Green Cheeked Conure

Latin Name:  Pyrrhura Mollinae

Green cheeked Description

The Green Cheeked Conure is one of the smallest conures weighing around 70 grams. That is about 15 grams smaller than a Cockatiel. They are also one of the most readily available conures in aviculture, and therefore the least expensive. But, don't let their small size or price fool you. They have every bit of the great personality as the bigger conures. I think they are a great "next-step-up" from Cockatiels, (for pet owners and new breeders), since they are more like having a big parrot.

Colors: Green Cheeks are mainly green, but also have maroon tails, a grey to yellow throat area, bright blue wing tips, and a maroon patch on the belly area. There is also a diluted version called Cinnamon and an intensely colored version called Yellow-Sided. Turquoise is still quite rare and very expensive. Breeders are combining these colors for some very beautiful results. 

Immatures as adults, but with darker plumage; only few reddish-brown feathers to ear-coverts.

Average Lifespan

The average life span for a conure is 20 - 25 years. The main reason that birds die young is because of either accidents or bad nutrition! Don't let your pet become a statistic! Read as much as you can to make your home bird friendly and bird safe, clip those wings, and follow good nutritional practices.

Length

25 cm (9 - 10 ins.)

Sexing

There is no sexual dimorphism in the adult birds.

Trainability

What makes these birds so popular?  Tame conures make great companion pets.  They are intelligent, capable of talking and learning tricks, and they are the real clowns of the parrot world.  A tame baby conure has a personality much like a puppy - outgoing and always wanting to play. Talking ability: Fairly well. Equal ability among males or females. They have such tiny voices that usually only the owner can understand. Not really into whistling, but will try. Most will repeat a few words and common houshould noises. Can have large vocabularies with coaching. 

Loudness

These usually make good apartment birds because of their quite voices.

Pet Potential

Very tame conures offer lots of love and affection to their owners.  They love to play with their toys for hours, and chewing is good for their beaks. Lots of wooden and leather toys are enjoyed.  These little fellows are very active and enjoy out of cage time with their owners, snuggling up near your neck.  Unique characteristics: Will lay on their back to play or sleep, bathe frequently with entire body submerged, dangle by one foot from the top of the cage  just to check out the view and will hold food or treats with a foot while eating, like a big parrot. They enjoy being scatched all over, usually while laying upside down in your hand or on a lap. They also enjoy and seem to never tire of "Peek-a-Bird" (a bird version of peek-a-boo). They will hide under a towel or even your shirt and run in and out.  These birds have no dandruff, (like a cockatiel does), making them a better choice for those with allergies.  It seems youngsters don't know their own strength when using their beak. They can also get a little carried away when playing. Almost like a young child, they need to be calmed down when play becomes too rough. They can be taught to be more careful, but they need frequent reminders. -Their love for bathing can be a problem with the water dish. They also like to dip their food in the water making some kind of "soup". This can be a problem if you are not home to change the water frequently, because it can leave nothing to drink. I recomend a water bottle in addition to the dish. With their natural curiousity, they will learn of the new water source quickly. -Curiosity. While curiosity is one of the great characteristics of the conure, it can get him into a ton of trouble. Particurly with other pets, the bath tub, the toilet, a boiling pot of water, etc. Keep a close eye on your Conure, as this is can easily become his doom.  Conures are very curious and will get into everything if not watched so always have out of cage supervision.  They love to bath, so as much as possible provide a shallow bowl of water in their cage for bathing.  Watch them go at it, it's a laugh!

Cage

For housing, the green cheek conure does fine with a large cockatiel size or small parrot cage,

Diet

A good pellet suitable for conures is good.  I leave a bowl of pellets available at all times.  They also enjoy a veg./grain mix with beans, and various seasonal fruit and vegetables (apples, oranges, grated beets and carrots, spinach, corn peas, squash, grapes, sweet potatoes, etc.). Green Cheeks need extra fat in their diet because they are so active, so a few nuts and sunflower seed can be benificial. Just make sure they are getting mostly pellets because it has all their viamins in it.  Occasional seed mix suitable for small parrots.  Conures enjoy peanuts and other types of nuts as a treat about twice a week.