Green Cheeked Conure – Profile & Care Guide

Outgoing, very playful, active and mischievous are some of the words used to describe this little character. The green cheeked conure is a very popular companion parrot. They are playful, affectionate and intelligent and are known for having big personalities in a small body. They have the ability to learn tricks such as lying on their backs and have also been known to use tools (especially their own feathers) for scratching hard to reach places.

Green cheeked conures can be prone to biting, particularly when young, but an owner can easily cure this behaviour with time and patience.

They can learn to talk, albeit with a limited vocabulary and a gravelly voice.

These birds are not known for feather plucking, although they do still require lots of stimulation (toys and human attention etc.) to keep them from getting bored.

• As a general rule, the larger the cage, the better! Being smaller birds, green cheeks don't really need a huge cage, but at the same time they are quite active and will use all the space you can give them.
• As a rule the cage size should be a minimum of 16" x 16" x 18".
• The cage should be placed in a part of the house where the bird will have lots of contact with people, away from windows where they would receive direct sunlight (to prevent overheating).
• Like most Conures, green cheeks will sleep in their nesting area all year round. Conures naturally look for a dark, quiet place to sleep. Products like Happy Huts can be a solution. These are just cloth tubes hung from the top of the cage that the bird can enter. Young birds often take to these right away, but older birds may be wary of them. Given time, they should figure it out eventually.
• Do provide a selection of appropriate toys - right for their size and rotate them through the cage a few at a time can help to provide entertainment and stimulation.

• An all-seed diet is not conducive to a healthy Green Cheeked Conure (true for all parrot-type birds) and could eventually lead to nutritional- related illnesses. Make sure to feed a rounded, nutritious diet consisting of fruits and vegetables, seed, pellets and a small amount of seeds.
• The more the variety the better.
• If your bird is reluctant to try new foods, time and patience is the key here.
• Fresh clean water should be available at all times. Food and water dishes should be washed daily.

In summarising, Green Cheeked Conure is an amazing little bird and make wonderful and protective! companion. They are ideal for bird lovers who live in homes with limited space for housing a large bird cage.