Would you recommend a cinnamon GC female conure for a 9 yr old first time bird owner?

[MikeyTN]

IF I were to ever own another Conure, GCC's will be my top choice. I do like them! But I won't ever give up on my Cockatiels.

 

[Dharmawaits]

Thanks Mikey.....thanks a lot. That totally helped....no really......

Why would a rehome be bad for a kid? We do it with dogs and cats why not parrots? I wasn't kidding those are really nice conures I mentioned. Week after week they have been stable and consistent. At least with an adult shelter bird You know their personality. There is no surprise your bird has grown up and is a jerk face. Makes me sad you tell people to not help a serious problem because a baby is best.....that's really to bad. Trust me most of them are there because junior grew up anyway. They are already good at the kid thing anyway.

 

[FirstBird]

We are going to see some hand fed cinnamon green cheek conures females this Sunday. They very gentle and love people, the owner said. She isn't a large breeder, these are her first 'babies'. I cannot find any GCC under $300 in our area though. She is asking $300, Petsmart was $314. Should I offer her $250 IF we decide to go with one? I am very nervous about this purchase/commitment. My son is a very responsible 9 yr old, and knows everything about birds. I told him it might bite a lot (he's already been bitten at teh petstore - drew blood and everything- didnt phase him), that he has to vacuum everyday (i'm a neat freak when it comes to my home), that he has to spend lots of time with it, etc and he is fine with that.
I received a horse for my 11th birthday as a child, and I was the most responsible pet owner. I lived for that horse. My son has a similar personality. I don't see him every becoming 'bored' with a bird.

 

[SilverWings]

If you can properly supervise your son and you are commited to caring for the green cheek then go for it! Conures can make great pets and don't require as much commitment as large parrots. I don't think having a cockatiel or budgie is the same as having a conure, budgies are quite timid I find in my experiences that they are hard to tame then other parrots and I don't know much about cockatiels, all I know is that I don't like em. If those birds are not your preference, then starting with them won't be good as people think. If you gain a year or two (more or less) with them and are ready for the conure, then what happens to them? Everyone told me that I should start with a budgie or cockatiel but I don't like either of those birds. I started with my jenday conure, and I took a lot of time researching the bird and owning it.

 

[MonicaMc]

You can discuss the price with the breeder, but I would first find out what kind of diet the birds are on. If it's a healthy diet with pellets and fresh foods, then it may be worth it to pay her the $300.

If the parents are on a seed based diet with very little of anything else, then you may want to discuss things.


Have you checked out the following website?
BirdBreeders.com - Bird Breeders Directory of Availability and Parrot Breeders

 

[FirstBird]

She said they eat dinner with her at the table on their own plates, so I assume that means they eat well? Sounds a bit odd to me, but she obviously loves the birds.

 

[MonicaMc]

Sounds like an owner with a couple green cheeks as pets that reproduced, but not a true breeder in the sense of doing it for the main source of income (i.e. large scale breeder). I would say they are worth checking out!

 

[Abigal7]

Thingamagigs, Cockatiels more temperamental then conures? I beg the differ....I've been raising Cockatiels for the past 16 years so I have had quite a few Cockatiels in my life with a few conures.

I guess it comes down to personal tastes. I definitely find GCC easier to live with and far less phobic. I have owned more cockatiels than conures and have found all the conures to be far more relaxed than any of the cockatiels.

I would agree conures act more "parrot like" and that cockatiels are more skittish but I have seen conures bite more. I had a tame cockatiel who was sweet. I love conures too and currently have a GCC conure but I had to reinforce no biting in the beginning. Since this bird is for such a young child and a first bird for a family then maybe the cocktiel would be the better experience. That isn't to say a deicated person can't have a conure as a first time bird. In my experience cockatiels have a nice tender personality. While conures may be smarter cuddly and clownish they will try to test you until they see they are not getting anywhere.

 

[Abigal7]

We are going to see some hand fed cinnamon green cheek conures females this Sunday. They very gentle and love people, the owner said. She isn't a large breeder, these are her first 'babies'. I cannot find any GCC under $300 in our area though. She is asking $300, Petsmart was $314. Should I offer her $250 IF we decide to go with one? I am very nervous about this purchase/commitment. My son is a very responsible 9 yr old, and knows everything about birds. I told him it might bite a lot (he's already been bitten at teh petstore - drew blood and everything- didnt phase him), that he has to vacuum everyday (i'm a neat freak when it comes to my home), that he has to spend lots of time with it, etc and he is fine with that.
I received a horse for my 11th birthday as a child, and I was the most responsible pet owner. I lived for that horse. My son has a similar personality. I don't see him every becoming 'bored' with a bird.

