Newbie buys Sun Conure "Mango" Yesterday

[ismv]

Well....hit me with it all. I am totally new to the forum. I just bought a baby Sun Conure yesterday. After researching, I looked and loved the African Grey until I found out about Capes. LOVE them. LOVE them. Thought, hey, I will only buy one bird in my life so let's get what I want. I then realized like with my other pets, I would have more than one.

Sooo....I fell in love with a 3 month old Sun Conure.

I am a stay at home mom with 3 great, animal respectful kids. I have 2 dogs (one of which is a certified therapy dog) and 2 cats. Of course, safety is the number one priority. I have a large enough house for 2 cages and keeping all kids and fur-kids happy, so don't worry. I do rescue work and loooooove animals so I cannot tell you how excited I am to own such a beautiful bird!

If you can please give me tips such as good sites for great toys, advice on things that you have learned along the way, that would be wonderful. I find that going thru the websites gives me so much information that is usually self-serving (like they sell something), that I find that in general, those with experience are the best authorities.

I will have 2 cages with toys (please advise) because we have a large home with a walk out basement. I will have an exercise gym as well (what do you call them?).

Will I need a sleep cage as well?
How many hours do they NEED to be out of the cage? Is it ok to have 2 hour out, 2 in or something similar so that I can walk the dogs/love the cats/errands/keep everyone safe?
How well can they learn/talk?

I know what I have read via internet or books. I would just like to hear from the real people who own them and love them.

Thanks everyone!!! I cannot wait to get him in August-ish.

 

[babybirdkisses]

Conures are fun to have! I have a Nanday conure, 2 Sunday conures and a peach front conure. The Sunday is a mix between Enday and Sun conure, and I love them all.

Conures like any bird, have their own personalities. But the conures I have all love to play and cuddle. Your kids are gonna love the new baby. All our conures talk, play and cuddle. They love to play in a large tissue box and hide. I bought beds to hang in their cages that look like little tents.

I leave their cage door open for them to play and climb around. I just check on them and make sure they are safe. I only have birds so I don't know how or what to expect from your cats and dogs. I do know that the conure will act like he should be the center of attention. Have you picked a name yet?

Good luck and I know you will enjoy your new addition.

 

[apatrimo94]

-www.mybirdstore.com, www.windyparrotcity.com are two great sites that sell very good items.

-Play gyms, exercise gyms, whatever you want to call them.

-Having a sleep cage is up to you. To save yourself from heartache, a lot of conures sleep on their backs on the bottom of the cage. Your bird is not dead, he's really sleeping. If you want to wake him up, just call to him or whistle.

-Again, keep out of their cage with interaction for a few hours. If you want to keep him in his cage, make sure he has lots of toys to play with. Also, have everybody take turns interacting with him so he's used to everybody, for example each of your kids can each get an hour to play with him. Conures are also very snuggly birds, so if you're relaxing, they'll snuggle in your neck, or in your shirt. They are also heavy chewers. The DESTROY everything in sight. They're also very nippy birds but again, this all depends on their personality.

-Yes, conures can learn to talk.

Hope all goes well with getting him!

 

[Spiritbird]

There are several links on this site to good places to buy food and toys. It is also fun to make your own toys after you get settled in with your new bird. We love photos! Our parrots need quality sleep of about 10 to 12 hrs. with no TV or Music in the sleep room. I do not know where you got your bird but it is best to get them on pellets and feed lots of fresh fruit and vegies with seed only as a treat. Teaching them to bathe is important because you will set the stage for this for the rest of the birds life. Bowls of warm water, spritz, shower perches and some fourm members say they spray them in a sink. Out of cage time with you is very important for bonding. If you can hand feed the bird some soft warm food like oatmeal that will enhance the bonding also. One of the better sites is parrot enrichment. It will teach you about the importance of foraging. You may have to teach the bird how to play with the toys in the beginning.
There are lots of good articles on Winged Wisdom. Good luck and by all means we are happy your are here = have fun with mango. Oh a good place to get parrot food is Avian Naturals. http://www.allbirdtoys.com/

http://www.parrotenrichment.com/