Help with my new sun conure

Dilara

New member
Feb 21, 2017
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Parrots
Sun conure
Hi everyone. Meet little Fanta. I just bought my sun conure on feb 2 for my mother because my grandmother passed away so we thought a new pet would be nice for all of us..
First of all sorry for the several questions I am assuming my bird is a male? Is there a way to tell after many research they say males tend to have more green on the feathers and mine doesnt and its behavior and attitude and everything is just like a male..
Also he bites kn everything he finds i attached some photos of his perch that he chewed on within 20 minutes while we were eating.he is turning into a monster I dont know what it is.. i spoil it very much every time he screams i go and get him i feed him good...
Is this behavior normal? Can anyone suggest somehing? :orange:
 

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itzjbean

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Jan 27, 2017
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Hello and welcome to the wonderful bird world! I love conures, and Suns are one of my favorites.

Unfortunately there's no sure way to tell what sex your sun is unless you get a DNA test done. There are several around the country, and you basically have to request a DNA kit and then you send in feathers that get tested. All suns usually start with a lot of green on their wings that eventually molt and will have mostly yellow on their wings, with a little green. Do you know how old he is?

As far as the chewing goes, most birds are notorious wood-chewers. Get some more perches, there are lots of different kinds you can find at your local pet store (I suggest the rope ones that he can't chew through) as well as LOTS of wood toys so he has other things to chew on.

If you want the screaming to stop, do NOT approach him when he screams. If you keep approaching and feeding him when he screams, he will think to himself 'if I scream, my owner will give me attention and food' so you need to ignore him when the screaming happens. Let him scream until he stops, do NOT approach until he is done screaming for a while, and then offer him a treat. Hope this helps a little. Is he hand-tame? He/she is gorgeous!
 

GaleriaGila

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Good advice!

Glad you found us.

By the way, the SEARCH tab above can help you find lots of helpful threads on topics of interest.
 

Notdumasilook

New member
Jul 28, 2015
539
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Charlotte, NC
Parrots
Blue Fronted Amazon, Cookie..Sun Conure..lil Booger (RIP) Have owned Parakeets, lovebirds, cockatiels, cockatoos, pocket parrot, and quakers.
Sun Conures... as many other birds get upset when the "flock" isn't together. They will start their locating calls when you step out of sight or sometimes when you get further than 10 feet from them. This is NORMAL behavior. I solved this for the most part. When I leave the room I tell my birdies my intent. Either its "be right back" or "daddys going bye bye". I also will call back to them when I leave the room... letting them know my location. For the most part the locating calls stop... and they know theres no sense in screeching when I tell them "byebye". Not sure about your home situation, but rarely are my birds in their cages when Im up.. that means usually I have one or two birds on me or next to me on the couch. Id encourage you to keep this adorable lil critter out of his cage as much as possible. If he/she is flighted your probably wont be able to get 10 feet away without him flying to you. Trust me I understand ya cant have a bird perched on you every waking moment, but these lil Sun Conures are very easy to handle and have a very strong flocking instinct and "need" to be near you as much as you can handle it. Its not like dealing with a spoiled child. Their desire to be close to you is instinctive...hence the screeching/search calls when you are out of sight. Some morons will try spraying their lil birds with water or covering them up every time they screech searching for em... To me that's just wrong.. its part of the package you get when you get a very social bird like a Sun Conure. I rely on communication like I mentioned above and it helps a lot.. Like today when I left the house, I told em I had to go byebye and instead of screaming they both told me "byebye byebye"... and I know they will squeal with delight when they hear truck drive up in the driveway in a lil bit. Hope this helps
 
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Dilara

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Feb 21, 2017
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Sun conure
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Thanks so much for the advice u fortunatey no i do not know how old he/she is the old owner had no idea either which sucks for me :/ he is hand tamed but i cannot get him on my finger while he is in the cage or someone elses shoulder lol. I rub a pillow in front of the cage to get him out which is very interesting he gets very jelous.
As for the perches someone suggested a manzalina? Perch so i need to order that asap!
Thanks again! :)
 

Skittys_Daddy

Well-known member
Jan 6, 2014
2,172
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Lewiston, Maine
Parrots
Neotropical Pigeon - "Skittles" (born 3/29/10)
Cockatiel - "Peaches" (1995-2015) R.I.P.
Budgie - "Sammy"
(1989-2000) R.I.P.
Budgie - "Sandy"
(1987-1989) R.I.P.
Congrats on your new edition!

As far as your questions, I can only whats itsjbean said. DNA test is the only way to know sun conure gender for sure (outside of invasive surgery).

I know from my experiences with Skittles, he is a notorious chewer. Sunnies have busy beaks and do require lots of chew toys to keep them occupied, otherwise they'll chew on things they shouldn't chew on (and even then, they may try too so you might want to take that into consideration too by hiding any dangerous temptations (ie cords).

With regard to the screeching- some screeching is normal, particularly after they wake up and before bed- its called "calling the flock", this is totally normal and should be expected. But constant screeching for long periods of time is not normal and generally indicates an underlying issue (mainly, that they get what they want when they screech, which is why you don't want to encourage that).

