should i buy a pair of sun conures or seperates?

im thinking of breeding sun conures. Should i buy them as a pair from someone or should i buy them separately? Also if i buy them separately should i buy them handfed or what should i do. When u wanted to become a breeder how did u get ur breeders??
btw I know all about sun conures. I know all about them,i know there loud,and i know how to breed them. And i have experience with other birds.

thanks in advance

What other birds have you kept? I'm not a breeder, but conures are more advanced then I initially thought. Having them as pets and breeding them could be two whole different things. You'd also have to learn how to handfeed, even if you were not going to hand rear the chicks, in case of an emergency where the parents would not rear them. And not to mention the room for the cages/breeder aviaries and all that. Do you live at home with your parents? Or with other people? Would they be ok with such a set up, and the noise, and the mess? it would be a lot of work, time and money.

yes my parents dont mind as long as i clean there messes and i take care of them right

I'm not trying to be mean, it's just best that you know all aspects of this before you get into it

What about money? A pair of conures could be upwards of $1000 and aviary to breed them in could cost about the same depending on size. Then there is the cost of things like nestboxes, and hotboxes if you need to pull the chicks from the nest (whether intentional to raise them as pets or in an emergency because the parents wont feed them) and daily/weekly costs like pellets and fresh fruit and toys. And I suppose you would need extra cages for the chicks when they mature because the parents can fight them occasionally. Selling the chicks will probably not cover the initial start up cost and the ongoing costs either. And they will cost even more money with DNA sexing and possible vet trips and all that stuff. It's a lot of money to spend! And then theres the worry of making sure the chicks go to a good home and all that.

What about when you grow up and move away from home? What will happen to the birds then?

And what about your neighbours and family? Are they ok with two very loud birds? Suns are re-homed constantly for noise reasons unfortunately.

Remember, you can always get a breeding pair later in your life if it doesn't happen now It's great that you have done so much research, but make sure to research your neighbourhood and finances too to see if they are ok for a conure!

Are your parents going to pay for the birds?... You are in grade 9, I think I've read...?

You were initially inquiring about breeding cockatiels.. and due to your age a lot of people advised you against it...

Breeding birds is a huge commitment... Are your parents on board?

I would get the suns from different breeders to make sure, they're not related...

I guess my question is who is going to feed the chicks when you are in school? You may get summer clutches, but you could also get spring or fall clutches as well. My parents both worked and I don't think they would have been interested in feeding my birds. My mom might have if she had been home, but no way would my dad have done it.

Then there is the whole going off to college thing. I had some pets left that I had to find new homes for because my parents weren't interested in taking care of them. That was mostly my fish, but I had a lot of fish to find new homes for. My turtle ended up having to come with me because she stopped eating when I left. I had to hide her in a closet because pets weren't allowed in dorms. Yes, when you get a turtle at age 10 you don't realize you will still have it until you are in your 30s! But, turtles don't make noise and you can hide them in dorms.

So IMO it would be best to wait until after college and when you have your own place.

But, if you are intent on doing it, I think I'd buy a proven pair. It's generally less expensive that way, and at least you know the birds want to be together. Parrots can be picky about their mates. They don't always get along with other birds, or they become friends but don't actually mate. You could go through a lot of birds before you get 2 that want to mate. Plus they won't mate until they are at least 2 years old.

When people look for a bird they prefer to purchase from an experienced breeder for many reasons. Why don't you work or vol. for a breeder to get some experience first.

My parents will help me with everything. They used to breed african greys , senegals , and irn. they know how to handfeed and I also know how to handfeed. Im not planning on making a profit and if i do it will go to my birds pay for food, toys,and vet bills. None of the money goes to me. I know what could happen if the parents dont feed the babies. i will pull them out and me and my parents would take turns feeding the babies because i know u will have to feed it every 2 hours until the chick gets bigger.

Spirit that is an awsome idea, but im still thinking if i should sell the babies or not. Because i know some people wont be able to deal with them and then they take them to an animal rescue and...there will be one more homeless bird.

yes, i know my parents will take care of them. There wont be any probems i will think it very throughly before getting them.

Cockatielfan, I prefer to buy young handreared unrelated birds for my breeding stock. They are not kept as pets but once i know they are OK they go into the aviary. I have had better success starting off with young birds. Buying adult breeders you really don't know how old they are or they may not be a true compatible pair & just produce infertile eggs.

