Sun Conures
- Thread starter Mqevony
- Start date
Sun conures, and indeed any parrot regardless of size, should not be given lightly to anyone, much less as a surprise birthday gift. And even less so to a minor or child. Please do enough research on keeping parrots and Sun Conures in particular before taking the plunge. Parrots are messy, pooping everywhere, LOUD (Sun conures in particular), not cheap to keep and maintain, demanding in nature and in practice, destructive and live for a long, long time. I dare say your daughter might eventually retire and her Sun Conure will still be with her. A child is not going to be able to provide what a heathy relationship with a parrot requires, including 6 hours minimum per day of out of cage time and lots of 1 on 1 time every day. They get very attached to their "person" (and it may not turn out to be your daughter!), so vacations, afterschool activities, boy friends, etc can upset the relationship, with the parrot suffering from it.
I URGE you to read the link below before going further.
https://www.parrotforums.com/threads/so-you-want-to-get-a-parrot-for-the-first-time.8769/
I URGE you to read the link below before going further.
https://www.parrotforums.com/threads/so-you-want-to-get-a-parrot-for-the-first-time.8769/
I would definitely caution you before getting a conure as a gift. As @wrench13 pointed out, conures are VERY demanding birds and require a ton of enrichment time. Im not sure how old your daughter is, but if she is in school, that means the bird runs the possibility of being alone for most of the day, which could be very detrimental to the bird's health. Conures are very smart and social and do not fair well with being left alone. They are also a lifetime commitment, so you have to consider that, at some point, your daughter might be in a situation where she is unable to keep the bird, like in a college dorm or an apartment that does not allow pets. They are also expensive. I have spent close to a couple grand on vet visits with my conure Maddox when he was sick in a matter of four months. The truth is, a conure might not be the best bird to get as a beginner, especially a sun conure which are notoriously loud.
Anyway, to answer your question, after you have done ample research, the best place to find conures is at a breeder in your area, which you could find by a quick Google search.
Anyway, to answer your question, after you have done ample research, the best place to find conures is at a breeder in your area, which you could find by a quick Google search.
Surfsidecary
Member
I have been offered 3 Suns for free in just the past week. Impulse buyers and inexperienced parrot owners not aware of how much care needed for parrots and how noisy Suns are.
clark_conure
Well-known member
I have a Sun.....It is my shoulder bird more than the rest of my flock. I'd trust it with a kid....I trust it with Budgies. It is loud! When a parent buys a bird,,, expect it to be a family bird and the child will move on and it will be your bird. And with conures.....they can be very into other conures or into the family. I wouldn't get a pair of them if you want them to bond hard as regular conures.
Sparkyzgirl61
New member
- Jul 14, 2023
- 2
- 5
- Parrots
- 25-year-old female Congo African gray, 41-year-old female sun conure, 2-year-old male green cheek conure.
I agree with the advice given in the above comment in response to your question. While we're on the topic of sun conures, I've been researching and looking to see if I'm might have the oldest known of the sun conures. My Sinbad, yes that's her name has been in our family since 1990. My dad acquired her on one of his routine trips to the animal shelter to drop off some supplies and donations and the lady at the shelter told him that somebody left her there because she made too much noise. They knew that my dad had birds at home which at the time it consisted of Quaker parrot several sets of mated cockatiels and a couple of lovebirds. He really wasn't looking to get another bird but they did not know what to do with Sinbad as she was dumped at the dog pound basically. But her paperwork was with her and it says she was hatched from a clutch in Florida at a breeders place on June 22nd 1982. That would make her 41 years old. I have looked around and everybody seems to think anywhere from 10 to 25 years old is the lifespan but that there is a rare occasion of 27 or maybe 30 years old. I know this bird is well over 30 years old because she's been in my family for 33 years and I have her because I inherited her, and a Congo female African gray and then rescued a cinnamon, red-bellied, green cheek whatever you want to call her conure who's about 2 years old. She wasn't weaned when she was brought to me so she was just a baby and that was 2 years ago. Okay so does anybody know if there is a sun conure anywhere older than even 34 years old but Sinbad according to her paperwork is 41 years old. And she's quite Lively and always has been very healthy. So I just wondered not that it really matters because we love her whether she's the oldest son conure on Earth or not LOL. Okay thanks for letting me in the parrot forum. I love my birds and I have many many books about pet birds and parrots and I can't find anything in any of the books that says this bird should have lived this long. But as healthy as she is I expect she'll live another 10 years easily. Thank you everyone sorry this is so long-winded! And yes my African gray talks constantly LOL and she is brilliant as are most of them.
DonnaBudgie
Well-known member
Wow! She's ancient for a Sunnie! That would make her comparable to a human over 100 years old! Old healthy parrots are just as pretty as young ones. Wouldn't it be nice if us Two Legged Silly Creatures looked as good in our old age as parrots do in theirs?
Sparkyzgirl61
New member
- Jul 14, 2023
- 2
- 5
- Parrots
- 25-year-old female Congo African gray, 41-year-old female sun conure, 2-year-old male green cheek conure.
Indeed it would. And thank you for your response, yeah she still full of herself too. She still plays with her toys and sings with the other birds but she doesn't make a lot of shrieking noise unless she see someone pull down the driveway as we live in a very rural area. She's better than a barking dog LOL. Oh and nobody has ever asked me this but it's important to note that we have never bred her. I have no idea if whoever dumped her at the dog pound in Florida ever did but I don't think so. None of my birds have ever been bred. It's not that I don't believe in responsible breeding, it's just that I inherited these birds and I rescued the third one I'm not looking to have animals for sale or rehoming or whatever. I'm only here to provide them with the shelter and food and all the human contact and love I can bestow upon them. Thank you so much for your response!
Welcome to the forum!
You sound like you're well prepared for a Sun, especially with the life span of your older girl! That's so awesome to hear!
As long as a parent knows that most (if not all) of the care will fall to them I don't see anything wrong with getting a parrot for your child as a gift
I'd love to see pictures of your flock!
You sound like you're well prepared for a Sun, especially with the life span of your older girl! That's so awesome to hear!
As long as a parent knows that most (if not all) of the care will fall to them I don't see anything wrong with getting a parrot for your child as a gift
I'd love to see pictures of your flock!
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