They are known for their colorful plumage, small size, and unique marking. These birds have very friendly personalities and can be trained to perform many tricks.
If you are looking for a new feathery friend, then the pineapple green cheek conure may be a great option for you, but do you know how long they live, what they should eat, and what care they need.
We find out everything you need to know about these fun-loving birds, and whether they could make a great companion for you.
What Is A Pineapple Green Cheek Conure?
The first breeder of a pineapple green cheek conure, Steve Garvin, named this bird after the popular fruit because the animal has similar color combinations to a pineapple/
The pineapple green cheek conure is a small parrot, roughly 10 inches tall. This type of parrot is one of the lesser-known color mutations of conures.
Their heads are a tan color, with pineapple yellow sides and bright green feathers on the back. The chest of these birds is a blend of yellow and red plumage.
Their tail feathers can be any color between maroon and a light red.
Pineapple green cheek conures share a lot of good characteristics with other conures. While their affection and loving personality make them ideal as pets, they can nip fingers and bite.
This is a behavior that the owner needs to train out of them from a very early age.
Combined with regular training, these pet birds need a lot of attention and time from their owner. They also love playing with other parrots.
Where Do Pineapple Green Cheek Conures Live In The Wild?
Pineapple green cheek conures are native wild birds to South America, particularly Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay. There, they can be found in woodlands or forests.
As green cheek conures are very social birds, they fly in flocks of up to 20 birds searching for food or perching in treetops.
How Big Are Pineapple Green Cheek Conures?
Male, as well as female, pineapple green cheek conures can grow up to 10 inches long. With a lightweight of up to 80 grams, they are one of the smallest species of conure.
This makes them ideal for bird owners with small homes or apartments.
How Expensive Is A Pineapple Green Cheek Conure?
As pineapple green-cheek conures are a rare combination of the cinnamon and opaline color mutations of conures, breeders ask for a relatively high price.
A Pineapple green-cheek conure from a good breeder can cost between $400 and $750. This depends on several different factors, such as the genes, age, and gender of the bird.
Also any individual markings, a high amount of red (which is very popular) and the reputation of the breeder add to the price of your new pet bird.
Typically, older birds are more expensive because they have been socialized and trained already.
However, this is not an issue if you select a younger bird and spend some time training it.
With a younger bird, you are also more likely to create a stronger bond between you and the bird.
How Long Does A Conure Live?
When a healthy pineapple’s green cheek conure is well cared for and receives plenty of attention, it can live for up to 30 years.
Just like with all parrots, these pet birds need human interaction and a well-balanced diet with fresh fruits to thrive.
If they don’t get that, they may only live around 15 years.
Can A Pineapple Green Cheek Conure Be A Good Pet?
Their small size and their love lifespan, pineapple green cheek conures make great pets. They have very affectionate and loving personalities.
They enjoy interacting with their favorite humans and love learning new tricks.
Another great advantage of these pet parrots is that they don’t make a lot of noise so they won’t annoy any neighbors if you live in an apartment or small house.
Although these birds are great fun to have as companions, they can nip and bite when they don’t receive the attention they need.
Their mischievous nature, together with their small size, also makes them prone to explore every nook and cranny around your home.
That’s why owners need to watch them very carefully when they are outside the cage.
But would they be suitable for beginners? Definitely. Pineapple green cheek conures make greater pets for bird novices, as they don’t need much maintenance.
Their warm and loving temperament makes them great companions that enjoy a cuddle now and then.
Just like every animal, they want to interact with their owners who need to allow plenty of time to play.
You shouldn’t be away for too long from home when you have a pineapple green cheek conure.
If they don’t receive the attention they need, they will become depressed and can be destructive.
Are Pineapple Green Cheek Conures Loud?
A big advantage of a pineapple green cheek conure is that it is one of the quietest parrot species of all.
These quiet birds occasionally make a sound when they are startled or scared but a happy pineapple green cheek conure makes very little noise.
Saying this, some pineapple green cheek conures develop a screaming habit if the owner doesn’t spend the time they need with them.
Just like other pets and even children, they do need attention, and if they don’t get it, they scream for it.
Can A Pineapple Green-Cheek Conure Talk?
