Please advise ASAP!

[veimar]

I just registered at this forum to ask a question. I'm not a parrot owner (I had two pet crows in past - that's the only birds I had). We stepped by Petsmart with my hubby yesterday to get some supplies for our baby rats, and there was this Green Cheek Conure there… Alone, so sad and kinda dirty. It was obvious that it wasn't given any good care and was suffering. His/her eyes were so sad! We both are heartbroken and just cannot get him/her out of our minds (that doesn't happen often!). We can hardly afford him ($350) and all the supplies, but it's so much more worth than money to give this little one a loving home. Please give us some advice!!! How difficult/expensive it is to care for such parrot? Should we get him?
BTW, we work from home a lot, so we can spend a lot of time with him/her. The two baby rats are the only other pets we have.

 

[sabrecat666]

Green cheeks are a very low maintenance parrot. They crave attention however and you should be prepared to give him plenty when you are around. My experience with pet shop birds is not the best. Guido is still very shy and wont let us touch him, and Nunzio was like that for a long time, until I stepped in and worked with him when my son wouldn't. Green Cheeks can be extremely affectionate, and cuddly. When he gets tired Nunzio just wants to snuggle in to my hair.

I don't know how attention craving crows are. From what I understand they are extremely intelligent though, so I assume that they needed daily interaction at the least. Expect to do the same with a GCC.

All in all GCC's are fantastic birds and it sounds like you would be rescuing this guy from a potentially bad situation.

 

[Sadie13]

My first bird was a GCC, I would still like to get another one some day, as he had something special about him (i also think that is why i'm stalling).
I would say go for it! They are very low maintenance but they love clowning around with you! They do need attention, and time to be with their person, but are relatively quiet (we lived in a duplex at the time) and i cant express enough about how goofy they are!
I unfortunately lost mine when a pet sitter was irresponsible....I still think about about him all the time. We bought him at petsmart and he was such an amazing guy!

Oh and i wanted to add. we fell in love and bought our GCC with our last bit of money, and it was the best decision i had ever made!

 

[BoomBoom]

Tough one! Your heart is obviously in the right place.

If you feel you are ready for the life long commitment and challenges of keeping an intelligent parrot, then I say go for it. Caring for a parrot can be expensive. I can't really put a number on it. There is the daily expenses on food, treats, cleaning supplies. The weekly/monthly expenses on toys, perches, diet supplements, tshirt replacements (in my case lol). The annual or bi-annual vet visits, emergency vet visits, one time purchase on big items like carriers, table stands, tree stands (optional), humidifiers, air filters, etc. Just the general improvement of his habitation. My, the list could go on and on. Needless to say, the expenses can go from fair to expensive.

It's a tough, serious choice for you indeed. On one hand, it would be saving this little guy from misery and a potentially unfit owner. On the other hand, as with these big pet stores, another bird will just take it's place. My advice to you is to really ask yourself, do you want the parrot to care for and share your life with for the next 20-30 years?

 

[veimar]

Thank you so much for your replies!! Guess what - we got the baby!!! You have to follow your heart indeed. The manager was so nice and gave us 30% discount. She said that this very young conure was just came in and was extremely stressed of being put out in the hall with people and other birds/animals.
We found a HUGE cage with the accessories - a guy just 3 miles away from us was selling it for just $65! We cleaned it up profoundly, and now the poor baby is sleeping in it. I will post some pictures and will probably ask tons of questions.

 

[BoomBoom]

Congratulations! May you enjoy each other's company for years and years to come. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to post in the forums.

 

[Terry57]

Congratulations! So happy you brought that baby home..it was meant to be since you were able to find such a good deal on a cage right when you needed it! Looking forward to hearing more about your new baby

 

[crimson]

congratulations, and welcome to the forum!!
there is nothing like getting a new bird, you must be thrilled.
conures LOVE to take baths, just give him a dish and he'll know what to do with it.

can't wait to see some pictures.

