Sun Conure lifespan?

[Skittys_Daddy]

@ConurePower I can totally relate to your situation. My birds help me with my mental illness too. I refer to them as my 'all-natural anti-depressants'. LOL.

Like the others were saying, what I meant by 'beginner' bird is the noise, level of attention needed etc. There are always exceptions. Some can take right to a high-maintenance bird. But I would never 'recommend' them as a beginner bird. I had parakeets most of my life, then I got into cockatiels. Skittles is my first conure and I actually got him BECAUSE of his needs.

Taking care of him means I have to take care of myself. I cannot tell you how much he has bettered my life. I was so lonely before I got him. It was depressing. Now, I haven't felt lonely in years. In fact, sometimes I can't wait to put him to bed so I can have some alone time. LOL. He literally follows me everywhere around the house.

Skittles is free-flighted. He is only in his cage at night (when he sleeps) as well as whenever I leave the house for a period of time (never more than 3-4hrs a few days a week). He has little 'playstands' all over the apartment.

@Dinosrawr You hit the nail on the head. Many people go into pet stores and get captivated by a suns beautiful plumage and instantly buy them. They don't realize that parrots are not fashion accessories or even 'pets' for that matter. They are 'companion animals' and as the term would say, they require attention.

I remember when I was first considering getting Skittles. The clerk tried talking me out of it explaining their needs and habits etc. Including the noise. So I passed. Then I went home and did some research and bought him four days later. Despite all my research there are still things I am learning every day. The pet store I got Skittles at is great. It's nice and clean, the staff are friendly and EVERY time I go in there is at least one clerk who is tending to one of the animals - even just to play with them. They had Skittles in a giant aviary, he was by himself but they had the aviary right near the checkout.

Yep, Peaches is 20 1/2yrs old.

 

[riddick07]

All birds are common in a rescue, rare ones being the exception of course, and we have probably had just as many gccs coming through as Suns. We recommend Suns as beginner birds just as often as gccs. The problem is not the bird or type of bird but the people. I will mention we tend to take in bigger birds and try to keep the smaller ones to a minimum number. Not that that has worked lately since I think we've taken in about 30 small birds in the last week or so....

My quietest bird is my sun, she learned early on that I'd strangle her if she screamed She is literally my easiest bird in the house....quiet, independent, non aggressive, sweet....the only think she does is not eat fresh foods easily. But she learned early on that I wasn't a tolerant person and screaming or even being a little loud didn't help her. She had lots of toys and I didn't take her out to interact every second so she never became too needy. She can however go to an expo for three days just fine and be handed off and around to a hundred people and a bunch of kids with grabby little hands and be just fine. She was socialized right, taught that screaming didn't help, bite pressured trained, taught to be independent and play with toys...to like her cage and tolerate other birds....

Believe it or not if she gets an hour out with me everyday it's a miracle. Her one on one time is more a little bit once a week. Not because I'm such a horrible owner but because that's the way I raised her. My little birds get let out to fly around almost everyday so that is part of her ability to survive with little interaction with me every day. But she can go a week locked up in her cage just as easily as having her cage open every single day. I do spend time in the room with everyone flying about and if they fly over to talk to me I'll talk to them. But with the little ones I almost never take them out with the thought of spending one on one time with them. They all love me and like spending time with me but it's not a desperation that's needed for them to be stable. Of course they all go a bit batty when I'm gone for a week but that's more because part of the flock disappeared for longer than normal even for me.

Training early is part of the key and doing it right is the other key. We have five sun conures right now and one hybrid sun at the rescue.To be fair two of those conures are actually a pair so they are harder to find homes for because people are so desperate for birds to want to interact with just them. People are just as bad as birds in wanting to be the focus of attention though it tends to wear off in people way before it does in the birds. If I had the room I'd take the Sun pair home because they would be no problem at all. They wouldn't want one on one attention with people but they would treat any person as part of the flock, which is exactly what my little ones all do....they are a flock and I'm just part of the flock not the sole flock.

I will say my gccs were little demons growing up....I do believe part of that was because I didn't know what I was doing the first time around like I did the second time with my sun. They would be a hard pair for me to find homes for because they are so independent and uninterested in everyone. They like me but strangers are a no go anymore....when they were little they were much better about people...sure I could change that by sticking them in harnesses and taking them outside but I'm a lazy person at heart:54: All I have to do is mention I no longer want my sun and plenty of people would take her off my hands before I finished the sentence I'm sure.

I know how I do things isn't possible for everyone. I created a flock and not everyone wants that many birds or understands how to make that happen. Sometimes I'm not even sure I do understand how I created it or if it is was just natural to try and create that situation:31: Not all my birds got along right away and positions had to be battled out and me disciplining the ones who got too out of line....so it wasn't all smooth sailing at first but now it's fairly balanced.

On the age thing we've had Suns that are supposed to be in their late twenties to early thirties at the shelter. Some you could actually see their age affecting them so you knew they were older at least but people lie all the time.

