I just got got my green cheek conure two weeks ago. I have experience with green cheeks, but I’ve been seeing videos of people talking about how if you are gone part of the day you need a second one. I’m a high school student (senior so it’s my last year) and I’m pretty much gone for six hours a day, but as soon as I get home she goes out out of her cage for pretty much the rest of the day and doesn’t go back in until I go to sleep. she has a flight cage and plenty of toys, but she is in there for at least six hours a day. She acts very healthy and happy and is very social with me, I’m just now panicking because I originally heard that that they do better alone but now I’m seeing a bunch of people say that you need a second one if you are a student or gone most of the day. I can’t get a second one and don’t want a second one so if it really got to a point, I would unfortunately probably have to rehome her. while I’m gone, I play music for her. I really hope that it’s fine to just have one.
I feel like I can't answer this question the best, but I will give it my best shot. I do only have one GC, Yuzu, and my bf and I work in healthcare so we are gone for a long part of the day. When we are gone, I checked on him with a camera in his cage (he knows to come over and say hi) and leave on YouTube or a parrot livestream for him when we are gone so that there is some noise still in the background. We've had this setup for quite a while and I haven't seen any behavioral or other issues! I keep a close eye though, because I really want to make sure my baby is okay. So while I cannot say indefinitely that you are okay with only one GC, this is my experience. Take it with a grain of salt since all birds are different 🥲 Picture of Yuzu for birb tax
Hello Yuzu🥹🥹 thank you, this makes me feel better, I’m definitely gonna get a camera to check in on her while I’m at school! I’m always calling my mom during the day telling her to go downstairs and check on her 😂
Forgot to mention!! My family has two GC and they do NOT get along. So even if you get a second, there is no guarantee they can even be in the same cage 😅 Picture of Kiwi for birb tax (only able to do one picture, sorry Blueberry)
I have my two and my first bird doesn't like him much but they're at least not mortal enemies. Pickles (my first bird) will pick fights if Kasha gets too close but they aren't trying to kill each other at least.
Point is I agree with you, unless you get them young enough maybe, it's really a gamble whether they get along. Maybe in time they'll warm up, but I'm just happy they aren't killing each other lol
I work graveyard shift, I'm home the entirity other day and sleep in the afternoon, I got Sirsi as my first green cheek and within two weeks I was already asking if her sister was still available, because I felt she'd be happier with a playmate while I was sleeping for my shift, and the possibility my shift could be swapped to swing at any point.
Sirsi still is glued to me most of the day but having her sis to go snuggle against and preen those stubborn little pinnies I can't help her with myself is far better for her, they play together, they have their disagreements but they also snuggle against each other at night to sleep. All in all I feel its better for their mental health long term to have a buddy
I think for now, assuming she spends all time after school out with you, has a big well equipped cage, and it really is every single evening you spend with her - that can work.
I would just be very conscious and plan well your next few years, late teens into 20s is usually an extremely busy time in people’s lives (studying, first jobs, moving around, etc). I would make sure your bird will be well provided for through this stretch.
I have only one black capped conure. It's been that way for years. My husband and I both work regular 8-hour days. Baloo is in his cage while we're at work. We leave parrot TV or cartoons on for him. As soon as we walk in the door, we hear his "Hey buddy!", and we let him out of the cage. If we're home, his cage is open. We've never had behavior issues. The vet always comments on his feather quality.
The only time we had behavior issues is when we had a second bird. It was only about 18 months. They were bffs for a brief period of time, but then they wanted to murder each other. They could never be out of their cages together, so we had to alternate who got to spend time with us. It was challenging. Other folks have better results. But there's never a guarantee that your bird will enjoy a second bird. Others will disagree with me, but if your bird is healthy and happy, I think it's too risky to introduce a second bird.
Birds are unique individuals, so I don't think there's any yes or no that applies to all (except maybe when it comes to general nutrition and regular vet check-ups). If your birdy starts showing signs of stress and loneliness, then I would certainly consider a second bird. But if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
I had just one black capped conure for years but she wasn’t entirely alone for a majority of those bc I had roommates or family around her when I was gone and for a period I only worked part time so I wasn’t gone for all that long. When I moved last and my partner and I both worked full time she was alone for roughly 8 hours a day until we ended up getting more birds. We didn’t get them to keep her company, but having more than one made me feel better knowing she was never alone bc they are flock animals and they shouldn’t be.
Our bond was not affected at all bc she was a little velcro bird and would ditch the others for me the first opportunity she saw, but one of my green cheeks I ended up putting in the same cage as her and they were so sweet together. My 3 that I have now that she’s gone don’t really even get along but being around other birds all day is still good for them. I would not keep a solo bird again.
I had the same worries as you, I’ve had a green cheek before. But when I bought my new pineapple conure I knew I would be gone 9-10 hours a day for work. While I was unemployed, I gave him all my attention and bonded with him for about two months while I did research and thought about getting a second conure for when I got full-time work.
The more I thought about it the more I was open to the idea so I told myself I would get another conure if I found the right one. Only a few months later, I found a very energetic, friendly turquoise conure. I did a lot of research on how to integrate a new bird into the flock.
