My new Sun Conure is sneezing

I got a Sunburst Conure on the 4th of July. He is already spending 3 to 4 hours a day with me on my shoulder and lap. I just love him! However I notice some sneezing when he is preening or scratching his nose. He sneezes and some discharge will hit my face! But it seems to be clear. Like I said its usually when preening or scratching his face. Maybe I'm just worrying too much. I moved his cage to the opposite side of the room so it wouldn't be by the AC vent. Should I make a trip to the vet? He seems very active and friendly.

My next question is how much fruit and veggies....and what kind should I be giving? I've been giving corn, carrots, and green beans but he doesn't seem to love them.

Another question! He seems to enjoy biting my ears! Usually not hard just a nibble. But sometimes it's painful! Any suggestions on how to train him not to do that?

And last but not least. I'm thinking of adding a Pineapple Green Cheek or another Sun to my home. I have a separate cage but wonder how much louder it will be with 2. So if anyone can help with those questions I would greatly appreciate it!! Thanks!

Last question first: two sun conures = triple the noise of one (this is one case where the whole is bigger than the sums of the parts -LOL)

Be careful with a GCC and a sunnie because GCCs think they can take a much larger bird and can get hurt.

Sunnies eat a lot of fruits, mine eat: apples, pears, oranges, red ruby grapefruits, grapes, blackberries, blueberries (they are not big on strawberries), bananas, fresh coconut, fresh pineapple, red and yellow papaya, mangoes, watermelon, cantaloupe (they don't like honeydew for some reason but they will eat the Portuguese golden melon), pomegranate, kiwis. They also eat carrots, corn, green beans, wax beans (not too much of these), sweet potatoes (every day!), all kinds of squashes and pumpkins (including Spanish calabaza), yucca, malanga, potatoes, cucumbers, celery, etc - some need to be organic and some don't, please make sure you buy the right type.

As to the sneezing, it's most likely that the air is too dry (they like humidity and the A/C tends to dry the air something terrible) - try putting a humidifier in the room and misting him during the day (but make sure the room is warm and the A/C is off -you don't want him to catch a chill).

Thank you so much! I'll be getting some fruits tomorrow! Do you give any snacks with training? Nuts or anything? Or maybe just fruit. I think I will just stick with Apollo for now and maybe expand in a couple years!

GCC ........ Have one of those and a Sun Conure. Yeh, have to agree. THe GCC "thinks" he's a bad boy. LOL.

I I had a foster Sun Conure for about 2 months awhile back and I did notice that our Sun Conure became MORE vocal than usual. The foster Sun has been gone now for about 6 months and all is back to normal in terms of our Sun's noise, which really isn't that bad.

As for you ear ...... I'm not a big fan of having ANY bird your shoulder. I keep all my Conures, Amazons, 'Too's, Macaws, etc .. on my arm and/or hand. that way you have FULL control of them at all times and you can see them and their body lanquage 100% of the time. If the bird is on your shoulder ..... you have no idea what's coming next and that can be SUPER PAINFUL if it's a Macaw.

I got a Sunburst Conure on the 4th of July. He is already spending 3 to 4 hours a day with me on my shoulder and lap. I just love him! However I notice some sneezing when he is preening or scratching his nose. He sneezes and some discharge will hit my face! But it seems to be clear. Like I said its usually when preening or scratching his face. Maybe I'm just worrying too much. I moved his cage to the opposite side of the room so it wouldn't be by the AC vent. Should I make a trip to the vet? He seems very active and friendly.

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When in doubt, contact the vet! It could be completely normal, I mean, after all, birds get boogers, too! And if they get something stuck in their nares (dust, seed hulls, a feather, etc), it can cause them to sneeze. I've also noticed that Charlie, my mitred conure, will sneeze after he scratches his nose with his nails, too!

It can help to take him into the bathroom while you take a hot, steamy shower (preferably without bird!) so the steam may help clear his nostrils when he breaths it in.

My next question is how much fruit and veggies....and what kind should I be giving? I've been giving corn, carrots, and green beans but he doesn't seem to love them.

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Perhaps this'll help?
http://www.parrotforums.com/general...afe-fresh-foods-toxic-food-lists-sprouts.html

Another question! He seems to enjoy biting my ears! Usually not hard just a nibble. But sometimes it's painful! Any suggestions on how to train him not to do that?

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You may want to prevent him from going up on your shoulder temporarily. Reward him for being down low on your arm and hand, give him things to chew (foot toys, leather strips, beads, bottle caps, etc) and keep his beak busy in general!

You can also buy birdy toy necklaces that you wear for the bird to chew on... or designate a certain shirt/sweater for bird toys. Make two horizontal holes right next to each other and ad a toy! Just be cautious, this could result in a bird chewing on clothes!

And last but not least. I'm thinking of adding a Pineapple Green Cheek or another Sun to my home. I have a separate cage but wonder how much louder it will be with 2. So if anyone can help with those questions I would greatly appreciate it!! Thanks!

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Green cheeks aren't as loud as suns, but yes, the noise could double, if not triple! Or it might not! You wont know what it's like until you add another conure.

Just a word of warning, regardless of species you choose, either get a bird the same sex as your current sun conure or be prepared to prevent hybridization! Suns and green cheeks can hybridize! And these hybrids are not always born healthy or "normal".