Green Cheek Conure Anybody Have One?

[3chins]

I want to get a bird to add to our zoo here. I have 4 children with special needs and animals are so good for them. I want a bird that my son can handle and work with but I am afraid a parakeet would be to fast and small for him to handle.
The local mom and pop little pet store knows my son well and said that a Green Cheek Conure is not noisy like most parrots. They know he can't handle noise but before I buy I wanted to get some owners opinions. They have a baby one that my son loves to go in and hold.

My sister has larger birds and they screech loud when I talk to her on the phone we cannot have that noise level here.

Any advise?

 

[addictedtochins]

Sounds like you found a sweet one if he likes to be held by your son. They are nice and I also love a tame cockatiel. Ours were sweet, gave kisses and whistled different things incl. Iii'm a Pretty birrrrd!

 

[3chins]

Thanks, I am afraid to get a cockatiel because I have heard some pretty loud ones over the years.

 

[Enna]

Cheek Cheek can be louder then Cockatiels, just not as often. Im not sure i reccomend Gcc's for children. I have 5 ggcs myself and honestly, The amount of times my conures have bit the little one and made her cry was a bit much.

How ever that said. They are wonderfull little birds. Very clownish and will keep you entertained. Just if you get a baby, get your kids involved right away and it will help with them bitey issue

 

[Twilight Chinchillas]

Green cheek conures are known to be quiet birds, as are all conures in the Pyrrhura family. This would include black capped conures, crimson bellied, and white eared conures.
They can sometimes get a little nippy, but if you are consistent and work threw the terrible 2's you should have a great little bird on your hands.
I had the noise issue when breeding birds, with my son being autistic, and they were GREAT!

 

[3chins]

Thanks, sounds like I might be buying a baby bird next week. Jesse has been referred to the surgeon and most likely will be getting a illeostomy soon so he will have plenty of down time to play/handle/train Herbie as he calls him/her.

Christine do you also make bird toys?

 

[Jenn]

cockatiels are, in my opinion, the best family bird. When I get another bird in the future, that will be the one I get. I have a quaker parrot now, and they are the most unfriendly bird ever! She will only tolerate me, and goes after anyone who gets too close to her. She is also extremely noisy, especially during the summer months when the sun rises earlier. One of these days I might just add her to the dinner menu! lol

 

[chin_gal]

I have a green cheek conure and I have had him for almost 2.5 years now. I got him as a baby from a breeder around me. At first, he bit A LOT! You couldn't put your hand anywhere near him without getting bitten. He was extremely nippy (GCCs especially are known for their nippiness). But after a little bit of work, he stopped the constant chomping, but even now, he still bites more than I would like, and it does really hurt. And he can also be LOUD! When he gets going it sounds like a jungle in here! It can be very earsplitting. When people say they are quite conures, they mean quiet for a conure (which are a very loud group), not for a parrot. They can still be extremely loud and obnoxious. My sister also has a cockatiel, and he definitely tops the cockatiel in noise level (but not always in obnoxiousness, lol).

Now, of course I love Cody (my GCC) to death, but he's a handful sometimes. I just want you to be aware that they can be a little intense for such a small bird. And I'm not so sure I'd have him around children with special needs, as he is both loud and nippy at times. I don't have any personal experience, but I'd honestly look into getting a pionus. Pionus parrots aren't all that large (I'd say they're in the medium category), they are generally very friendly, and they are also known for being the some of the quietest among parrots. They may be a better option. Whatever you decide, I hope it all works out! ) Parrots can be amazing companions.

 

[3chins]

Weeeell maybe I won't be buying a baby bird this week. Extreme noise is not an option, I have 2 on the autism spectrum and Jesse really freaks out at loud noises and he would be the one that the bird would be for.

Maybe I will look in to the Pionus parrots, Jesse would be crushed is one of his critters bit him.

Thanks to everybody for responding, it is easier to ask first instead of buying and regretting it.

 

[Stackie]

They can definitely be loud if they want to. I have a friend who has several conures including a green cheek and he screams when he's not getting attention but the others are.

