Should I get a Sunny?

BirdGeeks

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I am currently a high school student with a part time job on the weekends. I go to school from 8:20 am to 3:20 pm but after that I can spend all that time with the bird. On the weekends I leave early in the morning and get off around 2:00 pm and can spend the rest of the day with the bird. I am not involved in after school activities and I dont really have many freinds that I hang out with. I am currently doing research and my parent is completly fine with the concept of a screeching sunny. I will pay for the bird myself but my parent is willing to help if something like a large vet bill comes up. I am mainly asking this question because im not sure if the time I have to spend with it is enough! Also the college I plan to go to is a 20 min drive from my house and I plan to live at home while I go to college although that is still a little ways away. Please comment. Thanks! :D
 

clark_conure

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It's normally the general consensus that teenagers shouldn't really get a bird, a bird lives 30 to 70+ years and your going to be off to college or you know "honest work" soon and you have no idea what your life will bring.

Everyone in this forum wants the best for every bird....

If you are "seriously serious" then you will find no better companion ever, but you need to ask yourself can you do right by the bird for it's entire life.

First off read this..

http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/71897-cost-owning-parrots.html

the cost of owning a parrot.

Then there is the "together time"....you have to make it...they are social animals. You would be heartbroken to know if a man kept a dog in a kennel his entire life...you might want to hit him in the face...It's the same with a bird, they NEED social interaction throughout their life.

A bird needs a stable environment...I would wait till you have it all figured out....

I also recommend this.......do you parents want a bird? It can be their bird through all the massive changes you are going to have over the next 5+ years....then when your settled you can take over, all the while having a bird as ....a brother or sister.....

If your parents aren't into it, I'd wait.....
 
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BirdGeeks

BirdGeeks

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It's normally the general consensus that teenagers shouldn't really get a bird, a bird lives 30 to 70+ years and your going to be off to college or you know "honest work" soon and you have no idea what your life will bring.

Everyone in this forum wants the best for every bird....

If you are "seriously serious" then you will find no better companion ever, but you need to ask yourself can you do right by the bird for it's entire life.

First off read this..

http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/71897-cost-owning-parrots.html

the cost of owning a parrot.

Then there is the "together time"....you have to make it...they are social animals. You would be heartbroken to know if a man kept a dog in a kennel his entire life...you might want to hit him in the face...It's the same with a bird, they NEED social interaction throughout their life.

A bird needs a stable environment...I would wait till you have it all figured out....

I also recommend this.......do you parents want a bird? It can be their bird through all the massive changes you are going to have over the next 5+ years....then when your settled you can take over, all the while having a bird as ....a brother or sister.....

If your parents aren't into it, I'd wait.....
My parent is very supportive and Im "Serious Serious". I completly understand where you are coming from on the subject of teenagers, many of my classmates are not ready for any type of commitment. If something was to happen my parent would be able to take my bird for me. I, for the most part, have my life planned out although i understand life doesnt always go as you plan it.
 

clark_conure

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I'm just giving advice.....If you "KNOW" you can be the best parent....

...THEN EFFFING DO IT!!!!!!!!!

you won't be disappointed.....

just make sure you have it 100% commitment.
 
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BirdGeeks

BirdGeeks

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I'm just giving advice.....If you "KNOW" you can be the best parent....

...THEN EFFFING DO IT!!!!!!!!!

you won't be disappointed.....

just make sure you have it 100% commitment.

Haha. Thanks! I appreciate the advice!
 

clark_conure

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A crossover Quaker Scuti (F), A Sun conure named AC, A Cinnamon Green Cheek conure Kent, and 6 budgies, Scuti Jr. (f), yellow (m), clark Jr. (m), Dot (f), Zebra(f), Machine (m).
Let me put it this way, in a philosophical sense...you can lie to me, I don't care; just don't lie to yourself on what you can provide, it will only be your heartache....and read that cost of ownership thing!
 

itzjbean

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Thanks for reaching out. I was in a very similar situation to you -- at age 12 my parent let me get a Jenday Conure, very similar to a Sun. All was fine until I went to college 1.5 hours away and ended up having to live in the dorms where no pets were allowed and my parents are not animal people so I had to rehome him after only 5 years.

For initial costs you can expect to spend $300-400 for a weaned Sun Conure. A big sturdy cage will be around $150+, be sure to find one he can easily spread his wins in and you can hang lots of toys inside. Something like this would be perfect. You'll want to get hi into the vet for a checkup after bringing him home, around $100+. You'll want to spend a good amount on initial toys and different kinds of perches, around $100+ for those. What are you planning to feed him? Birds can an enjoy a variety of food but they do best on a diet containing fresh fruits and veggies, chopped up into bits and pieces. You can also feed high quality pellets, with seeds occasionally. Also consider sprouting, which is excellent for birds too.