 

[veimar]

He (we decided that it's 'he' although we don't know for sure) is still VERY timid and quiet, and we try not to bother him too much. I put a chair next to the cage and was doing stuff on my computer talking to him from time to time, and he answered with very quiet noises. He looked at me ALL the time! We left home for a few hours, and when we came back he ran to me as I approached the cage. Since he was sort of dirty I gave him a spray from my watering can, and he loved it and asked for more! I had to refill it and do that again.
He would get scared if I stick my hand in the cage and wouldn't pick treats from my hand. How long does it take for him to sit on our hands? Should we do something for that?
He eats well, but I noticed that he picked only sunflower seeds out of his mix and left everything else behind. He throws on the floor the stuff he doesn't like! I assume he must eat the other stuff too, so I'm not gonna put any more mix there until he finishes what he already has. Or am I wrong? I'll use the sunflower seeds to feed him from my hand. Also he started cleaning his feathers, but not the tail! It's still pretty dirty. Why? I'll try to arrange a water dish so he can bathe. But wouldn't the water be too cold for him? We cannot afford to heat our house above 67F (we raised the temperature from 64F that we normally had at home). He also sometimes scratches his head and neck with his foot - is that normal? It looks kinda weird to me. Sorry for so many questions! Oh yes, one more - I read that the conures should have time out of cage, but I'm horrified of doing this now. When would be a good time to start letting him out?

Thank you!!!

 

[BoomBoom]

Give it some more time, he will build his trust more and more, but let him do it at his own pace. You are already off to a good start. For now, just let him take the lead, continue to offer ambient companionship and make sure his basic needs are met. Try not to do abrupt movements around him, just slow, unthreatening motions. Continue to offer treats, if he doesn't want it today or tomorrow, he will at some point I am sure.

As for cold water, I'm actually torn. In warmer weather I shower and offer cold baths to my sun conure as often as he wants. In colder weather I do shower him with slightly warm water. This is maybe once or twice a week at most. He seems to really enjoy it and even positions his open wings so the warm water hits his 'arm pits' lol. I’m just worried because some people say the warm water could strip his feather of essential preen oils which cause the feathers to be dry, brittle and offer less protection and insulation. So now I’m not sure if I should continue offering slightly warm showers or go back to cold. Maybe someone else can answer that for you.

Don't worry about the dirty tail, when he's ready to take a full bath, it will get taken care of. Post pictures soon! Good luck!

 

[BoomBoom]

Birds will scratch sometimes, but heed the humidity level of your home. You do not want it too dry as our parrots need high humidity to keep their skin and plumage healthy. This keeps the scratching, pink nares and plucking due to itchy skin at bay. You can buy a cheep humidity reader at walmart or target (even cheaper and more options online). If your home's humidity is below 45%, I would recommend investing in a good cool mist humidifier and place it in the same room as the cage. You can also add indoor potted plants and water plants for added humidity.

 

[crimson]

your going great!!....both of you are in the same boat, not really knowing anything about each other.....a learning in progress....sometimes the best relationships develop that way.

I can think of numerous members on here who had little to no experience with birds, brought one home, and now they are amazing together. It does take a lot of time and patience between the bird and the owner to understand each other effectively.

you may not mean no harm to your bird when you put your hand in the cage, but HE does not understand your intentions....there is no trust yet that has been developed.

as for the sunflower seeds, an excellent idea, use them for treats instead only.
they cause fatty liver disease over time in birds, so you really don't want him eating them.

it can take weeks or months for a bird to settle in and want to be with you.

One of the members on here MomtoPercy comes to mind....she is fantastic with her bird, and he's a amazon!....more guts that I ever would have, but she finally won him over.
she's a great inspiration to us all to overcome an untamed/unsure bird.

don't worry about asking questions....we're all here to help!!!

 

[ruffledfeathers]

So happy for you and your new friend! Congratulations. You may want to set up a new bird exam with an avian vet in the near future. They can also give you the new parrot info. I know my vet goes over all the good stuff with clients.
I think it sounds like you are off to a good start. Your bird's curiosity will show more and more as he gets more secure.

 

[CrayZbirdlady]

Great job! I'm so happy for that little birdie to have such a nice new owner to take care of him. Your trying hard to do all the right things but through my experience, time and patience are your best weapons in wining the heart of an insecure bird.
I have always had cockatiels and they were never hand raised so it took me a long time to win their hearts. I now am a proud owner of my first Conure, a yellow sided green cheek conure. I've always wanted one and I'm thoroghly impressed with the great nature they have. Trust me, your patience will be worth it.

