Any Sun Conure Lovers that can spare some advice?

[marleezy]

Hey Everyone!
I recently just joined...about 5 minutes ago lol. I have a pair of sun conures that have been with me for 2 years now. When I bought them, the guy told me they were male and female, but he didn't know for sure. Anyways they mated The first time the female Jane laid 4 eggs. Three were broken and we were able to rescue 1. And now this is the second time they are very aggressive and grouchy! I'm sure they have at least one egg. Any advice you can spare so they will be parents soon?


Thank you in advance!
-Marlene

 

[Janedeaux]

I wonder if you know for sure that they are not related? did the previous owner say they weren't?

I don't know much about raising babies so I can't help with that. I would maybe just let them see what they can do on their own. when and if baby hatches, I think wait two weeks then begin to cuddle and tame baby?

 

[WesselG]

Hi Marlene

Is the floor of the nest Jane is using covered with material such as wood shavings etc. so that she can scratch a hollow for each egg? If that's not the case get some wood shavings or some other suitable material and put quite a layer on the nest-floor (I found it better to rather use a bit too much - in that case they just dump what they don't use). It might be that she's pressing down too hard on the eggs due to inexperience or lack of "padding".

I didn't have any aggression issues with my birds so it's hard for me to explain that but it could be them getting broody and telling you to give them some privacy.

The other thing that helped my pair of Sun Conures I had to raise 7 chicks in 2 years was to leave them alone as much as possible. I literally just changed their food and water and did a nest-check to see if everything was OK then disappeared. I know from experience how hard it is to contain your curiosity/excitement about any babies but if the female gets disturbed too much she might either stop laying eggs altogether or abandon the babies - about the last thing you want.

The nest-checks I kept as short and simple as possible: just enough time to see if there's any new eggs/babies so any unhatched eggs could be removed if the female doesn't discard it herself (which mine tended to do)

In my case I let the female raise the babies in the nest but once the chicks started leaving the nest I started spending more time around them and feeding them treats so they got fairly tame. Having said that both their parents took treats from my hand even while there was eggs/chicks in the nest so it seems I wasn't considered a threat.

Just a quick question: did the egg you were able to rescue hatch in the end?

I hope this helps a bit.

Wessel

 

[Mekaisto]

Hi Marleezy, welcome

There are a few things you should know before you breed your birds, and there are some rather good guides on google. I won't get into any details here, unless you need them, but a few basics:

-Like WesselG mentioned, the nest box should be big enough for both parents to fit inside, plus room for chicks, and should be padded at the bottom. I use a 1:1 combination of fine wood shavings and peat. Some people do not use peat moss for various reasons, but I have never had any problems with it.

-You need to make sure your female is getting a good diet, High in protein and calcium. You might be able to buy a type of pellet called 'breeding pellet', or if not you should make sure your birds have plenty of fruit and vegetables. Supplements are also commercially available, but I have never needed to use them.

-The aggression they're showing is most likely broodiness. This is actually a good sign, it's more likely a broody female will be a good mother.

-If possible, move the cage to a nice, quiet part of your house, possibly in a corner so they will feel safer. Try to limit the amount of time you spend near the cage.

And most of all, good luck