Now i am going against the advice of the other members simply because i have had the opportunity to teach a number of young people like yourself that have a love of birds. Seeing you also have the backing of your parents i think you will be able to work things out. I had one young man that asked me to help him rear his tiels he was just in high school. I taught him everything I know, years later we are still friends, he is soon to get married & still has a love for his parrots. So he went right through school, then an apprentice & now is working at a mine. So if you have the love of wanting to breed parrots go for it. You seem to be the type of guy that wants to do it right & really it's nice from my point of view knowing that there are some up & coming future breeders when i am long gone. My only advice is if your going to do this then do it right.

Being a part of this forum I see a lot of negetive towards breeders & i see why. With the amount of birds passed into rescues. But surely with responsible breeding & selection of the right home for our babies all is not bad. We can't stop the breeders that are just in this for the $$$ because to make any money on breeding parrots you have to have expensive birds & a lot of them. The little guy like us only have a few birds & sell responsibly don't make anything really we just do it for the love of it, if a little profit is made well that's a bonus. Personally i enjoy seeing my customers get the same enjoyment as i do.

By the way my customers are screened before i sell to them. Usually they have to wait for a baby to wean & sometimes wait for the chick to hatch. So i usually have months to get to know them. In this case the ones that are really interested will visit the baby almost every week or at least keep in contact, if they don't contact me by the time the chick is weaned i don't keep the chick for them. And if i don't think they will give my babies a good home i won't sell to them.

I want all my chicks to go to people like most of the members here that really care for their parrots.

thank you so much its nice to see someone who understands that i dont want to breed for money but for the love of it.Even if i sell any the money goes back to the birds for food vetcare and toys. After all, it is there money.

I'd listen to Pedro more than me, lol! I enjoy being an animal guardian, but the only breeding I've done is of horses.

roxynoodle said:

I'd listen to Pedro more than me, lol! I enjoy being an animal guardian, but the only breeding I've done is of horses.

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Thank you Roxynoodle you also have some very good advice. Honestly after all these years i am still learning new stuff.

The thing in this case with Cockatielfan, is that he is so into the parrots he has, cares for them & asks heaps of questions because of that passion. In this case i think he should be encouraged to learn all there is to do with what he really wants to. There are a couple of other young members that breed budgies. They seem to do OK. The point is they are learning. That has to be a good thing. Should we discourage him just because of his age. I don't think so. IMO if it's OK with his parents & they support him then why can't we pass on our experiences on to him.

To be totally honest there isn't any problems with breeding or handrearing the babies, that's the easy part. Finding reliable forever homes is the hardest.

IMO even some member that join forums shouldn't even own a parrot. You have to be a special person to put up with the mess, noise & mood swings & what ever your parrot dishes out but i wouldn't want it any other way.

There is always new stuff to learn. I was with my 2 conures so long I knew/know them like the back of my hand, but now I have 2 new birds myself. They will continue to teach me.

And yes, I'd rather see young people have a passion. Kids with passions do well in life and don't get in trouble, be it birds, horses, music, dance or something. I'm glad his parents are supportive of that, and since he has their support, he should do fine. At age 43 I still have the same passions I had as a teen even though I think my parents were hoping I'd "outgrow" some of them, lol! I still have animals, still play guitar, still enjoy building things.

I agree with pedro, I understand that most teenagers aren't good candidates for breeding parrots but CockatielFan has been a very active member and seems very devoted to being the best parront he can be. Along with the experience his parents have, I think he will have plenty of help and support and you always have to start somewhere. I was the same way when I was his age but with reptiles. I literally took in(mostly rescues and surrenders) so many reptiles while I was in high school I actually got rid of my bed to make room for them! I know that probably sounds horrible but they were all taken care of, I had a job, I actually worked at a pet store, and I even graduated high school early on top of all of that, and I eventually compromised and got a futon lol. My friends all thought I was crazy, it seemed like all I did was read books, occupy the kingsnake.com forums, and take care of my reptiles. At the same time I know many more young teenagers that wouldn't have been able to even care for a snake correctly(which really isn't too hard, feed once a week, spot clean once a week, and fully clean once a month). If you have a passion for something all bets are off.
I am just starting my new endeavor into breeding and I feel strange sometimes when I meet long time breeders in person that I've been talking to via phone or internet and they never realized that I'm only 23. Being younger than the norm shouldn't discourage you though, it just means you have a little more to prove Luckily, I have noticed, most bird people are very friendly and very helpful. While I was on the phone with the woman we are getting our parrotlets from, I even made the comment to her that I am fairly new to bird breeding but I used to be very involved in the reptile community and I can't believe how friendly and helpful most bird people and breeders seem to be compared to the reptile people I used to work with. I'm not saying they are mean but most of them are very business and profit minded, while all of the local breeders I have spoken with or done business with have gone the extra mile to really make sure everything is as easy and less stressful as possible. I've been getting calls lately for birds I don't have so I have been trying to get these people in contact with breeders that may have the bird they are looking for and vice versa, it's an amazing networking system that most breeders seemed to have worked out, while most reptile people seem to like to "trash talk" the competition. I guess the big difference is finding breeders that are really in it for the right reasons.

