What I can say is make sure you have a good breeder. The guy I got Bolo from seemed fine when I got him, but half a year later he went insane and started shooting people! He was shot by a cop. So, year, make sure you have a well known breeder because of that and you'll get a healthier bird than pet stores can provide you with.
You're going to want to get a hand fed bird, this way he'll be better socialized. He won't try to bite you as much and won't be afraid of humans.
Be ready for some battle scars. When I first got mine, I had bite marks down my hands and arms. He got better though. Baby green cheeks really like to bite everything. This is how they learn.
Mine still bites other members of my family. It's easy to become your birds favorite. But this isn't good because my family members don't think he's a nice bird. Just make sure he socializes with everyone. The guy I got mine from said he was dominant and "bossy" so I got him cheaper.
Feed him a pellet based diet, seed diets are unhealthy. Mine gets some seeds, which are good in small quantities. I feed mine Totally Organic Pellets. One of the best out there now.
Don't encourage biting by making noises or scolding; this is what he wants, a reaction. Just ignore the bad stuff and reward him for the good stuff. This can be hard, but do your best. Everyone in the family has to be patient.
Bolo is a year and a half now and can talk and do tricks. They're big birds in small packages. Very smart. Have fun and best of luck!
By Green Cheek is actually ALSO on my shoulder, lol
Ok, make sure you have enough money for the conure, cage, food, perches, etc.
Conures are very friendly and fun but require a lot of care.
Here's a little info:
Make sure you have at least 3 hours a day to spend with your bird
Make sure you buy conure food but also give it fruits and veggies every once in a while. Stay away from avocado, however, it will kill your bird. Change the water daily.
Make sure the habitat is at least 24"w x 24"d x 30"h. But I always say to get the biggest cage within your budget. Birds like room.
Temperature should not exceed 80 degrees Fahrenheit
Make sure to have several perches to prevent arthritis in your bird's feet.
They LOVE to nip at stuff, train them not to do so early on by putting them down when they nip, when they are put down they realize they lose attention when they bite. Where as, if you yell at them, they get attention and just keep biting.
Change toys often, they need variety.
I'm very interested in getting a Green Cheek Conure, (probably a pineapple) and want to know every way I can prepare myself and house for getting one. I've been researching for a couple months and have purchased a suitable cage that was plenty large. This will be my first bird, and I want to make sure I do everything right. We were thinking of getting one from a very nice pet store where all the animals seemed happy and were taken out to play with, or a breeder. (Opinions on that and local Washington breeders appreciated) So anyways, just hoping for any information I can get :)