This may be a disappointment but, despite their beautiful appearance, pineapple green-cheek conures aren’t great when it comes to imitating human speech.
They have a very deep voice which makes it almost impossible for these birds to imitate phrases or words.
However, a pineapple green cheek conure does pick up the occasional word or sound.
Generally, it depends on how much time the owner is prepared to invest in the bird’s training.
It’s vital to spend time with your pet, and doing this as part of a small training process can be great fun for the bird and you.
In addition, it also helps your pet bird bond with you.
What Sounds Can A Pineapple Green-Cheek Conure Make?
Although pineapple green cheek conures are mostly quiet birds, they do occasionally make sounds to express their feelings, such as when they are happy.
Singing
Pineapple green cheek conures sing when they are happy. This is a sound they make frequently when they are in a good mood.
While they are not greater talkers, pineapple green cheek conures are musical. You can try to teach them simple song lyrics.
Chatter
Conures all chatter in a different way but it’s typically a whistling sound that shows their owner, they are happy.
You can try to chat with your conure, and it may surprise you when they respond.
Clicking
Clicking is a common sound all birds make. They produce this sound by clicking their tongue against the top of their mouth.
Clicking is an expression of joy in birds. When pet birds make a clicking sound, it means they are relaxed and content.
Laughter
Of course, your pet doesn’t understand a joke and laugh but pineapple sun conures commonly mimic the laughter of their owner.
So if you laugh a lot when your parrot is around, it’ll understand that it’s a positive and joyful sound, and imitate it.
Whistling
When a pet bird whistles, it wants you to play. This is not just a kind invitation from your bird to bond with you but a golden opportunity to teach your bird to whistle some of your most loved tunes.
Beak Grinding
Beak grinding is a common bird behavior. This sound is created when the bird pushes its bottom and top beak together.
The moment you hear your parrot make this sound, they are ready to sleep and you should either lower the lights or put a cover over the cage so your feathery companion can enjoy their beauty sleep.
Pineapple Green Cheek Conure Health
Generally, the right care and attention mean your pineapple green cheek conure will be living a happy and healthy life without any health problems.
However, some pineapple conures are genetically prone to some common bird diseases.
Polyomavirus
Polyomavirus is a deadly infection affecting all of the bird’s body parts and organs. Typically, younger parrots are more at risk of dying from this disease.
Polyomavirus destroys the bird’s immune system which means it’s more vulnerable to other infections, such as bacteria, parasites, viruses, and fungi.
This leads to other infections which make the bird sick. Common symptoms of polyomavirus include vomiting, breathing difficulties, swollen abdomen, lethargy, and regurgitation.
Birds can only contract polyomavirus when they have been in touch with another infected bird through the air, feces, or nest boxes.
Unfortunately, there’s no known cure for polyomavirus at the moment.
Avian Chlamydiosis
This bacterial disease is very common with caged birds. It spreads by pet parrots breathing in dust which contains mucus, saliva, or droppings.
Particularly good to know is that it can also be passed to humans which can cause parrot fever.
Avian chlamydiosis shows symptoms such as beak discharge, pink eyes, appetite loss, and lime droppings.
When you notice a bird infected with chlamydiosis, it needs to be isolated in a separate cage and should receive treatment with antibiotics.
You will also need to disinfect the cage.
Psittacosis
Psittacosis is also commonly known as parrot fever. As its name suggests, it can affect all species of parrots, including pet pineapple green cheek conures.
The most common way for your conure to catch psittacosis is by direct contact, through food and water bowls, feces, or feathers.
The known symptoms of psittacosis include green or yellow droppings, no appetite, weakness, crusty eyes, or weight loss.
Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (PBFD)
This viral disease can affect all parrots. Also sometimes known as Bird AIDS (due to its similarities to the human variety), it’s caused by the Circovirus.
Parrots can catch this virus through oral cavities, cloaca, or nasal passages. As the virus is shed through the bird’s droppings, it can quickly spread in an aviary with different birds.
PBFD symptoms include sudden death, other infections, and beak or claw deformities.
Aspergillosis
Aspergillosis is a common fungal infection that is spread through the bird’s respiratory system. It affects the parrot’s lungs and sinuses.
