Pair of maroon bellied conures

LovebirdLover · Feb 18, 2014

Hi I am about to buy a pair of maroon bellied conures. The owner said he had plenty of clutches and produced a lot of baby's. Is about 7 years old to old for the conures to breed? At what age do they stop producing babies? Please help thanks. Any tips etc? Please don't try talking me out about this. I already have homes for the babies and a huge aviary outside empty right now. Thanks :orange:

MonicaMc · Feb 23, 2014

Conures can live to be 20-30+ years old, and a healthy pair can continue breeding up to, if not past, that lifespan. Birds in poor health (fed bad diets and not able to really exercise) are more likely to have problems than birds in good health.

LovebirdLover · Mar 2, 2014

Thanks Monica but i thought about it and buying that bird from a breeder did not sound like a good idea. More then likely something was wrong with that pair. I am now looking at a Eclectus pair he says they are 8 years old? Is that still young or old also. Please let me know asap as i am looking at them today. He says that they are a proven pair and had babies before. I know how to handfeed and if anything goes wrong my friend could help me. She is really good with these stuffs.

LovebirdLover · Mar 2, 2014

Also whats a good diet for eclectus? I was thinking fresh boiled eggs and brocolli. sometime switch the brocolli with lettus etc?

labell · Mar 2, 2014

Eclectus need much more than broccoli and eggs. Mine get 75 to 80% of their diet fresh. Organic fruits, veggies, beans, rice, Quinoa, sprouts. Also you need to know eclectus babies are by far the hardest babies to feed and wean. They don't have as strong of a feeding response as some other parrots and are extremely easy to aspirate when they are young. I spend hours each week cooking, preparing, sprouting and cleaning up after them because their food is mostly fresh and they love wiping their beaks off on everything, cleaning is a process in itself. If you are just getting into breeding birds I would suggest an easier species than eclectus to begin with jmo.

labell · Mar 2, 2014

Also I should add lettuce is almost all water and pretty nutrient lacking for greens mine get Kale, Collard greens, Italian parsley, Cilantro, Dandelion leaves, Arugula... all organic. Chopped up fine and added to their bean, quinoa and rice mix.

In my opinion if you are dead set on breeding the conures would have been a better choice. May I ask the reasons you are wanting to breed?

LovebirdLover · Mar 2, 2014

So what should i feed my eclectus as an everyday? I prefer fresh fruits/vegies but i was wondering if i can feed it that without the seeds? Is it healthier?

LovebirdLover · Mar 2, 2014

Should i chop it up and give it to them like that/ change it everyday like that. How much should i feed them and should i leave it whole or chopped?

LovebirdLover · Mar 2, 2014

Oh and i want to breed for the experience of raising their babies. I chose the eclectus because they were one of the first birds i saw at the bird show when i was little. I have plenty of bird experiences and i think that i am ready for breeding. I know that this would be hard but i really think i can do this. Please give me more info so i can prepare! Thanks
And what should i give for food specifics like 3-5 things everyday that would be healthy for this pair.

NiRD · Mar 2, 2014

Parrots in general need a lot more than three to five things every day.

LovebirdLover · Mar 2, 2014

I know but it's a mix of vegetable and fruits I think 5 is actually a lot considering people feed some parrots an all seed diet...

Sterling1113 · Mar 2, 2014

LovebirdLover said:
I know but it's a mix of vegetable and fruits I think 5 is actually a lot considering people feed some parrots an all seed diet...

Some people do it, but it's harmful and doesn't give them the vitamins they need. Parrots need variety like they would in their natural habitat. It's best to give them everything they need, instead of doing it half-way and then saying "well it's better than an all seed diet." Which can just leave the parrots stressed and deficient in some areas. Especially not good if you're trying to breed them.

Dinosrawr · Mar 2, 2014

LovebirdLover, I would recommend bringing your questions to the Eclectus forums to get some more useful info for breeding your future Eckies and raising the babies. I'm sure many of the members there who frequent it and own some will be more than willing to share their knowledge, as it appears your questions are not being answered here to the degree that you were hoping.

Make sure to do your research first, and try to find out as much as you can so that you can form specific questions regarding information that you stumble upon. That way members can answer you effectively.

Good luck with your birds, whatever they may end up being!

LovebirdLover · Mar 2, 2014

Thanks! I'll bring it to the Ekkies section

MonicaMc · Mar 2, 2014

LovebirdLover, as I mentioned to you in private chat, eclectus are not beginner birds due to their potential specialized diet.