If a conure is the bird the whole family wants then go for it. They would be easier to handle and care for then larger parrots.

 

[Abigal7]

She said they eat dinner with her at the table on their own plates, so I assume that means they eat well? Sounds a bit odd to me, but she obviously loves the birds.

Ask her what their favorite fruits and veggies are. I agree it does sound like a pet owner with a couple of conures that happen to have mated. They probably would be more social then the conures at the pet store. I have my conure on my shoulder right now as I sit typing this.

 

[SweetPeasFriend]

If you can have a situation in which your son interacts with the birds ahead of time and see if they like him I would say try that to help round it down.

 

[ConureCrazy]

I have had both. The tiel at age 6 (though I loved him I wouldn't recommend it, my dad does everything on impulse and bought me him) and bought Bella and Zora at age 12 (better age , but if he knows what hes doing i say thats fine)

Bella and Zora: GO GO GO!!! There is more to life than just sitting around! You've sat still for over 10 seconds!

Tweeters, my tiel: Oh I'm so happy! I'll sit and take in the view and sing a super cute whistely song!

Yeah, you get the idea. While my GCCs can be nippy, they are much more energetic than Tweeters was. Almost like feathered birds/monkeys/can openers/dive bombing fighter planes. LOL. Tweeters was laid back, chipper, and never bit me. He was a feathered bird/professor/smiley face/the Andy Griffith theme song (the whistle one )

 

[MikeyTN]

My Black Lory is the one that NEVER sits still...He's going here, there, everywhere.....He likes to lay on his back while I scratch his belly or giving him kisses on his tummy. Unfortunately he don't play well with others....He's not afraid of the big birds either, he like a crow in the parrot family....lol

 

[FirstBird]

We went to see the baby cinnamon green cheek conures yesterday - they were precious! They were very friendly and stepped up onto my son's finger. We chose one and she will be coming home on Christmas Eve!

 

[Mudkips]

Congratulations!
Please don't forget to post us some pictures as soon as she arrives!

 

[MeganMango]

Yay, Im so glad you can to a decision! Congrats!

 

[kateyjay808]

I have a cinnamon green cheek (handfed) that is just over 4 months old. He is my sweet little brat. lol It takes lots of work & interaction to gain the trust of these guys.... Mine loves attention but on his terms. I've had him for 2 months & he truly trusts me but I have to say that if your 9 year old is not used to birds or shows the bird he is scared of being bitten, these little guys will take the upper hand from the start! If you were to compare the temperaments of most GCCs to let's say a dog, they are like terriers. May be small in size but in their minds they are the biggest pooch on the block!

It can be done well with the right bird/child combination. I was we'll into having him for over 5-6 weeks (recently!!) before I figured out his body language, likes & dislikes and several not so pretty bites before we mutually trusted each other. If you commit to having lots of hands on training & lots of positive reinforcement, these guys are awesome!! I'd probably try & take your child to see several different birds & not make a compulsive decision. I firmly believe that when you decide to go with a GCC or any bird, the fit has to be spot on otherwise it isn't a good experience for humans or birds. Sorry this is so long but as a recent owner, I feel it's really important to know what you're getting into. You'll either love or regret the decision for the next 15 to 20 years! Good luck!!!

 

[FirstBird]

Thanks for the advice Kateyjay808. We have looked at a sun conure, 3 other green cheeked conures, a lineolated parakeet, a cockatiel and these cinnamon green cheek conures. Based on that, we chose the cinnamon green cheek. We know they can be a handful, but I'm a stay at home mom so I plan to work with her during the day. It's a girl by the way (they had them blood tested). My son is very committed. He goes to a School that is outdoor called School in the Woods and he is known as the 'bird whisperer'. He is patient and calm and very educated on birds! He is the type of child who can read a book and recite every fact immediately afterwards. He has been reading all about conures and how to train them, get them adjusted, etc. He has also read about the puberty phase and how to handle them during this 'moody' time. Since parrots have such long lifespans, we wanted a bird that would remain interesting and a challenge, not just a pretty bird in a cage. This bird will be a family member, although my son will be her 'daddy'. We are all very excited!

 

[Dharmawaits]

Your son sounds like he is very committed. Good to see in such a young man. Congrats to you all! Keep us updated!