Grey-cheeked Parakeets

also known as Grey Cheek Parakeets, Pocket Parrots, Orange Flanked Parakeets, Orange Winged Parakeets

Overview
Personality / Pet Potential
Care & Housing
Breeding
Purchasing a Grey-cheek Parrot & Pricing
Physical Description
Distribution
Species / Taxonomy
Other Web Resources

Overview:

Grey-cheeks originate in parts of Ecuador and Peru and have become popular pets here in the United States (they are illegal in Hawaii). Their average life span is 15 years.

A bird store owner told me once that they are already tame "when plucked wild from the trees" ... I don't know about that, but these little guys most surely are endearing.

Personality

Handfed babies have very sweet personalities and are extremely intelligent, curious, energetic, and playful. With time and patience, they can be taught to do tricks, have a good capacity for talking, and are great mimickers. They entertain themselves for hours with their toys and, particularly enjoy braided, fabric, rope perches.

They like toys and places to hide - which may be the reason why they are also referred to as pocket parrots. The will ride around on your shoulder or snuggle up in your pocket as long as you will allow them. Just like the lovebirds, Greycheeks like to crawl under or into something that gives them a sense of security and privacy - which could be anything they can climb into, such as a finch or parakeet nesting box, or visit this website for some fun "snuggle homes" for your Greycheek.

They are not as noisy as their larger cousins - the macaws, cockatoos or conures, but can become loud when over-excited or if they are trying to get your attention. Training is important to make sure that they don't develop any bad habits, be it screaming or biting.

Grey-cheek Parakeets Grey cheeks are known to be mischievous, bold, and inquisitive. Their fearless nature can get them easily "into trouble" and they need to be watched when outside of their cages. They challenge larger parrots and even other, larger pets, such as dogs, which can result in them getting attacked and bitten. They also sustain injuries from their climbing, jumping and wandering tendencies. As they are cuddly birds and like to burrow in tight places, they also are at risk of being smothered by their owners as they like to snuggle up close to them and owners unwittingly roll over or sit on them. Reported accidents also included them being stepped on, flying into ceiling fans, hot burners, or open toilets.

Training and Behavioral Guidance:

Pet parrots generally present challenges, such as excessive chewing - especially at certain stages in their life. They do discover their beaks as method of "disciplining us" once they are out of the "baby stage" and they can generally be somewhat naughty, and it really is important to learn to understand them and to guide their behavior before an undesirable behavior has been established. Undisciplined parrots will chew on electric wiring potentially causing house fires. They regard anything in your home as a "toy" that can be explored and chewed on; destroying items that you may hold dear or are simply valuable. Even a young bird that has not been neglected and abused requires proper guidance; this becomes even more challenging when it involves a rescued bird that may require rehabilitation.

Web Resources: I put together web resources for you to help you understand your pet bird and properly direct him. Please visit this website for valuable tips on parrot behavior and training.

If you are, as I am, a visual learner and prefer step-by-step instructions to train your pet, I recommend:

the Parrot Training Course to teach your parrot to:
- Stop Biting
- Perform Tricks &
- Tame ANY SIZE bird you could possibly own
and/or try the "Teach Your Parrot to Talk" Training Course.

Care and Feeding:

Greycheeks love to climb and play and need to be provided with a cage that allows them to move around freely and toys to entertain themselves with. Please refer to the following websites for information:

Procuring a Greycheek
- Breeders of this species are welcome to e-mail me if they would like to be listed here.
Foraging
Three Elements Necessary for Your Pet's Happiness
Optimal Environmental Conditions: Information on lighting, humidity requirements and other environmental conditions that should be provided for optimal health and well-being
Environmental Enrichment: Tips on providing your pets with mental stimulation, especially when alone at home.
Optimal nutrition to keep your bird healthy
Housing your bird
Caring for your companion bird

Pricing & Procuring A Grey-cheek Parrot

Prices usually range between $200 - $400.

If you are looking for one of these birds, please check the following sources:

Brotogeris Breeder Junction
Mailing Lists: Join either one or both of the following mailing lists to get in touch with people who know grey cheeks and may be able to recommend a breeder; or may be breeders themselves: Brotogeris List and or: Brotogeris Exchange List at Yahoogroups.

Physical Description

Grey-cheeked Parakeets got their name from their distinctive grey cheeks, chin and forehead. They have a dusky blue crown and bright orange feathers on the underwing coverts. The back, outer wing and tail are covered with green feathers, with a lighter green shade on their underbellies.

Until they are approximately 6 months old, grey cheeks have black or spotty, black beaks. As they mature, their beaks turn horn-colored.

They are about 8 inches (20 cm) in length and weigh 54-60 grams, which means that they are a little larger than lovebirds in size.

Grey cheeks are not sexually dimorphic (meaning, both sexes look alike) and need DNA testing to determine their sex.

Distribution

Western Ecuador, Extreme North-western Peru

Species: Scientific: Brotogeris pyrrhopterus ... English: Grey-cheeked Parakeet, Orange-flanked Parakeet ... Dutch: Vuurvleugelparkiet ... German: Feuerflügelsittich ... French: Perruche à flancs orangés

Class: Aves ... Order: Psittaciformes ... Family: Psittacidae ... Subfamily: Psittacinae ... Genus: Scientific: Brotogeris ... English: Thin-mouth Parakeets ... Dutch: Dunbekparkieten ... German: Schmalschnabelsittiche ... French: Perruche à bec mince ... CITES II: Endangered Species

Related Websites: Lexicon of Parrots ... lib.montana.edu (great information!)

If you would like to add to or correct any of the above information, or would like to share with the AvianWeb visitors your own experiences, please e-mail the AvianWeb Webmaster.
Photo contributions and articles are welcome!