Yes, I didn't know his parents used to breed and were going to be able to help. In that case, I say go for it. Even if you go to college, Cockatielfan, you can always live at home so you still have your birds. And it may very well turn out to be your life's passion and work.

My parents did put up with a lot in the way of my critters, but breeding anything is not something they would have supported me with. The pregnant crayfish was bad enough, lol! I thought my mom was actually going to go into full cardiac arrest when I told her we now had at least 50!

thank u so much everyone u are all awsome. Its true i love birds very very much. My parents do to. thats why im starting to think parrot loving runs in the family lol


anyway thanks everyone for ur help and support u guys rock!

roxynoodle said:

My parents did put up with a lot in the way of my critters, but breeding anything is not something they would have supported me with. The pregnant crayfish was bad enough, lol! I thought my mom was actually going to go into full cardiac arrest when I told her we now had at least 50!

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That's hilarious! My mom let me have whatever reptiles/small animals/fish that I could take care of the only things I knew not to bring home were dogs(we already had one), cats(said dog was known to eat cats), and birds. She said that she didn't want any birds in her house because they are noisy and messy but I really think it's because she kind of lost her orange wing amazon in her divorce with my dad(super short version: it wasn't that he wanted the bird but the bird was still at the house temporarily and his new girlfriend accidentally let him outside, it go cold, bird died) and I think she is still a bit bitter/upset about it to have another bird. I didn't really breed anything at that point except rats and they were for feeders and some I sold to as pets to a pet store. After I moved out I began to breed leopard geckos but for the most part I didn't really breed, I just did A LOT of rescue. I very quickly became known as the "reptile girl" and at certain times of the year it was hard to go even a day without someone asking me to take in their pet(which was usually sick/dying/or in other ways just not in the condition it should be). Somehow I then started to get offers of birds that needed homes and since I had my own place, I could finally say yes to them as well. It was a lot of hard work but it was fun too. I can tell you this, you know you love animals when you work at a pet store 6 days a week and then spend 10 hours on your ONLY day off cleaning your own cages at home.

I just have to note as well, my mom is kind of a special breed herself, not only did she have her OWA when I was growing up but she also had a 9.5 foot burmese python, I have pictures of me at about 3 years old in the bath tub, in my big bird bathing suit with Monty taking a bath with me And even now, I've been on my own for about 5-6 years now and she still has an eastern kingsnake, about 4 geckos, a couple tree frogs, a big fish tank and a pond lol, so at least I "get it honestly" as my mom puts it.

I know everyone is kinda off the first question but I wanted to add, If u buy birds from a breeder a good breeder will know if their pairs r related or not so u know u r not getting related birds. Also they can tell u where their breeders came from so u don't buy a brother or sister to the parents of the baby u just got. I hope that makes sence. I have unrelated pairs so I can make pairs for people. much EZer to buy that way and most breeders can make pairs for people. I much rather buy a young unrelated pair from 1 breeder I trust. just my 2 cents.

I think Pedro has some good points! Given that your parents know birds and are willing to help out, I don't see any reason why not. Just make sure everything is a-ok with everyone first!

roxynoodle said:

Yes, when you get a turtle at age 10 you don't realize you will still have it until you are in your 30s! But, turtles don't make noise and you can hide them in dorms.

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I feel that one. I've been sneaking Alex in and out of various accommodation situations for the last year. Once even into the dorms! Though we did get some consideration, it was kind of an emergency. Luckily our new place doesn't mind birds!

I also had the fish problem. I took my oscar and 3ft tank with me to uni, but the water here is terrible and I had to rehome her. Not pleasant to do as I'd raised her from about the size of a 20c coin!

My cat, that I got as a child still lives at home. He is too old to make the move to the city, and he is happy there so why upset him? I also had a beautiful old bearded dragon who was having age related issues so he went to a more experienced person to get him through his last few years in comfort

I have a grand daughter aged 7, and she's very passionate about animals... Max, which has basically only been with me, flies right to her... She's not afraid of any animal or insect for that matter... but her mother is terrified...