Hello. Are We Right for a Conure?

[tugar]

Found this forum and it looks like a great source of info from some obviously very devoted owners. The big question I need help with is...are we the right fit for a conure?

We are a family of 4. My sons are 13 and 16. My wife and I are both nurses. She works days and I work nights. We have 2 dogs. A laid back and sweet American Bulldog and an energetic/psychotic but sweet Chihuahua/Jack Russell mix. We've never owned birds in the past but my wife has always wanted a parrot. Her birthday is 12/24...lucky me. I thought a Conure would make a more thoughtful gift than front snowtires for her car. I've been doing a lot of reading online and found one a couple hours away. An adorable sun Conure 1.5 years old. I have a pretty good idea of what he will need as far as time and care. My question is will he fit into our household.

As I work nights I need to sleep from 730AM till around 130pm 3 days a week. I work 12 hour shifts so the other days I sleep a regular human schedule. Will Sunny allow me to sleep or cause me to develop schizophrenia from a lack thereof? When I wake up I'm on my computer a lot and would love to have a buddy on my shoulder...or keyboard. There is someone home nearly 24 hours a day, awake or comatose.

How will the dogs tie into this? I have no problem putting them into a different room an hour or 2 per day, but would prefer if we could Rodney King it and all get along.

The boys are geeked for a new pet and want to spend time with Sunny as well. Too many new faces too quickly?

Well there it is. I'm really more concerned about making the poor fellow miserable if we wouldn't be a good fit for him. Also, if I can't get at least 4 hours of sleep when I come home from work, it wouldn't work out. I'd really like to surprise her with Sunny. Just look at that face! Not the face of a home wrecking tyrant in wait is it?

His owner says his personality is adorable, but she is 13 and I am 51 lol. Any suggestions would be VERY welcome. Thanks!

 

[MarciaLove]

Sleep isnt an option with sun conures.... i had two and they scream almost all day long and are so loud!!! They are very playful and make great pets very lovable and fun to have i loved mine but the noise was too much for my mom ao she made me get rid of mine. As long as the bird gets a few hours out of the cage every day and lots of attention and tons of toys and the biggest cage you can get he should be fine. But they are loud just know that. As for mixing with dogs it can be risky so please be very careful my dog is wonderful and i trust her 100 percent with my birds but most dogs arent like that and may try to eat your bird so be careful with that introduce them through a cage where the bird is safe and i dont reccomend letting them play together if both are out in the same room watch closely and know it only takes seconds for something to go horribly wrong.

 

[WannaBeAParrot]

That conure is adorable, but don't be fooled by his cute-ish-ness. If he wants to make noise he will and that's just that. Suns are notorious for being noisy. I was caring for a few of them in my house years ago, and they were vocal quite a lot. Maybe it is because there were three of them in the.... (plus 2 quakers). Also, a parrot is really more like bringing a two year old in to your home in terms of intelligence, demands, moods, needs, safety, and the mount of time he'll need. Seriously. It might work out great, but it sounds like it will be a challenging situation to make it work.

Would you consider being foster parronts to bring a homeless bird in from a Rescue to care for it like your own. You could even adopt it if all works out well. Although, I don't know if a Rescue will let you foster without experience, because they know it is no cake walk adjusting to proper care and changing a number of things in your homelife for a bird. Another idea is to find a local Rescue or sanctuary and volunteer at different times of day to learn.

 

[Maria_Metropolis]

That face is iresistable, but this is the noise they make.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYFMo5Ar1k0"]How Loud Is a Screaming Sun Conure? - YouTube[/ame]

 

[thekarens]

Suns are gorgeous! But like everyone here has said, the larger conures are notoriously loud. You can check out YouTube to get an idea of how loud. Good luck on your search and I hope you find the right bird for your family.

 

[GaryBV]

I am laughing here, and happy, that my fellow members of the forum have given the advice they have, I can very easily see the charm of the Sun Conure - almost indescribably beautiful - until it opens it mouth! lol. I am really only familar with the smallest parrots, how about some of you offer some advice to tugar that would be an appropriate pet. My guess would be, considering their sleep schedules - a cockatiel.

 

[thekarens]

How about a pionus? No personal experience, but my understanding is they are relatively quiet. A sennie like mine is very quiet, but others are noisy.

 

[Echo]

It could potentially work if while you are sleeping, someone is playing with Sunny, preferably outside .....Also, Depending where you live, you could have an outdoor aviary and the time you sleep could be his time to suck up some rays. Outside time is great both because of direct sunlight so beneficial for our birds but it is also great entertainment for them so they are less noisy....and if they are calling, hopefully it's far enough not to disturb your sleep.....and during the day, most people are at work too so less worrysome that Sunny bothers anyone.

I fostered both a Sun and Jenday and like everyone said, they can be extremely loud. You could also look at the quiter Conures such as the Green Cheeks.

You have to watch your dogs, especially the "hunting" breeds such as Terriers.

 

[jugoya]

Have you seen the pinapple green cheeks?

they are a relatively quieter bird though I have a broto at the moment.

Sennies, Green cheeks, White winged or Beebee parakeets can be realtively quiet birds, So can Cockatiels :3.

Depends on what she wants in a bird as well, Green cheeks and Cockatiels are known for being cuddly. White wings are companionable but also on the cuddly side.. they aren't known for talking very well.

