Green Cheek Conure
THIS BIRD IS HANFED AND EASY TO TAME
Scientific Name: Pyrrhura molinae
Origin: They are found in South America, Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina and Paraguay
Lifespan: up to 30 years (In captivity). In the wild they survive less because of natural predators.
Clutch Size: 3-6 white eggs; but average 5 eggs
Incubation: 23 days from the date the female stay the whole time in the nest, usually this happens after she lays her third egg; from that time you count 23 days
Talking Ability: Low to moderate
Green Cheek as Pet:
Green cheeked conures make excellent pets; They are little clowns, always full of energy. These birds love to hang upside-down their cage, always willing to play with their owners. Green cheeks are energetic creatures, so keep an eye on your bird at all times. This is a good bird for children and adults. However, keep in mind that any bird can bite sometimes, if he bites you one time and doesn’t mean he will try to do it every time.
FEEDING:
We feed our Green cheeks a commercial seed mix as their basic diet. We use commercial Cockatiel mix and Small Hookbill Mix and added commercial pellets to suit their needs but if you can mix all together will be better. Also, we feed them fresh fruits such us apples, pears, mango added some kale and celery. we add some spirulina to the mix. Clean their water in a daily basis, especially in summer as bacteria can grow easily in warm and hot temperatures.
BREEDING GREEN CHEEK CONURES: (any Conure family apply)
To breed yellowsided green cheek conure you need to have a true pair. When said a true pair I mean male and female. To determine gender, there is two different methods:
sex can be determined by SS which stands for surgically sex; an avian vet performs It. He looks inside the bird for reproductive organs.
The other method is by DNA testing; you just need to collect some blood drops or feather samples and send it to any avian lab.
Green cheeks are easy breeders but it takes a commitment to do so. I start putting up breeding boxes by the end of December OR early January. I pair them up by October so they have plenty time to know each other. This is only if you are pairing new pair. if you have a pair that is proven and they been together for a long time don’t worry; just wait for them to do their job. At the end of February, they start laying. Green cheeks can double clutch or triple clutch if you pull out the babies by two weeks to hand feed them; This way you give the breeding pair time to prepare for a second clutch or third clutch.
COLONY BREEDING vs SINGLE PAIRS
Green cheeks can breed as single pair or colony.
I personally like to breed my conures as individual pairs. This way I can control the color mutations I will end up with. If you are trying to produce a particular color mutations; this way gives you the opportunity to select which color you will end up with.
colony breeding is a little easier if you have a big aviary and put many individuals in a fly cage. The only problem, you cannot control the outcome colors from babies. The good thing about colony breeding is you don’t need to sex your birds as they will pair up by themselves.
COLOR MUTATIONS
Green cheek conure have different color mutations; some of the mutations include; cinnamon, yellow sided, turquoise, misty, pied, dilute.
Combinations:
Yellow sided cinnamon = pineapple
turquoise cinnamon = cinnamon turquoise
turquoise yellow sided = yellow sided turquoise
turquoise cinnamon yellow sided = pineapple turquoise
These are the most common color mutations and by pairing them up the way i explain above will help you to understand how each color mutation was made.
Frequent asked questions:
