Would it be crazy to buy a Sun?

[alcmene]

I am completely torn and really need advice from someone impartial. This is our situation (it's long, I'm sorry. But I wanted to provide all background info I thought was relevant):

My daughter has been begging us for a pet bird since she was old enough to speak. Literally, her 1st words were: mama, dada, bird (in that order). My husband and I are neither one bird people, neither of us has ever had a pet bird and furthermore, never really wanted one. So we just (lovingly) brushed her off and assumed she'd grow out of it.

Fast forward to now- she is almost 5 and still asks us daily for a bird. She is an EXCEPTIONALLY mature child, 5 going on 30. Just one of those kids who was born an old soul. She is never loud or jumpy. Our zoo has a lorikeet aviary, and she will spend HOURS just sitting in there patting those birds. We will srsly, spend the entire day in there. All of the staff members know her by name we're there so often.

Since we decided that our daughter was not going to give up on wanting a bird, we started researching. We didn't know anything about birds or their care and were not going to go in to this thing blind.We've been to multiple specialty bird stores on many occasions. We've read every book in our entire library system and cleaned out Barnes and Noble. I've spent hours and hours reading on this forum and others. Along with reading every article I can find. We have Bird Talk Magazine. We've spent lots of time with friends pet birds (which range from budgies to macaws). We've gone to visit breeders of Linneolated Parakeets, Rosy Bourke parakeets, budgies, English budgies, and cockatiels. To make a long story short- we've spent over a year learning everything you can possibly learn about having a pet bird without actually having a pet bird.

After all that, and on the recommendation of multiple experienced bird people, we decided to get her a cockatiel. We found a local breeder with handfed babies who are as sweet as can be. We took our daughter to pick one out. She was very excited about the prospect of being allowed to have a bird, but didn't seem to be in love with the cockatiels. We had introduced her to cockatiels on multiple previous occasions too and she never likes them, says she wants a colorful bird (which is why we had previously looked in to Linnies, budgies, etc). She eventually picked out a buttery yellow lutino as her favorite one and we paid for him, but he still needed to stay with his breeder a few more weeks until he was weaned. He should be ready to come home the end of this week.

In the meantime, we bought him a huge flight cage, a million toys, a tabletop play gym... and on and on. He is going to be one spoiled bird.

I know that all sounds great, but here's the problem- she is MADLY in love with a sun conure at our local pet store. We are in there weekly for supplies for our other pets. They have a male sun. He showed up as a newly weaned baby. He will be a year old on Feb 5th. Every time we go in, we have the staff get him out so we can play with him. I have no idea why he hasn't sold in all that time because he is the sweetest most loveable thing. We have held him so often that he recognizes us now and comes up to the front of his cage to greet us squawking excitedly whenever we visit. He is sweet with all of us, but he especially loves my daughter. He lays down on his back in her arms and wants his belly scratched. He preens her hair and nuzzles in to her armpit when she holds him. He makes little cooing noises at her. It's true love. And she is just as smitten as he is.

We're supposed to take this cockatiel home later this week, and I know she'll grow to be very fond of him, but I can't silence this nagging voice in my head that she and that sun are meant to be together.

In all of our research trying to figure out what would be the best bird for us, I read quite a bit about suns. But I'm here to get the straight scoop from some experienced sun owners. Are we completely nuts for even considering this? Can a sun make a good 1st bird? What about for a little girl (an extremely gentle and calm one, but still a little girl)?

I'm not getting 2 birds. So we have to make a decision before the cockatiel is supposed to come home in a wk. (If we do decide to go with the conure, we won't screw over the cockatiel breeder. She can keep the money we already paid for the cockatiel and sell the bird to someone else). Please help!

