Thinking of purchasing Green-Cheek Conure or Parakeet

[Icy]

Hello! Icy, here. I'm a bird-lover and have plenty of experience from owning a variety of pets. However, I have never owned a domestic bird. I have decided to purchase one after hours of basic research, I have narrowed it down between a blue parakeet and a green-cheeked conure. If anyone with personal experience of owning one of these birds (I would prefer pet green-cheeked conure advice because I'm leaning towards purchasing one of those) but I would love some personal opinions. I'm still deciding and would be very grateful for some advice. Thanks you so much for your time!! :)

[Dragonlady2]

Welcome to the forum! There are is a big difference between the two birds. What made you pick a gcc?

I have limited experience with green cheeks, however, I have a crimson bellied conure and a peach front conure. Both have sweet temperaments but can be stinkers at times. The crimson bellied likes to sit on my shoulder and preen me. Occasionally they can be nippy, but they don’t do much damage. They are playful and like their bells. Their diet consists of fresh veggies and fruit, pellets and mashed sweet potatoe for a snack. Conures are burrowers so they both like to hide under their bells or preening toys.
Feel free to ask specific questions as they come up.

[LesliesBabies]

Hello! Icy, here. I'm a bird-lover and have plenty of experience from owning a variety of pets. However, I have never owned a domestic bird. I have decided to purchase one after hours of basic research, I have narrowed it down between a blue parakeet and a green-cheeked conure. If anyone with personal experience of owning one of these birds (I would prefer pet green-cheeked conure advice because I'm leaning towards purchasing one of those) but I would love some personal opinions. I'm still deciding and would be very grateful for some advice. Thanks you so much for your time!! :)

I'm a big fan of GCCs... well, conures in general.

Budgies are flock birds that do best with others, so if you buy one, be smart and buy two of the same gender. They are loud. There's nothing as beautiful as budgies. Their chatter is SO cool! Mine are wonderful. Also, budgies are easy to care for.

GCC's aren't very loud, but they are VERY moody. They love you one day and hate you the next then love you, again, for a reason known only to them.

GCC's are definitely intelligent and have memories like you wouldn't believe!

Some people don't like their clinginess. GCCs think they should be out anytime you're around. They are a one-person bird that thrives on your CONSTANT attention.

GCC's are nippy, but seldom draw blood. That isn't saying they don't know how to hurt you, even bruise you.

GCCs are definitely preeners. They think when they're not preening themselves you should be.

You use the term "domestic." You do know that parrots are not domesticated. These birds have close relatives currently in the wild!

Birds are not cheap! Avian Veterinarians may be hard to find as well.

Most live 25+ years and are quite demanding. I've described bird ownership as eternal life with a toddler that scheme against you. So make sure you realize you're spending time and money on a long term relationship.

Again, I love my budgies and my conures each for very different reasons.

[Casper's 2nd best friend]

Welcome to the forum.
One big problem with having a parrot live with you is trying not to bore everyone you meet with parrot talk. Do NOT start showing total strangers pictures of your bird on your phone and do check your shoulders and back for poop before going out. Its very difficult to remain "normal" once a parrot is part of your life :)

[Icy]

Welcome to the forum! There are is a big difference between the two birds. What made you pick a gcc?

I have limited experience with green cheeks, however, I have a crimson bellied conure and a peach front conure. Both have sweet temperaments but can be stinkers at times. The crimson bellied likes to sit on my shoulder and preen me. Occasionally they can be nippy, but they don’t do much damage. They are playful and like their bells. Their diet consists of fresh veggies and fruit, pellets and mashed sweet potatoe for a snack. Conures are burrowers so they both like to hide under their bells or preening toys.
Feel free to ask specific questions as they come up.

Thank you so much for replying! I appreciate the dietary advice. I now realize that it is optimal to own two parakeets rather than one, but this creates a noise problem. Seeing that the gcc is quieter, I am heavily leaning towards this bird. If I have any questions, I'll post them here. Thanks again!