You don't want to reinforce the screeching by running to your bird whenever he/she screeches. That will just lead to unwanted screeches. Its okay to reassure your bird and sunnies are very responsive to vocal commands (at least Skittles is). If he gets nibbly- for example if he is on my shoulder and I go to scratch near my shoulder or even to pet him he may try to nibble. When he does that I say "stop it" or "no biting" and he stops. That progress was the result of limit setting and boundary reinforcement which to be honest is critically important among sunnies. They are VERY expressive, which is one of the things that makes them such hilarious companions. But they are notorious for become overly-possessive, jealous and territorial and I cannot stress enough how important setting limits and boundaries are to preventing those things from becoming an issue.

I wish you lots of luck and congratulation you again on your new addition! I also want to express my sympathy for your recent loss and hope this new addition helps you and your mom to cope. I find sunnies to be very consoling. Skittles really helped me when I lost my Peaches a year ago and not to be morbid, but I am sure when my mom passes, he will be a major comfort to me.
 

Notdumasilook

New member
Jul 28, 2015
539
6
Charlotte, NC
Parrots
Blue Fronted Amazon, Cookie..Sun Conure..lil Booger (RIP) Have owned Parakeets, lovebirds, cockatiels, cockatoos, pocket parrot, and quakers.
My lil Booger use to be a bigtime chewer, but seems to have grown out of it a bit. The exception is cloth. I have a basket full of tshirts he chewed holes in the shoulder. So I learned real quick not to wear anything I didn't want holes in when hes out. As for perches... I do not buy them. I get natural wood, pecan, oak, or hickory.. all which are hardwood and tuff enuff they last a while and cut it to size. On top of that I make stuff available to my birds which they can destroy.. like paper towel rolls and hemp rope.. keeps those beaks busy when they get in the mood to chew. I quit buying toys years ago.
 

Skittys_Daddy

Well-known member
Jan 6, 2014
2,172
63
Lewiston, Maine
Parrots
Neotropical Pigeon - "Skittles" (born 3/29/10)
Cockatiel - "Peaches" (1995-2015) R.I.P.
Budgie - "Sammy"
(1989-2000) R.I.P.
Budgie - "Sandy"
(1987-1989) R.I.P.
Exactly! Bird toys are VERY EXPENSIVE and with sun conures they do NOT last long! So if I buy him a toy, its one that I know will last a long time that he will get a lot of joy out of. For example, he loves those boing ropes and they do last quite a long time.

I started putting old tissue boxes (removed the plastic and glue part) in his cage for him to 'hideaway in' and he loves them, he does tend to chew on them- but I put unscented plain tissues as well as plain paper towels in the bottom of his cage each night (and remove the unchewed ones from the previous night) and he just goes to town on those!

I do the same with perches. I buy the all natural hardwood ones. Its easier than making my own.
 

wrench13

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Talking about chewers and bird toys, Salty only likes certain types and one in particular. Used to last him weeks as he would not concentrate on it. THe one i bought on Sat 2/18 lasted maybe 5-6 hours and it was a pile of splinters. Gotta figure out a cheaper way of keeping his beak happy. He will chew paper towel rolls, but how many rolls of paper towels can you go thru in a week?

Dilara, you have good advice above on how to lower the amount of screaming ( over time). Once for once, sun conures are way louder then Macaws.
 

Skittys_Daddy

Well-known member
Jan 6, 2014
2,172
63
Lewiston, Maine
Parrots
Neotropical Pigeon - "Skittles" (born 3/29/10)
Cockatiel - "Peaches" (1995-2015) R.I.P.
Budgie - "Sammy"
(1989-2000) R.I.P.
Budgie - "Sandy"
(1987-1989) R.I.P.
I agree sunnies are a LOUD species- but in my experience they aren't near as noisy as other birds I've had. I had a cockatiel who was quite vocal and budgies that never shut up. lol. Neither bothered me cause their cheep was adorable. But a sun conures 'scream' is NEVERY enjoyable.

Skittles does make this low pitch 'double-screech' in the morning when I go to wake him up and his cage cover is still on and I talk to him. If his screeches were always like that, it'd be perfect cause they are so cute! It's like a really loud 'duck call".

Suns have screeches on 3-octaves I find. The first one is cute and pleasant. The second is 'tolerable' to a point but becomes irritating in excess. The third is unbearable to the human ear (think how you feel when a police car or ambulance drives by with the sirens on).

Skittles used to do the number 3 repeatedly. For nearly two years I had to deal with that and was at a loss for what to do. Once I began to set limits and boundaries things improved dramatically. Before I made that change, I would just let him always have his way and answering every beck and call and it got the point where a friend actually told me I was letting him control my life and not setting any limits. I finally re-evaluated the situation and she was right. In addition to setting limits and boundaries, I also re-arranged my schedules to be able to accommodate his needs with mine. Most of this was done by merely integrating him into my daily activities.

