TheTameParrot.com - Say “BYE” To Your Parrot Problems

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We get a lot of questions about what is the best bird to get for a person who has never owned a bird before. This is a great starter bird, because many people make the mistake of buying a bird that is too big, intelligent or demanding. Without having some experience raising birds, they can quickly be overwhelmed by them.

Sun Conures are the perfect choice. They are very easy to train and handle, and very playful. Their orange/yellow colors make them very attractive. And the price is very reasonable, falling into the “intermediate” range for birds. They are always a curious and inquisitive bird. They are active, and love to play in their cages or play areas. They love to hand from the ceiling of their cages. The only drawback is that these birds are fairly loud. They will scream for attention, or scream over any distractions around them. This may make them a great “watchdog” but it’s not a good thing if you live in apartments.

Sun Conures originate from South America’s northeastern coast. When they are young, their feathers are mostly green. As they grow older, their plumage explodes with bright yellow and orange colors. They are a hardy bird, with a lifespan of 15-25 years if properly cared for.

FEEDING

Since Sun Conures originate from South America, their diet consists of fruits and berries, and seeds. But they like any captive birds, you must supplement their diet with additional minerals that are lacking in their diet. We recommend feeding a good quality pellet diet along with his fruits/veggies.

With our Sun Conures, this is very easy. They are suckers for apples! We would take a whole apple and run it through a skewer, then hang it from the roof of their cage. It’s gone in under an hour! With this knowledge, you can easily supplement their diet by injecting vitamins into the fruit, or by dicing it into cubes and sprinkling supplements over it.

HOUSING

Sun Conures must get some exercise. My preferred method is to let them play on top of their cage in a playgym, or make sure they have an extra large cage. Recommended size is at least 24 inches. Put lots of toys and perches into the cage so they can climb around and play.

Have you ever though about breeding pet birds? Or did you think it was just too complex of a project? It can be very easy, given the right breed of birds and just a little education.

When we started out, we had a lot of success with cockatiels. When my wife and I decided to move on to the next “level” of breeding, we purchased our first pair of Sun Conures. These birds are slightly larger then cockatiels, just as hardy, and their babies are much more in demand. Young Sun Conures can be sold for $300-$600 very easily.

Breeding is fairly simple to do. First, make sure you have a pair of mature parents. They must be at least 2 years old. You will want to have them professionally sexed using DNA blood testing, as they are hard to visually distinguish. One method of making an educated guess is to look at the head. The female conure will have a smaller and rounder head then the male. Males tend to have a flatter forehead. But note that even experienced breeders do not rely on this method. Get the test!

Once you have a pair, the next step is to give them a good breeding environment. This will take some experimentation. Simple things like not having the cage high enough can upset them and prevent breeding. Distractions in the room, or even other birds, can also upset them. If they don’t breed, try moving them around and change the environment.

Conures are a breed that like to nest in tree cavities. To duplicate this, you will need a “nesting box”. This is nothing more then a wood box with a door in the side for you to inspect and monitor the birds. The size should be at least 8×12 inches. They do not like oversized boxes, so don’t get one too big. This box can be hung from the side of the cage.

You will need to put some material on the bottom of the box for nesting. We prefer pine shavings.

>>In my e-book The Easy Parrot System , I discuss how to build a proper nesting box, and go into detail about the different nesting materials. Some materials can actually be dangerous to the parents and the chicks, and should NEVER be used. I strongly recommend that you research this before selecting a nesting material.

Once you have selected your cage and box…just wait for nature to take it’s course. Be sure they have a proper diet. It’s very important to make sure they get plenty of Vitamin A, E, and calcium in their diets for proper egg production and fertility.

>> My e-book also goes into great detail in feeding and nutrition, and explains which foods are loaded with these important vitamins and minerals. The Easy Parrot System – Nutrition will help you a great deal with your Sun Conure breeding.

