Green Cheek Conure Info
Green Cheek Conures are very special little parrots. They are energetic, curious and funny. And love their people. They come in many different colors which make them fun to collect. They can do well playing with other birds, but they are not colony birds so they can get bossy and chase other birds around. Some of them can be housed with another Green Cheek or similar parrot. It depends on the bird. Green Cheeks weigh around 69 - 74 grams.
Green Cheeks are considered quieter on the parrot loudness scale. But that does not mean they are silent. They love to chatter and make their noises. Green Cheeks can learn to say a few words. They are considered a small parrot and live up to 30 years in captivity.
Green Cheeks are lovable and sweet, but can also be little stinkers. They are energetic and curious so they will test what they can and cannot do. They are funny little characters and will always be great entertainment in your home.
Green Cheeks love wood toys, they nibble at them and ruin them slowly in my opinion. But do not get parakeet toys for them, they are not species appropriate. The little parakeet toys such as hanging ring toys can get stuck around these bigger birds. So get small parrot toys! They love bells too. Parrot bells!
Dominant Red Green Cheek Conures
Note on Dominant Red
Dominant Red is a new rare mutation that came out of Hawaii. This is a dominant gene that causes a huge portion of the breast, and head to be a very intense red. It looks best on High Red Pineapples, High Red Yellow Sided and High Red Suncheeks.
The gene has been a lot of work. As with many dominant lethal animal gene combos in nature, this can cause health issues. You cannot breed 2 of these birds together as its a lethal combo and babies will die. Dominant Red can cause weep eyes, which is moist feathers around the eye, and a bald spot on the back of the head. Breeders have made progress on producing birds without these problems. Which is fantastic! They are making progress. But issues still may pop up in breeding's because the gene is so new. At this time in their evolution there is no such thing zero chance of not have issues pop up in clutches. Breeders just have to pick the best ones and breed from those. The gene is worth working with as the gene is getting healthier through the years. The bald spots can grow back as the bird ages at around one year, and your bird won't even have that anymore. Also weepy eye goes away once the bird is past one year of age. Another notable thing with Dominants is that they tend to mature slower. They are smaller longer and eventually fill out.
The ones with slight health issues such as teary eyes and a temporary bald spot on the head these birds should be adopted out to pet only homes. And never bred. This will not affect the birds quality of life. They will still be the same sweet personality you want in a Green Cheek. But with a flaw or 2 temporarily. In my aviary these birds will go for a lesser cost and the adopter will be made aware of the issue before they purchase. As we are a no cull aviary.
Because of the difficulty to breed them and high cost of the bird for breeding stock, the Dominant Reds cost is a little bit more if they have zero issues.
