between rock and hard place

I just got back from a little over a week out of town. My two young conures are doing great ...didn't miss me a bit as my son, Peter, has continued to socialize them.He showed me a cute picture he took of them the other night in their snuggly ...a green,red, blue ball of feathers. Then I go through the mail.Gem (the crimson bellied conure) DNA test is back.I guess we're going to need to call HIM Gemmy. I already knew the GCC was a female. That puts a whole new spin on my ball of feathers. I know you shouldn't let conures breed across species...and that's what this would be, right? I am pretty sure that would be bad for blood lines and all that. Plus I do NOT want to breed...too many birds already need homes.But these two are pretty bonded already. Sooooo, can I just leave things as they are and just not let any future eggs mature? Or must I separate them and keep them apart? If that is what needs to happen can I wait til they are mature or would that be more cruel? Advice Please?!

They should be perfectly fine together. Just make sure there's no dark closed spaces for them to be in, because they'll make a nest in there and breed then. That snuggly hut you mentioned is a no-no. I'm afraid you'll have to remove it if you want to keep them together.

Thanks for weighing in! The snuggly isn't a hut, rather it is just a lined felt that hooks to a bar and then drapes down over a perch to make a nice place to snuggle against. It is open though. ..not nest like. I guess if they go down a breeding path in future I will simply remove eggs. As I said we don't need more babies especially impure babies from amateurs like me.

bogo1 said:

Thanks for weighing in! The snuggly isn't a hut, rather it is just a lined felt that hooks to a bar and then drapes down over a perch to make a nice place to snuggle against. It is open though. ..not nest like. I guess if they go down a breeding path in future I will simply remove eggs. As I said we don't need more babies especially impure babies from amateurs like me.

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Thats probably the route I'd go as well Barb (keeping them together), if you feel bad about pulling the eggs (should there ever be any) maybe you can find a local breeder that incubates and give em' to them, as long as you keep them from getting cold I think eggs are viable for about a week, just a thought

Funny how we can value preserving the 'purity' of bloodlines of animals - but were anybody to condemn interracial relationships in humans I don't think we'd take to kindly to it.

As someone in a bi- cultural marriage I agree. Our kids are cute and bilingual to boot. I was speaking to all the stuff on line differentiating between mutations (good) and cross breeding (supposedly very bad). I don't get the fuss either but it something about progeny looking like one thing but producing something else entirely when bred. Personally I think a green cheek crimson belly conure sounds kind of cute. (Any breeders out there relax ...as I said from start I don't want to make babies
)

There are too many birds without homes as it is - so breeding anything without good cause may not be wise.

But the distinction between a 'mutation' and 'cross breeding' .... as a biologist I have no idea what that could be!

The only problem with breeding two different species together is that their offspring may not be fertile: so if you goal is to start a breeding program that'd be bad business; but other than that there wouldn't be any problem. Though many parrot species are defined by a morphological or geographical species concept rather than the so called biological species concept ... long story short I bet a crimson bellied and green cheek could produce fertile offspring.

I would think so too...although you would probably have to wait til first adult molt to know what the result would be. My understanding is that a mutation like a cinnamon green cheek is viewed by breeders as "okay " but they were not all comfortable with breeding a Nanday with a Sun to get a Sunday conure.

Oh I don't disagree ... that's what a good portion of people would say.

But a good portion of people are idiots!

Most objections like that are based on aesthetics or just plain old snobbery and have nothing to do with the health/welfare of the bird.

It boils down to this for me.I am blessed with two sweet birds that love to interact with their human and feathered house mates and if we want more birds we'll rescue more birds. We'll leave breeding and all the quirks associated to the "experts "! Thanks to you both for feedback.

Congrats on your BOY!

I have been thinking about this for a long time and I honestly have to say that if they were my kids, I would leave them together and discard all eggs without even feeling guilty.

Yes...that is the consensus and my plan. Thanks. It is dawn here now and my birds are offering some tentative chirps that are their way of asking me if breakfast is ready. Better get going.