[Icy]

I'm a big fan of GCCs... well, conures in general.

Budgies are flock birds that do best with others, so if you buy one, be smart and buy two of the same gender. They are loud. There's nothing as beautiful as budgies. Their chatter is SO cool! Mine are wonderful. Also, budgies are easy to care for.

GCC's aren't very loud, but they are VERY moody. They love you one day and hate you the next then love you, again, for a reason known only to them.

GCC's are definitely intelligent and have memories like you wouldn't believe!

Some people don't like their clinginess. GCCs think they should be out anytime you're around. They are a one-person bird that thrives on your CONSTANT attention.

GCC's are nippy, but seldom draw blood. That isn't saying they don't know how to hurt you, even bruise you.

GCCs are definitely preeners. They think when they're not preening themselves you should be.

You use the term "domestic." You do know that parrots are not domesticated. These birds have close relatives currently in the wild!

Birds are not cheap! Avian Veterinarians may be hard to find as well.

Most live 25+ years and are quite demanding. I've described bird ownership as eternal life with a toddler that scheme against you. So make sure you realize you're spending time and money on a long term relationship.

Again, I love my budgies and my conures each for very different reasons.

Thank you so much for the advice! I find this very useful. I am leaning towards a gcc, but this is the first time that I've heard that they need constant attention. I'm home about 1/3 of the day (not including 1/3 of sleep), so does that mean I must be with the bird all eight hours I'm awake at home? I just want to know as much as possible about the bird before jumping in and buying one. Thanks again for your time!!

[Icy]

Welcome to the forum.
One big problem with having a parrot live with you is trying not to bore everyone you meet with parrot talk. Do NOT start showing total strangers pictures of your bird on your phone and do check your shoulders and back for poop before going out. Its very difficult to remain "normal" once a parrot is part of your life :)

Thank you! I will be sure to keep that in mind, that not everyone is interested in domestic birds. I can understand how people would be a bit tilted if I went on and on about my bird. Thanks for your time! :)

[Icy]

UPDATE TO MY ORIGINAL POST:

Thank you to everyone in this thread who has shared some valuable advice.
Between research on the internet, talking to friends that own birds, and posting on forums I am greatly leaning towards purchasing a gcc rather than two parakeets.
If anyone has any additional advice on gcc birds, I would be very grateful for it!

Thanks for your time! =D

-Icy

[LesliesBabies]

Thank you so much for the advice! I find this very useful. I am leaning towards a gcc, but this is the first time that I've heard that they need constant attention. I'm home about 1/3 of the day (not including 1/3 of sleep), so does that mean I must be with the bird all eight hours I'm awake at home? I just want to know as much as possible about the bird before jumping in and buying one. Thanks again for your time!!

No
One thing I enjoy about conures is their need for alone time. They are highly adaptable to your schedule but will definitely need a home/daycage to retreat to for food, water and safety.
Please note that all parrots need free time to provide both emotional, mental and physical exercise!
You mentioned other animals. BE VERY CAREFUL! Cats kill small birds! Also, remember it goes both ways. I've seen birds kill cats and torture small animals. Let me tell you two stories.
My birds had a "nest." (It was actually a carry-on bag.) My cat decided to check it out. It's paw scratched my bird, so the bird bit the cat's nose. The scared cat ran. The bird didn't want to be thrown off so bit harder which made the cat run faster. I joined in! Each of us was bleeding and terrified.
I had a guinea pig. My bird learned to make g.pig warning noises and seemed to take pleasure in sitting on top of its cage and squealing. My poor g.pig just knew something was about to eat it.
Sometimes GCC's can be unpredictable! Conures are clingy and can be jealous of others, even friends and spouses

[Casper's 2nd best friend]

We were worried when Casper decided that he wanted to live with Margaret that he was going to be a one person bird but once he realised that not all male humans are nasty he stopped biting me and put me in charge of scritches.