 

[Ashleigh86]

First let me say, I'm no "expert" but I have had a green cheek conure and now have a 5 month old sun conure. They are wonderful birds IMO and they are my "first" birds. It sounds like you've done your research, so I'm sure you are aware they are moody 2 year olds and need lots of attention! I think if your daughter and that sun are "ment to be" and you can feel that, I say go for it! That's how I met my conures. I went into the bird rescue/breeder specialty place we have in town looking for a different breed and fell in love with my conures. I had this feeling of I can't leave here without this bird! You just "click" with each other and I think that's the best way to go as opposed to looking for a specific breed, finding a specific personality is the best

 

[legal_eagle]

My local bird vendor will not sell Sun Conures because of the noise they make. Suns are among the noisiest of parrots ... their screech is piercing. I think you should look for something different if you have any doubts at all. If you can't live with the noise you're going to face a terrible dilemma ... screeching you cannot tolerate for 25+ years or taking your daughter's parrot away forever.

Steer your daughter toward a green-cheek or another pyrrhura conure instead.

 

[Mekaisto]

Have you ever heard the sun conure screech before? And do you own your own house?
If you have not heard him screech, I recommend listening to some clips on youtube. Suns will not screech all the time, but if they are bored, if they are waking up in the morning and on a few other occasions they will screech. If you cannot put up with that, or if you live in a unit/apartment with fussy neighbours, I would not recommend a sun.

Other than that, they are fantastic birds. They love to be with people and have fun, and they love to cuddle. Biting can be a problem with some suns, but they are easily trained out of it, if you know what to do.

If you are feeling any doubt at all with taking in a sun, go for the cockatiel. They really do have big personalities for such little birds, and are lots of fun.

 

[Kalidasa]

You might want to stick with the tiel. The conure could get very aggressive with her if he bonds with you or your husband (which is a strong possibility). Conures are very rough & tumble and can be VERY nippy, often drawing blood and peeling skin off. I was 5 when I got my first bird too your daughter is awesome!! (My first was a budgie ) Suns look like angels, but all conures can be a huge handful. Her first bird experience should be with a gentle, more appropriate bird for children. A tiel would be an ideal companion for her...and the rest of the household. Whatever your decision, good luck to you

 

[SoCalWendy]

I suggest you go to you youtube and google sun conures and make sure you turn up your volume full blast. The calls of a conure, especially a sun can be deafening. I would stick with the tiel over a sun conure. Suns are beautiful, but for a small child, personally a tiel is a better choice. IMHO - keep us posted on what you decide and please post pictures. We love pictures

 

[Freespin]

Awww such a hard one, I really feel for you. If only your daughter was older. She really sounds like she is dedicated and passionate. The issue with a sun at her age is there will be times you will be relied on heavily and if you are not into birds yourself a tiel will be easier on you. But the story with the sun just sounds like he is meant to be! Oh I'm no help!

 

[MikeyTN]

The screeching part is what I can not stand in conures. I had two at one point and never again will I ever own another. People try to give me Sun Conures for years and I decline every single one of them. But there are Sun conures owners on here that swears by their bird that they're very quiet and easy going. I'm a Cockatiel lover myself but just make sure no one in the household have any sort of allergies cause they're dusty birds.

 

[riddick07]

This is super long sorry! Just wanted to share my experiences with all the different ones!

I don't think you are crazy at all. I do have a sun and he can be loud at times especially when he has been ignored. In the morning he will scream at me when I get up to express his pleasure at seeing me awake (so Mikey my sun doesn't know what quiet means any longer lol).... He is definitely loud but honestly I find my mothers budgie more annoying and want to throw the thing out the window sometimes when he won't stop talking. We also have a bare eyed cockatoo and I don't find her as noisy as the budgie either. It depends on the pitch and kind of chatter you find annoying honestly.

I also have green cheek conures and when they bite they BITE. My one will grind her beak into my finger after she has grabbed on. She almost always draws blood when she bites. A lot of the time the knee jerk reaction is to fling her off your hand. Our cockatoo hasn't bitten as hard as the green cheek yet. I have worked with my female conure and she rarely bites now. Oh she shows the body language but usually I can sweet talk her down the proverbial ledge and I always use a stick to take her out of the cage. The biting only showed up after her hormone stage and gcc are known to be nippy. I hadn't heard the same about the suns like someone else mentioned. My sun is beaky meaning he likes to play with his and rough house but I set up boundaries about pressure and what is acceptable. He hasn't gone through his hormone stage like my gccs but I don't see him ending up a crazy bird when its over but you can never be sure.

