Questions about my new breeding conures

Hello guys, i am new to the forums and a bit new to the parrot world too
i always loved to have parrots and i finally got my self conures
couple days ago my family and i went to a breeder close by our house
and he had 3 breeding pair conures, 1 pair already laid eggs so we had 2 options so we went for the pineapple and the green cheek conure cause they were in their nest box the whole time and the breeder told us they would lay an egg anytime soon so that was the main reason we choose these 2 (still havent figures out any names for them) they are not tamed. Ever since we got them (january 23rd 2014) we attached a nesting box the next day, thinking they would go inside and prepare to lay their eggs because at the breeders place they were in their nest box but they havent gone inside the box at all they dont go anywhere close to it. is this because they are new to our house and there is always people around them? or do they still have to get used to our house? at the breeders place they were in his basement where nobody would come except the breeder to feed them.

a couple more questions

1: do you think these wild conures would lay eggs anytime soon?
2: should i leave the nest box so they can go inside whenever they are ready?and why havent they go near the box yet since they were inside their nesting box at the breeders basement?
3: is it okay for them to be in a room where people come and go?
4: how long will it take before they get used to our house ?

The conure on the bottom is Zazu had him since he was 2 months hes 7 months now and on top is the new conures we just bought

I've never bred, and please don't take this wrong but IMHO we just don't need any more Green Cheeked breeders. If it were me, I'd leave it to the professional breeders who are already doing it. They are so very plentiful already, and more importantly, it takes a WHOLE LOT of knowledge (beyond a few tips about breeding) to be a breeder of these complex exotic animals.

If you're going to do it anyway, please read, read, read, and talk to as many professional experienced bird breeders as possible about breeding and hand feeding, and ask them things that can potentially go wrong and how to handle. Also please read about the viral (contagious) diseases of birds, and quarantine, etc. Also get any new birds virus tested at avian vet. Good luck.

** maybe get the little guys a few toys for their cage too

My father has breeding experience but just not with parrots, i do have knowledge about breeding but there is just these couple questions i want to know thanks for taking your time and reply

Parrot_Lover said:

My father has breeding experience but just not with parrots, i do have knowledge about breeding but there is just these couple questions i want to know thanks for taking your time and reply

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Hi there and welcome to the forum.

What kind of animals has your father bred, or has breeding experience with?

I whole heartedly agree with RavensGryf. With all due respect, if you had knowledge of breeding parrots, you wouldn't be asking those questions at all.

Firstly, you brought a "supposedly" proven pair into a brand new environment and set them up where there is foot traffic. Breeding birds like their privacy. But that's just one thing. In order to SUCCESSFULLY breed parrots, the breeders must be in pristine condition. This means they must be fed EXCELLENT mix of different foods.

Secondly, I see you have your own pet conure underneath the new pair. That won't work.

A breeding pair should have their own establishment, a large enough cage/aviary, with different perches (not stick dowels), several different food bowls with diverse food, AND toys.

That doesn't mean stick 'em in the basement now. I don't know how the person where you obtained these from had his birds set up, but you mentioned they were in the basement, AWAY from foot traffic and people. I would hope he had at least artificial lighting for them, and perhaps even a heat source if his basement isn't heated.

It may not take much to have parrots that breed and lay eggs, but it takes a whole lot of knowledge AND experience to successfully have FERTILE clutches that are raised into healthy, happy birds. It's not something that can be taught overnight.

And I do mean all this in the most respectful way.

There is one thing I forgot to mention:

If your new birds don't feel 100% comfortable, they may never produce chicks.

You said your father had breeding experience but not with birds. Breeding birds is a whole different ball game, its not the same for you to compare together. You obviously don't have a clue thinking they're laying eggs now and if you bought them with eggs they will abandon them for sure and they're not gonna be laying for you anytime soon or they may lay but abandon them due to them being in a new cage, new surroundings, new people, and too many people around. They do need privacy to be successful but some do get adjusted where they do not care.

Breeding birds is not about just providing a nest box and expect to be successful. There's a lot of downside to it as well. If you do understand all of it you wouldn't be asking questions here. Please do more research and please practice quarantine!

Hello and welcome!
I think the people who have posted have given you some wonderful advice.

Please add toys and perches in different sizes and materials for your conures. Parrots are so smart and need mental stimulation, as well as attention and proper foods. I saw where you mentioned that you are rather new to parrots. There is so much information available on this forum that I think would help you.

Why do you want to breed them? I seriously don't understand the appeal. Wanting to have a parrot for a companion? That i get. But why breed? Especially since you very obviously have an extremely rudimentary knowledge of parrot husbandry. That isn't meant as an insult, just a statement of fact. I am, admittedly, a complete and utter novice with parrots. And even i know the answers to the questions you asked.

Have you ever hand fed a baby parrot? I haven't, but from what i read it's difficult, time consuming, and can be fatal to the babies if not done correctly. And parent raised babies are completely wild. What the world doesnt need is more unhandleable, untame captive parrots. Rescues are full to bursting already. If you truly do love parrots, please don't attempt to breed these birds with your current level of inexperience. It isn't fair to the birds.

All this is absolutely true. Please... At least think about the reasons we don't think it's a good idea. Would you please reconsider your intentions of breeding for all of the reasons we mentioned before?

Obviously, no one can make you not do it, but ALL the advice is for a real good reason. I urge you to take it seriously. Please!