So to just get straight to it, my beautiful pied Cockatiel - Flynn - who is quite possibly the greatest and most charismatic bird to grace the Earth has been missing for a little over two weeks now. He is only a baby and turns a year in September. I was on a four day camping trip in New Hampshire (I live in Rhode Island) when my dad was babysitting him and the dogs pushed the door open. Flynn has full flight feathers since he is rarely in his cage aside from bedtime and loves to exercise and hang out with me so needless to say, he panicked and disappeared. My dad blames himself heavily as he loved Flynn just as much as me so I have really had to swallow any type of resentment and just focus on finding him. I know this is an accident that could have happened even if I was home but it still stings that my baby bird is out there alone, scared, possibly dead and I couldn't do anything about it. On top of that, the days following his escape were basically thunder and lightning storms and I was hysterical imagining what he was going through. I have posters up, contacted my local animal shelter, lost ads up on multiple online platforms including Facebook and I call to him every time I go outside. I'll be driving and see a grey bird with a white underbelly and almost cause myself to get into a car accident on multiple occasions. Flynn is my first bird and I was bit by the bird bug. I was hoping to eventually expand to another one or two birds in the future. I have not lost hope and I check online every day for any sign of him. I even check keywords on facebook looking for a mention of him and craigslist to see if anyone has found him or possibly trying to sell him. However, I am also a realist. My greatest hope is that he landed on someone that first day and he has been sitting in their house ever since but I will never know the truth unless I find him. I have not given up on my friend and will not ever give up but there is a VERY noticeable absence in my house and it is heartbreaking. I have been weighing heavily on this and had already done plenty of research before he went missing but have been doing even more recently. I have wanted a conure for quite some time - even before I bought Flynn - and Green Cheeks stand out to me as such subtly beautiful birds with the perfect personality for me. Everything I have read about GCC have reminded me of Flynn. I love Cockatiels but can not bear to spend time with one that looks similar to Flynn while he is lost. Please note that in no way am I replacing my little baby bird, but there is something unbearable about walking around my house without a bird yelling in my ear or singing to me and not having Flynn sit on my head or groom me while I read a book. I will be keeping his cage clean and set up, waiting for him to come home. If and when he is found I will undoubtedly be bringing him back home regardless of any new bird! Now that I've vented to strangers on the internet about something personal and painful I will also ask those same strangers about their experience with Green Cheek Conures. I got Flynn from a wonderful woman who's fiance was in love with him and wanted to keep him; they were great breeders and people who truly loved their birds. I know there are a few Green Cheek breeders in the states around mine so I'm not worried about that but I would just love to know your experience with them. I was also intrigued by Sun Conures but the noise was the deal breaker. I really don't care about noise at all. I live in a house and run a farm where I constantly hear roosters, geese, goats, etc. and Flynn was a little songbird - I really enjoy talking to birds and hearing them talk to themselves! I just really don't enjoy the piercing screeches of Sun Conures lol. I read that Green Cheeks are much quieter so wondered if that matches up with anyone's experiences? Any cage suggestions? I know he won't be needing a huge cage since he won't be spending much time in it anyway but I want to know what would be appropriate if he spends a few hours a day in there as well as sleeping. I am rambling but please know that any and all advice is welcome! I would also love to see your birds!

Also please note that I am not running out to get a bird only weeks from Flynn's disappearance. I am still researching and preparing myself. I will not be bringing home an actual bird for one or two months at least.

I'm so sorry about your bird. I hope it works out and I hope you find him.

As far as conures, I had a dusky conure as a kid, so a bit different than what you're looking into. My advice is that conures are incredibly smart birds that will pick up on things from their environment. If you don't want a conure that makes a high pitched imitation of a goose honk all the time, you'll have to keep them from hearing your geese, etc. My conure was very quiet until meeting one of the "screechier" birds one day at the groomers. (They trimmed his nails for me since I was scared to do it myself and they'd get too long otherwise.) He came home shrieking and thinking this was the funniest sound ever. I don't have great advice on birds but I would say consider their environments, keep them happy and entertained and challenged. My dusky loved to be close and would sit inside my sleeve and peek his head out. He was pretty affectionate and social and wanted to spend time with people. I don't know if that was something about him or the breed as a whole. And also, of course, I do recommend getting one from a reputable breeder/supplier that has handfed and trained them to be social - hopefully with humans and with other birds alike. Best of luck to you.

I'm so sorry... I wish you, your dad, and Flynn the best. Hopefully Flynn found some people who just didn't realize they could check with shelters about people looking for birds. ; A ;

I have a cockatoo featherbaby, but being a member of a herd of bird nerds, I have two close friends with green cheek conures that I see often, and I have acquaintances whose GCCs I've met. They're extremely cuddly birds, and usually very curious and good-natured, although they do have their moody days just like any bird. Every bird I've met has been pretty quiet, and seem to talk (or in one case, mock sneeze) more than they scream. Although I have heard them scream from time to time, it's not ear-shattering in pitch or volume. I'm told that most behavior problems with GCCs come up when they're in pairs, and that usually single GCCs are very well-behaved with love and training. I've personally met only one solo green cheek that was a stubborn biter even with training (a pineapple variant, very cute and talkative otherwise).

As far as I know, most 'tiel-sized things are appropriate for GCCs, as they're roughly similar in size. Both of my friends have cats too, so they keep big cages where their birds can be safe and still have a lot of room to play while they can't fully supervise them or have them with them, but I doubt it has to be very large if your bird will be out more often than not.

You're never supposed to let birds sit on your head. It's a sign that they dominate you and will be able to get their way with you. With that being said, I'm sorry about Flynn. It's always recommended that you go see a vet to get their flight feathers clipped and keep up with it.

I have a Peach Faced Love bird. He was a re-home. I love him to bits, but sometimes... he annoys me lol. He loves the phone and screeches into it when he's out.

I work in a pet store and we carry Conures and other small birds. Conures are wonderful! Very sweet and cuddly. Each one has their own personality. Some are demons and others have nothing but love in their name. In my experience, they all screech.