I also have 4 cockatiels and honestly sometimes I wish they hadn't been my first bird. I am in love with the conures and Ivory my mothers cockatoo has won me over to the cockatoo side to the point I am contemplating a bare eyed cockatoo I have been looking at in a rescue ( have noticed him since may but this was even before we had Ivory and I wasn't interested in toos and thought all too owners were a little crazy. Something about him just seems so sad).

If it was me I would get her the sun because it seems they already have a bond. You would have to be careful about socialization and make sure she understands that the bird might not bond to her like she wants. They can go through some nasty stages where their hormones make them seem psycho. Eventually, it should calm down but your daughter might get bitten or rejected for a bit. All bites hurt no matter what the kind of bird at that age most likely but I think suns would be fine as a first bird as long as you can handle the noise and possible aggressive behavior through maturity. I know they are not what you would consider as beginner birds like budgies or cockatiels but it sounds like she has spent a lot of time around birds already and the sun and her sound like they are already in love. Just be prepared for the joy of having a bird wear off and the possibility that they will end up your bird instead of hers. If you can't do this then I don't recommend getting any bird for her because I don't agree with an owner going into a situation saying I will get rid of this bird when I get tired of it. Any bird you take home has to be all of yours not just hers. At least that is my opinion

On a side note sometimes the bird for you is not the one that would be 'appropriate' at that point in time. I am a big believer in just coming across the animals that were meant to find you. We have quite a few in our house with that story and they are all the ones that have the closest bonds with the human they chose.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Personally, as a sun owner - I would NEVER recommend them to first time bird owners. I'm sure some do just fine - but in GENERAL I don't think they should even be considered.

Yes, suns have wonderful personalities and are beautiful to look at - but they have requirements that will test even the most experienced bird owner. I've owned birds for over 26 years and after I got Skittles I still learned things.

Suns have many benefits; they are among the most beautiful of parrot species and also of the cuddliest. They are highly intelligent and quite comical.

But there are drawbacks: Suns are VERY loud, not necessarily noisy, but loud. They are also very possessive and require lots of attention. They can also bite VERY hard. Enough to break skin and leave bruises. Attributes I don't think are appropriate for the first time or young bird owner.

Suns are often rehomed because they are not tolerable by their owner. The noise and possessiveness try the patience of even the most experienced bird owner.

I live in an apartment in a VERY quiet building. I have a sun conure and the only neighbor who complains about the noise is the lady across the hall. BUT she only complains when he goes off on tantrums for hours on end. The only reason my living quarters has not been an issue for the noise is that we have VERY thick walls and doors.

Now I don't believe I was blessed with a quiet parrot. I don't think there is such a thing as getting a bird that doesn't make noise. I think a LOT of the noise depends on the owner. Skittles can hours without screeching (however, he does make the cutest 'froggy' noises and 'kissy' noises quite often). But Skittles needs are more than met. He spends 90% of the day out of his cage and with me. Now, I'm home 90% of the time and when I leave it's only for a few hours. I truly believe if I lived a more 'busy' life than noise would be an issue.

If neither of you are bird people - I would say go with a canary, finch, budgie or cockatiel. All of these birds have calls and squacks that are not only bearable but in some cases pleasant (canary, budgie).

If your daughter is intent on a 'colorful' bird. I'd get her one of the above I mentioned and see how she does with that. I do have to say, and I mean this with all do respect, that having the 'color' of a bird be such an important factor is not something I would consider logical.

Too often people are drawn to colors of birds but do not want to meet their requirements. I actually waited four days to get Skittles. I wanted to make sure it wasn't an 'impulsive' purchase. I consulted my neighbors, I did a lot of research and evaluated my day to day life to determine if I was not only willing - but capable of meeting his needs.