This is a slow-growing disease as the fungus can spread over bodily tissue for months.
Unfortunately, this means that symptoms, such as listlessness, weight loss, and lethargy, aren’t spotted until the damage is too great to save the bird.
The slow growth of the condition and its spread through the body make aspergillosis a difficult disease to treat.
The bird needs a very strong immune system to receive drug-based treatments.
Beak Malocclusion
Beak malocclusion is a relatively minor injury or genetic defect. It shows deformity when the bird’s beak doesn’t allow it.
Over time, this causes the break to become misshapen and it can make it difficult for the bird to drink and eat as normal.
How To Care For A Pineapple Green Cheek Conure
A pineapple green cheek conure needs a lot of love and care. If you want to keep your bird healthy and happy, you must provide these things.
The best thing about caring for pineapple green cheek conures is that they require little maintenance.
Let’s take a look at some of the essentials a pineapple green cheek conure needs.
Pineapple Green Cheek Conures Diet
Just like every pet bird, a pineapple green cheek conure needs a balanced diet to stay healthy and live a long life.
Their diet should consist of pellets, nuts, and seeds.
Seeds
A pineapple green cheek conure in the wild eats a vast range of seeds from the plants in its natural habitat.
While your bird does need good quality seeds, you shouldn’t feed the bird only seeds.
Seeds are high in calories and don’t contain enough nutrients to give everything your pineapple green cheek conure needs.
Pellets
It’s well known that pineapple green-cheek conures can suffer from vitamin A deficiency, which means owners need to keep an eye on their pet’s vitamin levels.
Pellets can be a great way to provide these additional nutrients, which can make up to 70% of a conure’s diet.
Nuts
Similar to seeds, nuts are rich in fat and should be fed only occasionally to balance the diet of your conure.
Foods To Avoid
There are some basic foods to avoid. Anything which we as humans find tasty, your pet bird should not eat.
This includes coffee, chocolate, and any kind of sugary treats as well as junk food including any fried food.
Cage Care For Your Pineapple Green Cheek Conure
As mentioned already, pineapple green cheek conures are small birds that don’t need a lot of space. This means they don’t need a huge cage.
However, a cage for a pet bird is the place where they spend most of their time and therefore they want to feel secure there.
Here are a few things you need to create the perfect home for your conure.
Cage Size
As a rule of thumb, you should look for the biggest cage that you find affordable.
Just like with us humans who enjoy the freedom of plenty of space in our homes, pet parrots love plenty of space to stretch out their wings.
As most of us will not have enough space for an aviary, and pineapple green-cheek conures are relatively small birds, you can get away with a smaller cage.
You ideally want a cage that’s a minimum of 30 inches tall, with a bar spacing of half an inch. The bars should be thick and durable.
It’s best to pick a powder-coated cage made of chrome, steel, or brass. They don’t corrode and can withstand some attacks from your bird’s beak.
Your cage will also need to have space for plenty of perches. These should be ideally 9 inches in length.
Perches and seating space can help your bird move around and prevent any common diseases, such as bumblefoot.
Besides perches, the cage also needs space for a feeding and watering area, any toys and games you may want to add.
Bedding For A Bird Cage
We recommend placing old newspapers at the bottom of the birdcage so it catches any feces from your bird.
We found that shavings can be dusty, and this dust can affect your bird’s lungs. To avoid any breathing issues for your birds, newspapers are ideal.
Most birds sleep on one of the perches. These should be placed so the bird feels safe.
Ideally, you need to position one perch near the top where your bird can sleep. Then fix one in the middle for general playtime. This ensures it’s away from its water and food bowl.
And a third perch should be placed near the bottom so your conure can easily access its food and water.
In the wild, pineapple green cheeked conures perch on tree branches or thick twigs. That’s why it’s a good idea to get them wood perches.
Plastic perches can have sharp edges where your bird can hurt itself. If you already have plastic perches, you can try to sand them down to remove any sharp edges.
The bird needs to be able to easily put its little feet around the perch. The back and front toes shouldn’t touch.
That’s why you need to look out for perches that are at least half an inch in diameter.
Outside vs Inside
You should keep your pineapple green cheek conure inside your home at all times.
