Sun Conure ruffled tail feathers

We picked up Mia at a bird mart a few months ago and love our Sun Conure ! She is such a treat for us and we get a lot of enjoyment from her.

My question is that it seems like her tail feathers are russled a bit so I want to make sure that the cage I have is not causing the problem (ie too small). The cage is 1/2 inch spaced bars and 25" long, 19" wide and 35" high. This size of cage was recommended to us when buying the cage at the bird mart. I have several toys in the cage for her to play with as well as millet that she really is liking.

I have read that tail feathers often get russled from their high level of activity and that once they molt, they will be good as new.

Is this an acceptable size for a sun conure? Can too small of a cage cause tail feathers to get ratty looking?

Thanks,
James

I got a Sun from an individual 1 week ago...his tail was a little ruffled from backing up into a towel to sleep.....I added a happy hut which he wont go into but gets between it and the towel hanging on the back wall.
It could be from the cage or a lot of activity, something that he keeps getting into to ruffle them.

My boys Scooter and Beebee are caged together and play rough. They wrestle with their toys and each other and they often fall to the bottom of the cage. That and them playing with their toys on the side of the cage made their tails look very rough and scraggly, but they just went through their first molt and their tails look good as new. So your suns tail feathers will just moult out.
Did your sun come to you like that, or did her feathers just start doing that. Because it could be that she was in too small of a cage before you got her, your cage seems fine if she comes out at least 4-5 hours a day, although the 19" could be bigger.
Welcome to the forum, pics please!

cdog said:

My boys Scooter and Beebee are caged together and play rough. They wrestle with their toys and each other and they often fall to the bottom of the cage. That and them playing with their toys on the side of the cage made their tails look very rough and scraggly, but they just went through their first molt and their tails look good as new. So your suns tail feathers will just moult out.
Did your sun come to you like that, or did her feathers just start doing that. Because it could be that she was in too small of a cage before you got her, your cage seems fine if she comes out at least 4-5 hours a day, although the 19" could be bigger.
Welcome to the forum, pics please!

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Thanks for the welcome!

The wife and I did a pedicure and beak trimming on her (the bird that is) while my wife was holding her in a towel just a couple of days ago. That is when I noticed the ratty tail feathers so I guess it is possible that it was caused by the towel. Not sure. I do not recall her feathers being ratty when we got her. She does get a lot of outside cage time due to me being home during the day (looking for work is a little easier with a happy, chirpy bird in the house). Needless to say, Mia is bonding more to me than my wife. : )

Here is a pic of Mia. She is six and loves to cuddle and chirp. . .

Awww! She is so gorgeous! :09:

FYI, I've read that only a professional should attempt to do beak filing & trimming as birds have some nerves in their beaks.

I believe others have answered your questions about the tail issues. Also, make sure your bird is taking a bath at least a few times a week. It encourages proper preening and in turn helps to spread their feather oils around which helps to maintain feather health.

She is stunning, I love all the reds and yellows on sun conures! I wish my parents could live with their noise because I would love to have one.

MollyGreenCheeks said:

FYI, I've read that only a professional should attempt to do beak filing & trimming as birds have some nerves in their beaks.

I believe others have answered your questions about the tail issues. Also, make sure your bird is taking a bath at least a few times a week. It encourages proper preening and in turn helps to spread their feather oils around which helps to maintain feather health.

Click to expand...

Thanks Tracy for the reply. We took Mia to a vet and I watched her use a dremel tool to file her beak. I was basically doing the same thing as the vet

If I shouldn't be doing that myself, I will certainly stop. It seemed fairly straightforward though. . .