I decided I was. And EVERY person in my day-to-day life says getting him was the smartest thing I ever did. Not sure if that's a compliment or an insult but I take it for what it is. Even so, I found myself tried on numerous occasions and I consider myself a pretty experienced bird owner.

Everyone has their own viewpoint and I respect that. This is merely my own viewpoint, take it for what it is.

Good luck!

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

On a side note - I want to say that appearances CAN be deceiving. I saw Skittles in the pet shop on numerous occasions. Each time I went up to his cage in the pet store he 'hopped' up and down. The day I decided to really consider him was the day he did that, but then another person came up to the cage and he completely ignored her. She then said to me that 'why is it always the pretty ones that have no personality'. Skittles saw something in her that wasn't evident to us. As my friends say 'he chose me, I didn't choose him'.

Maybe this is the same case for your daughter. Maybe you will be the exception. I just think you should be certain it will be a good fit cause once you take him home, he's yours.

My Skittles is EXCEPTIONALLY affectionate and adorable - but he is also VERY territorial, VERY loud and VERY destructive and all his needs are met and then some.

I would just suggest that you consider all the drawbacks - and if you are prepared to deal with them. Don't just go based on the bond.

 

[Peeko]

I considered a sun conure, but after hearing their screeches on Youtube, quickly changed my mind. My parents had also planned on buying sun conures - got to the breeder to buy one, and the breeder flat out said "You don't want these birds if you have a young child, they're too loud and can bite too hard" when he found out they had me (I was 5 at the time). He offered them lovebirds instead, and they accepted. The fact that a breeder would talk a customer out of purchasing a bird and offer them something cheaper shows a lot of responsibility on their part (profit clearly wasn't his first priority) but it also shows a ton of honesty. He was looking out for what was best for our family - and the birds. I, too, was a mature child who was exposed to a plethora of different animals from infancy, but my parents felt that they made the right decision in deciding against the sun conures. We had cockatiels, parakeets, and lovebirds instead.
The cockatiels were so dusty that my doctor told my mother to rehome them because the dust was affecting my respiratory health. I don't remember much about them because I was 3 or 4 when they were rehomed, but I do remember that my cousins had cockatiels from young ages themselves and they were very fun, playful birds.
With that said, if your daughter wants a prettier bird with more colors, I would be a bit concerned. Kids will be kids but the animal's appearance shouldn't be a priority. Of course, even a very mature child at that age might not grasp the concept of species' different needs, temperaments, etc and whether or not it would be the right fit for your lifestyle. If you get her a bird that isn't the color she wants - and color is a priority for her - its possible she would lose interest and the bird would be passed on to you. If you're not bird people, that isn't an ideal situation. Parrots can be trying and frustrating even for people who are head over heels for them.
I would honestly recommend a parakeet in your situation. (budgie, if you're not from the US). They're colorful and come in different colors, are small, and make a variety of pleasant sounds (but make them so often that it may get annoying to some people, especially if you're not bird people) and can even learn to talk. They're highly recommended as a first time parrot, especially for kids, but you have to keep in mind that the birds are fragile and there should be absolutely no rough handling. They are capable of biting, obviously, but don't have the beak strength of something like a sun conure. Parakeets from pet stores can be skittish and frightened of people, though, and it would be better to find a breeder that hand raises them and gets them used to human interaction if you want a bird that's tame for your daughter.
And as a last note, whatever your decisions ends up being, there is no guarantee that any bird will behave the same as it did in the pet store when you bring it home. Most of the parrots I've personally seen at pet stores are much calmer and quieter than usual, and whenever we brought any home from a pet store (the tiels, keets, and lovebirds) they were much louder and wilder when they settled into our home. It would be a shame for all involved, including the bird, if you canceled the deal with the tiel breeder, brought home the sun conure, and found that it wasn't as quiet or friendly as it had been in the pet store.
Whatever decision you make, I wish you luck and hope that everything works out smoothly for your family and your feathered companion!

