My first sun conure

[Sabbath]

This will literally be my first "pet" I own a cat and dog(Bad combo I know but I'm working it out as we speak) but they are actually my parents. This will be the first pet that I actually look into getting myself, pay for, vet visit myself and so forth and I have quite a bit of question before I even think of beginning.

First off the breed. I've heard good reviews on her and she seems nice enough. A health guaranteed so I'll probably take the bird to the vet within the first 2-3 days for a complete check up. She has the hatching date on 4/26/2011 and she is officially giving them out on 5/25/2011 and doing a last 3 feeding to the buyer so the bird bonds quickly to its owner. Though my question is!

What should I expect from a baby conure? I'm thinking leave it alone to adjust for a week maybe till it starts yapping for attention then slowly start to introduce myself into its life.

How much do vet visits cost? I'm 18 with a min. paying job so I'm really stretching the thread with this bird but I've always wanted a bird like this.

What about cages? I'm thinking something like this BIRDCAGES4LESS.com: Hana Hut™ Playtop then eventually upgrading in time to BIRDCAGES4LESS.com: Lani Kai Lodge™ Playtop . Will this be fine?

For the things inside it, I plan to have the cutterbone/Mineral block combo(Berry flavored!), high back, mid bottom food/water carrier, a couple of chew toys and add on from there. Anything to add/take out?

What about food? Stopped by a store like petsmart and they had some nice food bags with some fruit squares added in. Though it got me thinking(which leads to another question)is it possible to just cut up apples,oranges, and other fruits and feed them that?

I live in Florida, any recommedation on how to keep the environment nice for the bird?


I'm really excited on getting this bird and to be quite frank, want to jump into this but I want what is best for the bird as well before I make this decision. So all help works! I've researched loads but from actual owners would be amazing!

 

[Parrot Parent]

Well first off you should look into breeds and decide which one best fits your life style. I have a sun conure, and I think they're awesome! As for food I like to use Zupreme from my baby. Some people like to use Harrisons (not sure if i spelt that correctly lol). Your bird should be on a pelleted diet with fruits veggies and moderate amounts of seed. Fruits and veggies should be cut fresh and taken out after a few hours because of bacteria.
I think you should start bonding right away. sure you can see where the boundaries are, you know test the waters see where you are both comfy. then you could work on bonding with treats and scratches and what not.
Toys to consider are foragers, shredders, puzzlers and I forget the other ones right now lol. The second cage is great! The first one seems kinda small, especially when you add in all the toys, food bowls, mineral block, and what not.
We have plenty of conure owners here on the forums and I'm sure you'll get alot of good advice. If you want to ask me any questions feel free!

 

[Sabbath]

I'll defiantly have to take a look at those toys! Another question I forgot to add in is. How well are these birds around other humans?

As for cages, do you recommend any within the 100$ range? I'd love to buy the 2nd one right off the bat but in till the end of the summer that is a no go. I'll try that then, see what the comfort zone is and go from there!

The type of bird I'm looking for to be honest is something that LOVES attention and will quite literally be content just to attach to my shoulder, head or anything and watch tv or computer or even walks outside and trust that the bird won't run*or fly* off on me for hours on end! Granted it'll be loud as I hear but the alarm just makes knowing that the bird need attention even easier(Attractive to the lazier side of me lol)

Forgot to add, this bird when I get it(I'm not sure of which I'm getting so It is just because I don't know if I will be getting a him/her) will be roughly 1 month old.

 

[Mike]

I've read that the cage should be at a minimum 1.5 X the full grown bird's wing span. My daughter has a Sun Conure and his wingspan is about a foot--maybe a little more. This means the cage should AT A MINIMUM be 18 inches square. The bigger the better.

Sounds like you plan on keeping your bird outside the cage most of the time, so the size of the cage is less important.

I suggest you start interacting with the bird immediately. Take hints from the bird. My daughter's conure wouldn't touch me for three days. He's lung with his beak open to show me he was serious. I always backed off. I'd leave a nut in his bowl each time I walked by his cage. Eventually, he relaxed and dropped the threatening behavior. Now after four months of sharing my home office he is much more comfortable with me than before, but even today, he will not let me scratch his neck.

Yes you can give fresh fruit. My daughter's conure loves grapes and berries. He also loves tomato, celery, carrots, and string beans.

Relax and enjoy whatever attention your new baby will give you. Don't force yourself. Never resort to negative feedback--never. Always use positive feedback. It's a slower process, but in the end you'll have a companion, instead of a banshee.

 

[Parrot Parent]

my sun loves to go out with me on the weekends. we take him to pet stores and what not. Usually takes about an hours or two. We also had a firehouse open house a few weeks ago and we went for a few hours. Of course I carried snacks and water for him and me
He loves meeting new people and when a small child sows interest I allow them to slowly touch his tail. They lov it and so does he! I think its important to start the socialization as soon as possible. All sorts of people hold my bird and pet it. In return I get to teach them a bit about parrots and he get socialized! its a win win!
In truth any bird can do extremely well around humans as long as they are socialized at a yougn age and are kept socialized.

 

[theceltichorse]

Congratulations on your new bird! I have two GCC's and adore them. My female Jade is an absolute love bug, Jasper on the other hand is still quite shy. He will sit on my shoulder- but stays very "high and tight".

My question to you is one month old seems awfully young to be weaned. Do you have experience hand feeding? If not, PLEASE make sure you get personal lessons/instuctions as it is very easy to kill them if not done properly. Better yet would be to wait until he/she is fully weaned before bringing home. You can always visit the breeder and bond with your bird until weaned.

 

[Sabbath]

I'm calling today actually about the weaning thing. I do not personally have any experience but would love to learn how(which I will ask the breeder to teach me, she seems nice enough). She understand this will be my first time as well. I promise each and everyone one of you though, that I will do anything within my power to do everything I can for this bird.

 

[theceltichorse]

Remember too that "forced weaning" is NOT ok. They should be allowed to wean naturally on their own time.

 

[Sabbath]

I'll be doing a lot of research on how to weane a baby bird(specifically small birds or a conure if possible) over the weeks.

Anyone recommend any sites or guides maybe? Something to read

 

[theceltichorse]

I have never looked, but you could check out YouTube. I have heard that there are videos on hand feeding there. Nothing can compare to being taught in person though.

Please, please post pics as soon as you pick up your baby too (haha- this from one who has not posted any of my own yet!). I look forward to hearing about all of your adventures too!

P.S.: What did the breeder say about the weaning?

 

[Sabbath]

I called and she said she has a little walk through on her website which I'm going to go read after school! She also said she'd be happy to teach me how to hand feed(Since I'll be there for 3 feedings anyways)!
I will post pictures ^_^

All I got to find out now is find the formula she uses and such.