Last updated: October 2026
Written by the Birdsville team.
The Green Cheek Conure is a small, playful South American parrot with a green body, grey brown head, maroon tail and a red brown patch on the belly. Green Cheeks are affectionate, easy to tame and one of the quietest parrots you can keep, and with good care they can live 25 to 30 years. Learning how to care for Green Cheek Conures starts with a roomy cage with plenty of toys, seed and pellets in separate bowls, fresh fruit and vegetables, a calcium and vitamin D source instead of shell grit, regular worming and daily attention. This page covers where Green Cheeks come from, cages and toys, diet, settling in a new baby, health, breeding and sexing. Birdsville in Alexandria stocks everything you need, and hand raised Green Cheeks are available every year from around October to May.
Green Cheek Conure Key Takeaways
Green Cheek Conures are small, affectionate South American parrots that live 25 to 30 years with good care.
They’re one of the quietest parrots you can keep, which suits Sydney homes and apartments.
Use a cage no smaller than about 45 x 45cm, with at least 4 toys and a swing, and rotate the toys weekly.
Feed seed and pellets in separate bowls, plus chopped fresh fruit and vegetables.
Never give Green Cheeks shell grit. Offer a mineral bell or a calcium supplement with vitamin D instead.
Worm every 6 months for indoor birds or every 3 months for outdoor birds, and treat for mites and lice every 3 months.
Males and females look alike, so DNA testing is the best way to sex them.
Birdsville Blends Tropical Small Parrot is our recommended seed for Green Cheek Conures.
Green Cheek Conure Quick Facts
Scientific name: Pyrrhura molinae
Other names: Green Cheeked Conure, Green Cheeked Parakeet
Size: about 25 to 26cm long
Weight: about 62 to 81 grams
Lifespan: 25 to 30 years with good care
Native range: Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina
Habitat: woodland, forest edges and gallery forest, up to the cloud forests of the Andes
Noise level: quiet for a parrot
Talking ability: can learn some words with patience
Colours: normal, cinnamon, yellow sided, pineapple and turquoise
Clutch: 4 to 6 eggs
Sexing: males and females look alike, so DNA testing is needed
Where Do Green Cheek Conures Come From?
Green Cheek Conures come from central South America, in Bolivia, south west Brazil, northern Paraguay and north west Argentina.
They live in woodland, forest edges, gallery forest along rivers and the lower Pantanal wetlands, and some live as high as the moist cloud forests of the Andes. In the wild they travel in flocks, foraging in the treetops for seeds, flowers, fruit, berries and nuts. Birds living higher up move down to lower ground in winter. The World Parrot Trust (https://parrots.org/encyclopedia/green-cheeked-conure/) has more on Green Cheeks in the wild.
Are Green Cheek Conures Good Pets?
Yes, Green Cheek Conures make wonderful pets, because they’re affectionate, playful, quiet for a parrot and easy to train when socialised young.
They love pats and attention and bond closely with their family. They can learn to talk, though it takes patience and training, and they’re better known for learning tricks. Green Cheeks often grind their beaks. This is a normal form of self grooming and a sign your bird is relaxed, so there’s no need to worry. They do need daily time out of the cage and attention, as a bored Green Cheek can become nippy. Our Parrot Biting page (https://birdsville.net.au/parrot-biting/) has tips if that happens.
What Cage Does a Green Cheek Conure Need?
A Green Cheek Conure needs a cage no smaller than about 45 x 45cm (18 x 18 inches), and the bigger the cage, the happier your bird will be.
Green Cheeks are intelligent parrots, so leave room for plenty of toys as well as food and water dishes and perches of different thicknesses. Put at least 4 toys in the cage, and keep some spares to rotate every week. Rotating toys stops boredom and helps with taming, as a busy bird is less likely to nip. Swings give your Green Cheek exercise as well as fun, and ladders help it move around the cage.
Toys and Swings
Good toys for Green Cheeks include chew toys, shredding toys, wooden toys, swings, ladders and foraging toys. Try Natural Swings (https://petsville.com.au/products/cpa-swings-10cm) for exercise and the Natural Chew Toy (https://petsville.com.au/products/nat-island-natural-chew-toy-birds) for chewing. See our Bird Swings (https://birdsville.net.au/swings/), Natural Bird Toys (https://birdsville.net.au/natural-toys/) and Foraging Bird Toys (https://birdsville.net.au/foraging-bird-toys/) pages for more ideas.