Suns are great! If you are committed, your parents support you and you have the necessary finances (initial costs $650 ish with monthly spending of $50+ on food and toys) then be sure to think really hard about it and give the threads posted above a read.
 
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BirdGeeks

BirdGeeks

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GaleriaGila

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Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... I was hoping to see Anansi's thread above. It's a great read! SO MANY caring and great posts by our members.
Welcome!
 
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BirdGeeks

BirdGeeks

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Thanks for reaching out. I was in a very similar situation to you -- at age 12 my parent let me get a Jenday Conure, very similar to a Sun. All was fine until I went to college 1.5 hours away and ended up having to live in the dorms where no pets were allowed and my parents are not animal people so I had to rehome him after only 5 years.

For initial costs you can expect to spend $300-400 for a weaned Sun Conure. A big sturdy cage will be around $150+, be sure to find one he can easily spread his wins in and you can hang lots of toys inside. Something like this would be perfect. You'll want to get him into the vet for a checkup after bringing him home, around $100+. You'll want to spend a good amount on initial toys and different kinds of perches, around $100+ for those. What are you planning to feed him? Birds can an enjoy a variety of food but they do best on a diet containing fresh fruits and veggies, chopped up into bits and pieces. You can also feed high quality pellets, with seeds occasionally. Also consider sprouting, which is excellent for birds too.

Suns are great! If you are committed, your parents support you and you have the necessary finances (initial costs $650 ish with monthly spending of $50+ on food and toys) then be sure to think really hard about it and give the threads posted above a read.

I am planning on a diet of Zupreem bird pellets, and a mixture of veggies and fruits. I am not exactly sure which veggies and friuits at the moment since I dont know what the bird would like, so thats mostly experimenting. The cage I was looking at is about $100 and was also recommended by another forum member(Not on this forum though). I am planning on rotating out the fruits/veggies to give variety. One of my main concerns at the moment is not the money but if the amount of time I have is enough for a happy bird. If it is not wise, I will not buy a bird because that is not fair to him/her.
https://www.amazon.com/ZENY-Birdcag...8&qid=1521834110&sr=1-10&keywords=parrot+cage
This was the cage they suggested.
 
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Anansi

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Kalel

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One thing I will add is to consider taking your parent to meet the potential new family member. Hearing about a sun conure scream is different than living with it. They can be very loud and their voice is one of the most common reason they are re-homed. If your parent is not in love with the idea of adopting a sun conure, then caring for him while you are in college may be more of a burden to be honest. Good luck and as others have mentioned, good for you for putting so much thought into this!
 

eagle18

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I think you should. Your responsible enough to hold down a part time job while going to classes, and keeping up on your homework. I think you can handle a pet.
 
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itzjbean

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One of your biggest concerns is not having enough time, but just remember that most members here work full-time jobs outside of home, and this will also be something you do in the future, too. We all have to work to provide for our birds and pay our bills, so going to school 7-3pm is a lot like the 8am-5pm schedule I work Monday - Friday.

We can't be with our birds all the time, there are only a few special that can (either by working at home, on disability, a spouse that works, etc.) but for the rest of us we do have to be away from our pets for a majority of the work week hours, and when you have to provide for your bird in the future, you will likely have a schedule similar to the one you have now.
 

AkridChaos

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[ame="https://youtu.be/K3r2fvRZmLg"]https://youtu.be/K3r2fvRZmLg[/ame]

Before really doing anything with a sun conure, make sure both you and your parent(s) watch that video and make sure you’re both ok with that sound factor. 90+dB of sound is LOUD. I work in a forging factory, and our average noise in the shop isn’t nearly as piercing and deafening as THAT. If it does get loud, we have EARPLUGS to drown out the sound and save our hearing. If the noise isn’t quite a turnoff for you and your parent(s), consider earplugs if your sun conure gets insane in the noise factor until you can train him to not scream so much. Main reason I ended up with Warbeak (black capped) instead of Dozer the Sun Conure next store to him. I heard his piercing screams firsthand and immediately thought “NOPE!”

