How to Care for a Green-Cheeked Conure Parrot

How to Care for a Green-Cheeked Conure Parrot the most unusual pet I have ever had is a green-cheeked conure. These small parrots have huge personalities. The is native to South America, and while the is not unusual birds in the larger scheme of things it’s unusual that I happen to own one.

I’d like to share how I came to own this type of bird, some misconceptions about conures, and how to care for them.

How I Met

Here is how I come to own Tikko the green-cheeked conure. My granddaughter and I made our weekly pilgrimage to a local garden center for pond supplies and fish food. This particular garden center has a small supply of pets, including several species of birds, hamsters, guinea pigs, and fish.

As we browse the pet section, we pass a cage that had a door hanging open like a bridge and a green baby bird was perch on the end of the door. He hope onto me and climb up to snuggle against my neck in my hair. As I was extremely alarm at this, the little girl who is cleaning the cages explain that his sister had just been sold and he is the only baby left. She thought it was so unusual for him to snuggle in my hair that she took a picture of us.

What You Need to Know About conure

As you can tell from our meet cute story, conures need a lot of attention. They also become very attached to one person and can be aggressive with other people. Keep these things in mind if you are considering this type of bird and you have a family.

This is all coming from a woman who never intended to ever own a bird. I had absolutely no knowledge of bird care, let alone a South American clown named Tikko who would captivate my heart within moments of meeting him.

What a Conure Likes to Eat

Green-cheeked conures love to eat berries, yams, small chicken bones, and dinner with you right off your plate. This is a bird family thing, sharing a meal together. He expects to be included. I also give my bird mixed veggies, thawed with hot water, and then drained. He loves yogurt also and will eat right out of my mouth if I don’t give him bites.

Clean water is a must, at least once a day. Twice a day is better, as they like to dip dry foods and they spit in their water. If you don’t want your snuggle bug bird to smell like vomit, then you need to keep the water clean because they also bathe in it.

Conures Need Lots of Attention

Tikko loves to cuddle and he never wants to go to bed unless it’s with me. This is very sad to tell you. A lot of people are like me. They love their conure so much that they can’t tell them no and put them in their own beds. The little guys end up crushed by their loving parents in the middle of the night. These birds are so loving that it’s natural for them to throw a fit and pout when you put them away. It’s hard to do but you have to tell them no.

You Can Teach Your Conure to Talk!

These birds develop a great vocabulary. My bird sings Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and says love you, mommy, granite (means pomegranate), berries, nanna, angel (dog’s name), come here right NOW, right now!, Tiffy, Britney, Where’s Angel?, Tikko, and Martha (he loves the show Martha Speaks). He screams like a little girl when he doesn’t get his own way, and he says ‘night, ‘night, bye bye, peek-a-boo, sweet dreams, and bathie. He also laughs, coughs, and sneezes!

Avoid Teflon and Other Chemicals

Never use scented candles or oils, air fresheners, or caustic cleaners around your birds. Do not clean your oven with oven cleaner while your bird is in the house. I know someone who did that and killed her sweet baby and it broke her heart. Teflon in any form is toxic to birds. If you have a room heater, make sure its ceramic, not Teflon. Keep your bird out of the kitchen if using Teflon pans.

Conures Are Not Family Birds

This bird is not a natural family-loving pet. Will bond to one or two people and bite the heck out of everyone else. My bird is so protective of me that if someone even tries to touch me he will attack them. This behavior has extended. If a stranger is in the house he will attack them and try to drive them away from me. Your bird will never love your spouse.