Sun Conures will usually produce a clutch of four to five eggs. Make sure the parents have lots of food, and keep a water dish available for bathing at all times. Their breeding season is generally between December and March, but it’s not unusual for them to breed outside of this period, or even all year round. After the eggs have been laid, they will hatch in about 23 days. Don’t mess with the eggs, move the cage or disturb them in any way. Let the parents do the work!

Sun Conure babies are fairly easy to hand feed, but unless you have experience doing this we recommend you let the parents do all of the feeding. After a month, you can begin feeding from a syringe or spoon, but get some training first!

We recently had a question about Nanday Conures. This lady purchased and older bird for a pet and all it does is scream and holler. She can hold it and work with it, but the screaming is beginning to create problems with the neighbors.

* For starters, you really need to do some research into the birds you plan to buy, and especially their behavioral traits. Nanday Conures are known to be a very loud bird. Their screech can be heard all over the neighborhood, and make it a terrible pet if you live in an apartment.

This behavior comes from their past. They are a very sociable bird, and in the wild would often stay in very large flocks. It is not unusual to see them with flocks of Monk Parakeets. Their mating and social habits are associated with their screeching.

Nandays that have been born in captivity and hand fed are usually not as loud. This is why it’s preferred to get them when they are quite young.

As a pet, they are very playful and affectionate. They are a very good “intermediate” bird for people interested in raising them, and the price is not that expensive. We usually recommend this type of bird to someone with no bird handling experience, and are considering the purchase of a large parrot. Once you can get the hang of a Nanday, and can train and handle it, you are ready to take on the challenge of a large bird.

As a pet, Nandays are fairly hardy. They do take a lot of showers, and should be allowed access to a water bowl for bathing daily. Like many conures, they are more then happy sitting in a sink while you use the sprayer to “rain” down on them.

Nandays are capable of talking, but it does take some work. I have heard stories of success with those “Get your parrot to talk” tapes, but I have not talked to anyone who has ever been successful with this. Just use the tried-and-true method of working with your bird, praising it when it makes appropriate sounds, and socialize with it. Interaction with your bird works far better then those store bought tapes!

To get your bird to stop screeching all the time, there are some methods. First, keep in mind that this behavior can be triggered if the bird is afraid. Something in the environment is bothering him and needs to be changed. So look around.

They also scream when they feel neglected, depressed or bored. Get your bird more toys and swap them around frequently. One mistake bird owners will make is to put the bird into a distant part of the home, so their screams can’t be heard. This may only cause it to scream more! They want attention! They are calling for their flock!

Sometimes a bigger cage will help. Just keep in mind that this breed of bird is loud by nature. They tend to scream in the morning and evenings.

DIET

Nandays diet should consist of lots of fruits and vegetables. They require a low to medium protein content, with lots of dark green and orange vegetables. They are used to having a variety of foods, and will become quickly bored with an all pellet diet. Try to get your Nanday on a 60% pellet diet, and push those veggies!

The Nandays we had were suckers for apples! We would put apple quarters into their cage and they would be devoured! This made it easy to add additional vitamins and calcium to their diet by sprinkling them over the apple.

They also like grapes, broccoli and carrots. You can get protein into their diets by adding some diced eggs and bits of cheese to their food dish. Also give them a few shreds of chicken and meat occasionally.

HEALTH ISSUES

I have noted that Nandays have a tendency to pluck their feathers. This is usually caused by a combination of a poor diet and boredom. They are also prone to Conure Bleeding Syndrome. This disease results in internal bleeding of the bird and can be fatal. This is thought to be cause by a diet lacking in Vitamin K and Calcium, both of which are readily available in broccoli. I won’t touch the stuff, so my Conures got to clean off my plate! One more reason to keep Conures as a pet…….

Just remember, a proper diet will ensure that your bird will stay healthy.

*Picture taken from http://www.birdchannel.com/images/species/subspecies/nanday-conure.jpg