Owning a bird is a serious decision and a big commitment. I know that is the case because I have experienced it myself. In this green cheek conure care article I will reveal some of our challenges as well as the way our life has changed since we own the parrot. Let’s get right into it!
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Disclaimer: I am not a parrot expert, therefore the information in this site represents my opinion based on my experience. Please do not make decisions based solely on my articles. It helps to do further research.
Parrot’s Most Important Accessory
Since more than a year and a half, me and my partner are proud owners of a green cheek conure parrot (or Pyrrhura molinae) named Elvis. Our colorful birdie lives with us in our small apartment in his large parrot cage.
Yes, the first thing to think about is getting a cage for your bird.
Related: PARROT BIRD CAGE – PRODUCT REVIEW
We got a fairly large cage for our one small parakeet: 46cm(L) x 46cm(W) x 156cm (H), with 1.6cm bar space. Your parrot needs to have sufficient space in the cage to move around, as well as sufficient space for his food and water bowls. Additionally, his toys and sleeping corner should fit there too.
Green Cheek Conure Food
The second most important thing to consider when getting a bird is its food.
We feed pellets to our conure every day, at the advice of our vet.
For most favorite pellets of Elvis, visit this page.
Our bird starts his day with a fresh tea spoon portion of pellets. They serve him as his breakfast and his brunch.
At lunchtime, he gets raisins and a bowl of fresh fruit and vegetables. We are not making bird chop for him but rather give him his snacks fresh. Usually he gets apple, spinach and carrot. Sometimes he gets corn, boiled pasta, grapes, paprika or broccoli (it depends on what we have for lunch/dinner).
Later in the afternoon he gets his seeds and maybe some pieces of cracker or corn flakes.
Absolutely to avoid foods are: avocado, onion, garlic, alcohol and chocolate.
Preferably to stay away from human meals containing sugar, salt and fats.
Related: LIST OF SAFE FOODS FOR PARROTS TO KEEP YOUR BIRD HAPPY AND HEALTHY
Green Cheek Conure Toys
It is important that birds get several toys in their cages. The toys help them exercise and stay active while inside the cage and help stimulate their creativity and curiosity. By nature, parrots are social, active and curious, therefore they need their toys to keep busy.
In his cage Elvis has plenty of toys. Right at the entrance he has three hanging balls that he has to give a push each time he enters the cage. Straight in front are two of his swings, a larger one that serves as an intermediary step before reaching the main perch and a smaller swing.
On the left side of the cage on its top part is the big wooden ladder. That ladder serves as the ‘bedroom of the cage’. You guessed it, Elvis sleeps on the top side of the ladder every night. Under the ladder is his biting stick, or his ‘project’. He likes to bite the outside parts of the stick which keeps him busy when he is in the cage. Outside of the cage, he has various toys on his play area on top of the cage, on his Java tree and his guitar toy.
Some toys are always in his travel cage, like his small swing and his small wooden ladder. When we travel with him, we top up the travel cage with some more toys and accessories from his main cage.
Green Cheek Conure Personality
Parrots are social birds
As mentioned before, parrots are social birds. In the wild they live together with other birds in flocks.
The birds in our homes, just like the ones in the wild, are social birds and look to form their flock. Therefore, the humans that are around the parrot become the bird’s flock, with which the bird will want to bond and socialize.
Green cheeks are also very vocal, they will certainly let you know if there is something you do that bothers them. For example, our bird gets very upset for loud noises that don’t let him rest or nap.
Spoil Your Bird, You Both Deserve It!
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  | Rope Ladder Bird Toy Attachment for Bird Cage |
Our parrot
Our green cheek conure got used to us really quickly. From the very beginning when we let him out of the cage he would go straight to our shoulders. He still enjoys sitting on our shoulders as we lay on the couch watching TV or just walking around in the house.
The challenge starts when he is left behind. If he is in the cage and we leave the room he would start screaming after us. If he is out of the cage and he did not manage to fly on us before we left the room he would start screaming too.