Hmmmmm after viewing the preview I think this may have gotten away from me....blame it on the fact I've been reading for almost 48 hours....I could barely remember if I ate at any point today...so I can't be blamed for the rambling:32::54:

 

[Notdumasilook]

Ive been digging on the same answer... how long do they live. And yep you get tons of conflicting info.. from 15 -25 years is what I have seen. Im inclined to belive the 25 plus more now however.. due to the genetics. I got Booger from a stupid couple that decided they didnt want him anymore and they were gonna open the window and toss him out to fend for himself. Im like WTF!!! O hell no. So he ended up with me before I new a darn thing about the species. Im 58 ...so Im pretty sure they will more than outlive me and need a home. Hopefully I can make those arrangements before I croak. Hopefully I can find someone that will take both Booger and Cookie (BFA).because they are bestest buddies and are wonderful together. I can tell you dont spare any expense taking care of your buddy.. and that pelleted diet might keep him healthy forever. Myself, if I ate pellets every day mealtime would be BORING...hence I snaz things up a bit. Main thing your south american birds can get sick from is lack of Vitamin D3, Vitamin A, and Calcium. Hard to overdo the vitamin A but you can go overboard with the D3, so I sparing supplement D3 added to scrambled eggs. Cockatiels are different.. and need less generous vitamins in their diets. They live on "bare minimum" diets in the wild, like budgies.. but our South american parrots gotta have a nutrient rich diet...hence the need for vitamin A (at least from my understanding). Luckily when I get an animal they seem to become immortal... heck even my fish that are suppose to die in 3 years are still kicking after 7.. hah, go figure. Since you like "organic" foods...I got a cheapo option for ya. Dandelion greens are a great source of vitamin A. One can usually get loads out of the yard in spring/early summer. Hard thing to do is to get the birds to try them. My cockatiel learned to love them... my Amazon..not so much, so its sweet potato for him instead. Havent tried them on Booger yet due to being more or less out of season when I got him.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Dandelion greens? Hmm.

My vet did mention something a while back about growing certain greens to save money. We have a natural food store here in the twin cities that have tons of gluten free and organic items. It's pretty pricey, but I don't care. I've seen the benefits of it.

Considering that the vet has told me the oldest cockatiel they have seen was 21 and Peaches is 20 1/2, I think I'm doing good. Especially, since the first 10 years of her life she was malnourished and got respiratory infections frequently due to a Vit A deficiency.

I was not feeding her properly. Her diet consisted of store seeds, commercial pellets (with dyes) and 'unhealthy' table foods like bologna and doritos. Since putting her on the Harrisons, not a single infection since.

You cannot emphasize how important diet is to a parrots health and life. Aside from genetics, it is THE most important factor in lifespan.

I'm glad I'm not the only one finding conflicting information! I'm 38, myself - Skittles is 5. If he lives another 20 yrs, I'll be your age now. I'm "hoping" I can get him to live until I'm in my 70's.

I don't want him to outlive me though. I'd rather my heart break from his passing than his heart break from my passing.

 

[Notdumasilook]

yeah..you can grow mustard greens or kale in a windowbox..!! my 20 yo cockatiel did very well. Got what seemed to be arthritis in her wings and did not fly well but she was adorable and still active at 20.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

I've noticed that with Peaches, she'll be 21 in March and she's very fragile with her balance. She doesn't have the grip strength she used to have nor is her vision and flight ability. But she's in great health otherwise.

 

[Dranon]

Well I found this forum doing a search because Mello just died at 10. He was very healthy but I think he died of a broken heart since my daughter left for college.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

So very sorry for your loss. I imagine your daughter is heartbroken as well.

I've no doubt birds can die from broken hearts. You hear stories all the time about a bird dying shortly after its mate etc. Most people dismiss it as 'disease got them both' but science has proven (through necropsy) that the bird that died first did not have a communicable disease. May have died from old age or a genetic condition. Yet the other bird still died- in good physical health. Even people can die of broken hearts- its called stress cardiomyopathy and it IS a real thing.

I don't want to sound like I'm tooting my own horn, but I honestly don't think Skittles would survive without me and to be totally honest, I don't think I would either. I read a story online (it might've even been on this forum) about a man who died and his sun conure would not let the responders take him away. THey had to call the guys son to take him away and he died not long after.

I won't even go for overnight trips cause of Skittles. I've actually been in stores before and it was approaching the four hour mark that I'd been gone and I started tearing up. I've never been gone from him for more than five hours and when I'm home, he's out with me. We are so close it scares the crap out of me to be honest.

 

[nancyt]

I ran across this thread while searching for sun conure life span. I adopted my sun conure girl, Ricki, in April 1996, and she was said to be about a year old at the time. So she is nearly 23 years of age. I have a cherry headed conure the same age.

 

[Squeekmouse]

Wow, what a great thread. I'm glad this got revived. Skittys_Daddy, I hear my own thoughts and feelings in the way you speak of your attachment to Skittles. Before my husband and I got Yoda we talked a lot about places we want to go to for vacations. Now, I still want to see those places but I can't imagine being away from my Yoda for that long.
Every night after dinner, before Yoda goes to bed, he sleeps in my hair beak-cracking and making little happy purring noises while we watch a little TV. It's truly wonderful, words can't express how sweet it is. And the way he chases after me if I so much as go around the corner to get something to drink... the way he nuzzles underneath my hand when I'm typing on my keyboard...
I hope Yoda lives at least 30 years... I don't even want to THINK about losing him.