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Cockatiels are dusty birds, lol. It's due to the powder-down feathers they have. I have a lot of allergies as well as asthma and I find that having an air purifier right next to my cockatiel's cage is very helpful. But everyone is different.

I too think budgies are ideal first pets. My first birds were all budgies. I got my first one in 1987. I didn't start getting into cockatiels until 1995; eight years later - not that everyone needs that amount of time. LOL. All my birds were either parakeets or cockatiels until I got Skittles in 2011.

 

[BoomBoom]

Since your daughter is only 5, I can see you or your husband spending the most time with the sun conure (feeding, cleaning, training). This increases the likelihood of the sun bonding with you more than your daughter. Suns are prone to being one person birds and can get very aggressive with perceived threats or distractions to their chosen person. This is not an absolute with focused training and guidance of the sun, but the chances are high.

It's a tough decision you have to make indeed and I do not envy you. Consider the possibility of taking over the demanding and long time care a sun requires should he prove to be too challenging for your daughter. They have very loud, ear splitting calls so brace yourself (and your neighbors) for the assault haha!

Would a lovebird or two (comes in many colors) be an option? I think they're a bit more challenging than cockatiels but not as demanding as suns.

 

[MamaFuzz]

It's less a question of what bird your daughter loves and more a question of what you will love. A lot can change in the 13 years before she is out of the house. A sun can live up to 30 years and you will most likely be left holding the cage. Make the decision based on what you would want and be willing to care for and live with.

 

[kq_fan]

I was wondering about getting one and even though I live in the country and I live in a house, they are just TO loud! Everyone on here gave me honest information about how loud they are. And they are very nippy. My aunt had one and it bit her all the time, not because it was mean but because it was just playing. He drew blood like 3 times a week! Lilo, my green cheek conure, does that to. She is VERY aggressive to anyone who isn't me! So since its for your kid, I think it would be best to go with a tiel.

 

[Birdman666]

My sun conure was one of the best birds I ever had, and I have had many.

He was as devoted a companion animal as they come. And he did not screetch all day. Just when I came home, and when it was feeding time.

He was also a good trick bird.

BUT THEY CERTAINLY CAN...

Depends entirely on the bird and how well you (or your five year old) trains them.

I am not sure I'd leave the training to my five year old, but mine, at five, was handling large macaws down at the rescue... SO... it's all relative. (She also had two conures of her own at age 7 - Plus we had several amazons, two macaws, and an african grey. Plus we fostered rescues... so she's done this from a very young age.)

My sun conure never bit anyone in his entire life! EVER... but he was trained not to bite, and was not allowed to overbond.

Conures are pair bond birds...

And as for, a lot can happen... yeah, well tiels can live that long too.

And it sounds like your daughter is just "one of us." Which means this is a lifelong thing...

 

[alcmene]

Thank you everybody. I am reading everything and really appreciating everyone's input on the matter. A little more pertinent info to answer people's questions/concerns:

-We have a very large home (8,000 sg ft) that we own, on 2 acres of property. Disturbing the neighbors isn't an issue for us

-I would never ever ever in a million years put my daughter in charge of the bird's care. She is exceptionally responsible for a child, but she is still just a child. It is not safe or fair (to her or the animal) to put her in charge of it's care. She does help me care for our other pets, but in the role of an assistant when I am taking care of their needs. So any bird we get can't be a "one person" bird. She will love and play with it, but I'm the one that's going to be cleaning its cage, feeding it, responsible for its training, etc.

-I am a SAHM, so am home pretty much 24/7. The bird being alone too much wouldn't be an issue for us

-We have never had a bird before, but before I became a SAHM I worked with animals. In the past I have been both a professional dog trainer and a zoo keeper (for reptiles, not birds). I have never trained a bird before, but have read a TON about how to (and also bought the entire series of Barbara Heidenreich/ Good Bird Inc videos) and I do have a significant amount of experience training other animals.