What I was doing before was basically letting him fly around freely but not really 'interacting' with him enough. Now, he climbs in my shirt while I watch tv or am on the PC or he sits on my shoulder and presses up against my neck. When I take a shower, he sits on the shower rod. When I do dishes, he sits on the faucet. All he really wanted was to be included. They are VERY social birds.

Skittles is now the quietest bird I've ever owned and despite his little terror trips and such he is a very well behaved boy. I may joke about him being a booger or 'neon nightmare' but its really all just in fun cause sunnies are so expressive. But truth is, it is amazing how obedient he is. He DOES test limits, every day he will find a way to test a limit so I HAVE to persist with the limits and boundaries. I think the persistence is what has really paid off. Now, he is like 95% responsive to my vocal commands.

For example, if he is on my shoulder with his back facing me and I go to pet him, he WILL try and bite me (not hard, a pinch really) BUT then I say "no biting" and I pet him and he doesn't bite. He knows what "no biting" means and is incredibly responsive to it.
 
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Notdumasilook

New member
Jul 28, 2015
539
6
Charlotte, NC
Parrots
Blue Fronted Amazon, Cookie..Sun Conure..lil Booger (RIP) Have owned Parakeets, lovebirds, cockatiels, cockatoos, pocket parrot, and quakers.
Amen on those "notes" they can it. Its as unpleasant as chalk on a chalk board. Booger has several distinct calls he makes... the one that is the least pleasant is when hes obviously scolding me for displeasing him. He doesn't hold back his feelings... hah. I rarely have issues with either my BFA Cookie or the lil SC Booger. Both will 'scold' me and Cookie is LOTS louder when hes peeved at me than Booger. Once in a while they will both get going together ..side by side perched on a cage seeing how loud they can scream. Usually this is a pre- bedtime symphony. All I have to do to stop it is start singing (kinda) back to them... my version of RowRowRow your Boat... and they go silent and listen intently. Also .. just for grins, generally after supper the whole flock is together on the couch... both birds and wife and I.. We have a verbal game we play. I call it simply WAK WAK time... when we all one after another take turns squawking 'wakwak' at each other. They seem to have a ball.... the whole family interacting with each other. Sounds goofy I reckon but its entertaining for the critters.
 

snowflake311

New member
Jun 7, 2016
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Sprinkels, Black capped Conure/
Olaf, male, Budgie/
Sweetpea, female, Budgie/
RIP Kiwi, female, Senegal
Hi everyone. Meet little Fanta. I just bought my sun conure on feb 2 for my mother because my grandmother passed away so we thought a new pet would be nice for all of us..
First of all sorry for the several questions I am assuming my bird is a male? Is there a way to tell after many research they say males tend to have more green on the feathers and mine doesnt and its behavior and attitude and everything is just like a male..
Also he bites kn everything he finds i attached some photos of his perch that he chewed on within 20 minutes while we were eating.he is turning into a monster I dont know what it is.. i spoil it very much every time he screams i go and get him i feed him good...
Is this behavior normal? Can anyone suggest somehing? :orange:

Yeah you are spoiling him in a bad way is what it sounds like. Much like with a child you need to set rules and they need to understand the rules. My Sprinkles has set rules with me he has be trained. when he starts getting extra nippy that means he wants his cage and some seed treats. As long as I do that the nips stop.

Now Sprinkles knows that if he bites to hard it is game over and he gets no love. He also knows that screaming will not get his what he wants. I NEVER Take him out when he is screaming. I do nothing when he screams. BUT if he calls to be in a whistle I will whistle back. When he is quite I let him out.

Sounds like this is your first bird. Congrats Sun conures are awesome birds I have wanted one for a long time. They mights be my next bird since that are one of the number one re-homed parrot.

It is good you found the site I hope you can continue your research and keep asking questions and find how to be a great parrot person.

Don't spoil the bird. Don't spoil a child or a puppy. It just will cause more problems in the long run. You give them LOTS of love but also set rules and stick to the rules.
 

Skittys_Daddy

Well-known member
Jan 6, 2014
2,172
63
Lewiston, Maine
Parrots
Neotropical Pigeon - "Skittles" (born 3/29/10)
Cockatiel - "Peaches" (1995-2015) R.I.P.
Budgie - "Sammy"
(1989-2000) R.I.P.
Budgie - "Sandy"
(1987-1989) R.I.P.
I've had Skittles for going on six years and the first 2-3 were a living hell. It wasn't until a dear friend told me that I was spoiling him and rushing to meet his every demand that I realized how much control I let him have over me.

I'm fortunate that Skittles is 'super-bonded' to me so it makes training him much easier- though it took a LOT of time and effort, I found that setting limits and boundaries with him worked wonders. You just have to have limits and boundaries with suns. You can't let up even once. They WILL try to control you if you let them. Trust me, I learned from experience. But all the re-training paid off and Skittles went from being a neon nightmare to a sweet little cuddlebug- BUT he still has his moments, and it is in those moments that setting a firm boundary is most important. He knows who pays the rent here and who's name is on the lease. I used to have to put him in time-outs daily. It became so frequent I had bought a time-out cage. I got rid of that cage several years ago since now he only needs timeouts on occasion so I put him back in his day cage when he misbehaves.
 

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