Green Cheek Conures

Green cheek conures (Pyrrhura molinae) are  very social and intelligent birds. They originate from Brazil, Bolivia  and Argentina.They are about 10 inches from head to tail and have  personality of a larger species of parrot or conure. The Green Cheek is the quietest and smaller of the species of conures. They will lay on  their backs to play, use their feet to eat and play, love to cuddle, and some will sleep in hanging tents (do not use plush/artificial fiber-made tents), hair, lap or wherever  they feel secure. Some Green Cheek Conures even learn to talk about  twenty words or so. Also they are able to learn tricks if taught such as  waving, can even come when called, roll over and even play dead. Since these little ones use an oil gland to clean themselves, they may be suited for mthose that suffer from allergies. There are also many mutations including Yellowsided, Cinnamon, Pineapple (Cinnamon  & Yellowsided), American Dilute, Turquoise, and Misty or  Olive. Their lifespan is 20+ years.

Our Green Cheek Conures go through training and have beginning training to learn to "Step-Up", giving kisses and recall. This varies on each bird and how quick they learn.  Usually "Step-Up" is my priority before learning other tricks, so we at least introduce it and must continue to train when going to a new home for perfection. Each baby  will have their wings clipped for easier training when arriving at  their new homes. This helps keep them out of places they should not be.  The early stages before weaning is the best time to socialize and handle  the babies, and they get one-on-one attention daily to ensure the best  possible new companion. At 8 to 10 weeks old they go to their new homes. 

Sometimes green cheeks go through a “nippy” phase that is no differnt than a small puppy teething. This can be worked through with time and positive reinforcement. Using millet spray as a “step-up” tool has been useful in our experience with these little guys.

All our Green Cheek Conures have some chewable toys, a swing, concrete or cuttlebone nail trimming perch of about 1/2" inch in width. Cuttle bones or mineral blocks are recommended if the bird is not eating  pellets with high calcium, such as Roudybush. Hanging toys with wood or  ropes are a must so they have something to satisfy chewing urges.The larger the cage that you can provide is preferred so they can at spread their wings without bumping them into sides of cage or toys. We recommend an 18" x 18" or 24" x  24" wide cage and larger. Bar spacing should be 3/4" or less. Most cages have slide up doors, unless it's a large parrot cage, so just be  mindful that you're baby may learn to get out so clips can be bought to  put on doors if needed.

These babies will be weaned primarily on Roudybush Adult Maintenance pellets (mini sized). We will give you a starter bag you can mix with the food your going to be using. If you use a seed mixture, some with minimal sunflower or safflower is preferred to limit high fat content from sunflower seeds. Also offering seed only a couple times a week is best so they will continue to eat the pellets. Millet spray treats are their "comfort food" and recommend they have a small piece in their cage daily for first couple days upon arrival to their new home. We also use Nutri-Berries for treats. 

Green Cheeks also will eat many fruits and vegetables such as strawberries, apples, bananas, peeled  kiwi, mango, cranberries, oranges, grapes, grapefruit, broccoli, peas, carrots, green beans, kale and many others. Fresh, thawed frozen veggies, and  dried are all acceptable. Sprouted seeds are also high in nutritional value. A separate dish just for fresh foods is preferred so it can be removed after a few hours to prevent spoiling of what is left over. Water bottles to hang on the cage are good for always having fresh water. We recommend checking the spout every couple days to ensure it does not stick with food being placed on it. Dishes are also good to  have in case your little guy or gal wants to take a bath, too. 

Green Cheek Conures are not sexually dimorphic. DNA testing must be done to determine male or female, unless the pair are certain colors in which they can be distinguished by the genetics of the pair. We DNA test all our conures and will include a certificate. This will also have their hatch date and their band number.