The particular sun we've been loving on doesn't seem to be exceptionally noisy. I know it's not the same as living with him 24/7, but we have visited him at various times of the day and usually stay for 30-60 min when we visit. Don't get me wrong, when he does vocalize he is LOUD. Ear splittingly loud. But he seems to not vocalize very often. He squawks as a greeting when he first sees us, and then usually peeps up once or twice more during our hr long visit. It isn't a constant screech festival. I don't know if that's typical of suns or not, or if he would behave differently in our home then in the store.

Other factors I'm considering:

-A reason to get the cockatiel: my husband can be sensitive to loud noises. BUT- we do have a very large house and he isn't home all day. He is gone to work from 7am-6pm 5 days a wk.

-A reason to get the conure: We all have absolutely terrible allergies and my husband has mild asthma. I am very worried about the dust factor with the cockatiel. BUT I've read that the dust can be kept under control with daily baths and frequent cleaning around the cage.

On paper, a cockatiel sounds like a better choice. But birds are such individuals, and I know you really have to take the specific personality of a specific bird in to account when selecting one, not just rely on generalities about the species. And the conure clearly adores my daughter. His whole demeanor lights up when he sees her. And the feeling is definitely mutual. It's so hard. We are just really torn about the whole thing.

I have another question for everyone- I've read that all birds, but especially conures, can do a complete 180 on their personalities once they hit sexual maturity. The conure will be a yr old on Feb 5th. Is he past the "danger zone?" Or are we still at risk for that possible personality flip?

I'm really appreciating everyone's input. Thank you everyone!

 

[tonyalaya]

Is the Sun hand raised? All of the conures at our local pet store, no matter the specific type, are barely finger trained if that much. We have had a tiel and now have a Jenday. The Jenday was hand raised and is so much less stressful for me with the kids because he never bites and loves to be cuddled. If the 'tiel is hand raised I'd go for that one just based on that factor, but this is only my second bird and I have no interest/time/patience to invest in taming one down. So, if the choices are: hand raised super tame cockatiel vs. only finger tamed Sun, I'd choose the 'tiel.

But if they are both the same level of friendly, that makes the decision more difficult. Also, since I have a Jenday and not a Sun, I'm not sure I can comment on the screeching. Tango is loved on/wallered all day every day, the only time he screeches is when new people come in the house and we're working on that. We also make sure he spends time with every person in the house each day so that he won't bond with just one person and get possessive or whatnot.

I'm no expert with either breed, but my son who is 12 years old now had been researching, saving up, begging, etc. for a sun conure for since he was 6 years old and we finally got him a Jenday last Fall. He's persistent, I gotta give him that!

PS He also has/had childhood asthma, it hasn't bothered him much the past few years, but the conure doesn't seem to trigger any allergies or sneeze-ures as we call them.

I'm afraid I may not have helped much. That's a hard one!

ETA: I just read the OP more carefully (sorry, I'm a skimmer) and see that the sun is very tame. I don't think you are crazy if you buy the Sun, but then again, people think I'm crazy for the things we do for our Tango. (Like taking him with us when we travel.)

 

[mtdoramike]

To me, You Tube is a prospective bird owners best friend and should be their first resource when investigating a new bird. You will quickly gain information on most any bird you are thinking of. But remember, turn your speakers all the way up to get the full effects of the noise level of any bird.

I would have recommended a parakeet before either of the two birds you are thinking of. First off, children have the attention span of a gnat. So after the new wears off in a couple of weeks, guess whose bird it will be. Conures can live for 30 years easily, Cockatiels for 20 years, parakeets for 10 years, could be longer or could be shorter. But most small children start off with a parakeet, which doesn't have the monetary investment of a larger bird, $100.00 and your all setup.

Why the Sun Conure hasn't been purchased yet is most likely the cost. Sun Conures in my area can run up to $500.00 depending on where you get them like a pet shop. The prettier the bird, the higher the price. A Conure is a big investment for a 5 year old child. I say this because neither one of the parents are bird people from what I read. But you better learn to be because the bird will become your soon enough.