 

[veimar]

Oh our little Parry is so sweet and funny! I was afraid to take pictures of him on the first day, but he actually really enjoyed when I photographed him today! I attached a picture, hope it shows up.
He is not as scared anymore and eats well, except the fruits (he probably never had them before). I also noticed that he doesn't know well how to eat and drops a lot stuff. I tried to give him pieces of apples and grapes, but he wasn't able to hold them. He doesn't have any baby feathers, but he is still probably very young (they told us that in the store as well).
How can I teach him to come on my finger? He readily takes food from me, but he is afraid to step on my palm, even if I have treats in it.
He is also completely quiet, is that normal? He does some very quiet noises and he often moves his beak and tongue as if he wants to make some sound, but nothing comes out.
Thank you for your kind replies!!!

 

[JasmineGCC]

Congratulations on your new baby. I have a female GCC who is 2 years old in April. I would say what you are doing is perfect. Spend time talking just being there. If sunflower seeds are favourite then you have found your training treat!! Jasmine my GCC loves pine nuts. I would try feeding treats through the wire - fingers safe distance from that beak as GCC bites are painful!! Jasmine will not tolerate my hands in her cage - it is hers!!! But outside the cage she is a snuggle bunny. She does nibble my skin and if she hurts I say no biting and put her down and ignore her for a bit. The only time she bites hard is breeding season when I give her some space and don't let her into my fingers - just a covered sleeve. GCC are fab and fun and strong willed and think they are macaws!!

When your bird is happy taking treats from your hand then open the cage door and encourage into a covered arm. Or is he's not ready for this then he may come out by himself. Jasmine loves millet spray and will sit in my lap eating it making a mess.

You need to build trust and that takes time.

I play games with jasmine in her cage. She touches the end of a chop stick for a treat.

Hope some of this helps

 

[mtdoramike]

Please do not get a bird because you feel sorry for them. You will be surprised at what pet stores will do to get you to buy one of their pets, even Petsmart. I can bet that the bird IS being taken care of because pet shops don't want to lose merchandise especially exotic birds that can fetch a pretty price.

Do your research on the species of bird you want or are looking for to determine if the bird is a good fit for you and your family.

 

[happycat]

Please do not get a bird because you feel sorry for them. You will be surprised at what pet stores will do to get you to buy one of their pets, even Petsmart. I can bet that the bird IS being taken care of because pet shops don't want to lose merchandise especially exotic birds that can fetch a pretty price.

Do your research on the species of bird you want or are looking for to determine if the bird is a good fit for you and your family.

Um, its a bit too late for that now, isn't it?

Anyway, Perry is adorable! I think it was the right decision to get him, parrot owning is so much fun! About the loudness, it really depends on both the species of the bird and the individual. Green Cheeks aren't known to be very loud, but some screech. You probably just have a quiet one. And when he moves his beak, do you hear a sort of grinding sound? When parrots are content or sleepy, sometimes they grind their beak. Or he may be yawning. Good luck with your new parrot!

 

[CrayZbirdlady]

Mine started off as a very quiet bird but after months she is now very chatty. I was hoping for her to be a bit quieter but she is definately comfortable enough with us now that she has found her voice. I bet your bird will start to make more noises as he becomes more comfortable with you. It doesn't help that my bird is going through what I believe to be puperty. I hope this is just a phase.
With that though I have to say that she isn't mean or aggressive in this new phase but more vocal (especially at bed time) and pressents some sexually postures. A little nippy but not in a mean way at all. Does anyone have any suggestions about this phase? Is there anything that will help to make bed time easier for us all?

 

[hacatta]

i have 4 green cheeks 2 of them hardly make any noise,an other one for half an hour a day will mutter to herself(she will stand in a faraway corner fluff up and begins muttering...)
And my fourth one was re homed to me because he was a screamer.
He tried they ignored it so he dropped it within 2 weeks,while he does make the most noise ,i'ts not a lot.
They scream mostly a few minutes a day and that's it.