What Do Green Cheek Conures Eat?
Green Cheek Conures eat a varied diet of a quality seed mix and pellets in separate bowls, plus fresh fruit and vegetables, sprouted seed, a regular vitamin boost and a calcium source.
Seed
Use a good quality seed mix and avoid low grade mixes, as fancy packaging can be misleading and some supermarket mixes are full of filler seed that birds simply don’t eat. Our top pick is Birdsville Blends Tropical Small Parrot (https://petsville.com.au/products/birdsville-blends-tropical-small-parrot-500g), made fresh in store. Birdsville Blends Cockatiel and Lovebird (https://petsville.com.au/products/birdsville-blends-cockatiel-lovebird-500g) and Basic Small Parrot Mix (https://petsville.com.au/products/avigrain-seed-small-parrot-mix-2kg) also suit Green Cheeks well. Our Small Parrot Seed page (https://birdsville.net.au/seeds-grains/small-parrot-seed/) has more.
Pellets
Put pellets in their own bowl, so you can see exactly what your bird is eating. Vetafarm South American Pellets (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-south-american-mix-350g) and Vetafarm Nutriblend Pellets Small (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-nutriblend-pellets-sml-350g) are two of the pellets we’ve had the best results with. Changing pellet brands every 6 months or so adds variety to your bird’s diet.
Sprouted Seed
Green Cheeks love sprouted seed. A cockatoo mix such as Birdsville Blends Cocky Mix (https://petsville.com.au/products/birdsville-blends-cocky-mix-4kg) sprouts well. Always rinse sprouted seed thoroughly and wash it with Vetafarm Aviclens (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-aviclens-water-cleanser-100ml) before feeding to remove bacteria. Our Best Bird Treats page (https://birdsville.net.au/bird-treats-tips-and-sprouted-mix/) explains how to sprout seed safely.
Millet Sprays
Millet sprays are fresh seed still on the stem and a favourite treat. Hang Millet Sprays (https://petsville.com.au/products/millet-sprays-mixed-100g) in the cage as a reward or a foraging treat, rather than as the main meal.
Fruit and Vegetables
Fresh fruit and vegetables are essential. Chop them into thumbnail sized pieces your bird can hold and eat. Good choices include orange, apple, rockmelon, sweet potato, corn, bok choy, spinach, green beans, snow peas, carrot and capsicum. Remove anything uneaten before it goes off.
Vitamins
Every bird benefits from a regular vitamin boost, whatever its diet. Add a liquid or powder vitamin supplement such as Vetafarm Multivet (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-multivet-50ml) to your Green Cheek’s drinking water regularly.
Calcium and Vitamin D
Don’t give Green Cheek Conures shell grit, as it can affect their crop. Instead, offer a mineral bell or add a calcium supplement to the water. Green Cheeks need vitamin D to absorb calcium, and the sunlight they need for it doesn’t work through glass. If your bird lives indoors, use a calcium supplement with vitamin D, such as Vetafarm Soluvite D (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-soluvite-d-25g).
The Good Oil
We stock The Good Oil in store, a liquid omega 3 and 6 supplement that also contains vitamins A, D3 and E. Omega 3 and 6 can be low in many grains, and The Good Oil helps with general health, immunity, egg production and fatty liver disease. Mix 15ml per kilogram of seed, and let it stand for at least 4 hours at room temperature before feeding, so the oil soaks into the seed.
How Do You Feed an Adult Green Cheek Conure?
From about 4 to 7 months old, feed your Green Cheek using two separate bowls, one filled with seed and one with pellets, plus fresh fruit and vegetables, and only refill the seed once your bird has eaten the healthier seeds and started on the pellets.
The biggest trap Green Cheek owners fall into is topping up the seed bowl every day. Your bird gorges on the sunflower seeds and won’t touch anything else until the bowl is refilled, and good seed and pellets get thrown away. Instead, leave the bowl alone. Your bird will eat the healthy, low fat seeds, and then you’ll see the pellets start to disappear. Be strong, because your bird will play you like a fiddle to get those delicious sunflower seeds. This method is cost effective, and it’s how we feed our own birds.