Our green cheek conure parrot is also very curious. He would fly around in the room and slowly start stepping onto new territories that he has not stepped on or pooped on before. He wants to be involved in everything we do, be it doing the dishes, working on the laptop or eating at the table.
At the end of a busy day, he enjoys his head scratches. He also likes to lean his body into our warm hand or against our necks.
Green Cheek Conure Daily Routine
Our morning starts with letting our colorful bird out of the cage. He gets pellets and fresh water every morning.
He is free to fly around, play on his own on his java tree or on top of his cage, or just sit on my shoulder for the whole morning.
At noon, we have lunch together (he gets a raisin that he is allowed to eat on top of his cage). After that he would still play for a little longer (30 min to one hour).
He goes in the cage around one or two o’clock in the afternoon. We also give him his bawl of goodies (fresh fruit and veggies) that keeps him busy. He would eat, play and chill in his cage for the next few hours.
At around three or four o’clock in the afternoon he gets his seeds sometimes topped with pieces of crackers or cornflakes.
We let him out around five-six o’clock in the evening and spend the evening together. He is free to either play on top of his cage or stay on our shoulders.
See below the video version filmed with and approved by my Green Cheek Conure Parrot Elvis:
I hope the information above and my own experience has helped you in your own green cheek conure care routine. Please let me know in the comments below what your parrot’s care routine is. I am happy to learn from you.
To all the Parrot Lovers,
Tatiana
Founder of Best Parrot Toys
Hello, thank you for sharing all your hints and tips! And routine. I have inherited a beautiful green cheek conure. He’s such a character and so clever the more I get to know him the more he shows me his tricks and playful nature!!! Incredible. I would love to have him out of cage much longer but he’s beginning to poop on to many things, orignally it seemed he knew to poop in cage. May you advise how to poop train a conure. It’s hard cause the human has to be super fast and onto it!!
Thank you,
Chrissy
Dear Chrissy,
Thank you for your comment and for your kind words.
I am so very happy for you for having a green cheek conure in your life. It is certainly a blessing and joy to cohabit with one. However, as you mentioned, having a bird comes with challenges as well.
We have struggled with training our Elvis to poop in the right places as well for a while. Even up to this day, accidents happen and sometimes he poops in the wrong spots.
Currently, every morning when we take the cage cover off, he is not let out of the cage until he makes his big morning poop first. Once we did this a few times he learned that he can only come out once he’s pooped.
Next we tried to train him to have several spots in the house where he would know he is allowed to poop. They are, for example, his cage (top of it), on his java tree, in the sinks (he lands on the tap), on his travel cage, etc. The way he got used to it is simply by repetition. If I and my boyfriend are on the couch and we know that he is about to poop (he has been cuddling with us for the past 20 min and now he is awake), we simply ‘fly’ him to his cage, wait until he poops and only then allow him back. We simply did this by repetition and it worked for us.
I know that some people use treats for this. Try to make it a big deal of happiness when he does the right thing and h=give a treat and then when he’s done the wrong thing ‘punish’ him by not cuddling anymore, sending him to the cage, speaking to him on a low tone voice.
Hope my tips help. Wish you good luck and lots of loves to your bird!
Tatiana
Hi, I enjoyed reading about your amazing parrot. Aww Elvis is too cute! It is wonderful how lovingly you hold a bird. You have provided it with quality food and a beautiful cage. And what I like most is that you often let it fly free. That is good because I’m always a little sad when someone keeps a bird in a cage all the time. I have a rabbit and I also try to release it as often as possible and I try to feed it healthy. The love for animals is great, isn’t it?
You mentioned that parrots are social, so did you consider getting another one so Elvis wouldn’t be lonely?
I’m already attached to you and Elvis, I’m following you!
Greetings,
Danijela
Hi Danijela,
Thank you for the lovely comment and the kind words!
I should also admit that I am a bit guilty of spoiling my bird. He is out of his cage very often and is pretty much the ‘boss’ of the house!
Indeed parrots are social birds and in the wild they live in flocks. We have a long-term consideration of potentially getting a friend for our Elvis.
For now the living situation does not really allow it.
Greetings to your rabbit and all the best,
Tatiana