I don't know what your experience and skill levels are, however if you only plan on feeding 5 different food items, you are not prepared to feed and house an eclectus, let alone two and trying to breed them.

Here's an incomplete list of items that can be fed to parrots. Keep in mind, it's incomplete!

Cooked grains - can also be sprouted

Millet
Quinoa
Amaranth
Whole Oats
Hulless Barley
Spelt or Kamut
Teff
Brown Rice
Wild Rice
Buckwheat

Cooked legumes - or sprouted with 1/4" tails

Adzuki
Mung
Sprouting Peas
Lentils
Chickpeas/Garbanzo

Vegetables - Fed fresh, lightly steamed, or even frozen (thawed) out of the frozen section in grocery store

Pumpkin
Carrots
Acorn or Butternut Squash
Red or Green Pepper
Kale
Dandelion Greens
Mustard Greens
Collard Greens
Turnip Greens
Broccoli
Celery
Cucumber
Romaine or other dark leafy lettuce
Jicama
Peas
Zucchini
Green Beans
Tomatoes
Cabbage
Chinese Cabbage
Bokchoy
Carrot Tops
Cactus Leaf
Okra
Kohlrabi
Spaghetti Squash
Cauliflower
Radish
Chayote Squash
Brussel Sprouts
Escarole
Endive
Corn
Beet Root

Fruits

Papaya
Mango
Any type of berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc)
Pomegranate
Kiwi
Oranges
Melons
Nectarines
Cherries
Apricot
Grapefruit
Banana
Pears
Apples
Figs
Pineapple
Lemons
Limes

Other Foods

Whole Wheat Pasta
Whole Grain Breads
Corn Bread
Cooked Eggs
Sprouted Seeds

So I'm sorry, but when you say "just 5 items", 5 items is not going to cut it.

labell · Mar 3, 2014

LovebirdLover said:
Oh and i want to breed for the experience of raising their babies. I chose the eclectus because they were one of the first birds i saw at the bird show when i was little. I have plenty of bird experiences and i think that i am ready for breeding. I know that this would be hard but i really think i can do this. Please give me more info so i can prepare! Thanks
And what should i give for food specifics like 3-5 things everyday that would be healthy for this pair.

I am going to try to be tactful but if you are asking BASIC care questions for eclectus you are not ready to breed them.

RavensGryf · Mar 3, 2014

NiRD said:
Parrots in general need a lot more than three to five things every day.

NiRD, First off, I know your background and knowledge of birds, so I'm not saying this as if you don't know

just reminding... How about certain species that don't get a very varied diet in the wild? Some non-rainforest species who inhabit rural areas probably don't get near the luxury of foods provided in captivity. Corn from farmer's crops, ground Toos in Australia with roots and tubers in the ground. I'm sure they get some variety, but not like some species and pampered pet birds.

labell · Mar 3, 2014

RavensGryf said:
NiRD said:

Parrots in general need a lot more than three to five things every day.

Click to expand...

NiRD, First off, I know your background and knowledge of birds, so I'm not saying this as if you don't know just reminding... How about certain species that don't get a very varied diet in the wild? Some non-rainforest species who inhabit rural areas probably don't get near the luxury of foods provided in captivity. Corn from farmer's crops, ground Toos in Australia with roots and tubers in the ground. I'm sure they get some variety, but not like some species and pampered pet birds.

The real bottom line is we are talking about Eclectus, their diet is tricky to say the least, even too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. They must have variety or you run into wing flipping and toe tapping and all manner of issues.

JerseyWendy · Mar 3, 2014

LovebirdLover, I would highly suggest and recommend you do a whole ton of research before jumping into the "want to breed parrots" circle.

You've received some great advice here (AND in the Eclectus section). Please take it to heart. We are not out to hurt anyone, we are only trying to educate you. A lot of this education will be up to you, however. Breeding parrots is not something that should be taken lightly, there are precious lives at risk, including that of the "breeders" you are looking to get.

Can the current owner of the Maroon Bellied Conures provide you with their breeding record? You initially asked how long they "can" successfully breed. If they were used as "producing" and "money making machines", their health may be compromised.

Additionally, just because they bred in the past does not necessarily mean they will do the same for you.

RavensGryf · Mar 3, 2014

labell said:
The real bottom line is we are talking about Eclectus, their diet is tricky to say the least, even too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. They must have variety or you run into wing flipping and toe tapping and all manner of issues.

I know. I've kept Eclecus before. I was not talking about "Eclectus" so I shall now go... off of this thread.

Pair of maroon bellied conures

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Pics of Fruli.. whats ur conures name?

New cage for Richard!

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