Seed or Pellets?
Some vets and breeders are against pellets, and others are against seed. We give both, using the method above. Birds naturally eat seed in the wild, and picking through seed is good foraging behaviour. Pellets are cooked and act like a built in multivitamin. Between the two, plus fresh fruit and vegetables, your bird gets a varied diet and should be glowing.
How Do You Settle In a New Baby Green Cheek Conure?
A newly weaned Green Cheek, usually about 8 to 9 weeks old, needs easy access to food, an all you can eat buffet for its first 4 weeks, and plenty of rest.
For the first 2 weeks, put seed and pellets on the cage floor as well as in the bowls, while your baby learns to eat from feeders. For the first 4 weeks, give it unlimited seed, pellets, fruit and vegetables. After 4 weeks, move to the adult feeding method above, which is better for its long term health and more cost effective for you. Handle your bird in a quiet, relaxed setting. Spending time with it while you watch TV or read is perfect, but don’t over stress it in the first few weeks, as babies need rest.
A Tip From Our Staff
If you want your Green Cheek to adore you, give it a little warm hand rearing formula at night once it’s weaned, such as Passwell Hand Rearing Food (https://petsville.com.au/products/passwell-hand-rearing-food-300g). It isn’t necessary, but we can’t argue with the results. One of our team’s own Green Cheeks still goes crazy for hand rearing formula years after weaning, every time baby birds are being fed.
How Do You Keep a Green Cheek Conure Healthy?
Keep a Green Cheek Conure healthy with a varied diet, fresh water every day, regular worming, mite and lice treatment every 3 months, and a clean cage.
Worming
Worm your new Green Cheek at around 12 to 13 weeks old. After that, worm every 6 months for indoor birds and every 3 months for outdoor birds, with a bird wormer such as Vetafarm Wormout Gel (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-wormout-gel-50ml).
Mites and Lice
Treat your Green Cheek for mites and lice every 3 months, whether it lives inside or outside, as these parasites turn up indoors too. Avitrol Mite and Lice Spray (https://petsville.com.au/products/fidos-avitrol-bird-mite-and-lice-spray-125ml) is easy to use. Remove food and water first, and avoid the eyes and mouth.
A Green Cheek that sits fluffed up and quiet may be unwell, so see an avian vet. Our Common Bird Illnesses page (https://birdsville.net.au/common-bird-illnesses/) lists the warning signs.
How Do You Breed Green Cheek Conures?
Green Cheek Conures breed in a vertical nest box in the warmer months, and the hen usually lays 4 to 6 eggs.
In the wild they nest in hollows in mature trees. In an aviary or breeding cage, the World Parrot Trust recommends a vertical nest box about 30 x 30 x 46cm. Green Cheeks are seasonal breeders and don’t breed in the cooler months, so most babies arrive between spring and autumn. The young fledge at about 7 weeks old. While they’re raising chicks, give your pair plenty of fresh food, sprouted seed and a calcium and vitamin D supplement.
How Do You Tell a Male Green Cheek Conure From a Female?
Green Cheek Conures are monomorphic, which means males and females look the same, so DNA testing is the most reliable and cost effective way to sex them.
Males often have a slightly larger, flatter top of the head than females, but this isn’t a reliable guide on its own. Surgical sexing is another option, but DNA testing is simpler and cheaper. Both sexes make wonderful pets.
How Does Sydney’s Weather Affect Green Cheek Conures?
Green Cheek Conures enjoy Sydney’s warm months, but they need shade and water on hot days and shelter from cold winter draughts.
In summer, keep the cage out of direct afternoon sun, and offer a shallow bath on hot days. In winter, keep the cage away from draughts and cover it at night. Indoor birds miss out on natural sunlight, so a calcium supplement with vitamin D matters most in the cooler months, when they spend even less time outside.
Green Cheek Conure Care Frequently Asked Questions
How long do Green Cheek Conures live?
Green Cheek Conures can live 25 to 30 years with good care. A varied diet of seed, pellets and fresh food, a roomy cage, regular worming, mite treatment and daily attention all help them live a long life. A poor, seed only diet is one of the main reasons pet Green Cheeks die younger.