As for time, let me tell you my schedule. I work 2nd shift. My normal shift hours are 3pm - 11pm. However we got bombarded with work shortly after getting Warbeak. Now my hours are a coin toss. Either I go home at 11pm or I’m staying anywhere past 11pm to 5am. 8-14hrs of work a day. I set an alarm for 12:00pm to wake up. As of DST screwing me up, I’ve been prone to needing that “snooze” button and have been waking up at 12:30pm. I then do morning routine of wake up birds, get birds their food for while I’m at work, and get their breakfast ready (I actually get their breakfast ready during the weekend and split it into daily portions for the week(s) ahead, freeze what I know I won’t get to before spoilage, and dethaw it by putting it in the fridge when I get home from work). Then I commence play time with all of them, sometimes Warbeak needs a time out because he’s bullying the little ones. I try to make sure they eat their breakfast (mostly fruits/veggies [veggies have been going untouched] and a bit of grits I make for them [water and grits heated only, obviously no butter/salt]). I try to make something that can last in the cage all while I’m at work, and then can toss when I come home, whenever that is. So all from 12pm - 2:00pm, I’m spending my time with my birds. That’s about 2hrs excluding snooze button. Then it’s get ready for work, out the door. If I come home at 11pm, birds are out until they give me the “I’m tired mommy, bedtime?” look, which is about 2:30am or 3am. So 11pm - about 3am, that’s an extra 4 hrs. If I come home past 11pm, generally 5am, they only get about an hour before they give me the “bedtime?” look. So I spend anywhere from 2hrs - 6hrs a day with my birds, split into morning and night, Monday - Friday. Saturday and Sunday, no problem they’re out all day basically. Granted, I have no social life and I stay indoors all the time because well, not the best place to go roaming about outside. So 2-6hrs weekdays, all day weekends. You on the other hand may have a social life, but you also have more time than I do to spend with your bird because you just have the standard school hours, and that doesn’t fluctuate daily, and you have plenty of time to spend with friends and still have time for your bird. Now, do you think you can spend at least 2hrs with your bird daily at least on the weekdays? And at least 4 or more hrs on the weekend with your bird, to make up for the weekday lack of time? If so, I say you have time for your bird, and provided the noise doesn’t scare you, and you’re aware of what you need for your bird and all the care s/he will need as well, then by all means, invest in the sun conure, since you said you’ll be staying there during college as well. If you CAN’T spend at the bare minimum that amount of time with your sun conure, then no, I don’t recommend it unless your parent(s) will be spending time with your bird as well.
 

Sunnyclover

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Concerning noise...I have a sun conure and a nanday conure and if I ever ever think about leaving the room without them (I usually bring them a long unless it's just for a couple minutes) to it's like there is a firetruck inside my house and brain. Or sometime they just start a bout of screams for no reason (luckily I've trained mine to be pretty quiet usually) or a reason I can't detect. I often think to myself "I sure as heck hope no one wants to take a nap or sleep late at our house because good luck". Lol. Also, my God they are a lot of work...I mean really really a lot of work. Please be ready to put in hours and hours into them if you want them to be trained and well behaved and socialzed which my 2 are but it's because I spend hours and hours a day putting effort into them! Hope you can make it work but I would really consider a quieter less needy bird to start.
 
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BirdGeeks

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Thank you for all the new reply's! While there are no sunny breeders locally (which is why I am adding $165+$35 in shipping the the birds price) My parent and I have been watching full volume videos of Sunnys screaming and have actually seen the video that was linked above. This seems like a great, helpful and friendly forum! Most of the new posts seem to be about noise which is very understandable since I've read that it is the leading cause of rehoming Sun Conures. If there's any other questions please post! The more questions for me to awnser the more I can think about!
-Thanks!
 

Jen5200

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I just wanted to say - thank you for doing your research, and having your parents on board before considering taking on this responsibility. This is a great forum, with lots of supportive, helpful people and tons of information. Suns are wonderful companions if you make the time commitment for them and the noise isn’t an issue for you (I have 2, and love them to bits). I also work full time - and am very careful to ensure that my birds get their time before and after work, and lots on weekends. It means that I give up some social activities....but I don’t mind (I like my birds more) :)

I hope you’ll keep us updated on what you decide.
 
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BirdGeeks

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I just wanted to say - thank you for doing your research, and having your parents on board before considering taking on this responsibility. This is a great forum, with lots of supportive, helpful people and tons of information. Suns are wonderful companions if you make the time commitment for them and the noise isn’t an issue for you (I have 2, and love them to bits). I also work full time - and am very careful to ensure that my birds get their time before and after work, and lots on weekends. It means that I give up some social activities....but I don’t mind (I like my birds more) :)

I hope you’ll keep us updated on what you decide.

I definitely will keep you updated! And if I decide to get one you can be sure I'll be asking many more questions :p
 

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