, conures can be a bit loud, but they are great starter birds. There are also mini macaws, like the yellow collared that make great pets. however, any parrot will have a time of day where it likes to scream, unless yo get luck like me
. You might need more than just 3 to 4 hours to have the bird out. That's my opinion. They are a lot like children and need lots of attention or they will become depressed (screaming, plucking) or destructive ( tearing up everything in sight, including themselves). It's not like a hamster that lives soley in their cages and are fine being handled for a bit of time a day,but more on the attention needs of a dog or toddler. They need the interaction, especially when you first bring them home.
You need time to work on socializing and teaching commands like step up, flying, or any tricks. It should have fresh meals, along with it's normal bird diet and this ranges from fruit to veggies to oatmeal and mashed potatoes. Think of it like a child. If you're ready for a child with the intelligence and attention of a 4 year old then you are ready for a bird. Good luck!
That's an awesome assessment, but wanted to piggyback my own observations as well as adding other observations, if that's okay.
I will also be including other conures, which are also a little more advanced than Green Cheek Conures (GCCs). But, so far, I've not found the care for the other conure species to be any different. Suns, Jendays, Blue Crowns, apart from personality differences, require similar amounts of care and dedication: Just spend quality time directly with the bird, and they will develop trust and bond over time.
And learn what toys they like to play with and appease that mentality. Does the bird shred things, make bells go ding-dong, cuddle up next to frizzy or frilly things, does it like to chew on leather toys, etc... buy one of each for a parrot to find out and then take notes as to what to get or what to not get.
GCCs can be loud - while my Blue Crown Conure (BCC) sometimes squawks LOUDLY, the Green Cheeks can be just as LOUD - especially if they feel neglected or feel jealousy toward newcomers into the flock. (thankfully they eyed my BCC tonight and didn't spaz. When I had parrotlets, the GCCs shrieked and shrieked and did not stop. And with 2 weeks with no neighbors complaining about the BCC yet, I have hope things are working out for him as well. Am keeping my fingers crossed as well), but I digress... GCCs are typically quiet, with only occasional loud vocalizations or screams. Usually at morning and night. Normal vocalizations are very tame (as are most BCC's.) GCCs absolutely make good apartment/condo birds, the BCCs potentially less so - but from sources I've read, BCCs are "OK". Not an outright "no" but not an outright "yes" based on a couple books I'd read. But Sun Conures and Jendays are absolute no-nos for apartments, every source I've read has been consistent. And those include the sources that said "OK" (aka "borderline") for BCCs. But I digress again.
Cockatiels are not as LOUD or have the LOUD potential, but they are near-constant chatterboxes, whistling all the time. Cockatiels drove me up the wall with their whistles and tunes.
In short, a pyhhura conure species is going to be quieter over all compared to an aratinga conure. Most aratingas are going to be way too loud, with one or two exceptions, which includes the BCC. I have to get some bird vittles and might pick up the book referencing conure care and namedrop the title. I recall it was a good resource in many ways... )
Conures, regardless of model, are highly intelligent. BCCs more so than GCCs, but GCCs definitely have an intelligence that must be appeased. Many toys, changed on occasion, will prevent neuroses from setting in. My Rosie loves to play with shiny metal objects and corn cobs (which I remove so he can't). Scooter will shred anything made of wood. Rusty loves to nibble on leather. Tybbi is too new, but she loves to cuddle with anything that has coconut hair on it, and to poke at the bamboo windchime and to use it as a backscratcher as well. The toys Tybbi likes to cuddle I keep an eye on as I don't want him bonding to them instead of me. Oh, he - like Rosie - likes to play with rawhide toys that have bells on them and to make them go ding-dong.
Conures are easier to train to do somersaults and other tricks. Cockatiels might, but conures are definitely more intelligent birds. (in training my BCC, he's figured out how to distract me so he will clutch onto the millet treat with his talon rather than taking it by his beak. I've since then out-thought him, but they are conscious critters. Heck, my BCC even uses toys as back scratchers. If he figures out how to use the bamboo windchime as a lever to open up the cage door then I'm in trouble... which is why I bought a lock... :53:
One way to train is to take note of what the bird likes to do naturally and capitalize on that. Rusty likes to bend over, so with him on a perch I taught him to somersault and get a payapa treat as a reward. He gets his exercise...
Rosie responds to laughter, so if I see something and guffaw loudly, she'll create a habit out of that and use it to get my attention. She loathes human hands due to coming from an abusive environment but she's rewarded my keeping my distance, and she will take some treats from my hand. Sadly, she'll never get to enjoy a head-scratching.
As does, like you said, spending time with the bird. But I would say that a pattern should be set early on that is not often deviated. Birds crave a routine schedule and go will nuts if anything interferes with "their" schedule. To spend a ton of time with the bird early on, only to give it less time later on, might have the bird screaming and then losing tameness. Or spazzing out because there's no pattern and birds love patterns. When I got my BCC, despite bending the rules due to the recent holiday, I made some token effort to only let him out of his cage after 5:00PM. Not during the day when I'd otherwise be at work. The weekends will be the same way - out during evenings only. Since he's in the main room, he's content to watch me on the computer anyhow. I do want to get him something else to diddle with when I'm away, though.
Oh, conures do not produce dander like cockatiels. I gave up cockatiels due to that (allergies).
Both species will require positive reinforcement strategies (giving treats and being animated with praise when they do good things). Never hit a bird. As a prey species with a short attention span, they will not see being sprayed with a water bottle as punishment. Heck, they might enjoy the shower... and, again, never hit a bird. You will lose its trust quickly and it's hard to build up to begin with.
When the bird is out, beware of certain foods and even plants - some can be toxic or lethal. I don't have plants in my apartment and all food is covered up. Granted, if they figured out how to unlock the cages and then roam around to get at the onions I might worry, but that's not possible.
Both GCCs and cockatiels make excellent beginner birds, but my vote goes for GCCs, if not most conures in general. They are more interactive and more fun as a result. Once I get that book I'd mentioned, I'll send the name your way - the chart goes into species, vocal levels, and I dare say it also told which species were good for beginner types, but if you know the species upfront, that's half the issue already solved. Only the time and temperament to keep the bird happy remain.