What do Green Cheek Conures eat?
Green Cheek Conures eat a quality seed mix and pellets in separate bowls, plus chopped fresh fruit and vegetables, sprouted seed and millet sprays as treats. Add vitamins to their water and give a calcium source, but never shell grit. Birdsville Blends Tropical Small Parrot is our recommended seed for Green Cheeks.
Can Green Cheek Conures have shell grit?
No, don’t give Green Cheek Conures shell grit, as it can affect their crop. Give them a mineral bell or a calcium supplement in their water instead. If your bird lives indoors, choose a calcium supplement with vitamin D, because they need vitamin D to absorb calcium and sunlight through glass doesn’t provide it.
What size cage does a Green Cheek Conure need?
A Green Cheek Conure needs a cage no smaller than about 45 x 45cm, and bigger is always better. It should hold at least 4 toys, a swing, food and water dishes and perches of different thicknesses. Rotate the toys every week to keep your bird busy and help prevent nipping.
Why does my Green Cheek grind its beak?
Beak grinding is normal for Green Cheek Conures and usually means your bird is relaxed and content. It’s a common form of self grooming, often heard when a bird is calm and settled. Only check with an avian vet if your bird also seems unwell.
How often should I worm my Green Cheek Conure?
Worm a new Green Cheek at around 12 to 13 weeks old. After that, worm indoor birds every 6 months and outdoor aviary birds every 3 months. Treat for mites and lice every 3 months as well, whether your bird lives inside or out, because these parasites can turn up indoors too.
Where Can I Buy a Green Cheek Conure and Supplies in Sydney?
Hand raised Green Cheek Conures are available at Birdsville every year from around October to May, fully weaned, along with everything you need to care for them, at 684 Botany Road, Alexandria NSW 2015, servicing the Eastern Suburbs and Inner South Sydney. See our Green Cheek Conures for Sale page (https://birdsville.net.au/hand-reared-birds-diet-nutrition/conures/hand-raised-green-cheek-conure-for-sale/) for availability and deposits. Visit us or call (02) 9669 1766, and our team will help you with diet, cage setup and training advice. We’re open 9:30am to 5:30pm weekdays, 10am to 5pm Saturday and 10am to 4pm Sunday, with directions on our Contact page (https://birdsville.net.au/contact-birdsville/). Follow us on TikTok ([ADD TIKTOK LINK]), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/BirdsvilleRosebery/) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/petsvillesydney/) for live updates, new babies and rehoming birds. Looking to adopt? See Sydney Pet Bird Rescue (https://birdsville.net.au/re-homing-parrot-adoption/).
Petsville (https://petsville.com.au/) ships Green Cheek food and supplies anywhere in Australia, including our Birdsville Blends seed mixes. Seed can’t be sent to WA or Tasmania because of quarantine laws.
Popular Green Cheek Conure supplies on Petsville:
Birdsville Blends Tropical Small Parrot (https://petsville.com.au/products/birdsville-blends-tropical-small-parrot-500g)
Vetafarm South American Pellets (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-south-american-mix-350g)
Vetafarm Soluvite D (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-soluvite-d-25g)
Vetafarm Multivet (https://petsville.com.au/products/vetafarm-multivet-50ml)
Natural Swings (https://petsville.com.au/products/cpa-swings-10cm)
Avitrol Mite and Lice Spray (https://petsville.com.au/products/fidos-avitrol-bird-mite-and-lice-spray-125ml)
About Birdsville
Birdsville has been at 684 Botany Road, Alexandria NSW 2015 since 1985, and we believe we’re now the oldest bricks and mortar bird shop still trading in Australia. We’re a small business that does things in a big way. Nobody tells us how to run things, so we keep our products the best of the best.
Sources
Size, weight, lifespan, native range, noise, talking and colour mutations: Wikipedia, Green-cheeked Parakeet
Wild habitat, wild diet, clutch size, nest box size and fledging: World Parrot Trust, Green-cheeked Conure
Diet, weaning, worming, mite treatment, cage, sexing and training advice: the Birdsville team
Product details: Petsville product listings