 

[chinchillalover0927]

I had one and it was psycho!!!! One was a complete sweet heart but the other one would fly through the house until it found me,land on my neck and attack me until I could get him off of me..I believe this is why the woman had sold them and didn't say anything to us about it. I couldn't take it anymore and rehomed them.....I tried to give him many chances but he made it a daily ritual of this.I didn't want to rehome the other one but I couldn't split them up...mine were both pretty quiet

 

[chin_gal]

Weeeell maybe I won't be buying a baby bird this week. Extreme noise is not an option, I have 2 on the autism spectrum and Jesse really freaks out at loud noises and he would be the one that the bird would be for.

Maybe I will look in to the Pionus parrots, Jesse would be crushed is one of his critters bit him.

Thanks to everybody for responding, it is easier to ask first instead of buying and regretting it.

That's great that you asked questions! ) It's better to know before the fact!

Now, do keep in mind, that no matter what parrot you get, they ALL have the potential to scream and bite. Parrots are very unpredictable. I think if you are definitely going to go the parrot route, a pionus, from what I've read, does sound like the best match. In general, they are known for being quiet and docile, but there are always the few individuals in a species that won't adhere to the 'standard' of that species (in this case, a loud/nippy pionus). But, it's less of a risk, then say, getting a species with a reputation of being nippy and loud. But all parrots have the ability to be loud and they all certainly can bite! This is definitely something to take into consideration, as parrots really don't do well with being re-homed. They get very attached to their people, and it's very devastating to them.

 

[3chins]

OK thanks. They say Jesse is savant like in his knowledge of animals and reading. He loves animals and knows more than I ever will but his hands don't work well [birth mom did drugs and alcohol]so he has a hard time cleaning and feeding them.

I was going to get a parakeet or 2 but I am afraid they would be to fast and small for him is why I thought about a larger bird.

Yes, I would never want to rehome a critter of any sort, somehow we end up with ones that other people get tired of. So I am full of questions.

 

[chin_gal]

No problem. ) I'm glad to help! And that's such a shame about Jesse. Sometimes I wonder about people... Bless your heart for helping him through this! My little brother (who lives with my dad) has autism, and he's 11 years old now and still doesn't talk, still gets very excited over just about anything and gets frightened easily as well. I know how debilitating it can be. Autism is an awful thing, and especially angering when you know it was preventable such as Jesse's case.

As far as the parakeets go, I agree they may be too small. They are also very hard to tame if you don't get them from a breeder (most pet store budgies are incredibly untamed and fearful). A larger bird may work, but as I said, they can all bite. I mean, even a parakeet can lay a surprisingly painful bite on you. If it would be devastating for him to be bitten, I honestly wouldn't get him a parrot. With parrots, it's not a matter of 'what if I get bitten', but 'when'. Parrots bite. Some more than others, but they all bite at some point.

 

[Twilight Chinchillas]

I think Pionus are also a great bird! I have a retired female blue headed named Mia. She is a big bigger, but does give off a musky smell. It's hard to describe, but it is pleasant.

I bred the mutation green cheeks, Turquoise, and mine were pretty quiet, and some went threw a nippy stage, and others were great. This is just my belief but sometimes think with certain species the further you get away from the natural color, the more domesticated they can be behavior wise, but on the other foot, birds are still wild animals! I tell people just because a bird is known to talk etc, don't get it because you might be disappointed!
Some of the other pyhurra conures, specifically the white eared ones though harder to find, were awesome little birds. Very quiet in comparison to the other conures. Like you, noise is an issue with an autistic child, but Ramos is a bit more forgiving, but won't touch birds. I would second a Pionus if you are concerned about the nippy stages some birds can go threw. There are beautiful varations. My favorites have been the blue heads, and Bronze wings by far. Some can talk, but they aren't known to be good talkers, but their gentle nature, more than make up for it! To bad love birds can be little chatter boxes, one of my second favorites ever was our little guy Rainbow. He was a white faced blue violet, and the best buddy Ramos ever had!
I do make toys for birds, but wil be having another 3 days of chemo next week. (just got out of the hospital last week after 3 days) so might be after the transplant before I am back to making things.