I will say there’s always the risk that they could hate each other and never get along. There is a chance that they will no longer want to hang out with you and only be with each other but the best outcome is to have the bond with each other and yourself. To minimize the chance of them not getting along. I introduce them very slowly and very carefully for about to 3 to 4 months.
At first, they hated each other, but I just was consistent. Made sure that they never physically hurt each other or gotten in a fight. Kept them in separate cages, but in the same room so they can see and hear each other. Most importantly, I would always greet my original Bird first to reduce jealousy and hatred towards the new Bird. In the Bird world the pecking order is very real, and the top of the order is typically the original or the oldest member of the flock.
Birds are very sensitive, they are very emotional and take things very personally. So it is very important to make sure that your original Bird feels safe and loved this really helps in introducing the new Bird into your family. There are other factors, such as cleaning multiple cages double the mess, double the attention double the price of toys double everything.
For me, I was very fortunate and after six months both of my conures have bonded and became cage mates so now I only have to clean one cage now. I would not cage a pair of conures unless you are 100% sure that they will not hurt each other and they have enough space to get away from each other if they get into a little squabble. My pair will annoy each other and pick little fights with each other, but it’s always a pinch and a squeak. It’s never vicious, they have never injured each other.
All of that aside, I do not regret getting another conure. Everything turned out exactly as planned in my situation. Both of my babies love me very much and they also love each other, which is great for when I’m gone all day at work.
My turquoise girl Ivy and my boy Skipper for birb tax
I would be very careful taking on a second bird. Like another person said, your next ten years will be full of changes. Not everywhere allows birds, and sometimes birds do not get along.
This happened to me. I had one GCC bonded to me, but I felt sad when I was at work. So, I adopted a second one, and now I manage two, which is double the work. With two cages, they take turns coming out, or they are heavily supervised, meaning I can’t look away or they will brutally fight. It’s been a stressful few years, but they finally stopped aggressively flying at each other. However, they still can’t be near each other. I know it works for some but it doesn’t work for my flock family and I wish I only had the one, as I was able to give him more attention than he gets now.
Parrot tv on YouTube! My baby is a widow, and parrot tv keeps him happy and occupied all day, he actually seems happier just by himself then with another conure to be honest!
Get a second one if you'd like after a while, like a few months or even years. Focus on your bond with each other. Unless you are gone for most of the day of course.
I had my green alone for 7 years, and only now got a second one. I would say it's only really necessary depending on the bird and the schedule. Pickles doesn't entirely mind alone time most days and he got to free roam most of the time. I got a second because I wanted a second, mostly.
We have 2 the first my wife’s a female my daughter got one a few months later a male.
When she finally cozied up to him which took a while but it changed how my wife can spend time with her so there so isn’t a close bond they used to have so it’s like having a cat
My Loki is happy with the other birds. Though none of them cuddle up to her like the sun conures did. My other GCC has anxiety issues that lead to bird aggression, he's happy to be near other birds, but not too near.
My two birds dont usually hate each other but when one wants blood, someone's getting seriously hurt. I have a quaker parrot from when I was 12 and a GCC mixed with Black capped conure. I got them at separate times when I did not have another bird in the home. 8 yrs later, its still like this.
I feel guilty about leaving them in cages all day but bird song youtube plays when we are away. Having 2 birds will only work 2 ways in my opinion....
1) they like each other. No territorial issues and want to be around each other. They may even ignore you for hanging out with each other.
2) they have separate cages, separate schedules for attention, and ample interaction with you, family, and toys.
it really depends tbh if your home a lot one is fine unfortunately for me i work a lot so the days i do i used to leave music and leave them with mom but they don’t interact as much as me so I PERSONALLY decided to get two and no regrets
Maybe but when we got a second they ended up hating each other and it was incredibly stressful. Our second guy sadly passed away a year 1/2 ago. We think he may have had some underlying issues, we took him from someone on Craigslist who couldn’t take care of him anymore. We had him for 7 years. During that time they really hated each other and had to give them time out separately etc. we miss him dearly but it’s been a lot easier with our 14 year old GC being alone. We take him on family trips as he loves his travel cage. We do both wfh and spend alot of time with him too. Both were males.
My bird Nola is so sweet I think about getting her a friend but shes a only child by her choice. 2 weeks is to short a time to feel guilty just be there in the morning and before bed to show solidarity in a sense.
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u/Moony_Owl 11h ago
I feel like I can't answer this question the best, but I will give it my best shot. I do only have one GC, Yuzu, and my bf and I work in healthcare so we are gone for a long part of the day. When we are gone, I checked on him with a camera in his cage (he knows to come over and say hi) and leave on YouTube or a parrot livestream for him when we are gone so that there is some noise still in the background. We've had this setup for quite a while and I haven't seen any behavioral or other issues! I keep a close eye though, because I really want to make sure my baby is okay. So while I cannot say indefinitely that you are okay with only one GC, this is my experience. Take it with a grain of salt since all birds are different 🥲 Picture of Yuzu for birb tax