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Bird-people (Sun Conures)


DensityMan

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Looking for tips and owner testimonials about what to look for or avoid in purchasing a Sun Conure (I'm hooked - I've been hooked for a while but finally found one that seemed right).

 

Just thought I'd ask here since there are bound to be a couple other wide-spectrum-animal-lovers in this group of reef-lovers. ;)

 

 

Reliable information of any type would be appreciated (finding a great deal of info from sites that sell conures, I'm looking for breeder info and pet-lovers info).

 

Thanks!

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My sister bred various kinds of conures, cockatoos, and other parrots for a while. I can ask her if she has any good tips. The best tip I can think of is this... selecting a good breeder makes all the difference. Ask the breeder a lot of questions. Breeding birds is not like breeding fish, if they have a warehouse full of them, you probably want to stay away. These birds require a LOT of personal attention... if they don't get that from day one, they are not going to have a very good personality.

 

Also, see how much of an interest the breeder has in you. I know that sounds funny, but my sister used to basically "interview" potential buyers and she reserved the right to deny selling to someone if she did not feel they would do well at caring for the bird. This is one difference between buying from a good breeder and buying from a store. Another nice thing my sister did was allow the buyer to come over to her house and visit the bird while it was young, before it was weened. This helped them form a relationship with the bird early on. I doubt this is normal, so I wouldn't hold your breath looking for someone who does this.

 

To sum it up... there is a difference between hand-raising and HAND-RAISING a bird. Some people call birds simply raised in captivity "hand-raised", others call them hand-raised just because they fed them every once in a while. When I think of "hand-raised" birds, I think of them being removed from the parents VERY shortly after hatching, being hand fed AND played with on a regular basis. Don't know if this helps at all, but I just thought I would put in my $0.02

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We have a quaker Parrot and got it from the Sugar Creek Bird Farm north of Dayton Ohio. As far as Conures go they seem to be a loud and noisy bird but are also very colorfull. When I went to get our Bird the people interviewed me and then let me play with about 6 babies to see how I interacted with them. I then got the OK to buy one. These people are great. Quakers are great for the price and they are also great talkers.

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Scott, I have a friend that has a conure, an african gray, and an amazon. I think they are extremely cool and I'd love to have one, but I don't need another pet.

 

That being said--are you aware of how noisy conures are? They are very cool, but be prepared for the noise is all I'm saying.

 

HTH

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I used to work at a Superpetz in an area that was not quite "well-to-do". So the parrots we had were there indefinitely. There was a sun conure there named Fruity that we had forever that would hardly ever talk. Extremely friendly and laid back. So there are those out there that are quieter. However after we sold him we got one that we named "Bottle Rocket" because it sounded like you were standing right next to one of those screaming bottle rockets as they're goin off.

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I'm doing the purchase all wrong because it is at a pet store. It is also very young and nervous initially, but after only a few minutes of holding we sort of clicked and then I played with it for probably 30 minutes... :D

 

I know they *SQUAK* and hope it can pick up a few words at least (I've heard they imitate noises more often than voices due to their vocal range/limitations.

 

Even scared this little guy wouldn't bite. He held on with his beak a few times and even placed his beak on skin when he was startled, but he never bit (that too was a first time for me in handling birds - I'm not shy with them and like to know their annoyance threshold)

 

I have always had a soft-spot for the conures for their color and personality - so I know there are better talkers and more quiet docile birds out there, I just like these guys.

 

Should something happen to make the deal go sour, I'd be very interested in having breeders recommended so I can see other sources in and around town. :D

 

Thanks again!

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That won't help... most parrots LOVE to be sprayed with squirt bottles!

 

It's actually pretty fun to watch. They get REALLY into it, lifting up their wings so the undersides get wet, turning themselves upside down so you get their underside... pretty funny.

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Made it over to peer in the windows after dinner (they close at 7pm). We may try again Fridat night. /shrug

 

Also found a local breeder that I am talking with and have managed to stop myself from the impulse buy to try the process more slowly and perhaps acquire a younger bird.

 

Thanks for the tip though.

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have managed to stop myself from the impulse buy to try the process more slowly

 

Good for you; it's hard to reign those impulses in sometimes :lol:

 

West Nile--I hadn't thought of that. Wonder if they've thought about changing their name.

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Hey Scott/DensityMan/whatever.... :)

 

My X was/is a bird lover. We had a couple of cocatils and lovebirds and they are cute little guys I can only imagine how loud the big ones are compaired to the love bird and cockatil. YOU WONT NEED AN ALARM CLOCK I tell you that... Got a headache??? Forget about it... Hangover??? Refer to Katrina's post!!! LOL

 

Well I guess you work at UB's so I suppose your used to the birds squawking :) I hope ya don't live in an apartment cuz your neighbors are going to have ya whacked!! Oh yeah, and the bird too.

 

Merry Christmas,

 

Chris

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Live in a house... check.

 

Am comfortable with the sound... check.

 

Reading up a great deal in books and on the web on how to minimize squaking... check.

 

 

(Thanks for all the comments though. Took the Wife in to familiarize her with some birds at Bird Fever last night and it was fun!)

 

Everything going according to plan... :D

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