If you CAN have one in your area.. I absolutely adore Quakers brilliant happy little clowns.

 

[BoomBoom]

Sun conures like most parrots might want to greet the morning sun with happy screeches. Unfortunately suns have piercing screams that will rattle your brain. They might do it around the time your getting ready to sleep. They might even do it through out the day depending on the conure's temperament. My sun is very hyper, wants to be in the middle of everything and needs plenty of out of cage time, so if you have dogs you will definitely need to be extra vigilant.

There is more to these little monsters I haven't added here, but they sure are loveable and extremely loyal. Good luck on your decision, but in my opinion, if you value sleep and with the kind of schedule that you have, suns will take a lot of energy and effort to fit in your family's lifestyle.

 

[tugar]

Thanks for all the responses. Sounds like Sunny is out. My sleep needs aren't huge, but the 4 hour minimum is non negotiable lol. I think I'll research some of the other breeds some of you mentioned. Thanks again. I

 

[Freespin]

Thanks for all the responses. Sounds like Sunny is out. My sleep needs aren't huge, but the 4 hour minimum is non negotiable lol. I think I'll research some of the other breeds some of you mentioned. Thanks again. I

Im not where abouts you are but if you can find one, a Barraband would be a great option =D They tend not to be "one person birds" so will fit in with the family well, are quiet (no screaming!!) and talk well for a smaller bird . The males are very pretty and they are very easy birds to keep with great natures, similar to a teil though like i said they talk really well (despite what i read about them early on, everyone else i talk to who owns one says they are also great talkers) and are great whistlers =D

In regards to the dogs as long as you have control of them and they are well trained there is no reason for them not to get along but set ground rules early and be very firm about them!! I have two dogs (a 16month X bred and a 7month heading dog) and they are fine with my birds. My barraband lands on my older dogs back and runs all over him, chews at his paws and flaps around him and Arie (dog) is very good about it! Barry about flew in his mouth one day and Arie was disgusted at such bad behavior, Birds are not allowed near mouths didnt this bird know that!? The puppy runs away if the birds look like coming near them, not worth getting in trouble!

 

[GaryBV]

I had never heard of a Barraband before so I looked them up - very pretty!! Very parakeet looking but more brightly colored. For those that are interested here is a link to see what they look like:

https://www.google.com/search?q=Bar...tGWHuS2sASil4Bw&ved=0CCsQsAQ&biw=1120&bih=581

 

[Blueridge]

Well I don't really need to say it because its been said 100 times already but, yeah sun conures are loud. But they are great pets otherwise.

The small conures are quiter, such as the green cheek and pineapple.

Quaker parrots are really good birds too but they can be loud also, but not as loud as a sun conure.

I've been researching the Greater Vasa parrot lately. They are about as smart as the African Grey but they are very very quiet except during mating season. They are rare as pets though, but they are very good ones. I'm not sure if they would be good for beginner parrot owners though, because they are quite large.

If I were you I would go for a different kind of conure - a smaller one. Green cheek conures are really awesome. I would get that if I were you.

Good luck! Oh and welcome to the forums! :emoticonc

 

[Freespin]

I had never heard of a Barraband before so I looked them up - very pretty!! Very parakeet looking but more brightly colored. For those that are interested here is a link to see what they look like:

https://www.google.com/search?q=Bar...tGWHuS2sASil4Bw&ved=0CCsQsAQ&biw=1120&bih=581

I have no idea why they are not more popular! Everyone I have come across who has owned them agrees they are just great little birds! And when mine gets angry or upset he squeals and "pretend" bites me to let me know but very very rarely uses any kind or force.

 

[Van.Diemen]

I had never heard of a Barraband before so I looked them up - very pretty!! Very parakeet looking but more brightly colored. For those that are interested here is a link to see what they look like:

https://www.google.com/search?q=Bar...tGWHuS2sASil4Bw&ved=0CCsQsAQ&biw=1120&bih=581

In Australia (where they come from) they are known as the Superb Parrot and are quite popular as Avery birds, but very much less so as pets. They have a specialized diet and a very strong need to fly.

 

[Freespin]

I had never heard of a Barraband before so I looked them up - very pretty!! Very parakeet looking but more brightly colored. For those that are interested here is a link to see what they look like:

https://www.google.com/search?q=Bar...tGWHuS2sASil4Bw&ved=0CCsQsAQ&biw=1120&bih=581

In Australia (where they come from) they are known as the Superb Parrot and are quite popular as Avery birds, but very much less so as pets. They have a specialized diet and a very strong need to fly.

They do not have any special dietary requirements. They do just fine on a quality seed mix supplemented with fresh fruit and vege. I also give mine soak seed here and there. Mine is unclipped and will fly here and there (usually from his cage to myself or the couch) but he doesn't fly a lot though im not sure about others. A friend has a breeding pair in an aviary and while the hen is capable of flying she tends to just climb around in stead.

 

[tugar]

After talking it over with the fam, we are going to visit Sunny and try to get a feel for his temperament. Spoke to the owners father and he said that he is loud but does not screech that often. Mostly "talks". I know a new environment may set him back for a while, but we're at least going to take a look. Thanks again for the insight.

 

[lquan]

Any parrot will tend to be quiet for the first few days when brought to a new environment. After it got use to everyone and its new house, they will show their true color.

 

[GaryBV]

Iquan that is SO TRUE lol