Make sure that the room temperature is around 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and don’t place the cage near a radiator or direct sunlight as this could be too hot for the bird.
Conures prefer to be in a quiet space with few people passing through, so it’s best to place the birdcage in a quiet room against the wall.
While you want to ensure the area where the bird’s cage is positioned is quiet, it can still sit in a room which is used by the family.
The bird would enjoy the human interaction and it won’t get bored too quickly.
It’s good to know that some conures get frightened in the night, so you may want to put a cover over the cage in the evening to help your pet bird sleep peacefully.
Pineapple Green-Cheek Conure Temperament
Pineapple green cheek conures have a larger-than-life personality. This is exactly what makes them such fun pets.
These birds have great fun swinging off perches, hanging upside down, and they even lay on their back.
And when they find out that you enjoy the entertainment, they are much more obliged to do the trick more often.
They are loving, cuddly, and entertaining with their owner. Saying this, pineapple green-cheek conures are very social birds, and they enjoy spending time with other birds too.
We have already mentioned it but it’s worth saying again. Conures need to spend plenty of time with their owners, so you will need to play them for a few hours daily.
This can be part of a game or puzzles, or you may want to teach them a little tune.
Pineapple green cheek conures are intelligent birds which makes it so essential for owners to spend time with them.
They can learn all sorts of tricks, such as shaking hands or waving. These smart birds are also great at acrobatics and climbing.
Owners will need to provide plenty of different opportunities to keep up with their high need for mental stimulation.
This can be a big plus as well. The more you interact with them, the stronger your bond. As they are flock birds, pineapple green cheek conures can be very cuddly.
Pineapple Green Cheek Conure Behavior Issues
Just like most pet birds, pineapple green cheek conures need patience and training to become docile pet birds.
However, if they don’t receive this care and attention, they are prone to destructive behavioral problems, such as biting and aggression.
Aggression
Aggression towards humans is something that has been reported from these birds. They can bite and peck when they have been left alone for too long.
It’s important to distinguish between playful pecking and aggressive biting in conures.
Conures that are aggressive show ruffled feathers and a rapid change in pupil size. They start screaming and lunging at you or other things.
This aggression is a symptom of underlying unhappiness in your bird, and you need to address this to stop the aggressive behavior.
It may be that your conure needs more of your time, or it finds the cage too small.
If you have other pets or birds around, conures may also get aggressive, if they feel threatened by any of the other animals.
Biting
Parrots often have a painful habit of biting and nipping fingers. This is typically more common in young and unsocialized pineapple conures.
However, animals that have experienced trauma in the past can also be prone to biting.
For the safety of your family and your bird, you must train the bird to stop this behavior.
Before you can train a conure, it needs to trust you, so you need to spend plenty of time playing with your bird.
Once you and your bird have bonded, you can start by gently tapping its beak and saying no whenever the bird tries to nip you.
After that, ignore your conure for roughly a minute and then try to show it your hand to check how it reacts.
You need to use gentle and calm movements without creeping, or the bird might see your hand as a predator trying to kill it.
Green Cheek Or Maroon-Bellied Conure?
Both of these popular parrot species are loved as pets but they have some differences in their appearance.
A green-cheek conure is a dark maroon underneath their tail, whereas the tail of the maroon-bellied conure is lightly maroon underneath with green feathers on top.
Green cheek conures have a lighter belly than maroon-bellied conures.
Although maroon-bellied conures are much shyer, it’s the green cheek conure that’s most commonly found as a pet.
This may not sound like a lot of differences between the two but both have individual character traits.
If you are interested in keeping either of these two parrot species as a pet, we recommend exploring their differences in more detail.
Final Thoughts
The pineapple green cheek conure is one of the most popular parrot species in the world today.
They’re easy to keep, very social, and make great companions.
However, you need to spend a lot of time with your pet bird and create a comfortable environment for it to provide a happy home for the bird.
Harlan Derricks, nice to meet you. I created this online resource in the hopes of educating more people about the wonders of parrots, including their species, sizes, and more.
But I don’t just want to stop with parrots. I want to give every bird an opportunity to be marveled at and rescued by my education. If just one of my readers learned something valuable about budgies, cockatiels, or parakeets, then I’d be happy with my success.
